Brazil bounced from World Cup by Dutch

Soccer Betting Lines

07/02/2010 - Port Elizabeth, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - For the second successive FIFA World Cup, Brazil has failed to reach the semifinals as it suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of the Netherlands at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Friday in a quarterfinal match.

Brazil was knocked out in the quarterfinal round by France in 2006, but it was firmly in control in the first half of Friday's match and it took the lead after 10 minutes through Robinho.

However, Brazil failed to capitalize on a number of other chances and allowed the Netherlands to equalize early in the second half with a fluke own goal from Felipe Melo.

Wesley Sneijder then put the Dutch ahead with a 68th-minute header before Melo's night got even worse as he was sent off for stepping on Arjen Robben after the Dutchman had gone down in the 73rd minute, effectively ending Brazil's chances.

The Netherlands last reached the semifinals of the World Cup in 1998, when it was beaten by Brazil, and it will now play the winner of the other quarterfinal on Friday between Ghana and Uruguay.

The Dutch lost central defender Joris Mathijsen to a knee injury prior to the match and his absence was felt in the opening 10 minutes when Robinho sliced through the middle of the back line and took a pass from Melo before slotting his shot past goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg.

Brazil continued to pressure and Dani Alves should have done better with a low cross from Juan that he fired over the net from eight yards, while a brilliant build up followed six minutes later for the South Americans.

Robinho started the move by dancing down the left wing and playing a pass to Luis Fabiano, whose clever backheel found Kaka at the top of the box. He then sent a curling shot toward the upper-right corner of the net, but the ball was tipped past the post by a fine save from Stekelenburg.

The goalie also did well right before halftime to keep out a good first-time strike from Maicon, which proved huge as the game entered the second half.

The equalizing goal came very much against the run of play and it was an innocent looking cross from Sneijder that set it up.

The ball was played toward the front of goal from the right wing, but goalkeeper Julio Cesar was bumped by teammate Melo, allowing the ball to hit off Melo's head and go into the net.

It was a slice of good fortune for the Dutch, and it also saw Brazil come unhinged.

The winning goal came in the 68th minute from a corner kick as Arjen Robben played the ball to the near post for Dirk Kuyt, who flicked it into the path of Sneijder for a successful header.

Brazil was down to 10 men five minutes later when Robben went down and was stepped on by Melo, earning the midfielder a red card and severely damaging Brazil's chances.

The final 15 minutes saw Brazil unable to really threaten the Dutch net, with the best chance coming on a corner kick that was poorly handled by Stekelenburg but headed to safety by Kuyt.

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American Idol Betting Season 6 Strategies  

It's that time of year folks.  Betting on American Idol Season 9.  And we have plenty of American Idol Season 6 strategies appearing below.  With the Top 24 finalists revealed, online gambling sites will be offering betting odds on each of them, including MySportsbook.com.

No other “event” has been growing as fast as wagering on American Idol. It has turned into a huge betting event with reasonably high limits and all sorts of profit-making potential for sharp bettors. Last year, MySportsbook.com experienced unprecedented traffic as a result of the American Idol betting craze.

Every week there will be odds to win American Idol, various elimination props and contestant versus contestant match-ups at the MySportsbook.com website.

Whether a fan of America’s top-rated show or watching only because of a wife or girlfriend, here are some of basic strategies to use when betting American Idol.

Odds to Win

There are a few things to consider when looking for the right win bet. First off, remember that this bet is for the long haul. Many people make the mistake of picking the performer who sang the best the previous week. This strategy leads to an underlay situation – betting a price, which is less than what it should be.

All Idol contestants struggle at some point in the competition, so you should always look for value. In last year’s competition alone, two performers who had some of the best performances early in the series were subsequently bet down to low prices - Lisa Tucker and Ace Young. After just a few weeks, Tucker had already been eliminated, while Young quickly became a huge long shot to win America’s largest talent search.

A better strategy is to look for performers who don’t necessarily get the praise from the judges, but show flashes of the talent necessary to go the distance.

Another important thing to remember when betting any contestant to win is the demographic breakdown of the voters, the viewing public and potential future CD purchasers. Unlike sporting events, American Idol is not decided on the field of play – it’s decided by the American public under the guiding influence of the shows producers.

Understand that the great state of Alabama has a mighty edge when it comes to American Idol. 

Therefore, to be successful betting on American Idol, put any personal opinions or prejudices aside and think like the majority of the voting public. Remember that the typical voter is young, female and quite often, Southern.

If a contestant cannot appeal to this demographic, no matter how much talent he or she possesses, they’ll struggle for votes. Looks, demeanor and charisma are extremely important. And it’s no coincidence that every Idol winner so far has hailed from a Southern state.

Elimination Props

Every week MySportsbook.com anticipates offering a prop on who’ll be eliminated from the show each Wednesday night. A suggestion to handicap this is to gauge an overall feel for who’s the least popular contestant left in the competition. Generally the least popular performers have recently appeared in the bottom three and will have been the target of repeated criticism from the judges.

Last year, resources included dialidol.com and votefortheworst.com. Dialidol.com measures the volume of each contestant’s voting line. While by no means a perfect science, it does give a good indication of who is generating votes and who isn’t. Meanwhile, votefortheworst.com is a site that attempts to build support for the worst competitor to keep them in the competition for ‘entertainment’ value. The site has a proven track record of keeping performers around who most feel should have been voted off a long time ago.

Contestant vs. Contestant Match-ups

The best strategy for doing well on match-ups is to assess how close either of the contestants is to being eliminated. If neither is expected to be voted off of the show in the coming weeks, the value is almost always on the underdog. If both are expecting an imminent exit in the near future, the favorite in the match-up might offer value.

Watch for American Idol betting odds on each of the contestants shortly and good luck with these American Idol betting strategies.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.