Last-place Novara stuns Inter at San Siro

Soccer Betting Lines

02/12/2012 - Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Unfortunately for last-place Novara, it does not play Inter Milan again this season.

Andrea Caracciolo scored in the 56th minute Sunday and Novara won for just the third time in Serie A this season - and the second time against Inter - 1-0 at the San Siro.

Novara, which downed Inter 3-1 earlier this season at home, won its first road game in 11 matches this season - even after Ivan Radovanovic was sent off with 10 minutes left in normal time.

Inter Milan lost its second straight and for the third time in its last four - with the first defeat in the four-match winless streak against Lecce, another club in the bottom three.

Although Inter dominated possession in the first half, it had nothing to show for it at the break as the match was 0-0 after 45 minutes.

Novara snatched the only goal it needed early in the second half off a counter that Caracciolo finished perfectly. Jeda swung a ball in from the leg wing and Caracciolo settled with his right foot, then curled a left-footed shot from 25 yards past Inter goalie Julio Cesar and just inside the left post.

Inter caught a break when Radovanovic received a second yellow card, but again failed to beat Novara goalie Samir Ujkani, who also got a little help from his crossbar.

Inter turned its possession into more chances over the remainder of the match, but a 20-yard rocket from Wesley Sneijder in the 88th that smashed off the bar was one of its few real scoring chances.

Ujkani made the last of his six saves on a point-blank effort from Giampaolo Pazzini in stoppage time, as Novara held on for the improbable victory.

Catania 4, Genoa 0

Catania, Italy - Pablo Barrientos scored twice in a 2-minute stretch early in the second half as Catania snapped a five-match winless run with a 4-0 victory Sunday over Genoa at the Stadio Angelo Massimino in Serie A.

Francesco Lodi and Gonzalo Bergessio also scored for Catania, which climbed to 12th in the table. Genoa, which had a two-game win streak snapped, is ninth.

Atalanta 0, Lecce 0

Bergamo, Italy - Guido Marilungo and Federico Peluso hit the post as Atalanta settled for a 0-0 draw against Lecce on Sunday at the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia.

Atalanta still stayed six points clear of the relegation zone and Lecce, which is 18th after its second straight draw during a three-game winless run.

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Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

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