Gunners humiliated in Milan
Soccer Betting Lines
02/15/2012 - Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - AC Milan put Arsenal to the sword in convincing fashion at the San Siro, cruising to a 4-0 win over the English side in the first leg of the Champions League knockout round on Wednesday.
The Italian giants scored two goals in both halves as Kevin-Prince Boateng and Robinho gave the Rossoneri a two-goal lead by halftime, while another Robinho strike and a penalty kick from Zlatan Ibrahimovic sealed the win in the second half.
Robinho's brace gives him three Champions League goals for the season, while Ibrahimovic's late penalty sees him preserve his streak of scoring a goal in each of his Champions League appearances this year.
The home side went in front thanks to a beautiful finish in the 19th minute.
Boateng cushioned a pinpoint through ball with his chest on the right side of the box before smashing a volley on the turn into the upper corner of the goal. The ball rattled off the underside of the crossbar and crossed the goal line to hand Milan the lead in stunning fashion.
Antonio Nocerino nearly doubled the advantage moments later when he collected a ball on the right side of the box. The Italian midfielder dribbled inside before unleashing a rocket that sailed just inches high and wide of the goal.
Arsenal's failed attempt at an offside trap helped Milan extend the lead in the 38th minute.
Ibrahimovic broke free on the left flank and made a penetrating run down the side of the box. Arsenal's back four failed to recover as they waited for a raised flag from the assistant referee that never came. The Swedish hit man took advantage, centering the ball to Robinho who nodded his effort to the far post.
The Brazilian hooked up with Ibrahimovic again to produce Milan's third goal of the tie. Ibrahimovic slipped a pass inside to Robinho who capitalized on a fall from Thomas Vermaelen before firing a shot to beat Wojciech Szczesny at his near post.
Arsenal talisman Robin van Persie nearly grabbed a vital away goal in 66th minute with half-volley from close range, but Milan 'keeper Christian Abbiati thwarted the Dutchman's effort with a brilliant one-handed save.
Milan put the tie beyond any lingering doubt in the 78th minute when Ibrahimovic was brought down in the box by Johan Djourou.
The Swedish international slotted the ensuing penalty kick just inside the post to give the Rossoneri a more-than-comfortable 4-0 lead heading into the return leg.
The Gunners undeniably have a mountain to climb in the replay, which will be played on March 6 at the Emirates.
Zenit 3, Benfica 2
Saint Petersburg, Russia - Roman Shirokov scored twice to help Zenit win its first ever match in the knockout round of the Champions League as the Russian side edged Benfica, 3-2, at home on Wednesday.
The visitors grabbed the lead after 19 minutes when a free kick from Oscar Cardozo was stopped by Zenit goalkeeper Yuri Zhevnov but parried right into the path of Maxi Pereira. The Uruguayan defender calmly slotted the ball into the empty net to hand his side the opener.
Zenit responded quickly thanks to a classy finish from Shirokov. The 30-year- old connected on a cross in the 27th minute, guiding a one-time effort across the face of goal and into the far side of the net.
Another brilliant finish from Zenit saw the home side grab the lead in the 71st minute. A bouncing ball played in front of goal was met with great creativity as Sergei Semak flicked a shot behind his standing leg, off the far post and over the goal line.
Benfica took advantage of some more poor goalkeeping in the 87th minute when Zhevnov spilled a shot inside the six-yard box and patted the rebound directly in front of goal. Cardozo was at the right place at the right time and capitalized on the gaffe to level the score.
But Zenit restored its lead a minute later following some sloppy defending from the Portuguese side. A very poor attempt at a clearance helped Shirokov get through on goal. He evaded a defender and skipped past Benfica goalkeeper Artur before slipping a shot into the empty net from a tough angle.
Despite its one-goal deficit, Benfica is still well-positioned to progress as the two away goals mean that the Portuguese side would only have to claim a 1-0 win when the two sides meet at the Estadio da Luz on March 6.
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Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.
Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.
Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.
Memphis vs. Ohio State
Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.
UCLA vs. Kansas
In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.
With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action. Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.
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