AZ held by 10-man Ajax

Soccer Betting Lines

02/25/2007 - Alkmaar, Holland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - AZ missed a great opportunity to move into second place on Sunday as they were held to a 1-1 draw by a 10-man Ajax side at Alkmaarder Hout.

The result leaves the Amsterdam club one point clear of AZ for second place, but the draw pushes league-leaders PSV further ahead of the pack, as the Eindhoven squad recorded a 1-0 win over Groningen on Saturday, moving seven points clear.

Edgar Davids received his second yellow card just before halftime, reducing Ajax to 10 men, but the visitors struck first anyway 20 minutes into the second half. Kenneth Perez put Ajax on the board but the home side, despite its numerical advantage, could only muster a draw as Maarten Martens equalized 11 minutes before time.

Danny Koevermans nearly put AZ ahead after 11 minutes as his header from a Demy De Zeeuw corner had to be cleared off the line by Ajax defender George Ogararu.

Davids then almost handed the opener to AZ minutes later when he was dispossessed by Julian Jenner, who then fired a shot just over the cross bar from the edge of the box.

Ajax held up under the pressure and Jaap Stam's free-kick from 25-yards out nearly put them on top but it came back off the post.

The match changed in the 45th when Davids picked up his second yellow card in a three-minute span, forcing manager Henk ten Cate to shuffle his lineup.

After the restart, it was Ajax who were the stronger side despite playing a man down. Ryan Babel forced a nice save from AZ keeper Boy Waterman before Leonardo created the opener in the 65th minute by carrying the ball into the box and dropping it to Perez, who slammed it home from 12-yards out to make it 1-0.

AZ was able to level the contest for good in the 79th on a nice piece of play from Koevermans, who worked room for himself and then crossed to Martens. The second-half sub then tapped the ball across the line to grab a point for the hosts.

In other Eredivisie play on Sunday, Feyenoord played to a 3-3 deadlock with Den Haag, NAC blanked Excelsior 2-0 and RKC Waalwijk moved to within one point of avoiding relegation with a 3-1 triumph over Vitesse.

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MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.

Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.

According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).

Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.

''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
    
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.

Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.

''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''

Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
   
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.

”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
   
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.

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