Bayern slips by Fiorentina on away goals

Soccer Betting Lines

03/09/2010 - Florence, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arjen Robben's brilliant goal in the 65th minute capped a stretch of four combined goals in 11 minutes, as Bayern Munich slipped into the quarterfinals of the Champions League despite a 3-2 defeat at Fiorentina on Tuesday.

Stevan Jovetic scored two goals and Juan Vargas added one to put Fiorentina in position to advance to the last eight on three occasions, but Mark van Bommel scored Bayern's first and Robben added the deciding away goal.

Bayern won the first leg 2-1 in Munich, and although the final aggregate ended 4-4, advanced because of its two away goals at Stadio Artemio Franchi.

Arsenal joined Bayern in the quarterfinals with a 5-0 win over FC Porto at the Emirates to overcome a first-leg deficit and advance on aggregate 6-2.

Fiorentina didn't look like a club that had lost seven of its last nine in all competitions, and in the process ended Bayern's 18-game unbeaten streak in all events but still failed to advance.

Fiorentina's Vargas decided to try and test Bayern goalie Hans-Jorg Butt from 35 yards on the first chance for either side, but his free kick just cleared the bar and dropped into the top of the net with the goal covered.

Vargas delivered on his next chance in the 27th when he battled Bayern central defender Daniel van Buyten to win a rebound on the left edge of the six-yard box and fired inside the far post from a tight angle.

Bastian Schweinsteiger helped create the first of two good chances for Bayern when he was able to head the ball through traffic to Robben on the right side of the area. Robben only had Fiorentina goalie Sebastien Frey to beat, but the French star made a great save to tip the ball wide in the 34th.

Miroslav Klose, who replaced an injured Mario Gomez in the 30th minute, had the second shot just seconds before half when he ran onto a cross from Thomas Muller but, despite getting under the ball, headed over from 10 yards.

Fiorentina was handed another great chance five minutes into the second half, but Butt made his biggest save of the match. Alberto Gilardino ran onto a ball on the top of the six that magically rolled by two Bayern defenders but didn't finish from just yards out as Butt deflected the ball wide.

Jovetic didn't waste Fiorentina's next chance, finishing off a back heel from Gilardino to pick out the bottom corner in the 54th to open the scoring streak that included two goals for each club.

Van Bommel unleashed a world-class strike from 20 yards that skimmed just off the inside the left post in the 60th, putting the series level at three goals apiece and even on away goals at one apiece. Jovetic followed in the 64th off another Gilardino assist to hand his side the series lead once again, only to watch Robben equalize shortly after the restart.

Robben delivered another world-class strike just over a minute later, when he sent a left-footed shot from 28 yards over the outstretched arms of a diving Frey and into the upper-left corner to send Bayern through to the final eight for the second straight season.

Fiorentina has not advanced to the last eight since the 1969-70 European event when it lost to Celtic in the quarterfinals.

In London, Nicklas Bendtner scored a hat trick as Arsenal rolled into the last eight over Porto.

Bendtner scored his first two goals in the ninth and 25 minutes, and after two goals from Samir Nasri and Emmanuel Eboue in the second half, finished his hat trick from the penalty spot in extra time.

Arsenal, which dropped the first leg in Portugal 2-1, advanced despite playing without Cesc Fabregas. The Gunners are in the last eight for the third time in a row, and for the fourth time in the last five tournaments.

Porto was eliminated in the knockout stage by and English club for the third time in the last four tournaments.

On Wednesday, Real Madrid will try to overcome a 1-0 defeat in the first leg when Lyon visits the Bernabeu, and Manchester United will try to hold onto its 3-2 edge when AC Milan visits Old Trafford.

Inter Milan visits Chelsea, CSKA visits Sevilla, Stuttgart visits Barcelona, and Olympiacos visits Bordeaux next week to wrap up the Round of 16.

Wwwlbetonsports Soccer Betting News

<< Spartans' Allen to miss Big Ten tourney opener
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Michigan State junior guard Chris Allen has been suspended and will miss the Spartans' Big Ten Tournament opener on Friday. The Detroit Free Press reported that Allen was held out of practice on Tues

<< Long-time Dodger Willie Davis dies
Glendale, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two-time All-Star and long-time Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Willie Davis died Tuesday. He was 69 years old. "He was beloved by generations of Dodger fans and remains one of the most talented

<< Lions release QB Pierce
Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The British Columbia Lions released quarterback Buck Pierce on Tuesday. The 28-year-old California native threw for 2,272 yards, 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions on 199-of-315 completions in 2009

<< San Antonio Silver Starts (WNBA)
Signed forward Tasha Humphrey to a training camp contract.

<< Broncos sign DE Green
Englewood, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Broncos signed free agent defensive end Jarvis Green on Tuesday. Green had spent each of his eight NFL seasons with the Patriots after New England made him a fourth-round pick in the

Chiefs land RB Thomas Jones >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas City Chiefs announced the signing of free agent running back Thomas Jones on Tuesday. Terms of the signing were not released. Jones was released after three productive seasons with t

Jerome leads Birmingham over Portsmouth >>
Portsmouth, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cameron Jerome scored two goals in the first half and promoted Birmingham defeated Portsmouth 2-1 on Tuesday to move within six points of fourth place in England's Premier League. Birmingham won for t

Rangers opens 13-point lead on Celtic >>
Kilmarnock, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steven Whittaker and Kenny Miller each scored and Rangers beat Kilmarnock 2-0 on Tuesday to move 13 points clear atop Scotland's Premier League. Whittaker scored the opener at Rugby Park in the 55th an

Vikings re-sign CB Sapp >>
Eden Prairie, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Vikings re-signed cornerback Benny Sapp on Tuesday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports it being a two-year contract worth $4.2 million,

Dolphins re-sign DT Ferguson >>
Davie, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Dolphins re-signed defensive tackle Jason Ferguson on Tuesday. The run-stopping, 310-pound tackle came to Miami in a 2008 trade with Dallas. He has started 128 of 159 career games and recorded 387

College Football Betting Tips From a Pro

While the NFL is the sport wagered on the heaviest, college football betting lines has become more and more popular as people realize it’s a game that can be beat. The NCAA football season gets longer each year with the addition of numerous bowl games and with that comes more opportunities for more money in your pocket, if handled correctly.

Betting on college football is not the same as with the NFL, so make sure you separate the two. Because of the vast number of teams, the parity between college football programs is slight and thus, you are going to see some high numbers in the NCAA. Teams favored by more than 40 points are not uncommon especially early in the season when teams playing their non-conference schedules.

The best advice when trying to tackle these enormous spreads and is to just stay away. A team that is favored by 40 points is favored by that many for a reason while teams getting 40 points are bad enough that they shouldn’t be touched. Set yourself a spread limit. Getting rid of these games will cut down on the number of contests that you need to handicap while staying away from backdoor or front-door covers.

What is a backdoor and front-door cover you ask? A backdoor cover is a team that is getting beat by more than the spread, but scores late to get within that number thus covering the spread. A front-door cover is just the opposite where the favorite scores late and covers the number they are favored by.

These front-door and backdoor covers are common when second and third string players enter games in college football and it can be the worst nightmare for some bettors. These players can also be your best friend, but ask any bettor and he will give you more instances on losing in this situation than winning. It just seems to work out that way even though everything evens out in the end.

College football betting has some of the softest lines of any sport and it’s being able to find these lines that will make you a successful college football handicapper. The NFL and NBA have the tightest lines around and while those sports can be beat by looking at situations and systems, college football doesn’t quite work that way. It’s much more manual, but when done correctly, it’s much more gratifying as well.

Getting into the nuts and bolts of college football means looking at the many stats in order to beat the number. As opposed to pro football, college football is less dependent on situations and angles and more on certain statistics. Rushing offense and defense, pass efficiency offense and defense and turnover margins are huge. These are vital in the NFL, but even more so when it comes to college football.

Being able to run the ball in college football has always been a key factor in the overall success of a team. The same adage also goes for teams who have the ability to stop the run. Putting these two factors together can produce some positive results in a team’s record both straight up and against the spread. These numbers show huge differences in teams and the spread may not take those into effect, which is where the value comes into play.

Passing yardage numbers both for and against can be a misinterpreted statistic. However, pass efficiency has always been one of the best ways to look at a teams’ passing game ability both offensively and defensively. But is it really a true indication of how they perform? I wouldn’t say so since they are raw passing numbers with nothing else taken into consideration.

I use pass efficiency ratings when doing my handicapping but I adjust my numbers based on a number of factors including power ratings, strength of schedules, personnel and injuries. This gives a much better picture of a team’s ability to pass effectively and also being able to defend the pass. Tweaking pass efficiency stats instead of raw passing yards is the key.

Turnovers are the single most frustrating, and at times the most gratifying, aspect of a college football lines, mostly because they are so unpredictable. They are part of the game and most of the time nothing can be done to control them. However, turnovers are contagious and they can carry over from game to game and season to season.

It’s important to know how to forecast these unforeseen events and how to use them to your advantage. You can find ways to give yourself an edge by looking at past histories of teams and coaches and how they have fared in turnover wars in the past. Instead of turnovers hurting you at the wrong times, find ways to use them to your advantage.

As you can see, college football handicapping is very labor intensive and isn’t just based on where teams are ranked in the AP and coaches polls. Experience, coaching and match-ups are all important since unlike the NFL, college teams turn over much more often with new personnel at most positions every single year. Keeping current on this information is vital.

Betting NCAA football can be lucrative if done correctly, but more importantly, it’s just plain enjoyable because it can be beat. College football is one of the best sports to watch with some of the best rivalries taking place in all of sports. The only downfall is that a championship isn’t decided on the field but on a computer-based system that is the Bowl Championship Series. That will change someday and we will all be better off for it.

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

MySportsbook.com is one of the most efficient and professional online sportsbook today. While some sportsbooks only excel during the busiest seasons, MySportsbook is an excellent choice for the player who wants year-round quality. From their baseball true dime line to their interactive wagering, MySportsbook makes sure their clients would miss them if they went elsewhere.

Players won’t find any novelties at this sportsbook. The site is clean and simple and most importantly, fast. Customer Service handles matters in an expedient manner and accounting does everything possible to assure players that they have full control of their funds. The online banking center is open 24/7 in which time Neteller payouts are processed.

Management’s background and understanding of sports gambling has helped make them pioneers in the online betting market. MySportsbook was the first betting site to offer sports wagering in the best form. Interactive wagering was first offered in 1997. Players who don’t stop wagering when the game begins consider this sportsbook a true asset.

Players who are looking for outstanding value, extensive wagering options and inexpensive payouts will appreciate what MySportsbook.com offers. Those who are looking for perks and high bonuses would be best suited in a sportsbook geared towards the regular player.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your sports betting needs.