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.

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Big East Conference odds

Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence

Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.

Work left to do:

Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.

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DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...

West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.

Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.

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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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