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09/18/2007 - Shanghai, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lori Chalupny scored just 55 seconds into Tuesday's match against Nigeria and the United States held on for a 1-0 win to clinch the top spot in Group B and advance to the quarterfinals.
Chalupny's goal, the second fastest in the history of the World Cup. helped the Americans weather Nigeria and Typhoon Wipha to win the "Group of Death."
Tuesday's match was played in steady rain as Wipha closed in on Shanghai. The storm nearly forced the game to be moved, but it went on as scheduled in poor conditions.
The United States (2-0-1) plays England (1-0-2) in the quarterfinals Saturday.
The United States couldn't have gotten off to a better start against Nigeria, scoring in the first minute off a throw in. Cat Whitehill took the throw from the left side, finding Abby Wambach a few yards into the box.
Wambach flicked a header deeper into the box to Chalupny, who chested the ball down and poked a shot off a Nigeria player and into the lower left corner. The deflection fooled Nigeria goalie Precious Dede, who wasn't able to adjust and make an attempt on the ball.
The Americans didn't have another good scoring chance until the 20th minute when captain Kristine Lilly dribbled around a defender on the left sideline and sent a cross into the box. The cross found Wambach, but she headed wide.
The chances continued for the United States, starting with Lilly's free kick just over the crossbar in the 24th minute. She also put a header just wide of the left post in the 41st minute off a cross from Chalupny.
The five-time World Cup veteran set up another chance in the 43rd minute with a nice give-and-go that led to her cross to Wambach in the box. But Wambach's strong header was pushed high by Dede.
The United States had two more chances in the final minutes of the opening half, but Wambach and Shannon Boxx each put headers wide.
The United States' chances continued early in the second half when Lilly took a free kick from the right and Heather O'Reilly tried to redirect it on goal with a header but touched it just wide in the 50th minute.
The pace slowed considerably over the next 25 minutes as neither team created any real scoring threats and the United States seemed content to play for the one-goal win.
But Nigeria started to make things interesting in the 75th minute when it had the first of a few great scoring chances.
Perpetua Nkwocha broke free down the right side for the first chance, holding off Whitehill to get into the box and send a shot just a few feet wide of the left post.
Nigeria had another golden opportunity in the 85th minute when a cross rattled around the box and Nigeria had two shots on goal that were turned away before U.S. goalie Hope Solo finally jumped on the loose ball.
Dede made another nice save in the 88th minute to keep Nigeria within striking distance, but Solo sealed the win with a diving save right before the whistle.
Nigeria (0-2-1) played well in the toughest group in the tournament, but with just a tie against Sweden failed to advance for the fourth time in five World Cups.
Sweden defeated North Korea, 2-1, on Tuesday in the group's other game. North Korea still advanced and plays Germany in the quarterfinals on Saturday.
<< 2007 Three or More Homer Games
Players who have hit three or more home runs in a game this season:American League3 - Frank Thomas, Toronto, Sept. 17 vs. Boston3 - Brad Wilkerson, Texas, July 3 vs. Los Angeles Angels3 - Justin Morneau, Minnesota, July 6 at Chicago White SoxNationa
<< No. 12 South Carolina, No. 15 Clemson making fans happy
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -Nothing makes Clemson and South Carolina supporters happier than winning. Right now, there are lots of happy football fans in the Palmetto State.South Carolina's two major programs share 3-0 records and spots among the country's
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GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) -On the master list of things the Green Bay Packers have had to worry about over the past few years, letting success go to their heads probably ranked somewhere in between not selling enough No. 4 jerseys and running out of ched
<< Figgins, Angels beat Rays to shrink magic number
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chone Figgins hit the go-ahead RBI triple in
the fifth inning and had three of Los Angeles' 18 hits, as the Angels inched
closer to the AL West title with a 10-7 win over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
Figgins
Lotta goals not enough for Sweden to advance >>
Tianjin, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sweden came up short in its bid for a fifth
consecutive appearance in the quarterfinals of the Women's World Cup, beating
North Korea 2-1 on Tuesday, but failing to achieve the three-goal win that was
necessa
Hingis, Szavay reached second round in China >>
Beijing, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former world No. 1 Martina Hingis and
rising Hungarian Agnes Szavay were among Tuesday's first-round winners at the
$600,000 China Open.
The fifth-seeded Swiss Hingis, who was rained out here on Mo
Hingis, Szavay reach second round in China >>
Beijing, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former world No. 1 Martina Hingis and
rising Hungarian Agnes Szavay were among Tuesday's first-round winners at the
$600,000 China Open.
The fifth-seeded Swiss Hingis, who was rained out here on Mo
Braves, Marlins continue set in Atlanta >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rookie southpaw Jo-Jo Reyes takes the ball for his eighth
big-league start tonight when the Atlanta Braves host the Florida Marlins in
game two of a three-game series at Turner Field.
The Braves enter the game with fading
The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.
They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.
"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."
Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.
New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.
Not so sound on the ground
If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.
Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com
“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.
Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.
Brees says bring it on
Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.
Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.
Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.
"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."
SportsBooks ready for a shootout
Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.
“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”
New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.
The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.
“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts US credit cards
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