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09/12/2007 - 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.
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.
<< 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.
<< Chivas USA names Hunter as Leon's replacement
Carson, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Major League Soccer's CD Chivas USA announced
that Shawn Hunter has been named President and Chief Executive Officer of
Chivas USA Enterprises, LLC, Chivas USA's parent company. With a 20-year track
record
<< DeJesus, Royals down Twins
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - David DeJesus went 2-for-5 with a homer
and three RBI as Kansas City topped Minnesota, 6-3, in the finale of a
three-game set at Kauffman Stadium.
Mark Teahen collected three hits including a
<< Raiders' Russell finally signs contract to end holdout
Alameda, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Oakland Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell,
the No. 1 overall pick from this year's draft, finally ended his holdout by
signing a six-year deal on Wednesday.
Although terms of the deal were not releas
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
EURO '08 Qualifiers: Owen lifts Three Lions 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 in EURO '08 qualifying.
Owen tall
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
BILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES
It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover.
BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES
All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week.
COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES
Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy.
TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES
Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win.
RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win.
PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start.
JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch.
SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do.
VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES
Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams.
DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES
Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home.
SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES
I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one.
BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES
Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1.
BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES
Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses.
RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES
A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw.
PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers
Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1.
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting.
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