12/04/2008 - Wolfsburg, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Zvjezdan Misimovic stole the ball off the feet of Portsmouth and England goalie David James to score the winning goal in Wolfsburg's 3-2 UEFA Cup win Thursday that sent the Germans into the next round and eliminated the English side.
Wolfsburg, AC Milan and Braga, which edged Heerenveen 2-1 on Thursday, secured the top three spots in Group E and berths in the knockout stage.
Hamburg, Aston Villa and Ajax wrapped up the top three spots in Group F, Saint Etienne and Valencia clinched in Group G and CSKA Moscow finished off a perfect run in Group H as nine of the 12 spots in the four groups were decided.
Wolfsburg and Portsmouth combined for four goals in the opening 23 minutes at Volkswagen Arena, ultimately setting up James' mistake and Misimovic's winner.
Edin Dzeko opened the scoring in the third minute for Wolfsburg, but Portsmouth answered with goals three minutes apart from Jermain Defoe (11th minute) and Arnold Mvuemba (14th).
Christian Gentner leveled the match in the 23rd, and Misimovic eventually broke the deadlock in the closing stages. James tried to dribble around Misimovic in the penalty box and the Wolfsburg midfielder stole the ball and slotted into an empty net.
James later denied Misimovic on a penalty kick, but Portsmouth couldn't create an equalizer and lost for the second time in three UEFA Cup matches.
Wason Renteria and Luis Bernardo Aguiar scored as Braga rallied from an early deficit to secure advancement and eliminate Heerenveen. AC Milan didn't play on Thursday but clinched based on the day's results.
In Group F, Vladimir Leitner and Peter Styvar scored in the opening 19 minutes and Zilina held off Aston Villa - even though the English side still advanced - and Ivica Olic and Mladen Petric scored to lead Hamburg to a 2-0 victory over Slavia Prague.
Hamburg, Aston Villa and Ajax - which all have six points - have one match left in group play to determine the final order of the teams.
In Group G, Nikola Zigic scored in the 60th minute to help Valencia tie Club Brugge 1-1 to secure advancement and Mikael Antonsson scored in the 85th minute to help Copenhagen earn a 1-1 draw against Rosenborg, which was eliminated.
St. Etienne, which was idle, also secured a spot in the next stage. Club Brugge and Copenhagen meet on the last day of the stage to decide the last qualifier.
In Group H, Vagner Love scored a hat trick as CSKA Moscow defeated Nancy 4-3 to finish a perfect 4-0 and Deportivo got a second-minute goal from Diego Colotto and held on for a 1-1 draw against Lech Poznan.
Feyenoord, which was idle, was eliminated but Nancy, Deportivo and Lech Poznan are still battling for the final two spots from the group.
The UEFA Cup group stage wraps up on Dec. 17-18.
<< FCS Previews: Week 15
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Here are the predictions for the
quarterfinal round playoff games and the Gridiron Classic from week 15 of the
FCS season.
SATURDAY'S FCS QUARTERFINALS
No. 6 Villanova (10-2) at No. 1 James Madison (11-
<< Reds re-sign P Lincoln
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cincinnati Reds re-signed reliever
Mike Lincoln to a two-year contract on Thursday.
Lincoln returned to the majors last season after missing the 2005-07 seasons
because of several elbow surger
<< Bayern plans to keep Podolski for rest of season
Munich, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge
has categorically ruled out the possibility of striker Lukas Podolski being
allowed to leave the club in the January transfer window.
The 23-year-old Germany
<< Brewers sign P Julio
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Milwaukee Brewers signed free agent
relief pitcher Jorge Julio to a one-year contract on Thursday.
The 29-year-old split time last season between the Cleveland Indians and the
Atlanta Braves, goin
NFLPA files lawsuit to block suspensions >>
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NFL Players Association filed a
lawsuit Thursday, challenging the suspensions of five players levied earlier
this week for violations of the league's steroids policy.
New Orleans' Charles Gr
Barry to remain tight-lipped until end of season >>
Birmingham, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aston Villa midfielder Gareth Barry is
not planning to make any more comments on his future until the end of the
season.
The England international was widely expected to leave Villa Park and si
Xavi agrees to new deal with Barcelona >>
Barcelona, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Barcelona midfielder Xavi has confirmed
that he has agreed a new contract that will see him play out the rest of his
career at the Camp Nou.
The 28-year-old Spain international had been linked with
Nitties one up at PGA Tour Q School >>
La Quinta, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - James Nitties fired a nine-under 63 Thursday
to grab a one-shot lead after two rounds at the Final Stage of PGA Tour
Qualifying School.
Nitties completed 36 holes of the 108-hole tournament at 12-unde
MySportsbook.com: New College Football Clock Rules Examined
Coaches and bettors alike are desperate to make sense of the new time-keeping rules on the NCAA gridiron. One of the big stories to come out of the Ohio State-Texas clash last weekend was Texas coach Mack Brown's criticism of the NCAA's new clock rules that are intended to shorten the duration of college football games, therefore affecting college football betting.
"They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything," Brown told ESPN.com. "I really hope whoever made these changes will go back and look them over."
Sure, it might be sour grapes; the Buckeyes thoroughly trounced the defending national champion Longhorns 24-7. However, Brown isn't alone in giving the changes their due thought. Bettors are also wondering about them, albeit for a completely different reason. Most experts agree that the changes will result in games being shortened by anywhere from 10 to 20 plays. The obvious consequence is lower scores, with more time rolling off the clock during changes of possession. (The Ohio State-Texas game flew well under the total of 52.)
According to research at the online sportsbook MySportsbook.com, more than 18 plays a game disappeared last weekend into thin air. That's a 10-percent reduction. In 2005, a typical game had 168.58 plays. For 2007 already, it's down to 150.26.
As a result, teams combined to gain an average of about 100 fewer yards a game last weekend versus the 2005 openers. Scoring was also down by about 4.5 points (attention Las Vegas sports lines).
Of course, oddsmakers were able to adjust to the changes before the season started. Proof of that came as the over went a balanced 8-9 at My Sportsbook on Saturday.
Other angles to consider:A shorter game should theoretically result in shorter lines. Whereas Team A might have been a 14-point favorite in a 168-play game (last year), if there are 10 percent less snaps in 2007, the line should also be reduced by 10 percent (to 13 or 12.5). Of course, this is an over-simplification of the matter, but something to keep in mind.
Less possessions means a better chance the game will be decided by three or seven points. For example, what might have been a 20-10 final score in 2005 may end at
17-10 in 2007. Granted, a 24-17 game last year might end at 21-17 these days, but the former - a three- or seven-point advantage being preserved as opposed to created - is the most likely scenario.
*UPDATE* - Sept. 25, 2007
New Clock Rules Boon for online bookmakers
By adjusting the time-keeping rules to shorten the duration of college football games, the NCAA hoped to make its product more enjoyable for the fans. While the NCAA's success in this regard is still up for debate, bookmakers couldn't be happier with the results.
"We are seeing a massive jump in college football betting," noted the MySportsbook.com management team. "With all the early Saturday games (12 a.m. ET) ending before the second wave begins (3:30 p.m. ET) - something that didn't always happen before the changes - bettors are now able to re-invest their winnings from the morning session in the afternoon games."
While not all bettors will choose to roll over their winnings, it doesn't take much for an impact to be seen on the bottom line. "Not all of the millions of dollars in morning payouts get re-bet. In fact, it's probably only 10 to 20 percent," noted the sportsbook management team. "Still, the increased football betting lines window will create a ton of growth for us over the course of the season."
About MySportsbook.com Sports Casino Poker
Since opening in 1997, MySportsbook.com Sports Casino Poker has been a leader in Internet wagering, providing single account access for sports and casino play. This sportsbook has a revolutionary payment method, Direct Bank Transfer, gives players a faster and more secure transaction option for both deposits and withdrawals. This Internet Sportsbook takes pride in offering an aggressive VIP rewards program, along with seasonal reduced juice specials and high parlay payout odds. MySportsbook.com has set new standards in the sports betting industry, from their fantastic customer service, industry leading bonuses, extensive selection of wager types and props, to the fastest payouts anywhere... MySportsbook.com is America's Sportsbook! Open an account today at MySportsbook.com Sports Casino Poker, or call toll-free 1-866-238-6648
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Master Card needs.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting