Special win: Inter eliminates Chelsea

Soccer Betting Lines

03/16/2010 - London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Samuel Eto'o scored late in the second half and Inter Milan beat Chelsea 1-0 on Tuesday at Stamford Bridge to seal its 3-1 aggregate win and a spot in the quarterfinals of the Champions League.

Inter coach Jose Mourinho, who is nicknamed "The Special One," coached Chelsea from 2004-07. Inter had lost in the Round of 16 the last three seasons, but is back in the final eight for the first time since 2005-06.

Chelsea last failed to reach the last eight that same year and had advanced to the semifinals each of the last three seasons. The Blues were second in 2008.

CSKA Moscow defeated Sevilla 2-1 at Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan to claim its series on aggregate, 3-2, to join Inter in the quarterfinals. Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Lyon, and Manchester United advanced last week.

Barcelona hosts Stuttgart on Wednesday with the series tied 1-1, and Bordeaux hosts Olympiacos with a 1-0 edge in their series to decide the last two teams.

Chelsea created the first scoring chance in the 11th minute when Frank Lampard dropped a pass off to Michael Ballack and the German drove a 30-yard shot just wide of the left post.

Inter had its only good scoring chance of the first in the 33rd after Chelsea captain John Terry misjudged a cross and it sailed over his head to Eto'o, who wasted an opener header with a shot straight into the ground.

Chelsea created its best chance two minutes before half when Didier Drogba set up Nicolas Anelka in the area. Anelka tried to tap the ball past Julio Cesar, but the Inter goalie got a piece of the ball and Thiago Motta cleared.

Although Chelsea needed a goal to win the series, Inter was far more dangerous through the first 25 minutes of the second half and could have easily put the series away on three occasions.

Wesley Sneijder found a streaking Goran Pandev in the 59th minute, but he took too long to test Chelsea goalkeeper Ryan Turnbull, and Yuri Zhirkov closed to deflect the shot wide.

Just six minutes later, Terry turned the ball over and Sneijder lofted a pass to Diego Milito, who fired wide of the right post with only Turnbull to beat.

Sneijder set up another chance in the 70th, but his perfect free kick to the back post to Motta was headed over from close range.

Eto'o finally rewarded Sneijder for his play-making in the 78th and sealed the series at the same time. Sneijder chipped a pass to Eto'o to spring him for a one-on-one chance with Turnbull - who started for injured Petr Cech - and he settled well and then poked a shot past Turnbull to the near post.

Drobga was sent off in the 86th for stomping on Motta after a collision in the area, and Chelsea did nothing over the closing minutes.

Mourinho celebrated the goal from Eto'o, but he left the bench and was down in the tunnel before the final whistle blew.

In Spain, Tomas Necid and Keisuke Honda scored as CSKA Moscow shocked Sevilla. Necid scored the opener in the 39th but Valencia's Diego Perotti answered just two minutes later to level the series at 2-2.

Honda sent CSKA through when his 35-yard free kick deflected off the hands of Sevilla goalie Andres Palop and into the upper right in the 55th. Honda had a lot on the shot but Palop was in good position and should have easily made the save.

Sevilla needed two goals in the final 35 minutes, but couldn't respond and was eliminated in the Round of 16 for the second time in the last three years.

Lottoballls Soccer Betting News

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Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

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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