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07/06/2010 - Cape Town, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben scored in a three-minute span of the second half and the Netherlands survived a frantic finish to edge Uruguay, 3-2, on Tuesday to advance to the FIFA World Cup final.
Sneijder scored in the 70th minute for his fifth goal of the tournament and Robben followed with his second. Giovanni Van Bronckhorst also scored for Holland.
Maxi Pereira scored two minutes into stoppage time for Uruguay, which got its other goal from Diego Forlan, but the South American team could not finish off another miracle win.
The Netherlands will play the winner of Wednesday's semifinal between Germany and Spain in the World Cup final Sunday. Diego Forlan scored the lone goal for Uruguay, which plays the loser of the other semifinal in the third-place match Saturday.
The Netherlands were nearly gifted an early goal when Uruguay goalie Fernando Muslera failed to punch the ball out of danger. Dirk Kuyt ran onto the ball on the left side of the box but, with Muslera scrambling back to his line, rushed the shot and fired high in the fourth minute.
Dutch captain Van Bronckhorst turned the next chance into the best goal of the World Cup. Demy De Zeeuw, starting for suspended Nigel De Jong, dropped a pass off to Van Bronckhorst in midfield, and the left back unleashed a perfect shot from 40 yards just off the fingertips of a diving Muslera, off the right post, and into the net in the 18th minute.
Holland continued to create chances and Robben broke into the box in the 31st, but Uruguay defender Martin Caceres, making his first appearance of the World Cup, made a sliding tackle to prevent a shot.
Alvaro Pereira followed with Uruguay's first shot on goal from 30 yards in the 36th, but Dutch goalie Maarten Stekenlenburg made an easy save.
Robben set up Kuyt on the left side of the area minutes later, but Kuyt failed to solve Muslera at the near post.
Uruguay tied the game in the closing minutes of the half when Forlan's curving shot just over the head of Dutch defender John Heitinga, off the fingertips of a fooled Stekenlenburg and under the crossbar. Forlan hit the shot from nearly 30 yards and Stekenlenburg initially took a step toward the left, allowing the ball to sneak past him.
Forlan tested Stekenlenburg again before half, but the Dutch goalie did well to hold a long free kick to keep the match level.
Holland coach Bert van Marwijk made an aggressive move at half, taking off De Zeeuw for attacking midfielder Rafael Van der Vaart.
Uruguay was the first to create a scoring chance after half, though, as Edison Cavani, starting in place of suspended Luis Suarez, pressured Stekenlenburg on the edge of the area and had a clearance deflect off him.
Cavani slipped the ball out to Pereira, who hit a 25-yard shot toward an empty net but Van Bronckhorst raced in to head the ball out of danger in the 51st.
The Dutch had extended period of possession in Uruguay's side without creating a strong chance, and the South American side escaped the spell and quickly set up a chance for Forlan.
Uruguay earned a free kick 30 yards from goal in the 66th, and Forlan dipped a shot over the ball and toward the bottom left, but Stekenlenburg dove to push the ball wide.
The Netherlands could have taken the lead two minutes later when Van der Vaart and Robben had back-to-back chances, respectively, the first saved by Muslera and the second fired over the bar.
Sneijder followed with the go-ahead goal in the 70th, when he took a pass from Robin Van Persie and fired from the top of the penalty area. With the help of a deflection off a Uruguay defender, the ball rolled past Muslera and into the bottom-right corner.
Robben sealed the win three minutes later when he adjusted to a Kuyt cross and headed into the bottom-left corner from 12 yards. Kuyt's cross was just a step behind Robben, but the Bayern Munich winger took a step back toward the top of the 18 and flicked the header past a helpless Muslera.
Robben had two more chances to add to his scoring total in the final minutes, but failed to finish two golden chances, and Uruguay nearly took advantage.
Walter Gargano played a short free kick to Maxi Perieria on the right edge of the area, and he hit a shot into the bottom left corner to set up the frantic finish.
Uruguay had a few half-chances in the closing seconds, including possession in the area, but could not create another goal. Uruguay survived a missed penalty kick in its quarterfinal in the closing seconds of extra time just to advance to the semifinals.
The Dutch held on to advance to the final for the first time since the second of two consecutive runner-up finishes in 1978.
<< Blues extend F Janssen
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Blues have re-signed forward
Cam Janssen to a one-year contract extension.
The 26-year-old Janssen was scoreless in 43 games last season while recording
a career-high 190 penalty minutes.
<< Querrey, Fish, Mahut move on in Newport
Newport, RI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-seeded American Sam Querrey, fifth-seeded
American Mardy Fish and Wimbledon marathon man Nicolas Mahut were a trio of
opening-round winners Tuesday at the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships.
The 2009 Newpo
<< No charges filed in shooting at Vick party
Virginia Beach, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - No charges will be filed in the shooting
incident that occurred outside a local restaurant celebrating Michael Vick's
birthday, according to a statement from the Virginia Beach police on Tuesday.
Vick
<< Pistons sign first-round pick Monroe
Auburn Hills, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Pistons signed forward Greg
Monroe, the seventh overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft, on Tuesday.
Terms of the deal were not released.
Monroe averaged 16.1 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.5 b
USC releases OL Henderson from letter of intent >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of Southern California has
released incoming offensive lineman Seantrel Henderson from his national
letter of intent.
Henderson, listed at 6-foot-8, 301 pounds, was rated by Rivals.
Harang lands on DL; Reds call up Maloney to start >>
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cincinnati Reds pitcher Aaron Harang was
placed on the 15-day disabled list, and Matt Maloney was called up from
Triple-A Louisville to make Tuesday's start against the Mets.
Harang last pitched
Barca sends Chygrynskiy back to Shakhtar >>
Barcelona, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Barcelona misfit Dmytro Chygrynskiy has
returned to former club Shakhtar Donetsk after just one year at the Camp Nou.
The 23-year-old defender left the Ukrainian side for Barca in August 2009 but
has
Parma gets Bojinov from Manchester City >>
Parma, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manchester City has confirmed that Bulgaria
international Valeri Bojinov has joined Parma for an undisclosed transfer fee.
The Serie A side claimed earlier in the week that they had agreed a deal for
the
In terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.
It is called the "pointspread."
Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.
But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.
A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.
In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.
The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere for online football betting .
Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.
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Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.
Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.
Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.
If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.
Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.
By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.
In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.
So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.
While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.
There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.
In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:
SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.
XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.
XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.
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