EURO '08 Qualifiers: Owen lifts Three Lions over Russia

Soccer Betting Lines

09/13/2007 - London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - England put together its best match under Steve McClaren on Wednesday as Michael Owen scored twice to lead the Three Lions to a 3-0 win over Russia at Wembley Stadium in EURO '08 qualifying.

Owen tallied goals in the seventh and 31st minute, giving him 40 goals for his England career. Rio Ferdinand then added an insurance marker in the 84th for his first international goal since 2002.

The win propels England into second place in Group E, after they started Saturday's contest against Israel in fourth. England is now a good bet to secure qualification, and they can all but assure it with another win against the Russians next month.

The hosts had a dream start as they jumped out to a 1-0 lead after seven minutes. Gareth Barry provided the cross and Owen was left open at the back post. He settled the ball with one touch and then fired past the keeper with an easy finish.

After Russia had a goal taken away because of a questionable call, England took advantage and added another goal on an innocent looking play. Ferdinand played a long ball out of the back, but striker Emile Heskey did well to beat a pair of defenders to the ball and head it into Owen's path. The Newcastle striker once again finished with precision, driving the ball first time past the keeper.

The visitors tried to get back into the match after halftime, and although Dmitry Sychev came close on a few occasions to getting Russia on the board, the day belonged to England.

Ferdinand capped off the impressive performance by knocking home England's third goal, much to the delight of the Wembley faithful.

McClaren has come under some heavy scrutiny over this qualifying campaign, but the end is in sight for an England team that seems to be coming together at the right time. Despite injuries to David Beckham, Wayne Rooney and Frank Lampard, less heralded players like Barry and Heskey have stepped up, and Shaun Wright-Phillips has shown that he certainly belongs in the starting 11 with his quality play over the past couple of games.

The return to form of Owen has been the biggest difference for an England team that struggled to find goals earlier in qualification. If this team can continue its current form, they will be a handful not only for the rest of their group, but also for the rest of Europe.

Group E's other contests on Wednesday featured Croatia holding onto its top spot with an easy 6-0 win over Andorra and Macedonia playing to a 1-1 draw with Estonia.

The top two teams in Group A, Poland and Finland, finished 0-0, Kazakhstan rallied to tie Belgium 2-2 and Portugal allowed Serbia to draw level in the second half of their 1-1 draw.

Scotland surprisingly moved to the top of Group B with a hard-fought 1-0 win over France, while Italy moved into second place with a 2-1 triumph over Ukraine. Lithuania got the best of the Faroe Islands 2-1 in the group's other encounter.

Bosnia-Herzegovina suffered a damaging defeat to lowly Moldova in 1-0 fashion in Group C. Norway and Greece played to a 2-2 draw in their top-of-the-table clash, while Turkey joined Norway in second place with a 3-0 win over Hungary.

The Czech Republic secured a big 1-0 win over Ireland to put six points between themselves and the Irish for the final qualifying spot from Group D. Wales downed Slovakia 5-2 in an entertaining affair, while Cyprus beat a hopeless San Marino side 3-0.

In Group F, Northern Ireland dropped more points with a costly 2-1 loss to Iceland, leaving Northern Ireland three points behind the top two clubs, Spain and Sweden. Spain moved up and into the second spot with a 2-0 win over Latvia on Wednesday. Denmark kept its hopes of qualification alive with a 4-0 win over last-place Liechtenstein, but the Danes are still five points adrift.

The Netherlands got a goal in the final minute to slip past Albania 1-0 and move into a first-place tie with Romania, who did not play on Wednesday. Bulgaria stayed two points back of the leaders by defeating Luxembourg 3-0 and Slovenia got the better of Belarus 1-0.

Wwwwhat2bet Soccer Betting News

<< Linden pushes Marlins past Nats in 12th
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Todd Linden's seeing-eye single in the bottom of the 12th inning pushed Florida past Washington, 5-4, in the finale of a three- game set. Against Saul Rivera (4-6), Mike Jacobs led off with an opposite-field do

<< Jaguars K Scobee out 3-to-6 weeks
Jacksonville, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Josh Scobee will be out three-to-six weeks with a strained quadriceps muscle, head coach Jack Del Rio said on Wednesday. The 25-year-old Scobee made the only field goal he

<< Owen carries England to big win over Russia
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - England put together its best match under Steve McClaren on Wednesday as Michael Owen scored twice to lead the Three Lions to a 3-0 win over Russia at Wembley Stadium. Owen tallied goals in the sevent

<< Line of Scrimmage: Week 2 - Will Everett Injury Rally Bills?
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There isn't a person that follows the National Football League, whether casually or intently, who isn't relieved to hear the latest news about Kevin Everett. The Bills' reserve tight end is able to move hi

<< CD Chivas USA
Announced that Shawn Hunter has been named President and Chief Executive Officer of Chivas USA Enterprises, LLC, CD Chivas USA's parent company.

Panthers ink Welch >>
Sunrise, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Florida Panthers signed defenseman Noah Welch to a two-year contract on Wednesday. Welch, 25, was acquired by the Panthers on February 27 from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for left wing Gary

Marlins claim Carvajal, move Boone to 60-day DL >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Florida Marlins made a pair of roster moves on Wednesday, during the Marlins' 5-4 win over Washington in 12 innings. Florida claimed right-handed pitcher Marcos Carvajal off waivers from the New York

Bengals' Houshmandzadeh, Graham sit out, still probable for Week 2 >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh and kicker Shayne Graham both sat out of practice Wednesday while nursing minor injuries sustained during the team's 27-20 victory over the Bal

Lewis, McNair and Ogden all miss practice for Baltimore >>
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Linebacker Ray Lewis, quarterback Steve McNair and offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden all did not participate in team practice for the Baltimore Ravens on Wednesday. Ogden aggravated a hyperextended

Brown, William, and Hobbs earn AFC weekly honors >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tennessee Titans running back Chris Brown, defensive end Mario Williams of the Houston Texans and New England Patriots kick returner and cornerback Ellis Hobbs were named the AFC Offensi

MySportsbook.com: NBA Championship Odds

With the playoffs about two months away, the top two teams in the Western Conference are the clear cut leaders to win the NBA Championship. The Dallas Mavericks have the best record in the NBA (44-9) and have been absolutely scorching since the second week of the season.  What makes the Mavs’ record more impressive is the fact that they dropped their first four games of the season.  Currently they have won 17 out of their last 18 and are MySportsbook.com’s favorite (2-1) to win it all.  Right behind the Mavs are the Pacific leading Phoenix Suns (39-13).  Last season, the Suns lost in the Conference Finals to non-other then the Mavericks four games to two.  Of course the Suns were without center Amare Stoudemire who has is averaging 19.9 PPG and 9.5 RPG since coming back from his knee injury.  Unlike the Mavs, the Suns have struggled a bit lately having lost their last three and four out of their last seven.  Of course the main reason for their three straight loses is due to the absence of two time MVP Steve Nash, who is out with a shoulder injury.  Heads-up, the Mavs have beaten the Suns in both of their meetings this season.

In the Eastern Conference, the Pistons (32-19) are the favorites to win it all at 6-1. The addition of Chris Webber seems to have been a good move for the Pistons.  Since coming over from the 76ers, Webber has averaged 13.1 PPG and 7.3 RPG and the Pistons are 11-4.  Even though the defending champion Heat are currently on the playoff making cusp, they are the Eastern Conference team that is getting the most action to win it all (9-1).  The fact that Shaquille O’Neal is back in the starting lineup after missing 39 games probably has something to do with this.  No doubt, Shaq makes a difference when in the lineup as their winning six out of their last seven would indicate.

Just because it is the All-Star break doesn’t mean that you can’t bet on NBA hoops this weekend.  Be sure to log onto MySportsbook.com to bet on who you think will cut down the nets this July. Also, be sure to check out all of the lines and props for All-Star weekend.  With the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry, there are plenty of ways to cash in on the NBA this weekend.

MySportsbook.com’s NBA Championship odds:

Atlanta Hawks 1000-1

Boston Celtics 5000-1

Charlotte Bobcats 5000-1

Chicago Bulls 20-1

Cleveland Cavaliers 20-1

Dallas Mavericks 2-1

Denver Nuggets 25-1

Detroit Pistons 6-1

Golden State Warriors 250-1

Houston Rockets 12-1

Indiana Pacers 60-1

Los Angeles Clippers 45-1

Memphis Grizzlies 5000-1

Miami Heat 9-1

Milwaukee Bucks 1000-1

Minnesota T-Wolves 200-1

New Jersey Nets 50-1

New Orleans Hornets 150-1

New York Knicks 150-1

Orlando Magic 75-1

Philadelphia 76ers 1000-1

Phoenix Suns 5-2

Portland TrailBlazers 1000-1

Sacramento Kings 250-1

San Antonio Spurs 9-1

Seattle Sonics 5000-1

Toronto Raptors 35-1

Utah Jazz 20-1

Washington Wizards 25-1

About MySportsbook.com:


MySportsbook.com  is the largest sportsbook and casino on the planet, where millions of adult Americans bet on sports, play poker and enjoy blackjack and other casino games online in a regulated and licensed jurisdiction. Named the "Best online Sports Book" by the industry's top magazine, eGaming Review, MySportsbook.com has been leading the online gaming industry since 1996. Dwarfing its nearest competitors in the US, MySportsbook.com has been the first to achieve every significant industry milestone, from record turnover to active users to number of bets--achieving a peak of fifteen bets per second. As the US online gaming leader, the firm and it's products have been featured on CBS 60 Minutes, CNN, ESPN, Wall Street Journal, Barrons, Financial Times, USA Today and in every major newspaper in the US.

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