Bayern slips by Fiorentina on away goals

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03/09/2010 - Florence, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arjen Robben's brilliant goal in the 65th minute capped a stretch of four combined goals in 11 minutes, as Bayern Munich slipped into the quarterfinals of the Champions League despite a 3-2 defeat at Fiorentina on Tuesday.

Stevan Jovetic scored two goals and Juan Vargas added one to put Fiorentina in position to advance to the last eight on three occasions, but Mark van Bommel scored Bayern's first and Robben added the deciding away goal.

Bayern won the first leg 2-1 in Munich, and although the final aggregate ended 4-4, advanced because of its two away goals at Stadio Artemio Franchi.

Arsenal joined Bayern in the quarterfinals with a 5-0 win over FC Porto at the Emirates to overcome a first-leg deficit and advance on aggregate 6-2.

Fiorentina didn't look like a club that had lost seven of its last nine in all competitions, and in the process ended Bayern's 18-game unbeaten streak in all events but still failed to advance.

Fiorentina's Vargas decided to try and test Bayern goalie Hans-Jorg Butt from 35 yards on the first chance for either side, but his free kick just cleared the bar and dropped into the top of the net with the goal covered.

Vargas delivered on his next chance in the 27th when he battled Bayern central defender Daniel van Buyten to win a rebound on the left edge of the six-yard box and fired inside the far post from a tight angle.

Bastian Schweinsteiger helped create the first of two good chances for Bayern when he was able to head the ball through traffic to Robben on the right side of the area. Robben only had Fiorentina goalie Sebastien Frey to beat, but the French star made a great save to tip the ball wide in the 34th.

Miroslav Klose, who replaced an injured Mario Gomez in the 30th minute, had the second shot just seconds before half when he ran onto a cross from Thomas Muller but, despite getting under the ball, headed over from 10 yards.

Fiorentina was handed another great chance five minutes into the second half, but Butt made his biggest save of the match. Alberto Gilardino ran onto a ball on the top of the six that magically rolled by two Bayern defenders but didn't finish from just yards out as Butt deflected the ball wide.

Jovetic didn't waste Fiorentina's next chance, finishing off a back heel from Gilardino to pick out the bottom corner in the 54th to open the scoring streak that included two goals for each club.

Van Bommel unleashed a world-class strike from 20 yards that skimmed just off the inside the left post in the 60th, putting the series level at three goals apiece and even on away goals at one apiece. Jovetic followed in the 64th off another Gilardino assist to hand his side the series lead once again, only to watch Robben equalize shortly after the restart.

Robben delivered another world-class strike just over a minute later, when he sent a left-footed shot from 28 yards over the outstretched arms of a diving Frey and into the upper-left corner to send Bayern through to the final eight for the second straight season.

Fiorentina has not advanced to the last eight since the 1969-70 European event when it lost to Celtic in the quarterfinals.

In London, Nicklas Bendtner scored a hat trick as Arsenal rolled into the last eight over Porto.

Bendtner scored his first two goals in the ninth and 25 minutes, and after two goals from Samir Nasri and Emmanuel Eboue in the second half, finished his hat trick from the penalty spot in extra time.

Arsenal, which dropped the first leg in Portugal 2-1, advanced despite playing without Cesc Fabregas. The Gunners are in the last eight for the third time in a row, and for the fourth time in the last five tournaments.

Porto was eliminated in the knockout stage by and English club for the third time in the last four tournaments.

On Wednesday, Real Madrid will try to overcome a 1-0 defeat in the first leg when Lyon visits the Bernabeu, and Manchester United will try to hold onto its 3-2 edge when AC Milan visits Old Trafford.

Inter Milan visits Chelsea, CSKA visits Sevilla, Stuttgart visits Barcelona, and Olympiacos visits Bordeaux next week to wrap up the Round of 16.

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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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