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04/27/2010 - Lyon, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ivica Olic scored a hat trick to lead Bayern Munich to a 3-0 win over Lyon on Tuesday at the Stade de Gerland, and into the Champions League final on aggregate, 4-0.
Bayern won the first leg in Munich 1-0 on Wednesday and Olic sealed the German club's first finals appearance since 2001, when it edged Valencia on penalties to win its fourth title.
Bayern plays the winner of Wednesday's semifinal between Barcelona and Inter Milan on May 22 at the Bernabeu in Madrid, Spain. Inter holds a 3-1 lead after the first leg in Milan.
Lyon, which was unbeaten at home in the Champions League this season, fell one game short of the first final in club history. Bayern will appear in the final for the eighth time.
Bayern had a great chance to open the scoring inside two minutes when Olic won the ball at the top-right edge of the penalty area, then slipped a pass to the middle to Thomas Muller .
Muller was all alone, but Olic's pass was slightly behind him, and the striker dragged the shot wide of the right post.
Bayern controlled the match after its early chance, and Olic provided the huge away goal inside 30 minutes to put Lyon in a position where it needed three to advance.
Off a throw-in on the left side, Muller dropped a pass off to Arjen Robben on the edge of the area. Muller broke into the area and received a return pass on the left side and, with two defenders drawn to him, slipped a pass to Olic.
Olic accepted the pass and spun to his left to separate from Aly Cissokho then slotted past Lyon goalie Hugo Lloris. Bayern took a 2-0 aggregate edge and was in complete control with the away goal advantage.
Lyon managed just one good scoring chance in the first half, but Michel Bastos wasted the golden opportunity in the 31st. Bastos was wide open on the edge of the six-yard box, but his left-footed volley sailed wide right.
Robben fired wide right on a long-range effort in the 34th but Bayern remained in control through halftime to maintain its comfortable edge.
Lyon substitute Bafetimbi Gomis had a chance early in the second half to bring his side level but, despite being open on the right side off a cross, volleyed a first-time effort into the stands when he had time to set up a better shot.
Robben set up midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger in the 53rd, and he fired just high on a powerful side-volley from 25 yards. Fullback Diego Contento set up a chance with a nice run in the 57th, but Robben was eventually denied by a nice diving save by Lloris at the left post.
Olic just missed scoring off the ensuing corner kick when the ball skimmed off his forehead, and three minutes later Lyon's hopes ended with captain Cris was sent off. Cris received a yellow card for a foul, then was ejected right after when he clapped at referee Massimo Busacca.
Bayern sealed its trip to Madrid in the 67th when Hamit Altintop, who played on the left side of midfield with Franck Ribery suspended, put Olic through on the left. Olic slotted inside the right post to beat Lloris.
Robben forced another save from Lloris in the 71st, then Olic fired wide left in the 76th as the Munich side searched for its third goal.
Bayern completed the dominating win in the 78th when Bayern right back Philipp Lahm delivered a cross from the right to Olic, who adjusted slightly and fired a header off the fingertips of Lloris and into the right side.
Olic has scored seven goals in nine Champions League matches this season, tied for second on the scoring list behind Barcelona's Leo Messi.
Altintop lifted Bayern's final chance just over the top-right corner in injury time, but the German club cruised over the final seconds for its first win on the road in the knockout stage.
Bayern lost the second leg of its Round of 16 series 3-2 at Fiorentina and the second leg of its quarterfinal series 3-2 at Manchester United but advanced on away goals after winning the first leg of each series 2-1 in Munich.
<< Rangers place Cruz on DL
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers have placed outfielder
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Cruz left Monday's game against Detroit in the sixth inning after aggravating
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Barcelona, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets said
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"moment of truth."
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<< Orioles bring up P Simon
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Baltimore Orioles made three roster moves
on Tuesday, including selecting the contract of pitcher Alfredo Simon from
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Cards activate C LaRue from DL >>
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Cardinals have activated
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Hall of Fame Brewers broadcaster Uecker to have heart surgery >>
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Legendary broadcaster Bob Uecker announced
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Driesell named men's hoops coach at The Citadel >>
Charleston, SC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Citadel has named Maryland assistant
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Wizards' sale to Leonsis nears completion >>
Arlington, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The family of late Washington Wizards owner
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BILLS (+10) at Steelers SPORTSBOOK LINES
It's impossible to gauge how a team will react after something like the Steve Everett situation, and it probably doesn't matter. That being said, the Bills are going to lose several games this year where they keep things close but fall short in the end to superior teams. Ben Roethlisberger and company could have a field day against Buffalo's decimated defense, but I like the Bills to cover.
BENGALS (-7) at Browns SPORTSBOOK LINES
All you can ask out of your NFL team is that it has a plan. You may not always agree with it as a fan, but as long as it appears the organization is going in some sort of direction, you have to go with it. Which brings us to the Cleveland Browns. You flip a coin to determine whether Chuck Frye or Derek Anderson should start the preseason opener. You start Frye in Week 1, but pull him in the first half. And then you deal him to the Seahawks for a sixth-round pick? Hmm... the Bengals could get six turnovers again this week.
COLTS (-7) at Titans SPORTSBOOK LINES
Tennessee signed ex-Colts cornerback Nick Harper in the offseason so that should help slow down Peyton Manning. Just ask Jason David and the Saints. Oh wait... One of these weeks, I'm going to learn to not pick against Tennessee, which has won seven of its last eight games. But it's not happening against Indy.
TEXANS (+6.5) at Panthers SPORTSBOOK LINES
Houston's Mario Williams, the first pick in the '06 draft, has more touchdowns than Reggie Bush after one week. Somehow I don't see that lasting. Meanwhile, Carolina bottled up what was expected to be a pretty high-octane offense in St. Louis in Week 1. Could this be the Panthers' defense everyone expected last year? Maybe. This feels like a 20-16 Carolina win.
RAMS (-3) vs. 49ers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Absolutely love this game. Everyone's favorite pick for this year's surprise team -- the 49ers -- laid an egg on Monday night (not that anyone was watching with the game ending in the middle of the night for those of us on the East Coast). St. Louis wasn't much better, delivering a lackluster effort against the Panthers that included two Steven Jackson fumbles and panic from his fantasy owners. Jackson rebounds this week, and the Rams get their first win.
PACKERS (+1.5) at Giants SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Do you really trust this guy to win an NFL game if Eli Manning can't go? I say no. I'd feel alot better about this Packers team if it had any semblance of a running game, but I still think Green Bay's defense is good enough to give it a 2-0 start.
JAGUARS (-10) vs. Falcons SPORTSBOOKS LINES
Does it scare me to pick Jacksonville to cover a double-digit spread after it scored just 10 points last week against the Titans? Absolutely. But can I bring myself to pick Atlanta under any circumstances? No. Check out this poll on ajc.com. It asks what Atlanta's most urgent deficiency is: offense, defense, specials teams or all of the above. "All of the above" has 57 percent of the votes. Ouch.
SAINTS (-3) at Buccaneers SPORTSBOOKS LINES
I'm picking way too many road teams this week. Oh well. New Orleans has had some time to reflect on its lackluster showing in the opener, and the Buccanneers just aren't a very good football team. Anyone else surprised Tampa Bay hasn't made a move to sign Byron Leftwich? I thought that's what they do.
VIKINGS (+3) at Lions SPORTS BETTING LINES
Run the ball and stop the run. Minnesota can do both, and that will keep them in a lot of games this season. Even though it was only one week, Adrian Peterson looks like he was a steal at No. 7 in last year's draft. Not only will he produce, but Peterson delivers excitement to what otherwise would be one of the league's most boring teams.
DOLPHINS (+3.5) vs. Cowboys SPORTS BETTING LINES
Lost in the Tony Romo lovefest is just how bad the Cowboys' defense was last week. I know they're banged up, but Dallas' 'D' allowed 438 yards to the Giants' offense, and backup running back Derrick Ward averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Cam Cameron's decision to split carries between Ronnie Brown and Jesse Chatman sounds about as can't-miss as Larry David's plan to show up to Marty Funkhouser's party a night late. Still, gotta go with Miami to cover at home.
SEAHAWKS (-2.5) at Cardinals SPORTS BETTING LINES
I'm probably missing something, but this game seems too easy. Arizona blew Monday night's game against the 49ers in typical Cardinals fashion, and the Seahawks beat Tampa Bay by two touchdowns. Love Seattle in this one.
BRONCOS (-9.5) vs. Raiders SPORTS BETTING LINES
Special teams was a major story line in Week 1. Take a look at the Broncos. They had to rush on to the field to get a Jason Elam field goal as time expired against the Bills. Denver drove into Buffalo territory on eight of 10 drives but came away with just a pair of field goals and a touchdown. Look for more scoring from the Broncos this week against an Oakland defense that gave up 36 points to Detroit in Week 1.
BEARS (-12) vs. Chiefs SPORTS BETTING LINES
Everyone talks about Rex Grossman when dissecting the Bears' offense, but Chicago's quarterback got no help in last week's loss to the Chargers. Meanwhile, Kansas City confirmed what we all thought while watching Hard Knocks: The Chiefs are going to stink this year. It could be a rough first month for Larry Johnson fantasy owners. Kansas City's RB was limited to 43 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and the Chiefs face the Bears, Vikings and Chargers the next three weeks, all formidable run defenses.
RAVENS (-10) vs. Jets SPORTS BETTING LINES
A big dose of Willis McGahee and a usual sound defensive effort will give the Ravens their first win. According to Football Outsiders, no team in the NFL rushed only three defenders on pass plays last year more than the Jets. And according to my special Jets correspondent Ben Stauber, New York did the same in Week 1. Whoever starts at quarterback for the Ravens should have all day to throw.
PATRIOTS (-3) vs. Chargers
Friends and I were discussing how Bill Belichick goes about paying his $500,000 fine for cheating. Does he just write one check to the NFL? Do you need some sort of clearance to make such a monstrous financial transaction? I guess I shouldn't complain about the security deposit I have to put down on my new apartment. Anyway, two of the league's best teams square off in what should be a good one Sunday night. The Patriots always respond well just when you think they're in trouble. And their offensive attack was the story in Week 1.
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting.
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