England advances on Defoe's goal

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06/23/2010 - Port Elizabeth, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A first-half goal from Jermain Defoe was enough to give England a 1-0 win over Slovenia at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Wednesday in the final match of Group C play for both teams, allowing the Three Lions to advance to the next round.

Defoe volleyed home a James Milner cross in the 23rd minute to help England finish with five points, along with the United States, which got a late goal from Landon Donovan to beat Algeria, 1-0, in the group's other match.

Slovenia finishes the tournament with four points, one short of a place in the knockout round.

The USA wins the group on goal difference, while England finishes second, meaning that England will play the Group D winners on Sunday, while the Americans get the Group D runner-up on Saturday.

England's play was much more positive from the start after two subpar games, but Slovenia had the first real good chance when Andraz Kirm hit a powerful shot at goalkeeper David James, who was able to parry the effort.

But just two minutes later, Milner delivered a good cross to the front of goal for Defoe, who held off his defender and volleyed the ball on target from six yards.

The ball was hit right at goalkeeper Samir Handanovic, but he couldn't react quickly enough to prevent the shot from slipping through his hands.

Frank Lampard could have doubled the lead minutes later when Handanovic parried a cross into his path at the edge of the penalty area, but he fired over the empty net.

Wayne Rooney provided a good set up for Steven Gerrard inside the area and he forced a diving save from the goalie before Defoe wasted a good chance early in the second half when his flick missed the target from seven yards.

England had a goal ruled out for offsides, and John Terry's headed effort at the back post from a corner kick was kept out by Handanovic shortly after.

The keeper did just enough to prevent Rooney from scoring in the 58th minute when he got a hand to the ball and deflected it onto the post after Rooney beat the offsides trap, while a scramble in the England box gave Slovenia a rare chance that Valter Birsa wasted by missing the net from 14 yards.

England was hesitant to commit players forward and nearly paid for it when a loose ball fell to Zlatko Dedic near the penalty spot in stoppage time, but Matthew Upson's last-ditch challenge prevented the Slovenia substitute from getting off a shot as the Three Lions held on to advance.

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FOOTBALL BETTING : Cassel Signs Contract

Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.

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After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, online football betting he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
Trapped on the bench behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and then unable to unseat Super Bowl MVP Brady at New England, Cassel seemed destined to be a backup all his life. As Brady was helped off the field last September, Cassel seized the opportunity he'd been waiting for since high school.
In his only sustained action since his teens, he hit 349 of 555 passes for 3,949 yards at New England. He had 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Patriots, who had gone unbeaten through the regular season the year before, finished 11-5 and out of the playoffs.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."

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