Lyon get late rally to slip past Lille

Soccer Betting Lines

02/16/2007 - Lille, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lyon increased its lead at the top of the Ligue 1 standings to 14 points on Friday with a dramatic 2-1 win over Lille at Stadium Lille Metropole.

Goals from Fred and Sebastien Squillaci in the final seven minutes erased Johan Audel's 51st-minute tally for Lille, who will meet Manchester United on Tuesday in the Champions League.

The first half was a lackluster affair, producing few chances. The home side did nearly find the net in the 44th, as Yohan Cabaye fired a quick shot that beat keeper Gregory Coupet but slammed off the cross bar.

Lille keeper Tony Sylva was called into action on a few occasions, but Lyon never seriously threatened.

Things picked up in the second half, as the hosts found the back of the net in the 51st. Lyon midfielder Jeremy Toulalan did a poor job in trying to clear a long throw by Lille. The ball then fell for Audel, who volleyed past Coupet from close range.

Lyon brought on a pair of substitutes in an effort to spark some offense, and the visitors did finally crack the scoreboard in the 83nd. Fred unleashed a brilliant free-kick that found the top corner of Sylva's goal to even the match at 1-1.

It looked as though both teams were content with a point, but Lyon made the most of another free-kick to grab all three points in the dying moments of the game. Toulalan's cross was swung dangerously into the Lille box and found Squillaci, who deflected the ball past Sylva to give his club the win.

In Ligue 1 action on Saturday, St. Etienne and Rennes meet up at Stade Geoffrey-Guichard, struggling PSG visits Nancy, Lorient and Toulouse are separated by just two points in the standings and get together at Stade du Moustoir and cellar-dwellars Sedan host Auxerre. Fifth-placed Sochaux are just three points out of third place and entertain Le Mans, Bordeaux meets up with Troyes and Nice, on the verge of relegation, travels to Valenciennes.

On Sunday, second-placed Lens looks to keep pace with Lyon when they visit a disappointing Monaco side and fourth-placed Marseille, just six points out of second place, play host to second-from-the-bottom Nantes.

WEEKEND LIGUE 1 SCHEDULE:

SATURDAY

Nancy - PSG

Lorient - Toulouse

Sedan - Auxerre

Sochaux - Le Mans

St Etienne - Rennes

Troyes - Bordeaux

Valenciennes - Nice

SUNDAY

Monaco - Lens

Marseille - Nantes

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Sportsbooks to bet on football

Recently I had an email debate with an angry reader who said I did not understand "the science of oddsmaking", as he called it.

He said I was wrong for suggesting oddsmakers care about who wins or loses games.

"Oddsmakers only care about splitting the betting public 50/50 on both sides of the line and keeping the commission (a.k.a. juice)," he wrote.

He might have been right about not understanding "the science of oddsmaking". After all, I'm not an oddsmaker. That said, I stick to my assertion that oddsmakers (a.k.a. sportbooks) often do care about who wins games.

Granted, as a general rule, sportsbooks try to balance their action so that they're not exposed to big losses. However, there are times when this is difficult to pull off, regardless of how much a line has moved. There are also times when that general rule is ignored and a book pursues risk.

Generally speaking, it's safe to say the books in Vegas are risk-adverse. Unlike in the past when the wise guys ruled the town, Vegas is now corporate and the goal of most casinos is to make as much money as possible with as little risk as possible.

Thus, Vegas sportsbooks try everything in their power to balance the action. They're satisfied simply collecting the juice. But these profits are small, especially compared to the take from other casino games, namely slot machines.

Because the profits at Vegas sportsbooks are so small, you could argue that many casinos operate sportsbooks simply as a novelty to keep the tourists happy.

With a growing aversion to risk, it should come as no surprise that Vegas bookmakers have been panicking this NFL season.

Despite huge pointspreads, a disproportionate percentage of bettors are still laying their money on favorites like the Eagles, Colts, Pats and Vikings rather than the dogs (a common trend for the largely recreational bettors that visit Vegas).

And much to the dismay of the books, those favorites are finding ways to cover the thick chalk. In fact, prior to Week 7, the four teams listed above are a combined 16-2-2 (88 percent) against the spread. (The tables turned dramatically in Week 7, but more on that later.)

The result has been an early-season beating for the books, and a bonanza for bettors.

While Vegas increasingly hates risk, it's no longer a major player in the sports betting world. Most of the betting action now takes place offshore where sportsbooks are not as obsessed about balance. In fact, some books encourage exposure to risk because the rewards can be so much bigger.

Consider MySportsbook.com. On its website, the book has odds pages which actually display the amount of action it's getting on games. In other words, you can see how much action the book is taking on both sides of a pointspread, moneyline or over/under.

One look at these numbers and it's obvious MySportsbook.com does not balance every game. In fact, far from it.

Take last weekend's matchup between St. Louis and Miami. By game time on Sunday, 83 percent of the betting action at MySportsbook.com was on the Rams; only 17 percent was on Miami.

What's interesting is that MySportsbook.com opened the pointspread with Miami at +6 1/2. By game time, the spread had lowered to +5.

That goes contrary to the balancing theory. If MySportsbook.com had wanted to balance the action, it would have given Miami more points; instead, it took away 1 1/2. World Series odds are now up as well.

MySportsbook.com exposed itself to even more to risk, and rolled the dice on the underdog Dolphins. Why? I contacted a representative with the book to find out. His answer was simple.

"The line moved early based on 'smart money' from sharp players," said Jeff Gilroy, a spokesperson for the book. "We also knew from early in the week that we would need Miami, therefore (we dropped) the spread to encourage Rams money.

"At the end of the day, we liked the home team."

So the conclusion is this: MySportsbook.com respected the sharp action, and gambled that the sharp bettors had a better take on the game than the recreational bettors, who were hammering the visiting Rams.

In the end, the gamble paid off. Miami, desperate for a win in front of its home fans, pounded the overrated Rams, who are terrible on the road and even worse on grass. Final score: 31-14 Fish.

MySportsbook.com was also heavily exposed on numerous favorites in Week 7, including Philadelphia, Seattle and Denver. All three failed to cover.

The fact that sportsbooks are exposed to risk on certain games is really nothing new. The fact, that Sportsbook.com is willing to show the public where it's exposed is intriguing.

Armed with this type of information, bettors can make more educated wagers. They can get an idea where the sharp money is going and conversely where the public money is headed.

MySportsbook.com is opening up its cashbox, letting bettors look inside and challenging them to take their best shot at grabbing the cash.

To visit this online football betting got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting odds needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.