Canada aims to rebound against Ghana

Soccer Betting Lines

09/14/2007 - Hangzhou, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Canada and Ghana are both coming off losses in their opening match, and a win is a must for either team if they are to hold out hope of advancing into the quarterfinals.

Canada took a 1-0 lead into halftime against Group C favorites Norway, but yielded a pair of second-half goals in the loss. Ghana was overmatched against Australia and suffered a 4-1 defeat, leaving plenty of room for improvement.

The Canada side that showed up in the first half was what many people expected to see. The North Americans worked their long-ball attack and applied constant pressure to a strong Norway defense. Striker Christine Sinclair displayed why she is such a dangerous weapon as she set up Canada's goal, and the team looked confident as they outplayed the favored Norwegians.

However, a different Canada team came out for the second half. They were passive and allowed Norway to dictate the pace of the game. Canada sat back and let Norway spend the majority of the half in the offensive third of the field, and despite the efforts of keeper Erin McLeod, they conceded two goals.

Against Ghana, Canada will have an easier time maintaining its attack and should be able to drop long balls over the top for Sinclair to run with. The star striker and team captain was a non-factor in the second half of the Norway game, and that needs to change in Canada is going to go anywhere in this competition.

McLeod proved that she is an asset between the posts, and although Canada's effort came up short, they proved that they can play with the world's top teams. Canada should be able to get past Ghana, which would set up a huge contest against Australia on the final day.

Ghana has never advanced past the group stage, and if Wednesday's game against Australia is any indication, that streak will not be broken this year. Ghana, which is the lowest ranked team in the tournament at 47th in the FIFA rankings, looked slow against Australia and they were never able to put together a consistent spell of play.

Team captain Adjoa Bayor failed to make any impact on the match at all, which severely hurt Ghana's chances of winning. Bayor is the playmaker that makes the Black Queens attack work, but without her creativity in the middle of the pitch, Ghana's offense sputtered.

The lone bright spot for Ghana came in the form of striker Anita Amankwa, who scored the team's goal and was able to get in behind the defense on a number of occasions.

However, Amankwa got little help, which is something she will need if Ghana is to have any chance at taking even a point from Canada.

Ghana's attack is nowhere near as potent as Norway's and they will have quite a struggle to crack the strong Canadian defense. Expect Sinclair to find the ball at her feet much more for Canada, and the Ghana defense to have a tough time stopping her.

A big result is what Canada needs to get back on track, and they certainly have the ability to do so against an outclassed Ghana side.

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Super Bowl XLIII Betting Odds

Super Bowl XLIII, the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Super Bowl XLIII is now set, the Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers will meet each other on February 1st in Tampa's Raymond James Stadium to battle it out for the coveted Lombardi Trophy. The game kicks off at 6:00pm ET on NBC with announcers Al Michaels and John Madden covering the on-field action. Super Bowl XLIII betting odds at online bookmaker MySportsbook.com have the Steelers listed as an early -6.5 against the spread favorite.Super Bowl XLIII Betting Odds

Pittsburgh earned their passage to the big game by beating their division rival, the Baltimore Ravens, 23-14 in yesterday's AFC Championship Game. The Steelers jumped on Baltimore early, building a 13-0 first half lead, and never let up on their way to a fairly easy win. Although the Ravens did close to within two points in the fourth quarter, it never appeared as if they had enough offense to pull off the upset.

The Steelers dominating defense held Baltimore to a total of 198 yards while allowing them to convert just three third downs in 13 attempts. Pittsburgh also forced quarterback Joe Flacco into three interceptions, one of which safety Troy Polamalu returned fourty yards for a touchdown.

The Cardinals, by far the playoff team with the longest odds to reach Super Bowl XLIII, did so yesterday with a 32-25 upset of the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship. Arizona charged out of the gates and built a 24-6 halftime lead that had the Eagles venerable defense reeling. Quarterback Kurt Warner and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald did most of the damage, connecting on three first half touchdowns.

Arizona, however, could not sustain their momentum and the Eagles took a 25-24 with 10:45 left to play in the fourth. The Cardinals, with the franchise's first Super Bowl appearance hanging in the balance, mounted a fourteen play, 72 yard touchdown drive that consumed 7:52 off the clock. Warner hit running back Tim Hightower on a short screen for the go-ahead, game clinching score that will forever live in Cardinal infamy.

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Pittsburgh Steelers -6.5 (-110), Over 46.5 (-110), -260 (Money line)

Arizona Cardinals +6.5 (-110), Under 46.5 (-110), +220 (Money line)

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