North Korea grounds Super Falcons

Soccer Betting Lines

09/14/2007 - Chengdu, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kyong Hwa Kim and Kum Suk Ri scored as North Korea cruised to a 2-0 win over Nigeria on Friday, proving its tie against the United States on Tuesday was no fluke.

Kim and Ri scored four minutes apart in the opening half off corner kicks, and North Korea's lead was never really threatened.

With the win, North Korea moved into a tie with the United States atop Group B and all but assured itself a spot in the quarterfinals.

A win or a tie against Sweden on Tuesday and North Korea would advance, but it could also advance with a loss. The United States plays Nigeria on Tuesday and faces the same scenario, but the top spot in the group is still on the line.

North Korea opened the game against Nigeria showcasing an attacking style that caught the United States off guard and also had the African champions on their heels.

Nigeria goalie Precious Dede played well early, continuing the strong form she showed in a 1-1 tie with Sweden on Tuesday. Twice in the early minutes of the match she did well to push shots over the crossbar.

North Korea solved Dede for the first time in the 17th minute, finding the net directly off a corner kick. Kim took the corner from the left side, swinging a ball just over Dede that skimmed off the bottom of the crossbar.

After Dede survived two long shots from North Korea, one that went just over the crossbar and one she punched wide, she was helpless on another corner in the 21st minute.

Kim took the kick and sent a cross toward the far side of the box. Ri was wide open and she jumped to head the ball, squeezing it between two Nigeria players who stood flat-footed on the line.

Nigeria showed a little life on offense in the first half, putting three shots on target, but North Korea goalie Myong Hui Jon wasn't tested.

North Korea had the first chance in the second half, a Kim blast from well out of the box that took a high hop in front of Dede and nearly bounced off of her and into the goal.

North Korea continued creating chances early in the second half, hitting the frame in the 51st minute.

Nigeria had its first good scoring chance after halftime in the 63rd minute when Cynthia Uwak, 2006 FIFA Player of the Year nominee and reigning African Woman Footballer of the Year, headed a ball just wide of the right post.

From there, the pace of the game slowed considerably as North Korea settled in to protect its lead. The team rarely threatened over the final 30 minutes, but Nigeria did little to worry the Koreans.

Nigeria really only threatened once in the last third of the game, getting a shot off a corner that was easily handled by North Korea's goalie.

For Nigeria to advance to the quarterfinals for just the second time in its history, it has to beat the United States by at least three goals on Tuesday.

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Football Betting

NFL Football Betting Online

The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.

Thursday, August 21

NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37

NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road

In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.

Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):

* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games

Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.

Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.

Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.

That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.

Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.

CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

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