Song bags late winner for China

Soccer Betting Lines

09/12/2007 - Wuhan, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Xialoi Song scored the game-winner in the 88th minute as hosts China opened its World Cup with an exciting win over Denmark, 3-2, on Wednesday.

Song's goal came less than a minute after Denmark scored in the 87th minute to tie the match at 2-2. Jie Li and Yan Bi scored China's first two goals.

Anne Dot Eggers Nielsen and Cathrine Paaske Sorensen scored for Denmark.

China pulled even with Brazil in Group D with three points, although it trails by four in goal differential. Brazil rolled to a 5-0 win on Wednesday over New Zealand.

China plays Brazil on Saturday in its second game of the group stage. Denmark will look to bounce back against New Zealand on Saturday.

The Chinese looked impressive in the first half of their tournament opener, creating numerous chances while Denmark struggled to mount any offense.

China had a couple chances off three consecutive corner kicks seven minutes into the match. Yan Bi and Caixia Xie alternated taking the kicks and swung balls toward the goal. Denmark goalie Heidi Johansen punched the first two chances wide before her side finally gathered the third kick.

The Chinese had a long blast by Xiaoxu Ma knocked down by Johansen in the 17th minute and she easily covered up the ball with no players even in the box.

China also had the next scoring chance in the 23rd minute when Duan Han raced into the box near the left end line and had her shot from a tough angle saved by Johansen.

Denmark threatened for the first time in the 27th minute when Maiken Pape just missed connecting with a cross in front of China goalie Wenxia Han.

China quickly regained control of the action and Bi set up the first goal when she stole a ball about 15 yards outside Denmark's box. She dribbled toward the goal and was fouled outside the area, setting up a free kick.

Bi stood over the attempt for a long time, lining up a left-footed shot, but it was Li who moved in and unleashed a blast into the upper right corner with her right foot in the 31st minute.

China's 1-0 lead almost disappeared minutes later when Pape's leaping header went just wide of the right post. Pape had a few more chances on headers in the half, but couldn't convert.

China countered Denmark's aerial assault with a header from Duan Han that went just inches wide of the right post for the last good chance in the first half.

After all the missed opportunities in the first half, China opened the second half by converting its first scoring chance. Bi's long blast didn't look good off her foot, but it deflected off Denmark captain Katrine Pedersen. The ball changed direction, fooling Johansen and sailing into the upper left corner of the net in the 50th minute.

Denmark wasn't down by two goals for long, though, as it answered in the 51st minute. Off a corner kick, Dot Eggers Nielsen ran unmarked to the ball at the far post and scored off a strong header.

Still facing the one-goal deficit 15 minutes later, Denmark turned to all-time leading scorer Merete Pedersen. Although she is nursing an injury, Pedersen came off the bench in the 75th minute when Denmark made two substitutes.

Although she wasn't directly involved in Denmark's tying goal in the 87th minute, Denmark's other sub assisted on the goal. Stine Dimun also came on with Merete Pedersen, and her cross was headed home by Paaske Sorensen.

Paaske Sorensen hit the ball well and it cleared the outstretched arms of the Chinese goalie and just under the crossbar.

But similar to when Denmark answered China's second goal, the Chinese bounced back to take the lead less than a minute later.

Off the restart, China pushed forward and Song chested down a pass and turned and blasted a shot from just outside the box. The well-placed shot sailed into the left side of the net, giving the hosts a dramatic win.

China improved to 8-1-3 all time against Denmark.

Wrollingstone Soccer Betting News

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SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting

NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.


That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.

A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."

It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.

The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.

So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."

Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.

Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.

Seriously.

The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.

The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.

Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."

The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.

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Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

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