Champions League Roundup: PSV carry first leg lead to London

Soccer Betting Lines

02/20/2007 - Eindhoven, Netherlands (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dutch champion PSV Eindhoven handed English Premier League power, Arsenal, its first defeat in any competition of 2007 when the UEFA Champions League resumed with the first leg of the first knockout phase on Tuesday.

A brilliant strike by Ecuadorian International Edison Mendez is the 61st minute proved to be the difference in the game as Arsenal put forth a lackadaisical effort for most of the Round of 16 contest.

The game started passively for both sides, but Arsenal had the first quality scoring chance 13 minutes in.

Thierry Henry fed Tomas Rosicky with a one-two on the left side of the area, and the Czech midfielder found a seam. He fired a low shot at the far post which was saved by PSV's Brazilian goalkeeper Gomes, but not without some suspense. He got a hand on the ball to stop it as he was falling away, leaving the ball inches from the goaline before Carlos Salcido cleared it away.

Mendez got PSV's first shot on goal in the 21st minute from 20-yards but the effort was easily saved by Arsenal 'keeper Jens Lehman.

About five minutes later, Arsenal striker Henry had another quality effort from the left side, but bent a shot over the crossbar.

PSV had the next quality chance in the 39th minute when Jason Culina touched the ball around a defender in the midfield and found space where he raced on goal before unleashing a shot. Lehman made the save with little difficulty, however, as the shot was right at him.

Henry had a couple of minimal chances before the break, but was able to do little with them and the teams went into halftime tied at 0.

The teams came out with little energy to start the second half before Mendez was able to put the home squad on top.

After taking a well placed pass from Arouna Kone, Mendez struck a low hard shot into the bottom-left corner of the net to give PSV the lead at the hour mark. The 25-yard strike just eluded the fingertips of a diving Lehman to find the back of the net.

After the goal, PSV made history by subbing in Sun Xiang, who made his Champions League debut - the first ever appearance by a Chinese player in UEFA Champions League competition.

The Gunners created few chances the rest of the way with Francesc Fabregas' effort from about 20-yards out being the best about 20 minutes to time.

His strong strike was deflected over the crossbar by Gomes as he drove to his left to ensure the slim lead.

Arsenal outshot PSV 12-9 in the contest while Gomes made six saves to earn the win. The loss is the first for Arsenal at Philips Stadion in Eindhoven in three Champions League matches there - this the first in the knockout phase.

In the other UEFA Champions league matches on Tuesday, Spanish power Real Madrid outscored German champion Bayern Munich 3-2 behind two goals from Raul, Celtic and AC Milan battled to a 0-0 draw and Manchester United used a controversial quick start, freekick goal by Ryan Giggs seven minutes from time to secure a 1-0 win at Lille.

The rest of the first leg contests will be played Wednesday with Barcelona, FC Porto, Inter Milan and Roma hosting Liverpool, Chelsea, Valencia and Lyon, respectively.

At the conclusion of the first leg matches Wednesday, Champions League matches will resume March 6-7 at the higher seeds' home stadiums for the second leg of the Round of 16 phase.

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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.

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