Prinz sets record as Germany downs Japan

Soccer Betting Lines

09/17/2007 - Hangzhou, China (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Birgit Prinz became the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history, scoring her 13th goal as Germany defeated Japan, 2-0, on Monday to wrap up the top spot in Group A.

Prinz's goal was her fourth of this year's tournament and Renate Lingor added her third goal in the closing minutes for Germany.

Germany (2-0-1) finished the group stage unbeaten, outscoring its opponents, 13-0. The defending champions play the second-place team from Group B, likely the United States or North Korea, on Saturday.

Prinz, a three-time FIFA Player of the Year, has scored in all four World Cups she's played in (1995, 1999, 2003, 2007). She was tied with the United States' Michelle Akers for the all-time lead. Akers scored 12 goals in three events, including 10 in 1991.

Japan (1-1-1) had a chance to advance with a win or tie against Germany, but was eliminated with the loss and England's 6-1 win over Argentina.

Germany controlled the pace of the game from the start as Petra Wimbersky had two great scoring opportunities in the first 20 minutes, but couldn't finish a pair of one-on-one chances.

Wimbersky was alone in the box for the first time in the fourth minute, but her hard blast was knocked over the bar by Japan goalie Miho Fukumoto. She was alone in the box again in the 20th minute, but again tried to shoot high and had her shot turned away by Fukumoto.

Although Wimbersky failed to finish either chance, a corner off the second miss led to Prinz's record-setting goal.

Lingor swung the corner into the box and it sailed over traffic to Prinz at the far post. Prinz touched the ball down and, from just a few yards, unleashed a shot that skimmed off the head of Japan's Tomoe Sakai and into the roof of the net.

Prinz had a couple more opportunities in the half, shooting wide in the 33rd and having a shot saved by Fukumoto in the 46th minute.

Germany's Sandra Smisek, who had three goals in an 11-0 win over Argentina, hit the frame late in the first half.

Japan was more aggressive after the restart, creating one of its few scoring chances four minutes into the second half off a header. Although Japan was more dangerous, it could never connect enough passes to get any good chances on goal.

Fukumoto came up big for Japan again in the 67th minute when she made a nice save to deny Fatmire Bajramaj on a breakaway.

Germany threatened again in the 76th minute when Prinz found Smisek on the left wing and she crossed to the middle of the box. Wimbersky got under a shot, putting the ball high.

Prinz misfired on another chance in the 79th minute, heading a ball wide of the left post.

Germany finally put the game away in the 87th minute when Lingor converted a penalty kick for her third goal of the tournament.Wimbersky helped set up the chance by passing to Martina Mueller, who was taken down in the box.

Lingor scored easily by getting Fukumoto to dive to the left post and she scored to the left side of the net.

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SPORTS BETTING - Tennis is an underrated and under-utilized bettors' sport.

Ten years ago, at just about this time, I called Alan Boston in Vegas and left him a voicemail that went something like this (abridged version): "Hey Alan, Chad Millman from ESPN The Magazine calling. I want to do a book about wise guys, you in?"

A couple weeks later I got a message back (abridged version): "I don't know, maybe," Boston said. "Call me and we'll talk about it. But not later today. I got $1,000 on Andre Agassi to win the French Open at 40-1, and he's in the finals."

Here's what happened next (abridged version): Agassi won his tourney. Boston won his $40,000. I wrote sportsbook.

In the ten years since, how much has been wagered on the big-time tennis events? Put it this way: The Nevada Gaming Commission doesn't even track the number year by year because it's so small.

"Tennis makes up about one-tenth of one percent of our take," says Lucky's bookmaking boss Jimmy Vaccaro. "The last big golf major we probably had $100,000 worth of bets. In tennis, we might have written two big tickets."

Tennis' lack of popularity amongst the American bettoratti is no surprise, really. For starters, the biggest sports betting holidays -- the Super Bowl, the NCAA tourney -- are must see TV. People, at least the degenerates I know, plan vacations around watching those events in Vegas sports books.

But Wimbledon? Doesn't exactly reel in the whales. "Seriously, it's the nuts as an event," says Boston. "But who even knows when it's on?"

Here's another reason that helps explain why golf gets traction, something I call "The Bubbe Theory." My Bubbe is pushing 95 and has cataracts so bad that, to her, even the most crystalline Chicago day is mostly cloudy. But she still listens to the Cubs games, and she still calls me in a fit if she disagrees with something Rick Telander writes in the Chicago Sun Times. She's a sports fan. If she doesn't know you, you're just filling a niche. And niche players, even historically good ones like Roger and Raf, don't drive betting volume. Only the highest profile names attract square money, which inflates wagering totals like a shot of saline to the lips. Bubbe, and the public, loved Agassi, tennis' last cross-the-rubicon, mainstream draw. She also has a crush on Tiger. She's given me standing orders to put a sawbuck on the big cat whenever I walk through a sports book (or mistakenly tap into one via my Internet machine.) That explains why the Masters is getting $100K in action at some books while the four tennis majors might not get that combined this year.

This isn't a case of tennis being a difficult sport to bet. In fact, in Europe, it's probably the second most popular sport for gambling after soccer. Granted, as the WSJ football betting last week and The Mag's Shaun Assael examined in even greater depth last year, that might be because gamblers across the pond see it as an easy game to fix. But it could also be because, over there it holds the kind of sway the big two do over here.

Street corners in Spain are peppered with public courts and kids doing their best Raffy impressions. In some war torn parts of Eastern Europe poverty-stricken kids view tennis as an escape route, like football or basketball here. A couple years ago The Mag's Lindsay Berra wrote a great piece about Belgrade's Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic. They learned the game as kids while bombs were raining down on their homeland. They practiced in drained swimming pools. Not exactly Nick Bolletierri conditions.

In the United States, casual fans think tennis is played four times a year. But on the tightly packed European continent, national interest in homegrown talent runs deep every weekend. Of the ATP's current top 20 players, only two, tennis betting and James Blake, are American. Fourteen are from Europe, representing six different countries.

No wonder fans from Lisbon to Bhudapest get jacked up for the net game, whether it's Wimbledon or a low-level tourney like the Estoril Open in Portugal (congrats to Spain's Albert Montanes for winning that one, btw). Chances are good that someone representing their flag will not only be playing, but have a shot at winning.

And that's all any bettor can ask for.

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