Aussies leave it late against Norway

Soccer Betting Lines

09/15/2007 - Hangzhou, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lisa DeVanna came on as a second-half substitute and rescued a point for Australia as she scored in the 83rd minute to give the Matildas a 1-1 draw with Norway on Saturday.

Ragnhild Gulbrandsen scored five minutes into the game for Norway, but the Scandinavians could not hold off the rugged Australians and ensure advancement into the next round.

The group will now be decided on the final day, with Australia and Norway tied atop the group with four points and Canada right behind those two with three.

Ghana, meanwhile, has been eliminated after dropping its first two games and will finish up its World Cup campaign on Wednesday against Norway, which should have no problem in taking care of the African club.

Australia will take on Canada on Wednesday in a game that will decide the second team to go through. The Aussies need only a draw while Canada must produce a win to move on.

Norway picked up where it left off against Canada in the opening game, when the team scored twice in the second half for a comeback win. The Norwegians came out strong and scored on their first chance of the match.

Melissa Wiik took a pass on the right and dribbled through the middle of the field toward goal. She then slid a perfect pass to Gulbrandsen inside the area, and the striker turned it past keeper Melissa Barbieri and into the lower left corner.

It looked as though Norway would overpower the Matildas, but Australia was not unnerved by the early goal.

Cheryl Salisbury got her head to a corner but put the ball over the net, and four minutes later, Collette McCallum carried the ball to the end line on the left and drove a cross through traffic that rolled across the face of goal. There was nobody on the other end, but Australia began to show its quality.

McCallum in particular was giving the Norway defense trouble, and a big giveaway in the 23rd minute nearly handed McCallum the equalizer. A poorly handled pass in the back allowed McCallum to collect a loose ball near the box. However, Norway keeper Bente Nordby came off her line and McCallum fired her shot into the keeper.

Norway nearly doubled its lead minutes later when Camilla Huse curled a shot from the edge of the area that narrowly missed the right post, but Australia looked good at the end of the first half.

McCallum continued to create in the offensive third, providing nice passing and a hard shot from the left that forced Nordby to punch the ball away.

The early part of the second half was a back-and-forth affair with Australia claiming the first good opportunity of the half. DeVanna came off the bench and scored twice against Ghana in the opener, and she once again provided a spark for the Matildas.

DeVanna dribbled into the box and laid a pass off to Dianne Alagich on the left, giving Alagich a great look at goal. However, she was let down by the shot, which squirted well wide of the far post.

Norway's Lene Mykjaland then drilled the post with a driven shot minutes later, and DeVanna dashed through the midfield and found herself one-on-one with the keeper. Nordby came to the edge of the box and DeVanna rolled a shot around the keeper toward the right corner. However, it hit the post and stayed out, denying Australia the equalizer by inches.

Australia kept pressing while Norway looked like a team that was just trying to hang on.

DeVanna would get another chance to equalize in the 83rd minute, and this time she capitalized. After taking a pass from midfield, DeVanna turned with the ball and took on a defender. She cut the ball back to get room at the edge of the area and fired a perfect left-footed shot into the upper right corner past a diving Nordby.

Salisbury sent a header wide in the 90th minute that would have given Australia all three points, but it is still a great result for a team that has never advanced past the group stage in three previous World Cups.

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Academy Award Betting Odds for Best Picture Offer Great Value

If there is any category that is not an obvious win for any one nominee in this year's Academy Awards, it would be for Best Picture.  Sure the Departed is a 5/7 favorite, but that's hardly anything when we look at Helen Mirren and her "out-of-reach" 1 to 40 odds (which means you would win a whopping $1 for every $40 bet).

For value, take a look at MySportsbook.com Oscars betting odds on my personal favorite, The Queen - a remarkable 12 to 1 long shot.  The film hasn't won any pre-awards for Best Picture (compared to The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine), but there is a tremendous following and it is a strong enough film to warrant a surprise win.

TV Guide advises Oscar watchers should be cautioned not to discount the  drama "Babel" with its strong social themes about overcoming communication gaps among people of different cultures.

"While 'Babel' lost several guild awards to 'Sunshine' and 'Departed,'  it still enjoys loyal support, and historically Oscar voters favor dramas with social messages over comedies like 'Sunshine' and violent crime movies like 'Departed'."

"It hasn't done well in the guilds, which means there isn't much industry support," said Tom O'Neil of awards site TheEnvelope.com, "But several critics are expecting it to win, and that gets my attention." Babel had 7 to 2 odds at press time.

Who is to say independently produced Little Miss Sunshine won't be this year's Crash.  Last year, Crash won for Best Motion Picture, shocking those who bet on gay cowboy flick, Brokeback Mountain, as the favorite to win. 

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