An unbelievable World Cup match at Arena Amazonia on Sunday saw Portugal rescue a vital 2-2 draw against the United States.

Varela: Rescued the draw

An unbelievable World Cup match at Arena Amazonia on Sunday saw Portugal rescue a vital 2-2 draw against the United States in the very dying seconds of their Group G encounter.

Having gone down 4-0 against Germany in their opener, Nani helped ease fears of an early exit for A Seleccao as he got them off to a flying start in Manaus after punishing a mistake at the back to fire home with eight minutes gone.

Jermaine Jones then managed a reply for the US with a thumping drive shortly after the hour mark before Clint Dempsey put them on their way to what looked like a famous win nine minutes from time.

However, with 30 seconds of five minutes added time remaining, Portugal hit back, with Silvestre Varela heading home a pin-point Cristiano Ronaldo cross to break American hearts and keep A Seleccao's Brazil campaign going into the final round of group fixtures.

Portugal didn't take long to get going, although it was a gift of a goal from the Stars and Stripes as Geoff Cameron sliced his attempted clearance across the face of his own goal and into the path of Nani, who saw Tim Howard sell himself by going to ground early and allowing the Manchester United winger to fire into the roof of the net.

The US looked for a response and twice almost found a way through as talisman Dempsey first broke down the line and at goal before forcing Beto Pimparel to put the ball behind with his feet, while from the resulting corner the Seattle Sounders forward sent a looping effort just inches wide after the ball had come free at the far post.

Michael Bradley came close to a spectacular equaliser midway through the first half but saw his rocket of a shot from some 30 yards flash just over the crossbar, while Dempsey was proving a real handful and again came close after a barraging run into the area was thwarted by a last-ditch tackle from Ricardo Costa.

Ronaldo had been largely uninspiring against the Germans, and he proved equally quiet in the first half this week, despite the match making him Portugal's all-time record appearance maker at the World Cup finals with 12 showings now to his name.

The Ballon d'Or holder showed glimpses of his talents four minutes before the break as he tore down the wing before curling the ball with the outside of his boot to find Nani running in at the far post, but this time the forward was unable to beat Howard as he fired his shot too close to the goalkeeper, who made a decent save.

Portugal were turning the screw as the half came to a close and Nani came within an inch of grabbing a second but saw his dipping drive turned onto the post by Howard, who then pulled off an instant contender for save of the tournament to somehow claw the rebound from Eder Lopes up and over the bar, despite having been completely wrong-footed.

The States came close to again proving the architects of their own downfall shortly after the restart, with Cameron once more the culprit as he smacked a clearance against his own man before the ball fell to Eder, but he was always leaning back with his shot and sent the ball sailing over the crossbar.

With 55 minutes gone, USA looked destined to draw level as Fabian Johnson was played in down the right channel before cutting the ball back from the by-line to find the run of Bradley, but his first-time hit from just a few yards out was spectacularly saved on the line by the back-tracking Ricardo Costa.

However, Jurgen Klinsmann's men would eventually not be denied a leveler, and they got one in spectacular style as Jones picked up the ball on the edge of the area before cutting inside and curling an unstoppable drive past the stranded Beto and into the very top corner.

With nine minutes remaining, Portugal's worst fears were realised as the US, who had arguably shaded the chances throughout the game, stormed into the lead as Graham Zusi picked up a loose ball at the far post before delivering back into the danger area, where Dempsey found himself unmarked to chest home into the back of an empty net to make it two goals at this year's finals.

However, it was not to be for Klinsmann's men as, with the very last attack of the game, Portugal drew themselves level as Ronaldo found space on the right before whipping in an inch-perfect delivery to find the head of Varela, who made no mistake to send the ball home and secure a priceless point.

Source: VIQI News

Soccer Betting Strategy

What’s the beauty of online soccer betting? It is played in nearly every nook and cranny in the world. Soccer probably will always be the world’s game because it’s so inexpensive and simple to play. All you need is some sort of ball and it’s game on.

From a wagering perspective, soccer is a smorgasbord because there are so many officially recognized leagues around the globe. Thus there’s nearly a live match to be wagered on 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. It’s certainly not wise soccer betting strategy to simply bet blindly on some match in Turkey just to bet. All those soccer betting options can be daunting, as many of the rules are unfamiliar to North Americans where football, baseball, basketball and hockey are king. However, your betting strategy can be fairly simple with a few tips for how to bet on soccer.

Which League to Choose? Obviously it’s smart to focus your soccer betting system on what you know. The good news is that there has been an explosion of worldwide soccer action available online or on television here in the United States for which to do a bit of homework.

Major League Soccer is the prominent league in North America. It’s still considered on a lower level then the top European leagues like the Premier League in England, La Liga in Spain, Serie A in Italy and Bundesliga in Germany. Those are the Big 4 in Europe where soccer rules the online betting action. The teams in those leagues have by far the most resources to develop talent in their native countries – or buy the best from South America. Think of them like baseball’s New York Yankees. For example, Spain’s Real Madrid has been tabbed as the most valuable sports franchise in the world.

The biggest online betting event in the world arrives every four years in the World Cup, which now is made up of 32 countries worldwide. Qualifying for this month-long summer tournament takes nearly three years, although the host country is automatically in.

There really are haves and have-nots in World Cups so bet on soccer wisely. You rarely will see a non-traditional power upset a country like a Spain, France, Italy, Germany or Brazil. In baseball or hockey a pitcher or goalie can win a game himself. That doesn’t much happen in soccer – outside of a transcendent offensive talent like Lionel Messi or Pele – because everything is so spread out on the pitch.

Every league then has its own season and there are smaller regional tournaments all over the world throughout the sports year. There are also other big soccer wagering events such the annual Champions League, a tournament featuring the top club teams throughout Europe. Countries often play friendlies against one another to keep their national teams fresh. The results don’t count toward any World Cup qualifying and are much like an NFL exhibition game.

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Wagering Options Aplenty
The most common way to wager on soccer is similar to the other low-scoring sports baseball and hockey: moneyline options on each team in a match to win. Again, these are based on a $100 bet. So Spain might be a -350 favorite against the USA, which is +275. A $100 wager on the Americans returns $275, but it would take $350 down to win $100 on Spain.

There is also a third option in soccer wagering: draws. Each game will also have a draw moneyline price on soccer odds as the final result. Unless it’s a situation where the winning team will advance in a tournament, as in the quarterfinals in the World Cup, there can be ties. This is a three-way soccer betting line. In the World Cup knockout stage, for example, there will still be a draw option even though the match won’t end that way. If the match is tied after regulation, you are winner if betting that option. In this case, there would also be soccer betting options on a side to win in overtime or a potential shootout.

The least confusing soccer bet here is to wager on which team advances. That way, it doesn’t matter whether they win in regulation, OT or a shootout. A growing popular option, which originated in Asia, is a two-way betting line. This eliminates a draw. One team will be given a slight goal advantage on the line, say a half-goal, to assure there won’t be a tie.

As in hockey, there is also a goal spread and a goals total prop option on all major soccer matches. A goal spread on a soccer betting line might look like this: USA -1.5 (-110), Spain +1.5 (+130). Essentially this is exactly like a pointspread in football or basketball betting. The Americans start the game with a 1.5-goal lead from a betting perspective. That -110 price is what the cost of betting the USA would be. Sometimes each side will be a pick’em on soccer odds.

A popular soccer betting prop is also the first-half goal spread, which will be set lower than the full match. On the total goals scored by both teams soccer wager, many matches are set at 2.5 goals because it’s so difficult to score in soccer. The over and under 2.5 would thus each have a price.

The other prop options are limitless, especially with the increased popularity of live betting. Soccer wagers are available on which team scores first, which team scores last, will both teams score, which player scores first, will this player score at all, head-to-head player scoring, will a team score in extra time, correct final score, correct halftime score, the halftime/fulltime result (draw/draw, USA/Spain, USA/USA, for example), etc. Futures soccer bets also are available on all the major tournaments and leagues with player season-long options.

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How to Get Ahead
When learning how to bet on soccer, keep in mind that the motivation of a team is always important. In the World Cup, every team wants to advance. However, one side could have already clinched a quarterfinals spot and have little to play for in a group stage match. International friendlies always have varying forms of motivation. Often, the top teams will bring a “B” squad to a friendly because it doesn’t mean anything and a coach would rather keep his stars rested and away from potential injury. Usually, a home team in a friendly will stage a top lineup just to draw fans. It’s why betting home teams is always smart soccer wagering strategy in that case. Some top players thus might not be available for their league teams when playing for the national squad.

Remember that goal differential is a key tiebreaker in soccer. For example, the Champions League semifinals are two legs. That means the two teams in each semifinal play once each at home. Should one side win the first match 4-0, it will almost surely be the soccer wagering underdog in the next match. Why? It has no need to win, just not lose by more than three goals (away goals are the sub-tiebreaker if each side wins once and ties in total goals scored). The losing side has to essentially throw caution to the wind and score at least four times. The team up 4-0 will sit back, play defense and not leave its goalkeeper open to danger.

Another factor to monitor when wagering on soccer is yellow or red card penalty accumulation. If a player gets two yellow cards in a game or tournament, he is ejected from that game and his team will play the rest of the match down a player. Thus if a star is carrying a yellow card heading into a big tournament match, that could be a huge factor. A red card is an automatic ejection and keeps the player out of the following match. It’s rare for a player to receiver a red card for one offense unless it is very flagrant. One would be someone other than the goalkeeper using his hands to prevent a goal. The most famous example of a red card in recent history was when French star Zinedine Zidane was issued one for headbutting an Italian defender in the 2006 World Cup final. Zidane was just the fourth player sent off in a World Cup final and first in extra time. Without its captain, France lost in a shootout.

Another reason home-field advantage in soccer betting is important is because referees are often affected by crowds in terms of handing out yellow cards or calling for penalty shots. Soccer crowds are likely the most raucous in the world. The best countries or clubs in the world will always be home online betting favorites.

Source: Now Goal

2014 FIFA World Cup Opening Ceremony

          

The 2014 World Cup kicked off in style on Thursday night as Jennifer Lopez starred in the spectacular opening ­ceremony in Sao Paulo.

There was a carnival atmosphere as 61,000 fans, many in fancy dress, filled the stadium and watched 660 dancers in colourful costumes provide typical Brazilian ­entertainment on the pitch.

But things shifted up a gear when J-Lo took to the stage with rapper Pitbull and sang the official World Cup song We Are One (Ole Ola).

When they finished, the crowd erupted with a mighty roar and chanted “Brazil, Brazil, Brazil.”

The show’s artistic director Daphne Cornez said: “The opening ceremony was a tribute to Brazil and its treasures: nature, people football.

"The sense of excitement here was amazing and everyone was very motivated.”

          

Spectators started arriving eight hours ahead of the host nation’s match against Croatia and got the party started.

To their relief, a planned metro strike was called off at the last minute.

Choreographers had been working on the 25-minute ceremony, which needed 300 technicians and 150 production staff, since early 2013 - including 84 rehearsals.

The spectacle on the Arena de Sao Paulo pitch included people dressed as trees and flowers and children jumping up and down on trampolines.

As many performed their routines around a multi-coloured ‘living’ ball, children in the colours of the 32 nations then made their way into the middle to juggle balls on elastic string.

The biggest cheers were reserved for when the Brazil flag was paraded on the pitch and when J-Lo, dressed in a carnival-style green outfit, appeared with Pitbull from a trapdoor.

          

She was joined on stage by Brazilian pop star Claudia Leitte, who was wearing a blue sparkly dress.

The ceremony in Brazil’s largest city was watched by a global television audience of several hundred million and has cost organisers £4.7million.

          

Source: Nowgoal

How to Bet on Soccer - A Tutorial

Soccer is the most popular game in the world, but in terms of betting it often takes a backseat to the more mainstream sports in this country like football and basketball. This is for a number of reasons. The most important reason that you don’t hear much discussion about soccer lines is that the sport is just not that popular in this country. The MLS rivals the WNBA when it comes to television ratings and media coverage.

Another reason why betting on soccer does not compare to the action on other sports is the confusion that comes with betting it. Much like baseball and hockey, point spreads really don’t apply to the low-scoring game of soccer. That is why Doc’s Sports has provided this tutorial on how to bet on soccer for our readers that are interested in this potentially profitable sport.

Instead, money lines are usually put in place with partial point spreads (-.5). With the ongoing UEFA Champions League going on and the upcoming 2010 FIFA World Cup in June, a lot more media attention and wagering attention will be given to the world’s most popular sport.

For soccer tournaments like the World Cup there are often two ways to bet on the game. There is two-way betting and three-way betting. Two-way betting is the more conventional of the two with bettors picking between two teams. For example in the upcoming World Cup in June host South Africa plays Mexico. In two-way betting South Africa is +110 and Mexico is -120. To win your bet on either team the team only has to win.

In three-way betting there are three options, the two teams playing and a draw. Soccer games often end in draws and with three-way betting you can bet on that. For the above game, both South Africa and Mexico become underdogs of sorts with South Africa +205, Mexico +160 and the draw as +217. In this case if the game ends in a tie and you wager on Mexico, the bet is graded as a loss.

The World Cup game mentioned above is in the group stage and a draw is an option. In tournaments when it gets to the knockout stage where one team needs to move on to the next round, there is another option to bet on, what team will advance. This is often the least confusing way to bet on the game because you are just betting on who will advance to the next round, whether it happens in regulation, overtime or in a shootout. If you bet on a team with a point spread of -.5 or -1, if the game goes to a shootout you automatically lose as a shootout win does not count as a goal. If the game goes to a shootout as 2-2, the final result for wagering purposes will still be 2-2, regardless of who wins. In the same case if you take the underdog at +.5 or +1 you automatically win if the game goes to a shootout.

There are also totals just like any other sport with most ‘over/unders’ at 2 or 2.5 in soccer.

Source: Now Goal