Magic Messi leads Barca past Stuttgart

Soccer Betting Lines

03/17/2010 - Barcelona, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lionel Messi scored two goals and helped set up another on Wednesday as Barcelona cruised to a 4-0 win over Stuttgart in the second leg of their Round of 16 contest in the Champions League.

Messi scored his first goal in the 13th minute to open the scoring, while Pedro added a second goal nine minutes later and Messi scored again on the hour mark before substitute Bojan Krkic capped the evening with a strike in the 89th minute.

The result gives the defending champions a 5-1 aggregate victory and moves them into the quarterfinals of the competition after a 1-1 draw in Germany in the first leg.

Many people were surprised by the fact that Stuttgart entered Wednesday's game on level terms with the Spanish giants, but Barca quickly took control of the game with a goal in the 13th minute from Messi, who took a pass in midfield, carried the ball to the top of the penalty area and fired a shot between two defenders that found the upper corner of the net.

It was a great individual effort from the Argentine, and he had a hand in Barca's second goal nine minutes later.

Messi chipped a ball into the box for Yaya Toure and he immediately squared it to Pedro in front of goal for a simple tap in.

The home side had things well in hand as the second half began, and after Toure went close with a shot from 20 yards, Messi scored from just about the same spot after turning a defender and driving a low effort past the outstretched hand of goalkeeper Jens Lehmann.

Messi had a chance to complete his hat trick eight minutes later when a pinpoint cross from Daniel Alves allowed him to head the ball on goal from close range, but Lehmann reacted well to keep it out.

A pair of substitutes then combined for Barca's fourth goal as Zlatan Ibrahimovic played a ball to Bojan in behind the Stuttgart defense and he neatly finished off the play.

Bordeaux became the second team from Ligue 1 to reach the quarterfinals as they held off Olympiacos, 2-1 on Wednesday to earn a 3-1 aggregate win.

Yoann Gourcuff scored five minutes into the match for Bordeaux, while Konstantinos Mitroglou equalized 25 minutes from time. However, Marouane Chamakh put the result out of reach with his header two minutes from time after a cross from Benoit Tremoulinas.

Mysportblog Soccer Betting News

<< Radwanska ousts Dementieva to reach Indian Wells semis
Indian Wells, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Capable Pole Agnieszka Radwanska upended Russian star Elena Dementieva on Wednesday to reach the semifinals at the $4.5 million BNP Paribas Open. The fifth-seeded Radwanska dismissed the fourth-seeded Deme

<< United signs defender Admas
Washington, D.C. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - D.C. United signed defender Lyle Adams to a developmental contract, the Major League Soccer club announced on Wednesday. "We're excited to sign Lyle after identifying him at last year's draft as a play

<< Canucks F Samuelsson out 2-to-3 weeks
Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Vancouver Canucks forward Mikael Samuelsson is expected to miss the next 2-to-3 weeks with what the team is terming an upper-body injury. The Vancouver Sun is reporting the injury is shoulder-relate

<< Niners add CB Paymah
Santa Clara, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Francisco 49ers agreed to terms with cornerback Karl Paymah on a one-year contract on Wednesday. Financial terms were not disclosed. The 27-year-old spent the 2009 season with Minnesot

<< Browns re-sign three
Berea, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Browns announced the re-signing of linebacker Marcus Benard, linebacker Blake Costanzo and running back Chris Jennings on Wednesday. All three had been exclusive rights players, meaning they

Vikings agree to terms with DT Kennedy >>
Eden Prairie, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Vikings re-signed veteran defensive tackle Jimmy Kennedy on Wednesday. He joined the club in December 2008 and had a productive 2009 campaign, racking up 18 tackles and three sacks

Leighton to miss time with ankle sprain >>
Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Michael Leighton is slated to miss time following an injury suffered on Tuesday. Leighton left the Flyers' 4-3 shootout loss at Nashville with a high ankle spr

Lloyd steps down as British Davis Cup captain >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - John Lloyd has stepped down at Britain's Davis Cup captain. The Brits have lost their last five ties, with its' most-recent one being an embarrassing setback at the hands of Lithuania. World No. 4 An

Ljubicic stuns Djokovic at Indian Wells >>
Indian Wells, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former top-five performer Ivan Ljubicic upset world No. 2 Novak Djokovic in Wednesday's fourth-round action at the $4.5 million BNP Paribas Open. The 20th-seeded Ljubicic toppled the second-seeded Djoko

Cliff Lee dealt five-game suspension >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Major League Baseball handed down a five- game suspension and an undisclosed fine to Seattle Mariners pitcher Cliff Lee Wednesday. MLB's ruling indicated Lee intentionally threw at the head of Arizona c

FOOTBALL BETTING

Sportsbook Betting

After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.

Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.

Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.

So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.

In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.

For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.

The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.

The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.

NFL Betting Lines

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.