Brazil beats Ivory Coast to secure berth in next round

Soccer Betting Lines

06/20/2010 - Johannesburg, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Luis Fabiano had two goals and Elano scored in his second straight match, helping Brazil secure a spot in the knockout round of the FIFA World Cup with a 3-1 win Sunday over Ivory Coast.

Fabiano scored in the 25th and 50th minutes, and Elano added the third goal in the 62nd minute at Soccer City Stadium, as Brazil sealed its 11th-straight appearance in the knockout stage.

Brazil opened with a 2-1 win over North Korea and leads Group G with two wins. Ivory Coast and Portugal have one point apiece. Portugal plays North Korea on Monday to wrap up the second round of Group G matches.

Brazil controlled the game from the opening minute when Robinho fired high on a 35-yard blast to set the tone. Gilberto Silva and Robinho followed with two quick shots in the 19th, but the first was deflected and the latter went well high.

Fabiano handed Brazil the lead inside 25 minutes, finishing a short pass from Kaka to open the scoring. Kaka was lucky to maintain possession just outside the penalty area and slid a pass through Ivory Coast defenders Siaka Tiene and Kolo Toure to send Fabiano into the box.

Fabiano fired into the top-right corner from a tight angle to finish the play, and was on target again five minutes into the second half as Brazil started to dominate the match.

Fabiano was a bit lucky on his second goal as he used two handballs to set up an otherwise hypnotizing finish. Fabiano initially settled the ball with his left arm with Tiene on his hip, then lifted the ball over Didier Zokora, and lastly juggled the ball over Toure to avoid all three defenders.

He then settled his own final maneuver against Toure by bringing the ball down off his upper arm and fired off goalie Boubacar Barry's fingertips and inside the right post.

Didier Drogba, who started for Ivory Coast, reached a cross from Aruna Dindane with his head in the 54th despite being defended by Maicon and Lucio, but he nodded the ball just inches wide of the right post.

Elano fired wide from 30 yards on the hour mark, and Kaka was denied by Barry after a quick passing combination with Robinho in the 61st as Brazil looked to seal the match.

Elano, who scored in Brazil's 2-1 win over North Korea, added his second goal of the tournament in the 62nd off a nice assist from Kaka, who drove down the left and slanted a cross back to the middle of the box for Elano to finish off from 10 yards.

Ivory Coast's Romaric forced a save by Brazil goalie Julio Cesar in the 74th, and Drogba cut the deficit by a goal five minutes later.

Gervinho made a nice run down the left and, without any options, slowed the play down and eventually slipped a pass outside the area to Yaya Toure. Toure lofted a pass into the area, and Drogba headed the ball from 12 yards inside the right post.

Both teams were involved in a scrum late in the match following a challenge by Kaka on Abdul Kader Kaita, who flopped to the ground and grabbed his face even though he was elbowed in the chest.

Kaka was eventually issued a yellow card, his second of the game, and was sent off and will miss Brazil's third group match against Portugal on Friday. Ivory Coast plays its final group match Friday against North Korea.

Onlinevasino Soccer Betting News

<< Konerko and Garcia lead White Sox to sweep of Nats
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Paul Konerko drove in three runs and scored a run, as the Chicago White Sox defeated the Washington Nationals, 6-3, to complete a three-game series sweep at Nationals Park. Alex Rios went 3-for-5 with t

<< Brewers activate P Coffey
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Milwaukee Brewers reinstated relief pitcher Todd Coffey from the 15-day disabled list on Sunday. Coffey had missed the last three weeks because of a right thumb contusion, with his last appearance comi

<< Kanaan ends two-year winless streak at Iowa
Newton, IA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tony Kanaan snapped a 34-race winless drought in the IZOD IndyCar Series by taking Sunday's Iowa Corn Indy 250 at Iowa Speedway. Kanaan, the 2004 series champion, passed Helio Castroneves with 10

<< Mariners' Jack Wilson activated from DL
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Seattle Mariners activated shortstop Jack Wilson from the 15-day disabled list on Sunday and optioned infielder/outfielder Matt Tuiasosopo to Triple-A Tacoma. Wilson, who last played

<< Pavano goes the distance as Twins take rubber match with Phillies
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carl Pavano notched his second complete game of the season and Justin Morneau finished 2-for-4 with a homer and two runs scored as Minnesota quieted Philadelphia, 4-1, in the rubber match of a three-g

Portugal should expect battle from North Korea >>
Cape Town, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Portugal may be the third-ranked team in the world according to FIFA, but it should expect to get a battle from North Korea on Monday at Green Point Stadium in its second Group G contest. Portuga

Swiss staying grounded for match against Chile >>
Port Elizabeth, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Switzerland pulled off the biggest upset of the FIFA World Cup by beating Spain, 1-0, in its opening game of the tournament. Now the Swiss will try for their second win in as many matches

Spain needs to bounce back against Honduras >>
Johannesburg, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Spain entered the FIFA World Cup as one of the favorites and after a shocking 1-0 loss to Switzerland, resumes its tournament Monday against Honduras in Group H play with expectations still high.

Hinske breaks tie in eighth, lifts Braves to sweep of Royals >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Eric Hinske doubled home the tie-breaking runs in the eighth inning to lift Atlanta to an 8-5 win over Kansas City and a series sweep of their interleague matchup at Turner Field. The Royals loaded the

Jennifer Song wins professional debut >>
Decatur, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jennifer Song won her professional debut on Sunday at the Duramed Futures Tour's Players Championship, the only major on the circuit. Song, who turned professional Monday, fired a nine-under 61 on Sunda

2007 NFL Football Betting Preview


“You play to win the game!”

Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.

The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.

The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.

Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?

Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.

New York Giants betting lines

Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.

Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.

Dallas Cowboys betting lines

Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.

The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.

Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.

Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.

Oakland Raiders betting lines

This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.

First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”

The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason. 

Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football wagering needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.