Brazil beats Ivory Coast to secure berth in next round

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06/20/2010 - Johannesburg, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Luis Fabiano had two goals and Elano scored in his second straight match, helping Brazil secure a spot in the knockout round of the FIFA World Cup with a 3-1 win Sunday over Ivory Coast.

Fabiano scored in the 25th and 50th minutes, and Elano added the third goal in the 62nd minute at Soccer City Stadium, as Brazil sealed its 11th-straight appearance in the knockout stage.

Brazil opened with a 2-1 win over North Korea and leads Group G with two wins. Ivory Coast and Portugal have one point apiece. Portugal plays North Korea on Monday to wrap up the second round of Group G matches.

Brazil controlled the game from the opening minute when Robinho fired high on a 35-yard blast to set the tone. Gilberto Silva and Robinho followed with two quick shots in the 19th, but the first was deflected and the latter went well high.

Fabiano handed Brazil the lead inside 25 minutes, finishing a short pass from Kaka to open the scoring. Kaka was lucky to maintain possession just outside the penalty area and slid a pass through Ivory Coast defenders Siaka Tiene and Kolo Toure to send Fabiano into the box.

Fabiano fired into the top-right corner from a tight angle to finish the play, and was on target again five minutes into the second half as Brazil started to dominate the match.

Fabiano was a bit lucky on his second goal as he used two handballs to set up an otherwise hypnotizing finish. Fabiano initially settled the ball with his left arm with Tiene on his hip, then lifted the ball over Didier Zokora, and lastly juggled the ball over Toure to avoid all three defenders.

He then settled his own final maneuver against Toure by bringing the ball down off his upper arm and fired off goalie Boubacar Barry's fingertips and inside the right post.

Didier Drogba, who started for Ivory Coast, reached a cross from Aruna Dindane with his head in the 54th despite being defended by Maicon and Lucio, but he nodded the ball just inches wide of the right post.

Elano fired wide from 30 yards on the hour mark, and Kaka was denied by Barry after a quick passing combination with Robinho in the 61st as Brazil looked to seal the match.

Elano, who scored in Brazil's 2-1 win over North Korea, added his second goal of the tournament in the 62nd off a nice assist from Kaka, who drove down the left and slanted a cross back to the middle of the box for Elano to finish off from 10 yards.

Ivory Coast's Romaric forced a save by Brazil goalie Julio Cesar in the 74th, and Drogba cut the deficit by a goal five minutes later.

Gervinho made a nice run down the left and, without any options, slowed the play down and eventually slipped a pass outside the area to Yaya Toure. Toure lofted a pass into the area, and Drogba headed the ball from 12 yards inside the right post.

Both teams were involved in a scrum late in the match following a challenge by Kaka on Abdul Kader Kaita, who flopped to the ground and grabbed his face even though he was elbowed in the chest.

Kaka was eventually issued a yellow card, his second of the game, and was sent off and will miss Brazil's third group match against Portugal on Friday. Ivory Coast plays its final group match Friday against North Korea.

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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.

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