New Orleans Saints win Super Bowl - beating Colts 31-17

The New Orleans Saints completed a fairytale run to Super Bowl glory by shocking the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 in Miami on Sunday.

Indianapolis, trying to win their second Super Bowl in four seasons, started confidently and Matt Stover booted a 38-yard field goal to give them the early edge.

And when Peyton Manning hit Pierre Garcon with a 19-yard scoring pass to cap a 96-yard drive (equalling the longest in Super Bowl history) they appeared to be in control.

Quarter Time : Indianpolis 10-0

New Orleans trailed 10-0 after the first quarter, but took control from that moment on to dominate the favoured Colts.

The Saints, with Sean Payton and his staff calling an inspired game, totally dominated the second period to get right back in the hunt.

They only had two Garrett Hartley field goals to show for outgaining the Colts 143 yards to 15 in the quarter, but it would have been more if Pierre Thomas hadn't been stopped by Gary Brackett on 4th and goal from the 1-yard line.

Half Time : Indianpolis 10-6

New Orleans took the game by the scruff of the neck right at the start of the second half, going for a short onside kick and recovering it.

That set the Saints up to go 58 yards in six plays on a scoring drive capped by a 16-yard screen pass from Brees to that man Thomas.

The Colts though struck right back, going 76 yards in 10 plays as Joseph Addai rumbled in from four yards out.

New Orleans responded with another Hartley field goal - his third of the day from more than 40 yards out - to pull within one point at 17-16 - before a dramatic final period.

Three Quarter Time : Indianapolis 17-16

Colts kicker Stover missed a 51-yard field goal which gave the Saints great field position at their own 41, and Brees immediately capitalised.

With the quarterback and his wide receivers in perfect rhythm, they marched 59 yards in nine plays with Brees capping the drive by hitting Jeremy Shockey on a slant from two yards out to take the lead.

Lance Moore's amazing reception for the two-point conversion was called good after the Saints challenged the ruling of incomplete, and New Orleans were in front 24-17.

Manning still had more than five minutes to pull off a memorable comeback, and he quickly drove the Colts to the New Orleans 31.

But then Tracy Porter stepped in front of a pass intended for Reggie Wayne and returned it 74 yards to put the result beyond any doubt.

Final Score : New Orleans 31-17

Drew Brees hit on 32 of 39 passes for 288 yards and two scores en route to being voted the game's most valuable player. Brees equalled the Super Bowl record for completions as the Saints notched an emotional victory five years on from Hurricane Katrina.

Stumble It!

Feb 6-7th : Spanish top three all win in La Liga

The race in Spain remains a two club affer as Barcelona remained five points clear of second-placed Real Madrid at the summit after both teams won.

Barcelona 2-1 Getafe

Barca maintained their impressive home record with a 2-1 victory over Getafe - despite finishing the game with nine men following the dismissals of Gerard Pique and Rafael Marquez.

Pique was sent off for a cynical lunge on Rafa Lopez after 24 minutes, although Barca were already a goal to the good by then thanks to Lionel Messi's brilliant early strike.

Pep Guardiola's side never really looked in danger, despite Pique's departure, and their dominance finally paid off as Xavi all but sealed a 17th league win of the season in the 67th minute.

Roberto Soldado's stoppage-time penalty pulled a goal back for the visitors after Marquez was sent off for the foul on Kepa Blanco which led to the spot-kick.

Real Madrid 3-0 Espanyol

First-half goals from Sergio Ramos and Kaka put Madrid in control, and substitute Gonzalo Higuain added a brilliant third late on as Manuel Pellegrini's men made it 11 out of 11 at the Bernabeu.

In Saturday's early game in Spain, first-half goals from Ever Banega and David Villa saw Valencia cruise to a 2-0 home win over struggling Real Valladolid to boost their hopes of a return to the Champions League.

Banega struck after eight minutes and Villa added the second just before the half-hour mark to secure the three points for Unai Emery's side and consolidate third place in La Liga after 21 rounds of matches.

Valenica 2-0 Valladolid

Valencia cruised to a 2-0 home win over struggling Real Valladolid to boost their hopes of a return to the Champions League.

Banega struck after eight minutes and Villa added the second just before the half-hour mark to secure the three points for Unai Emery's side and consolidate third place in La Liga after 21 rounds of matches.

Spanish Liga Top Six Standings

Team        Pl  W D L Fr Ag Pts 
Barcelona   21 17-4-0 52:11  55 
Real Madrid 21 16-2-3 50:15  50 
Valencia    21 12-6-3 38:20  42 
Mallorca    21 11-4-6 35:23  37 
Sevilla     21 11-3-7 32:24  36 
Deportivo   21 10-5-6 24:22  35

Stumble It!

Feb 6-7th : Bayern Munich grab share of lead in Bundesliga

Bayern Munich moved level on points with leaders Bayer Leverkusen thanks to an impressive 3-1 victory at Wolfsburg.

Wolfsburg 1-3 Bayern Munich

Arjen Robben put Bayern ahead in the second minute and Daniel van Buyten added a second before the break.

The visitors were three up just before the hour when the ball ended up in the home net after Andrea Barzagli attempted to clear under pressure from substitute Franck Ribery.

Grafite missed a penalty but grabbed a late consolation for the struggling champions in the last minute.

Bochum 1-1 Bayer Leverkusen

Leverkusen saw their two-point advantage at the summit evaporate as their four-game winning streak ended with a 1-1 draw at Bochum.

Leverkusen went ahead in the 45th minute through Eren Derdiyok, who collected a pass from Stefan Kiessling on the left, turned and struck into the bottom-left corner.

But Bochum equalised in the 68th minute when Lewis Holtby found Zlatko Dedic, who poked the ball past the out-charging goalkeeper.

Freiburg 0-0 Schalke

Schalke twice hit the woodwork and had a goal cruelly disallowed in a 0-0 draw at Freiburg as they missed a chance to gain meaningful ground on leaders Leverkusen.

Kevin Kuranyi hit the post with a header from from eight yards out, although Freiburg hit the goal frame themselves 10 minutes later with Mohamadou Idrissou's header striking the crossbar after a free-kick.

Schalke were robbed of a goal three minutes after the restart as Marcelo Bordon headed off the underside of the crossbar and the ball clearly crossed the goalline, television replays showed.

German Bundesliga Top Eight Teams

Team                Pl  W D L Fr Ag Pts 
Bayer Leverkusen    21 12-9-0 46:17  45 
Bayern Munich       21 13-6-2 45:18  45 
Schalke 04          21 12-6-3 31:15  42 
Hamburg             21  9-9-3 40:24  36 
Borussia Dortmund   21 10-6-5 30:26  36 
Werder Bremen       21  8-7-6 39:25  31 
Eintracht Frankfurt 21  8-7-6 28:29  31 
Mainz               21  8-6-7 25:29  30 

Stumble It!

Feb 6-7th : Inter Milan in command on top of Italy Serie A

Inter Milan moved 10 points clear of city rivals AC Milan, and 8 clear at the top of Serie A with a convincing 3-0 victory against in-form Cagliari at the San Siro on Sunday.

Inter Milan 3-0 Cagliari

Winter signing Goran Pandev gave them the perfect start after five minutes' play with Argentinian duo Walter Samuel (20) and Diego Milito (47) wrapping the game up for Jose Mourinho's men.

The result ended a six-game unbeaten run for Massimiliano Allegri's Cagliari, denting their hopes of European qualification.

Bologna 0-0 AC Milan

AC Milan fell 10 points behind city rivals Inter after an uninspiring goalless draw at Bologna.

A win for Leonardo's men was key to their hopes of keeping the pressure on their great rivals in the race for the Scudetto.

But Milan's failure to find the back of the net - although they went very close hitting the woodwork twice - means athat Milan slip back to 3rd on the table.

Fiorentina 0-1 AS Roma

Roma to move second in the table as Mirko Vucinic got the only goal for the game in the 1-0 win at Fiorentina.

The Viola were left empty-handed after one of their most impressive performances of the last few months while Roma extended their excellent run of form to 12 Serie A games without defeat.

Udinese 3-1 Napoli

Antonio di Natale scored twice in injury-time to complete a hat-trick for Udinese in a 3-1 victory against previously in-form Napoli.

Di Natale punished his hometown club, who had goalscorer Christian Maggio sent off just before half-time, to give the Bianconeri a first win in eight Serie A contests.

It provided Gianni De Biasi with a first victory since he took charge on December 22, easing the club's relegation fears and enabling them to put behind them the misery of the midweek Coppa Italia semi-final defeat to Roma.

Serie A Top Eight Team Standings

Team        Pl  W D L Fr Ag Pts 
Inter Milan 22 16-4-2 48:19  52 
Roma        23 13-5-5 38:26  44 
AC Milan    22 12-6-4 36:22  42 
Napoli      23 10-8-5 32:27  38 
Palermo     23 10-7-6 31:26  37 
Sampdoria   23 10-6-7 30:31  36 
Juventus    23 10-5-8 35:30  35 
Genoa       23 10-5-8 36:36  35 

Stumble It!

Super Bowl 1st Touchdown Scorer Market at Centrebet

The New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts will meet at Super Bowl XLIV following near perfect seasons.

The Colts have plenty of experienced players who have tasted Super Bowl success before, and leading them out will be none other than formidable quarterback Peyton Manning.

The New Orleans Saints may be lacking in the experience department but nothing can be taken away from rampant running back Reggie Bush.

Will Peyton lead the Colts to victory or will Reggie provide divine inspiration for the Saints?

Fancy a 1st Touchdown scorer bet on the Super Bowl?

Featured SuperBowl Betting Market

NFL - Super Bowl XLIV
1st Touchdown Scorer at Centrebet
ADDAI, Joseph(Indianapolis) 7.00
CLARK, Dallas (Indianapolis) 8.00
THOMAS, Pierre (New Orleans) 8.00
WAYNE, Reggie (Indianapolis) 8.50

Special Refund Offer :
Place a bet on the Super Bowl 1st Touchdown scorer and if your selection doesn't score first but does score in the first half, your bet is refunded!

Check it out - new UK players also get a £20 Freebet at Centrebet

Stumble It!

Super Bowl - Paddy Power money-back special

Super Bowl
New Orleans Saints v Indianapolis Colts
Sun 11.25pm BBC1 and SS1

Wayne's World - Money-Back Special
Paddy Power will refund all losing First Touchdown Scorer and Winning Margin bets as a free bet if Reggie Wayne scores the Last Touchdown.

Pre-match betting only (ie not in-running bets).

All free bets will be credited to accounts within 24 hours.
Free bet can be used on any market.
Max refund €300/£200 per customer

Check out all the Super Bowl betting odds at Paddy Power now

Stumble It!

Six Nations Rugby Outright Bet - an easy profit

SIX NATIONS RUGBY OUTRIGHT BETTING
France 2.62 at Paddy Power
Ireland 3.50 at Bet365
Wales 6.00
England 6.00
Scotland 21.00

BETTING RECOMMENDATION
Make two outright winning bets on France and Ireland to make a profit.

1) Place 115 units on France at 2.62 at Paddy Power
2) Place 86 units on Ireland at 3.50 at Bet365

That's 201 units placed in total.

On 20th March the final round of games will be played and we should see either France or Ireland claim the title - and you’ll return 301 units for a +100 unit profit.

Not bad for six weeks waiting.
;-)

Stumble It!

30-31st Jan : Round-up Of Italy Serie A results

Parma P-P Inter Milan

Inter Milan's match at Parma was postponed due to snow, and has been re-scheduled for February 10th.

AC Milan 1-1 Livorno

AC Milan missed the chance to close the gap on Serie A leaders Inter Milan to six points as they were held to a 1-1 draw by relegation-threatened Livorno on Sunday.

Massimo Ambrosini opened the scoring for Milan in the final minute of the first half but Livorno levelled eight minutes after the break thanks to Cristiano Lucarelli.

Juventus 1-1 Lazio

New Juventus boss Alberto Zaccheroni had to settle for a point at Turin's Stadio Olimpico in his first match in charge as they played out a 1-1 draw with Lazio.

The former Lazio manager saw his team take the lead through Alessandro Del Piero's 70th-minute penalty. However, that was as good as it got for Juve as Stefano Mauri grabbed the equaliser eight minutes later by volleying home a cross from Mauro Zarate.

The result lifted the Turin outfit to fifth in the standings, and leaves Lazio two points clear of the drop zone.

Napoli 0-0 Genoa

On Saturday Napoli were held to a 0-0 draw at the Stadio San Paolo by their bogey team Genoa.

Napoli have not beaten Genoa since both sides returned to the top flight of Italian football two-and-a-half years ago, while their last home victory over the Ligurians dates back over a decade to when the clubs were in Serie B.

Bari 4-2 Palermo

Bari defeated 10-man Palermo 4-2 at the Stadio San Nicola.

Leonardo Bonucci and Edgar Alvarez gave the hosts a two-goal lead within the first seven minutes, but strikes from Edison Cavani and Javier Pastore either side of half-time brought Palermo level.

A red card shown to midfielder Fabio Liverani in the 56th minute tipped the scales back in Bari's favour before a penalty from Paulo Barreto and a fourth goal from Vladimir Koman earned them all three points to get them back in the reckoning for a place in Europe next season.

Italian Serie A Top Six Standings

Team        Pl  W D L Fr Ag Pts 
Inter Milan 21 15-4-2 45 19 49 
AC Milan    21 12-5-4 36 22 41 
AS Roma     22 12-5-5 37 26 41 
Napoli      22 10-8-4 31 24 38 
Juventus    22 10-4-8 34 29 34 
Palermo     22  9-7-6 29 25 34

Stumble It!

30-31st Jan : Round-up of English Premier League weekend

Manchester United moved to within a point of Barclays Premier League leaders Chelsea as they beat Arsenal 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

Burnley 1-2 Chelsea

John Terry grabbed a late winner for Chelsea to deny battling Burnley a point at Turf Moor, heading home home a corner from Florent Malouda in the 83rd minute.

It was a cruel blow for the hosts, who had drawn level through Steven Fletcher after Nicolas Anelka had opened the scoring.

Arsenal 1-3 Manchester United

Nani opened the scoring on 33 minutes when his chip across goal was palmed in by Arsenal keeper Manuel Almunia, before in-form England striker Wayne Rooney swept home a second following a quick counter attack.

A third on the break from Ji-Sung Park at the start of the second half effectively ended the contest, although defender Thomas Vermaelen netted a consolation for the Gunners.

Birmingham City 1-1 Tottenham

Liam Ridgewell's last-minute strike denied Tottenham a precious victory at Birmingham and left Harry Redknapp's men clinging onto fourth place.

Ridgewell finished off a header across goal by Cameron Jerome to snatch a 1-1 draw for the home side after Spurs looked set to claim victory through Jermain Defoe's 69th-minute effort.

Liverpool 2-0 Bolton

Liverpool coasted to a 2-0 win over Owen Coyle's Bolton at Anfield.

Dirk Kuyt stabbed home the opener in the 37th minute and Liverpoolmade the game safe in the 70th minute when a shot from Emiliano Insua took a huge deflection off Kevin Davies and squirted past Jussi Jaaskelainen in the Bolton goal.

Fulham 0-2 Aston Villa

Villa also kept up the pace with a 2-0 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage thanks to two goals just before half-time from Gabriel Agbonlahor.

The striker opened the scoring when he headed home Stiliyan Petrov's 40th-minute cross, and four minutes later he turned Brede Hangeland in the box before firing the second past Mark Schwarzer.

Manchester City 2-0 Portsmouth

Manchester City closed to within a point of fourth-spot with a comfortable 2-0 victory over Portsmouth.

There was no joyous celebration as Adebayor rattled his 40th-minute goal past David James, instead he acknowledged the heavens in remembrance of his Togo team mates.

Vincent Kompany then powered home a header from Martin Petrov's corner to ensure the Blues moved to within a point of Tottenham.

English Premier League Top Ten Standings

Team      Pl  GD Pts 
 1 Chelsea     23 +38  54 
 2 Man Utd     24 +36  53 
 3 Arsenal     24 +32  49 
 4 Tottenham   24 +20  42 
 5 Liverpool   24 +16  41 
 6 Man City    22 +14  41 
 7 Aston Villa 23 +13  40 
 8 Birmingham  23  -1  34 
 9 Everton     23  -1  32 
10 Blackburn   24 -15  28

Stumble It!