What happened in the South American World Cup qualifiers?

Ecuador and Brazil played out a 1-1 draw to leave both on course for next winter’s finals in a game that saw Brazil goalkeeper Alisson sent off twice and still finish the game on the pitch. The Liverpool keeper was twice saved by VAR after being red carded on the pitch, though the video ref didn’t save his opposite number Alexander Dominguez, dismissed after 15 minutes, or Spurs full-back Emerson Royal, given his marching orders 5 minutes later. Brazil, who have already qualified for Qatar, were already ahead by the time the cards came out, Casemiro putting them in front after 5 minutes. Ecuador, who lie 3rd in the 10-team group, from which the top 4 go through, had a goal disallowed and two penalty awards overturned by VAR, but they did grab a point through Felix Torres’s late header.

Cross-Bookings (settled at 2925)

Both teams incurred the wrath of the referee in this keenly contested qualifier, perfect for buyer of the Cross-Bookings market, which is made up by multiplying one team’s bookings points by the other's. Even without VAR stepping in to overturn the two reds shown to Alisson, Ecuador players received two yellows and a straight red for their keeper Dominguez, while Brazil players saw five yellows, including two for Emerson Royal that was quickly followed by a red. The spread was set at 535-625, so buyers made a profit of 2300 times their stake. If VAR hadn’t stepped in profits would have been even higher.

What else happened in the South American World Cup qualifiers?

Chile’s hopes of making the Qatar World Cup were dealt a massive blow by their 2-1 home defeat against Argentina. Despite standing 2^nd in the 10-team group and already having their place guaranteed, Argentina were good value for their win that leaves Chile languishing in 7^th place with 3 games remaining and only 4 automatic spots plus a playoff place for 5^th. Blackburn’s Ben Brereton Diaz equalised Angel di Maria’s opener, but Lautaro Martinez grabbed what proved to be the winner.

Shirts x Bookings (settled at 4950)

While there were no red cards and only three goals, a succession of yellows and the three goals being scored by players with high shirt numbers meant buyers of the Shirts v Bookings market in this game made hefty profits. There were nine bookings, five for Chile and four for Argentina, giving bookings points of 90, and the shirt numbers of the scorers added up to 55 (Brereton Diaz was number 22, Di Maria 11 and Martinez 22), giving a Shirts x Bookings make-up of 4950.  The spread was set at 1625-1825, meaning buyers made a profit of 3125 times their bet.

Who will play in the Australian Open men’s singles final?

Just a few months after it looked like his career would be curtailed by a foot injury, the dream of becoming the first man in history to win 21 Grand Slam titles is alive for Rafa Nadal. The 35-year-old Spaniard seems to be getting better and better, dominating big hitting Italian Matteo Berrettini from the off to win their semi-final 6-3 6-2 3-6 6-3. Nadal, who has only won the Aussie Open once among all his titles, way back in 2009, will play top seed Daniil Medvedev in Sunday’s final.

Total Points (settled at 204)

Those who fancied this to be a tight encounter, maybe a classic five setter with nothing between the players, were left disappointed as Nadal rolled back the years to quickly take the first two sets before his Italian opponent had had a chance to settle. Sellers of Total Points, who of course wanted to see a one-sided affair, preferably over in straight sets, would have loved seeing Nadal playing some of his best tennis in years as he went 2-0 up while only dropping 5 games. Berrettini coming back to win the 3^rd set was a bit of a fly in the ointment, but with an opening spread of 247-254, sellers still made a profit of 43 times their stake.