Udinese tops Napoli with Di Natale's late heroics
Soccer Betting Lines
02/07/2010 - Udine, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Antonio di Natale scored two goals in stoppage time to complete a hat trick as Udinese beat Napoli, 3-1, on Sunday at the Stadio Friuli.
Di Natale put Udinese in front after seven minutes when he followed up his own penalty miss to fire past Napoli goalkeeper Morgan De Sanctis, but Cristian Maggio equalized in the 21st minute for the visitors before he picked up a second yellow card for diving right before halftime.
However, Udinese was unable to take advantage of the sending off until stoppage time, when Di Natale scored twice in a two-minute span to help his side snap a seven-game winless skid.
The win moves Udinese two points clear of the bottom three, while Napoli suffered its first defeat in Serie A in 15 games.
Udinese started well and their pressure was rewarded after seven minutes when Kwadwo Asamoah drew a penalty kick after he was held inside the area by Maggio.
Di Natale had his spot kick saved by De Sanctis, but he pounced on the rebound and put his team in front.
Napoli was level in the 21st minute when Marek Hamsik's through-ball picked out German Denis, whose shot was saved by goalkeeper Samir Handanovic, but it followed up by Maggio to even the match at 1-1.
The visitors then came within inches of taking the lead in the 44th minute when Fabio Quagliarella headed a cross from Denis off the crossbar, but less than one minute later, Napoli was reduced to 10 men when Maggio received a second booking for diving.
Neither side really gained an advantage throughout the second half, but the game came to life again in the 89th minute when Napoli's Michele Pazienza had his shot hit the post.
However, Pazienza was responsible for giving away a goal in the first minute of stoppage time when his poor clearance allowed Di Natale to beat De Sanctis.
The Udinese striker then completed his hat trick minutes later when he found the net once again on the counter attack.
Leaders Inter Milan had no trouble beating Cagliari, 3-0, while Roma moved into second place as they downed Fiorentina, 1-0, with Mirko Vucinic scoring the lone goal in the 82nd minute.
AC Milan dropped to third after being held to a 0-0 draw by Bologna, Sampdoria knocked off Siena, 2-1, Catania got the better of Lazio, 1-0, Marco Rossi's second-half goal helped Genoa beat Chievo, 1-0 and Atalanta took care of Bari, 1-0, with Simone Tiribocchi scoring eight minutes from time.
Saint Etienne, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - St Etienne moved seven points clear of the bottom three on Sunday with a comfortable 3-0 win over Monaco at the Geoffroy Guichard Stadium. Blaise Matuidi had the home side in front after 14 m
<< Mallorca moves into top four
Mallorca, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mallorca took over fourth place in the La
Liga table on Sunday as Jose Carlos Nunes scored in the 81st minute of a 1-0
win over Villarreal at the Son Moix Stadium.
Mallorca entered the match having wo
<< Syracuse thumps Cincinnati on the road
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Andy Rautins had 20 points, as third-ranked
Syracuse downed Cincinnati, 71-54, at Fifth Third Arena.
Kris Joseph had 17 points, while Scoop Jardine and Arinze Onuaku each chipped
in with 11 points for t
<< Ohio State rallies in second half to clip Lady Lions
University Park, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Samantha Prahalis hit five three-
pointers and scored 26 points to pair with 12 assists, as No. 8 Ohio State
rallied from down 14 in the second half to secure an 86-73 win over Penn
State.
<< Ovechkin's hat trick keys Caps' OT comeback over Pens
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mike Knuble scored on the power-play with
2:11 remaining in overtime, and Alex Ovechkin recorded a hat trick, as the
Washington Capitals fought back from a three-goal deficit to edge Pittsburgh,
5-4, an
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The following is a list of inactive players for Super Bowl XLIV in Miami. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS VS. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS, 6:25 P.M. (ET) Saints - 3rd QB Chase Daniel, TE Darnell Dinkins, RB Lynell Hamilton, T
Freeney active for Super Bowl >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Indianapolis Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney
is listed as active for the Super Bowl despite a right ankle injury.
Freeney hasn't practiced all week due to a third-degree sprain and torn
ligament in h
Sharks get D Wallin from Carolina >>
San Jose, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Jose Sharks made a trade on Sunday,
acquiring defenseman Niclas Wallin and a fifth-round pick in the 2010 draft
from the Carolina Hurricanes for a second-round pick in the 2010 draft.
Wallin, a
Carter leads Magic over Boston >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Vince Carter led a balanced attack with 20
points and Dwight Howard logged 16 points and 13 rebounds despite battling
foul trouble, as Orlando rallied back from an 11-point halftime deficit to
beat Bo
Bruins snap 10-game skid, blank Canadiens >>
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tuukka Rask posted 36 saves for his third
shutout of the season and Boston broke a 10-game losing streak, one game short
of the franchise record, with a 3-0 win over Montreal at the Bell Centre.
Boston,
Chiefs' Treen Green out for Sunday's game
How long Trent Green will remain sidelined is unknown. Coach Herm Edwards said Monday he will miss a second straight start Sunday when the Chiefs host the San Francisco 49ers.
A two-time Pro Bowler, Green was going into a feet-first hook slide when he was knocked unconscious by a thunderous, head-snapping hit from Cincinnati's Robert Geathers.
Oddsmakers at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com currently have the Chiefs listed as 7-point favorites versus the 49ers.
The 49ers got beat by Philadelphia 38-24 as a 6.5-point underdog last week. The combined score went OVER the posted over/under total (42.5).
Alex Smith completed 27-of-46 passes for 293 yards with a touchdown. Michael Robinson rushed for 29 yards and a pair of touchdowns on five carries.
The Chiefs lost 9-6 to Denver last week as an 11-point underdog. The combined score was well UNDER the posted over/under total (38).
Larry Johnson rushed for 126 yards on 27 carries. Damon Huard completed 17-of-23 passes for 133 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.
To visit this online sports book got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.
Super Bowl 2009 Betting
Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositionsUnderdog 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.
Get free 2009 Super Bowl Betting from top rated online sportsbook MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online Super Bowl betting VISA Mastercard