FootBall Fever

Italian Giants Stunned by Match-fixing Punishment

2006-07-15T12:09:00.000-07:00

After nearly a week of World Cup euphoria, football-mad Italians were confronted with a league landscape scorched by the punishment meted out to four Serie A clubs convicted of match-fixing. A disciplinary tribunal's decision to relegate Juventus, Lazio and Fiorentina to the second division and dock AC Milan 15 points next season was a body blow to the sport, newspapers declared. "Hammer blow," ran the headline in Gazzetta dello Sport, while the sports daily held out hope the sentences would be reduced on appeal. "But it's only the first round. The ball passes now to the federal court, the second and final stage of sports justice," the newspaper said. "It is not possible to imagine the verdict will be overturned. However, one could imagine a significant adjustment in the area of 'penalisation points'." An Italian Football Federation (FIGC) tribunal on Friday handed down its judgement in the match-fixing case involving the four clubs and 25 national and club officials, referees and linesmen. Juventus, as the club most heavily implicated in the scam, were stripped of their last two league titles and deducted 30 points next season, while Lazio and Fiorentina lost seven and 12 points respectively.
Although AC Milan escaped relegation, all four clubs have been banned from European competition. The clubs are expected to appeal against the sentences, with the FIGC anxious to settle the matter by UEFA's July 25 deadline for club submissions for the Champions's League and UEFA Cup next season. The relegations mean Lecce, Messina, and Treviso, who finished in the Serie A relegation zone, would retain their places in the top flight. Inter Milan, Roma, Chievo and Palermo could also expect entries to the Champions League. The four implicated clubs furnished more than half the Azzurri squad that defeated France in a penalty shootout to win the 18th World Cup, but calls for an amnesty were given short shrift by FIGC commissioner Guido Rossi. "Just 120 hours after the joyful day of the World Cup, Italian football is living the most unfortunate day of the first, historic relegation of Juventus into the second division," said the top-selling Corriere della Sera.
Il Messagero, meanwhile, dredged up French revolutionary history while invoking the infamous headbutt by French captain Zinedine Zidane that saw him sent off 10 minutes before the end of extra time. "The world turned upside down the day the French celebrate the storming of the Bastille," the newspaper said. "The amnesty party has suffered a series of headbutts even more violent than those of Zidane." Juventus former general manager Luciano Moggi, Fiorentina president Andrea Della Valle, Lazio chief Claudio Lotito and former FIGC president Franco Carraro are some of the officials who face bans of up to five years on sporting fraud charges. The scandal erupted when newspapers in May published telephone wiretaps that revealed Moggi telling a senior FIGC official which referees he wanted for certain league and European matches.
For La Stampa, which is part-owned, like Juventus, by the Agnelli family, the judgement by five retired judges was "a cruel and humiliating moment" for the giant Italian club. "In the matter of illegality, sports justice punishes even a simple attempt. Another Juve will arise and I hope, with all my heart, so too will Italian football," the newspaper said in an editorial. Watch the news report!

Ronaldo Vs. Ronaldinho

2006-07-13T16:12:00.000-07:00

This is a nice link for anyone who enjoys a little bit of football skill. A comparison between two of the great footballers, Ronaldinho and Ronaldo! Watch the video!

Question Mark Hangs Over Ronaldo's Fate

2006-07-13T15:46:00.000-07:00

Cristiano Ronaldo's future with Manchester United was still up in the air despite the club insisting he was not for sale. The Portuguese winger has retracted slightly from his claim that he would be moving away from Old Trafford after the rumpus surrounding his role in the World Cup sending off of Wayne Rooney. But in admitting there was a chance he could stay at United, the 21-year-old has also confirmed he could still leave, with his future set to be resolved before the weekend. "There is still nothing concrete," he said Thursday. "If it is a question of staying then it will be fine, if I leave it will also be fine. "It is still a question that has to be decided and is an issue that has to be discussed in the next few days.'' As he has now headed back to his Mediterranean home island of Madeira to recover from his World Cup exertions, Ronaldo is leaving all negotiations to his agent Jorge Mendes. Whatever discussions Ronaldo thinks are going to take place promise to be brief, with both Ferguson and United chief executive David Gill adamant the player will not be sold. They could easily make a handsome profit on the 12.2 million pounds they paid Sporting Lisbon for Ronaldo in 2003, but publically at least are insisting that such a move is not on the cards. "There is no possibility of Cristiano being sold," said United. "Cristiano recently signed a new contract until 2010 and the club fully expects him to honour it.
"The club will not listen to any offers for Cristiano. He is one of the brightest young stars in world football as demonstrated by his performances at the World Cup and Manchester United are not in the business of selling their best young players.'' Ferguson clearly does not want to see one of his best young players leave for a major European rival, acknowledging the negative signal it would send out. But, while he feels he should be able to reconcile Ronaldo and Rooney, there could be a possibility that the Portuguese star will simply not show up as planned at the club's Carrington training base.

Donadoni Becomes Italy's Coach

2006-07-13T15:10:00.000-07:00

Former international star Roberto Donadoni was named as the new coach of World Cup winners Italy, the Italian football federation said. The 43-year-old Donadoni, who played for AC Milan and had been the coach of Livorno until he quit in February this year, takes over from Marcello Lippi who stood down on Wednesday after Italy's World Cup final win against France. Donadoni, a quick winger and talented passer of the ball, was considered one of the best Italian players of the late 1980s and won 63 caps, scoring four goals. He was part of the Italian team which finished third at the 1990 World Cup and played in the side which lost the 1994 final to Brazil on a penalty shoot-out. Donadoni started his playing career at Atalanta before a highly successful move to Milan where he became one of Italy's best ever wide-midfielders. After a spell in the USA with New York Metrostars, he took up coaching in 2001-02 when he was named as Lecco boss in the third division.
He then moved to Livorno before an ill-fated move to Genoa where he lasted just three games. He returned to Livorno during the 2004-05 campaign but then left in February with his team in sixth place in the table. Donadoni will be presented to the media on Tuesday in Rome.

World Cup winners join Rolling Stones on stage in Milan

2006-07-13T12:28:00.000-07:00

The Rolling Stones were joined on stage by Italy's football champions Alessandro Del Pierro and Marco Materazzi as the band kicked off the European leg of their tour in Milan. Lead singer Mick Jagger, a big fan of Italy's World Cup winning football team, welcomed the 60,000-strong audience to the San Siro stadium in Milan late on Tuesday with the words "Hello Milan, hello Italy, you are the world champions," spoken in Italian. The tour had had to be postponed after Keith Richards, the Stones' guitarist, fell from a palm tree while on holiday earlier this year and had to undergo a brain operation. Italian daily Corriere della Sera said on Wednesday that Jagger was "not on great vocal form" but had "swung his hips like in the good old days".
The four ageing rockers played old favourites including "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and "Satisfaction" during the concert, the first in a European tour that will take the Stones to 11 different countries. But it was the appearance of the two footballers that dominated coverage of the concert in Wednesday's papers. Jagger delighted the audience with a quip about Materazzi, who was headbutted in the chest by French player Zinedine Zidane during the World Cup final on Sunday. "Materazzi and (Keith) Richards have something in common tonight -- they both recently had head-related problems," he said. Richards, 62, was hospitalized in New Zealand last month with a brain haemhorrage and had to undergo an operation to drain blood from his brain following his plunge from the palm tree on the South Pacific Ocean island of Fiji. Watch the Video!

Zidane Finally Talks

2006-07-12T13:01:00.000-07:00

French football icon Zinedine Zidane on Wednesday said he was sorry for headbutting an Italian opponent during the World Cup final against Italy. But he said in a French television interview that defender Marco Materazzi had brought on the gesture by insulting him with some "very hard words." "I want to ask for forgiveness from all the children who watched that. There was no excuse for it," he said. "I want to be open and honest about it because it was seen by two or three billion people watching on television and millions and millions of children were watching.
Asked what exactly Materazzi had said, Zidane would only say that it was "very personal and concerned his mother and his sister." Zidane was sent-off for the head-butt to Materazzi's chest in the second period of extra-time in Sunday's final in Berlin. Italy went on to win the World Cup on penalties after the match had finished tied at 1-1 after extra-time. A French lawyer is investigating the matter to establish whether the explusion of Zidane was within the rules!

Klinsmann Quits As Germany's Coach

2006-07-11T23:37:00.000-07:00

Jurgen Klinsmann told the German football federation (DFB) Tuesday he will step down from his role as national team coach, according to Wednesday editions of newspapers Bild and Suddeutsche Zeitung, after leading Germany to a third place inish at the World Cup. Both papers claim Klinsmann, a former World Cup winner as a player, told DFB president Theo Zwanziger and general manager Oliver Bierhoff of his decision, despite leading his country to a third place finish on home soil. Bierhoff has called a press conference at 1130 (0930GMT) Wednesday in Frankfurt.
Klinsmann, 41, had no previous coaching experience when he took over an ailing German squad two years ago. After Germany beat Portugal 3-1 to take third place, Klinsmann said he would think about his future over the next few days and consult with his California-based family. I think it would be of no surprise to anyone if he ended up coaching USA team on the next World Cup!

Materazzi's Side of The Story

2006-07-11T13:40:00.000-07:00

Italian defender Marco Materazzi has for the first time acknowledged that he "insulted" French player Zinedine Zidane because he was super arrogant in the World Cup final, La Gazzetta dello Sport reported. Zidane, 34, floored Materazzi with a headbutt to the chest in the second half of extra-time in Sunday's final and was sent off, missing a penalty shoot-out in which he would have been expected to take one of France's spot-kicks. "I held his shirt .. for only a few seconds, he turned toward me and scoffed at me, looking at me with super arrogance, up and down: 'if you really want my shirt, you can have it later.' (Zidane said) It's true, I shot back with an insult," Tuesday's paper quoted Materazzi as saying.
Asked whether he had insulted Zidane's sister or mother, Materazzi said, it was an "insult of the kind you will hear dozens of times and that just slips out on the ground." "I certainly didn't call him a terrorist; I am ignorant, I don't even know what an Islamic terrorist is; my only terrorist is her," he said pointing to his 10-month-old daughter who was sleeping next to him on the plane that took the Italian team back to Italy."I certainly did not mention Zidane's mother; for me a mother is sacred."In recalling the incident in Berlin's Olympic Stadium, the newspaper Corriere della Sera said that Materazzi lost his mother when he was 14 and that he would certainly not have insulted Zidane's. The French player's agent had said Monday that Zidane's World Cup final assault on Materazzi was provoked by a "very serious" comment made by the Italian defender.
The former Real Madrid star's moment of madness in his last match before retiring may have been provoked by Materazzi calling his sister a prostitute, according to a report on Brazilian television channel Globo. Fantastico, a programme on Globo, employed lip-reading experts who said footage of the incident showed the Italian twice insulted Zidane's sister. The programme claimed Materazzi made the same comment twice before then using a "coarse word" at the French player. Zidane has not given his account of the incident but there have been reports Materazzi had called him a "terrorist" or suggested he did not have the right to play for France -- both insults based on French-born Zidane's Algerian heritage.

Italian Homecoming Celebrations ( Video)

2006-07-11T13:09:00.000-07:00

As the speculations about the insident at the end of the final game at the World Cup continues the Italians are celebrating their win in the streets of Rome. Watch the Video of Italy's homecoming celebration.

High lights of Zidane's Last Game ( Video)

2006-07-11T13:03:00.000-07:00

Watch high lights of Zidane's last World Cup game and what people think about his reaction against the Italian player!

Materazzi called Zidane a 'son of terrorist whore': British lip reader

2006-07-11T12:01:00.000-07:00

Italy's Marco Materazzi called Zinedine Zidane a "son of a terrorist whore" just before the France captain gave him a brutal head-butt in the World Cup final, Britain's top forensic lip reader says. The Times newspaper hired Jessica Rees, whose skill has seen her summoned as an expert witness at criminal trials, to study a tape of Sunday's match that saw Zidane get a red card for his seemingly spontaneous assault. "After an exhaustive study of the match video, and with the help of an Italian translator, Rees claimed that Materazzi called Zidane 'the son of a terrorist whore' before adding 'so just f*** off' for good measure," it said.
Materazzi on Monday denied calling Zidane a terrorist, adding that "I don't even know what the word means". The Daily Mail -- who wrongly described Marseilles native Zidane as "Algeria-born" -- said Tuesday that it too engaged the services of a lip reader, whom it did not identify, who reached exactly the same conclusion as Rees. The Independent cited lip readers for Brazil's Globo television as concluding that Materazzi had told Zidane that his sister was a "prostitute".

Why Zidane Headbutted The Italian Player

2006-07-10T12:37:00.000-07:00

Zinedine Zidane's World Cup final assault on Marco Materazzi was provoked by a "very serious" comment made by the Italian defender, according to the French playmaker's agent. The former Real Madrid star's moment of madness in his last match before retiring may have been provoked by Materazzi calling his sister a prostitute, according to a report on Brazilian television channel Globo. Although neither player has yet revealed the nature of their disagreement, Fantastico, a programme on Globo, employed lip-reading experts who said footage of the incident showed the Italian twice insulted Zidane's sister. The programme claimed Materazzi made the same comment twice before then using a "coarse word" at the French player. Italy went on to win the match on penalties and Zidane's agent Alain Migliaccio confirmed to the BBC on Monday that it had been verbal rather than physical abuse from the Italian defender which had triggered his violent reaction. "He told me Materazzi said something very serious to him but he wouldn't tell me what," Migliaccio said. "Zinedine didn't want to talk about it but he will talk about it in the next couple of days. "He is a man who normally lets things wash over him but on Sunday night something exploded inside him. "He was very disappointed and sad. He didn't want it to end this way." Zidane has not given his account of the incident but there have also been reports Materazzi had called him a "terrorist" or suggested he did not have the right to play for France -- both insults based on French-born Zidane's Algerian heritage.
Football's world governing body FIFA meanwhile has denied video evidence played any role in Zidane's dismissal. There had been speculation, from France coach Raymond Domenech among others, that the official had intervened after seeing the incident replayed on the numerous television screens close to the side of the pitch. But FIFA spokesman Andreas Herren denied there had been a de facto use of video evidence in this case. "The fourth official saw it as it happened on the pitch and directly advised the referee and the referee took action. Full stop," he said.

Italy Beats France And Wins the World Cup

2006-07-09T17:28:00.000-07:00

Italy are world champions for the fourth time after beating ten-man France 5-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in Berlin's Olympiastadion on Sunday, 9 July 2006. Twelve years after losing to Brazil in the first shoot-out in a FIFA World Cup™ Final, Italy made up for that heartbreak as all five men in blue converted their kicks to claim world football's greatest prize for the first time since 1982. The game started slowly as there were many fauls. Within the first minutes of the game Henry ran into Cannavaro and got a head injury but decided to continue. At the 6th minute Malouda was racing into Italy's penalty area when he claimingly was fauled by Materazzi and the referee voted against the Italians and gave a penalty shot to France. On the slow motion Materazzi did not even slightly touch Malouda and it was a great mistake made by the game's referee. Zidane took the penalty and the ball went in after hitting the post and then coming out. Many had to see the re-play to decide if the ball was actually in and it was clearly over the line. On the 19th minute, Materazzi disturbed by the penalty shot he had supposingly given away, gained the game back for Italy with a beautiful header from the corner and scored for Italy. The rest of the first half was mostly owned by the Italians as they had 61% ball possession. In the second half, both teams missed many good oppurtunities to score but the nets remained closed. The two teams went into extra time and the best chance in the extra time came for Zidane who almost scored a goal with a header, but buffon denied him of scoring his second goal of the match with a beautiful save. Zidane had no idea that 9 minutes later, at the 111th minute he would be getting a red card and get sent off. Having played majestically throughout, Zidane blew his cool and unleashed a vicious headbutt into the chest of Marco Materazzi that sent the Italy defender crashing to the turf. The incident was missed by referee Horacio Elizondo but Italy keeper Gianluigi Buffon remonstrated furiously with the linesman and the official called over the man-in-the-middle. After a lengthy consultation, Elizondo raced over to the middle and stunned Zidane by brandishing red. The French tried to argue in their defence, but there was nothing to argue about. What Zidane did at the last minutes of his career definitly deserved a red card! He basically looked at the referee to make sure he is looking away and then headed Materazzi in the chest, much like a wild caw. The most famous scene of the game would perhaps be the moment Zidane walked off the field passing the World Cup trophy he was not gonna hold.
The Italians failed to cabitalize on having a one man advantage as there was only 8 minuts left of the game. The players got ready for the penalty, and Italy masterfully scored a goal in every single penalty shot. The French lost since Trezeguet missed the second penalty. Italy are deserved world champions after this narrowest of triumphs over France. In doing so, they buried the ghosts of USA 94 and climbed above Germany as the most successful European team in FIFA World Cup history with four wins. For France and Zidane there was no fairy-tale ending and instead they are left to reflect on a bitter ending to an unexpectedly long adventure. And there we have it, once again the ITALIANS BECOME WOLRD CHAMPIONS!

Watch the video of Zidane headbutting Materazzi!

Podolski Named Best Young Player

2006-07-08T01:48:00.000-07:00

Germany's Lukas Podolski has been named by FIFA as the best young player of the World Cup. The 21-year-old Polish-born striker was chosen on Friday ahead of Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, who was blamed by England players for encouraging the referee to send off Wayne Rooney in England's quarter-final defeat. Germany coach Jurgen Klinsmann selected Podolski as part of a drive to field a new young team at the World Cup. He scored three goals, playing a key role in helping the host nation to reach the semi-final where they were beaten by Italy. Holger Osieck, who heads the FIFA Technical Study Group, dismissed English journalists' assertions that Ronaldo was a "cheat" and therefore did not meet the fair play criteria for the award.

Podolski won because of the efficiency of his play, his skills and the fun he brought to the game, Osieck said. Podolski played with FC Cologne last year but after they were relegated to the second division he joined champions Bayern Munich. He has now scored 15 goals from 31 appearances with the national team. Three players from the shortlist for the award were chosen by just under one million fans voting through the official World Cup Internet site - Ronaldo, Luis Valencia of Ecuador and Lionel Messi of Argentina. Podolski, Tranquillo Barnetta of Switzerland and Spain's Cesc Fabregas were selected by the Technical Study group. The award was open to all players born after January 1 1985. A total of 40 players from the 32 qualified teams were eligible.

Three French And Four Italians Up for Best Player Award

2006-07-08T01:38:00.000-07:00

Italy and France contributes the majority of players nominated for the award of World Cup player of the tournament as FIFA's technical Study Group mulls their respective merits, it has emerged. The group have put ten players forward and the world media will choose who should succeed Oliver kahn, voted the 2002 edition's most valuable player. The ten are Italian quartet Andrea Pirlo, Fabio Cannavaro, Gianlugi Buffon and Gianluca Zambrotta, French final rivals Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira, Maniche of Portugal, as well as German skipper Michael Ballack and top scorer - to date - Miroslav Klose, also of Germany. Prior to Kahn, the first keeper to win the award, Ronaldo was singled out in 1998 despite Brazil's final loss. The 1994 prize went to compatriot Romario, Salvatore Schillaci of Italy won in 1990, Diego Maradona took the 1986 honours and Italian striker Paulo Rossi was the experts choice four years earlier.

France 1 Portugal 0

2006-07-05T14:39:00.000-07:00

Zinedine Zidane will finish his career on the greatest stage of all after his first-half penalty proved enough to take France past Portugal and into the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ Final as 1-0 semi-final winners in Munich on Wednesday, 5 July 2006. France's winning goal came when Thierry Henry went to ground under a Ricardo Carvalho challenge after 33 minutes and Zidane struck his spot-kick low to Ricardo's right. They defended their lead comfortably save for one heart-in-mouth moment in the second half when Fabien Barthez spilled Cristiano Ronaldo's free-kick and Luis Figo headed the rebound over. Portugal, semi-final losers here just as they were in 1966, will contest the play-off for third place with Germany in Stuttgart on Saturday. Through out the game Portugal had more ball possession, abuot 59% to 41%, but as they say in football, its not the ball possession, its what you do with it. Portugal players kept playing their aggressive game, and got bunch of more yellow cards. Cristiano Ronaldo was booed everytime he touched the ball, for his bad behaviour against Rooney in the England game. I imagine he is in the locker room crying again. Portugal will next play Germany on Saturday for 3rd place, as France will move on to the finalls to play against the mighty Italians on Sunday.

Beckham Quits as England Captain

2006-07-02T16:53:00.000-07:00

David Beckham has resigned as England captain here following his side's World Cup quarter-final exit to Portugal. Beckham was close to tears as he read from a prepared statement at England's training camp in southern Germany to confirm his decision to step down. He said he hoped to continue as a player for England, but not as captain. "On November 15, 2000 Peter Taylor gave me the greatest honour of my career in making me the captain of England, fulfilling me childhood dream," said the Real Madrid star Sunday. "It has been an honour and a privilege to have captained our country and I want to stress that I wish to continue to play for England and look forward to helping both the new captain and Steve McClaren in any way I can." While he scored with a trademark freekick against Ecuador, he has had an average World Cup by his standards and some commentators have even called for him to be axed altogether. McClaren, the former Middlesbrough manager, takes over from Sven-Goran Eriksson as coach with immediate effect after the Swede bowed out following five-and-a-half years in charge. "I came to this decision some time ago but I had hoped to annnounce it on the back of a successful World Cup. Sadly that wasn't to be," added Beckham, 31. "This decision has been the most difficult of my career to date. But after discussing it with my family and those closest to me I feel the time is right.

" Beckham said the team was devastated by their failure to move beyond the quarter-finals, but that he was proud of his time as captain. "Our performance during this World Cup has not been enough to progress further and both myself and all the players regret that and are hurt by that more than people realise," he said. "I wish to thank all the players for their support during my time as captian, as well as Peter Taylor, Sven and all the coaches. "I would also like to thank the press and of course all the England supporters who have both been great to me and my teammates. I want them to know for me it has been an absolute honour. "Finally, I have lived the dream, I am extremely proud to have worn the armband and been captain of England and for that I will also be grateful." Beckham did not get the chance to finish his last game as captain in style as he was injured in the second half of the game against Portugal and later his team lost and was out of the World Cup. A sad finish for a football player who has been over looked for personal reasons. There are no words on who will be the next captain yet.

Post-Match Fight Between Germany and Argentina

2006-07-01T17:32:00.000-07:00

FIFA chief Sepp Blatter has vowed to take tough action against those responsable for the free-for-all that marred the end of the Germany-Argentina World Cup quarter-final. The game in Berlin's Olympic Stadium was won on penalties 4-2 by Germany but the on-field celebrations quickly turned sour as players went at each other with kicks and punches. Germany team manager Oliver Bierhoff said the ugly scenes had been sparked when German defender Per Mertesacker was kicked after the shootout, apparently by Argentinian defender Leandro Cufre.
"I saw Per Mertesacker fall to the ground," Bierhoff said. Bierhoff was shown in the midst of a melee of players on the pitch at Berlin's Olympic Stadium and Argentinian defender Gabriel Heinze appeared to try to confront him. German midfielder Torsten Frings said: "They gave us a few kicks. Argentina are unfair and can be bad losers." Cufre was shown a red card by Slovak referee Lubos Michel for unsporting behaviour for his part in the melee.

France Wins Over Brazil 1-0

2006-07-01T16:27:00.000-07:00

Another big dissapointment for soccer lovers today as the French have once again ended the dreams of Brazilians. A Thierry Henry goal handed France a 1-0 win over lacklustre defending champions Brazil in a World Cup quarter-final here. France, whose dominant midfield display was fired by the imperious Zinedine Zidane, will meet Portugal in Wednesday's semi-final in Munich. Henry scored in the 57th minute, drifting in late and unopposed at the far post to meet a Zidane free-kick with a right footed side-foot volley past a diving Dida. The goal was just rewards for a French team often dubbed as too old and uninspiring which had controlled midfield thanks to the sterling efforts of man-of-the-match "Zizou," who just as in the 3-0 victory in the 1998 World Cup final proved Brazil's nemesis. The veteran captain showed some at-times sensational footwork in his golden boots and was the catalyst for a buoyant French team, even if his final balls tended to be overhit. After a tight first-half with few chances and where Dida and counterpart Fabien Barthez were not tested, the game came alight in the second half. Henry's goal spurred France into waves of counter-attacks against a Brazil side lacking any real creative purpose up front despite early glimpses of playmaker Ronaldinho's silky skills.
With their back four in disarray, Brazilian defender Juan almost deflected a cross into his own goal four minutes after Henry's goal - his third in this World Cup. Brazil had opened the game brightly, Juninho having a free-kick headed behind by Patrick Vieira in the fourth minute, and Roberto Carlos blasting an ambitious shot high and wide of Barthez' goal five minutes later. Ronaldo also got some chances to score but all he got was a yellow card. Frances next game will be with Portugal as the Brazilians go home in tears. Watch a report of French and Portugal fans as they celebrate their advance to Semi Finals.

Portugal Beats England In Penalties

2006-07-01T10:45:00.000-07:00

Portugal march on to a semi-final date with either Brazil or France after defeating England 3-1 on penalties following a last eight clash that ended goalless in Gelsenkirchen on Saturday, 1 July. England had all the bad luck they could possibly get. The two teams went nail nail to the locker rooms. Shortly after their return, at the 52nd minute, Captain Beckham was unable to continue on with the game as a result of a foot injury and left the game in tears gaving way to Lennon. But that wasnt the end for bad lucks for England. At the 62nd minute, Rooney catched Ricardo Carvalho with his boots and in protest, Cristiano Ronaldo ran across the field and talked to the referee, Rooney puzzled by Ronaldo's respond shoved him rather lightly, but that was enough for him to get a red card and be sent off the field. The next thing we saw was Ronaldo winking in pleasure for sending England's hopes down the drain. England continued playing with 10 men and the game went into over time. Even then, Portugal was unable to break England's defence. England had no offence. With Beckham and Owen injured and Rooney sent off, the only person in the front was Crouch who was unable to do anything single handedly. Then the two teams went into penalties. Again England did not have 3 of its main goal scorers. Three players including Gerrard and Lampard who had the worst World Cup missed their penalty shots. Infact the only player who did score was England's Canadian player Owen Hargreaves. Although Portugal missed two shots, they still managed to get more balls in the net, and it was them who managed to advance to the semi- finals. England went home in dissapointment and dissbelief. Portugal will next play the winner of Brazil- France on July 1st.

Cristiano Ronaldo Still Not in Full Fitness

2006-06-30T23:09:00.000-07:00

Portugal coach Luis Felipe Scolari has admitted that he is sweating on the fitness of key winger Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of Saturday's quarter-final match against England. Ronaldo resumed light training on Wednesday after picking up a thigh injury in the second round win over the Nethlerlands last weekend.The Manchester United player caught a boot from Dutch defender Khalid Boulahrouz early in the ill-tempered 1-0 win and was replaced after 34 minutes. He was not present during the first quarter-hour of Thursday's on-field training open to the media and also did not take part in Friday's open session.
Scolari said the team would miss playmaker Deco and influential holding anchorman Costinha, out after being sent off in the win over the Netherlands, but added that he had full confidence in their replacements.

Italy Beats Ukraine 3-0

2006-06-30T14:06:00.000-07:00

Italy cruised into the semi-finals of Germany 2006 with a convincing 3-0 victory over Ukraine in Dortmund on Friday, 30 June 2006. A sixth minute strike from Gianluca Zambrotta set the tone for the evening and a second half brace from Luca Toni merely compounded the misery for Oleg Blokhin’s side. Toni's goals came within 10 minutes of each other in the second half at the 59th and 69th minutes. Oleg Gusev, Andriy Gusin and Maksym Kalinichenko all went close for Ukraine, but were denied by a combination of the woodwork and some excellent goalkeeping by Gianluigi Buffon. Italy has perhaps one of the best defense lines in the World Cup. They play a 4 by 4 by 1 by 1 system and so far it seems to be working for them beautifully. Italy now turn their attentions to a semi-final tie with the hosts in Dortmund on Tuesday, 4 July, while FIFA World Cup™ debutants Ukraine will return home justifiably proud of their efforts. Italy's next match with Germany will perhaps be a lot harder than the one they played tonight, but we all keep our fingers crossed!

GOAAAAAAAAAAL For Italy

2006-06-30T13:31:00.000-07:00

Zambrotta seems to have a good match tonight. At the 68th minute he makes a beatiful pass to Toni right in front of Ukraine's net and all Toni had to do was to give the ball a touch to get his second goal of the World Cups and the match.

Italy 2 Ukraine 0

2006-06-30T13:21:00.000-07:00

After Italy manages to save two shots on the goal baeutifully, they go on the counter attack from which they get a corner. Totti crosses a ball that is missed by Cananavaro but Toni who's had a bad world cup so far, finally heads in the ball and scores the second goal for Italy at the 59th minute.

Italy Scores in 7th Minute Against Ukraine

2006-06-30T12:10:00.000-07:00

Italy take on Ukraine on Friday in a quarter-final encounter in Hamburg that will pit Andriy Shevchenko against several of his former AC Milan team-mates. As it looks Zambrotta's visit to Italy to see Pessotto who has attempted suicide paid off. Zambrotta who has scored only one other international goal before, sends in a left footer shot and so Italy leads 1-0.

Lampard Fit for Portugal Clash

2006-06-30T11:24:00.000-07:00

Frank Lampard is expected to be fit for England's World Cup quarter-final showdown with Portugal after concerns over a late injury scare eased.The Chelsea midfielder twisted an ankle in training on Thursday and was reported to be an injury worry ahead of England's meeting with the Portuguese in Gelsenkirchen. But an FA spokesman said Friday Lampard was expected to take a full part in training later Friday, indicating that he was likely to play. Lampard has struggled for form during the tournament, but coach Sven-Goran Eriksson regards him as a key member of the England line-up especially for his goal-scoring abilities. Voted second best player in the world this year behind Ronaldinho, Lampard has vowed to rediscover his touch in front of goal.

Germany 1 Argentina 1 a.e.t 4-2

2006-06-30T11:10:00.000-07:00

Germany advance to the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ semi-finals after triumphing 4-2 over Argentina in a penalty shoot-out after a tight, tense match in Berlin’s Olympiastadion on Friday, 30 July 2006 ended locked at 1-1. It proved impossible to separate these sides during normal time, with 120 minutes only able to conjure up a couple of goals, Miroslav Klose’s 80th-minute equaliser cancelling out a 49th-minute opening goal from Roberto Ayala. That left the match to be settled by penalties, and it was Jens Lehmann who proved the hosts’ hero, saving from both Ayala and Esteban Cambiasso, while Oliver Neuville, Michael Ballack, Lukas Podolski and Tim Borowski all successfully dispatched their spot kicks past Argentina’s substitute goalkeeper Leo Franco. The game was an exciting one with both teams trying to advance to the finals but it was germany at the end who won out on the penalties. The game turned somewhat more aggressive towards the end of the extra time, with Ballack giving dirty looks to the Argintine players and looking ready to beat the crap out of them. It seemed as if he tried to make up for his injured foot by faking fauls. He had a hard time continuing the rest of the game, but Klinsman had already used all his substitudes and Ballack continued. Another shocker was Padolski's Hitler salute after he scored his penalty. We did not see Messi playing for Argentina, which was a great dissapointment. At the end, it was Germany who advanced to the next round and they have to play the winner of Ukraine- Italy game which will take place later this afternoon. Argentina left with a little bet of fight on the field at the end of the game and in tears.

Argentina 1 Germany 1

2006-06-30T09:45:00.000-07:00

Klose rescues Germany in the 80th minute of the game with a header that turned into a score for Germany. Argentina's side at the moment does not look so good, since they had to change their main goalkeeper due to injury and taken out their game setters to be replaced by defenders.

Argentina 1 Ahead of Germany

2006-06-30T09:11:00.000-07:00

Just after the game started in the second half, Roberto Ayala who has played more than a 100 games for his team and only scored 6 goals, scores his most important goal at the 49th minute with a header from a corner shot and so, Argentina leads the game 1-0.

Germany 0 Argentina 0 (Half Time)

2006-06-30T08:59:00.000-07:00

Germany and Argentina meet yet again in the quarter -finals. Germany plays with the hope to win the match as they did during the 86 finals. The first half ended with Argentina having 68% ball possession, but it was Germany who got the most shots on the goal. One free kick by Podolski that was easily saved by the Argentine goalkeeper and a header by Ballack that went wide off the net. For the rest of the first half, the ball was mostly rolling in the middle of the field. We enter the second half with no goals so far!

Report on Italian Scandle

2006-06-30T02:29:00.000-07:00

Watch a report on one of Italy's biggest trials concerning Juventus, AC Milan, Fiorentina and Lazio as they are being investigated for match fixing charges.

Ukrain in Trouble

2006-06-30T02:08:00.000-07:00

Ukraine striker Andriy Voronin will miss the rest of the World Cup after picking up a thigh injury in the match against Switzerland, team officials said. The 26-year-old Bayer Leverkusen player will stay on, however, at the team's base here as they prepare for Friday's quarter-final against Italy in Hamburg. Voronin was a key member of the Ukraine side that hit back from an opening 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Spain to reach the last 16. They then defeated Switzerland on penalties to get to the last eight.

Ahmadinejad Talks to Iranian Football Players

2006-06-28T01:30:00.000-07:00

Watch video clip from a sendoff meeting between Iran President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and Team Melli staff and players.

Del Piero and Zambrotta fly out to visit Pessotto

2006-06-28T01:12:00.000-07:00

The Italians are playing Ukrain on Friday in the World Cup Finals, but some of them are not even available for training. Following the news of Pessatto's atempted suicide, Del Piero and Zambrotta accompanied by the national teams's assistant coach Ciro Ferrara have taken a private jet back to Italy to see their Juventus team- mate. Earlier Tuesday, a press conference with Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro was cut short after news about Pessotto, who is believed to have been suffering from depression, came filtering through. Italy's assistant press officer Stefano Balducci received a call as Cannavaro talked to the media and said there had been some bad news about Pessotto.
He then got up and left hastily together with the Italy skipper. Cannavaro later expressed his shock at the news. "I am absolutely shattered by the news," said the 32-year-old, who also plays for Juventus. The mood at the Italy camp had previously been buoyant after their 1-0 win against Australia on Monday which earned them a place in the World Cup quarter-finals. Pessotto, who became team manager of scandal-hit Serie A club Juventus after retiring in May, was in a serious condition after jumping from his Turin office window on Tuesday. Pessotto, who made 22 appearances for Italy, apparently climbed onto the window sill of his office holding a set of rosary beads, and jumped off, bouncing off one car and onto another. Pessotto played for Juventus for 11 seasons and helped them win the Champions League in 1996.

Ronaldo becomes all-time World Cup top scorer

2006-06-27T15:25:00.000-07:00

Brazil striker Ronaldo has become the World Cup's all-time top scorer with 15 goals after scoring against Ghana in a second-round match. Ronaldo's goal after five minutes took him past the 14 goals scored by Gerd Muller of West Germany at the 1970 and 1974 finals. He collected a pass from Kaka and used his trademark stepover to deceive Ghana goalkeeper Richard Kingson and slot the ball into the net. His other two goals in this tournament came in the 4-1 defeat of Japan in the first round.The 29-year-old Real Madrid striker was criticised for his performance in Brazil's first two games in Germany when he appeared to be overweight and out of form. But coach Carlos Alberto Parreira stuck with him and he re-discovered his goalscoring touch. Ronaldo scored four goals in the 1998 World Cup, eight in 2002 and three so far in 2006. His goal on Tuesday was his 62nd strike in 96 games for his country. Before Ronaldo, Muller from Germany held this position for 32 years. When asked about Ronaldo, Muller applauded his great achievement.

Ballack and Klose Miss Training

2006-06-27T15:11:00.000-07:00

Skipper Michael Ballack and top scorer Miroslav Klose have missed Germany's training session but are expected to be fit for Friday's World Cup quarter-final with Argentina. Ballack and Klose, the leading scorer at the finals with four goals, sat out training to do individual fitness work, but the German Football Federation (DFB) medical team stressed both would be fully fit for the Argentina game. The 29-year-old Ballack sustained a minor foot injury in the 2-0 second round win over Sweden but manager Jurgen Klinsmann said it was not a concern. Second-string goalkeeper Oliver Kahn, 37, also missed Tuesday's training saying he was not feeling well.

France Wins Over Spain 3-1

2006-06-27T14:43:00.000-07:00

France beats Spain 3-1 in Hanover on Tuesday, 27 June 2006. There was a display of an excellent first half by both teams. At the 28th minute Spain gets a penalty when Pablo is fauled in the French penalty area and David Villa takes the penalty and beats Barthez. Spain keeps the score 1-0 for almost 10 minutes, but then Vieira passes a beautiful ball to Ribery who beats the Spanish goalkeeper and two defense and scoars his first World Cup goal. The two teams end up goin to the locker room 1-1. The second half was a different game. France came out on top with more ball posessions. Spain pushed for a goal but it was Vieiri who headed the advantage goal for france as everyone else thought the match will go into extra time. As Spain pushed for an equaliser, Zidane killed all hopes for Spain as he scored France's 3rd goal in injury time. :Answering their critics, France produced a fine all-round performance to set up an intriguing quarter-final against Brazil. Spain, who had shown so much promise in the group stage and taken the lead midway through the first half, pack their bags for home having once again flattered to decieve in a major tournament.

Brazil Beats Ghana 3-0

2006-06-27T13:08:00.000-07:00

The Brazilians are certainly back! This was the forth win Brazil at the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ after they beat Ghana 3-0 in Dortmund to book their place in the quarter-finals on Tuesday, 27 June 2006. While Brazil advanced to a quarter-final against Spain or France in Frankfurt on Saturday, the talking point of this Round of 16 tie was the opening goal by Ronaldo with which the Brazil marksman wrote his name in the record books. Ronaldo's fifth-minute strike was his 15th in the FIFA World Cup, taking him past Germany's Gerd Muller as the most prolific scorer in the 76-year history of the tournament.
Ghana, the only African side to advance to the knockout rounds, pushed Brazil all the way in the opening period but after missing several chances to score, they conceded a second goal right on the stroke of half-time from Adriano. After losing Asamoah Gyan to a red card following a second bookable offence in the 81st minute, their fate was sealed when Ze Roberto added a third for Brazil three minutes later. Ghana failed to pull off the shock that the romantics may have been hoping for but they can be well satisfied with their performance at their first ever FIFA World Cup. Brazil, as most perhaps expected, won through on an afternoon where the world champions' finishing power was the difference between the teams.

Italy's Nesta ruled out of Australia match

2006-06-24T18:24:00.000-07:00

Italy defender Alessandro Nesta has been ruled out of Monday's World Cup second round match against Australia after failing to recover from a groin strain, team doctor Enrico Castellaci has said.The 30-year-old centre-back suffered the injury in the 17th minute of Thursday's 2-0 victory over the Czech Republic which left Italy as Group E winners. Castellacci said Saturday it was too early to say if Nesta would be fit for the quarter-finals should Italy overcome the Aussies. Marco Materazzi, who scored Italy's first goal against the Czechs after coming off the bench to replace Nesta, will retain his place at the heart of the Azzurri's defence. Midfielder Daniele De Rossi will also be absent as he serves the second of a four-match ban for elbowing Brian McBride in the face during a 1-1 draw with the United States.

Cafu Breaks the Record

2006-06-24T18:17:00.000-07:00

The 36- year- old Brazilian captain will make his 19th appearance for Brazil in World Cup finals, a national record, when he leads out the team and should they prevail over the classy African outfit break the record number of victories with 16. Cafu revealed that he had been so keen to set the new marks that he had approached coach Carlos Alberto Parreira during the final group match with Japan, which he had sat out having picked up a yellow card in the 2-0 win over Australia. "To play 19 matches at the World Cup finals is a fabulous thing," said Cafu, who would be appearing in his fourth successive final were Brazil to make it to the July 9 climax. What remains true about Cafu is that, the older he gets, the faster he runs.

Argentina Beats Mexico 2-1

2006-06-24T15:57:00.000-07:00

Argentina managed to win over Mexico in Leipzig on Saturday, 24 June 2006 in the extra time. The game started with a fast paste and within the first 9 minutes of the game both teams had scored a goal for their side. The first goal of the match came from a free-kick by Parod, which was swept into the net by the Mexican Captain, Rafael Marquez. 4 minutes later, Argentina striked with a corner from the right side, which was headed in by Crespo. Despite the fast paste and serious chances for both sides, the score remained 1-1 for the rest of the 80minutes of regular time. The ball possession was 50-50 and defence was tight. The two teams went into extra time and a superb goal eight minutes into extra-time by Maxi Rodriguez sealed Argentina's 2-1 win over Mexico and a mouthwatering clash with Germany in the World Cup quarter-finals next Friday. Germany was delighted to see Argentina go into extra time, since their clash is not too long away and the Argentinians may still be tired from this game and not have their usual fitness against Germany. Mexico will go home after their first game in the gourp of 16. As for Rodriguez goal that came in the extra time, I think it may very well be one of the most beautiful goals of the world cup so far.

German And English Fans Clash

2006-06-24T15:24:00.000-07:00

Watch a report on the clash between German and English fans that took place in the streets of Cologne. The violent event lead to 12 German police getting hurt and 15 English fans being detained.

Germany Eliminates Sweden 2-0

2006-06-24T12:24:00.000-07:00

Germany have taken one step closer to their dream of lifting a fourth World Cup crown after the hosts defeated ten-man Sweden 2-0 to book their place in the quarter-final. Germany's task of winning over the Swedish was made easier when Teddy Lucic received his second yellow card of the game and was sent off the field after just 35 minutes of the game. Germany on the other hand, got off to the perfect start with Lukas Podolski scoring twice in the first 12 minutes - making it three goals in his last two outings - as Sweden's defence fell apart.
Through out the game Sweden just could not get a break from all the bad lucks the were having. Even when just 8 minutes before the half time Henrik Larsson got a chance to shoot a penalty, he missed it wide and both teams went into their locker rooms with Germany having the lead. In the second half, Germany got more chances to score, with Ballack sending a number of distant shots towards the net of Sweden. But everytime the Swedish goalkeeper, Isaksson denied him a goal. Klose as it was anticipated, did not score a goal. The rumor is, Klose usually loses his touch after the group matches. But Germany should have no worries as their other striker, Podolski, seem to have found his touch. Germany will next face Argantina in Berlin next Saturday. The Swedish are going home!

Italy's De Rossi Banned for Four Matches

2006-06-24T02:23:00.000-07:00

Italy's worst dream has come true. Midfielder Daniele De Rossi has been banned for four international matches for elbowing US striker Brian McBride in the face in the World Cup Group E match last week, FIFA said. Italians had been trying to work something out with the FIFA to have De Rossi banned for less than 3 games and now FIFA has decided that De Rossi deserves 4 missed games. In addition to that, FIFA disciplinary committee also fined the Roma player 10,000 Swiss francs (6,400 euros) on Friday. As De Rossi has already served one match of the suspension, he can only play again in this World Cup if Italy reach the final or the third-place playoff. McBride needed three stitches to a cut under his eye after the incident in the 1-1 draw that saw two Americans and one Italian sent off. I think this is a very harsh punishment for elbowing the opponent in a Soccer game.

Heartbreak for Owen

2006-06-23T21:26:00.000-07:00

The 26- year- old Newcastle star, Michael Owen was stretchered off the field in their game against Sweden, after less than a minute. A scan on Wednesday confirmed he had damaged the cruciate ligament in his right knee and his tournament was over. He could face up to five months on the sidelines. Owen admits that his World Cup dream is over, but he plans to get fit to play for his club Newcastle as soon as possible. Owen's injury means England are desperately short of experienced strikers with coach Sven-Goran Eriksson left with a not yet fully-fit Wayne Rooney, Liverpool's Peter Crouch and untested Arsenal teenager Theo Walcott. For the moment, however, Eriksson was only concerned with Owen's welfare and the possibility he could be sidelined for up to five months.

France Wins Over Togo 2-0

2006-06-23T14:08:00.000-07:00

Man of the match Patrick Vieira helped lift France into the last 16 with a 2-0 win over Togo in their concluding World Cup Group G fixture here on Friday. The Juventus midfielder celebrated his 30th birthday in towering style, putting the 1998 champions into an early second half lead, then setting up Thierry Henry for the second as France slew the demons of 2002. Raymond Domenech's side, missing suspended Zinedine Zidane, were facing a second successive first round exit and went into this must-win game seeking their first World Cup victory since the 3-0 triumph over Brazil eight years ago. Marseille tyro made amends in no uncertain fashion in the 55th minute when he beat off the Togo defence to find Vieira who sent French fans wild when flashing the ball into the top right hand corner of Agassa's net.
Their nerves settled France doubled their lead six minutes later when Vieira, rising to the occasion, headed to Henry who rifled in low and left, the Arsenal striker celebrating by cupping his hand over his ear to savour the cheers from the crowd. Vieira's night ended painfully when he came off after a nasty elbow to the face, but the reception he received and the knowledge that France now have a second round date with Spain in Hanover on Tuesday will have eased his evident discomfort. France, whose success here was their first on the world stage since the 1998 Final, will play Spain in Hanover on 27 June. As for Togo, they return home without a point from their first FIFA World Cup campaign.

Ukraine 1 Tunisia 0

2006-06-23T11:08:00.000-07:00

Ukraine's late 1-0 win, in Berlin on Friday, 23 June 2006, over Tunisia insured their advance to the round of 16. A win could have given Tunisia the runners up spot in Group H, but their task was made all the more difficult when they had striker Zied Jaziri sent-off for a second bookable offence on the stroke of half-time. Ukraine got an early chance in the second minute of the game but Andriy Voronin missed the opportunity to score the first goal for Ukraine. The first half was over with Tunisia having more control over the ball. At the Beginning of the second half thought, Zied Jaziri got his second yellow card of the game and was send off, leaving Tunisia with 10 men to play the whole second half.
At the 56th minute, Ukraine coach Oleg Blokhin, concerned by his side’s failure to make the extra man count in the second half’s opening stages, made his first substitution, withdrawing Serhiy Rebrov and introducing the more dynamic Andriy Vorobey. Ukraine was finally able to score its first goal at the 70th minute, when Haggui attempted to prevent Ukraine's Captain from scoring and took him down in the penatly area. The referee gave Ukraine a penalty which was shot by Andriy Schevchenko and lead Ukraine 1-0 ahead of Tunisia. Tunisia, for all their endeavour, rarely troubled Shovkovskyi, the Ukrainian goalkeepr and will depart Germany after their 3rd World Cup in which they have not been able to advance from the group stage. As for Ukraine, competing in their first FIFA World Cup, they are now looking forward to a second round tie against the winners of Group G in Cologne on 26 June.

Spain Beats Saudi Arabia 1-0

2006-06-23T10:51:00.000-07:00

Spain advanced to the Round of 16 with a third win under their belts as they beat Saudi Arabia 1-0 in Kaiserslautern on Friday, 23 June 2006. Spain started with a little bit of studdle in the beginning of the game, but soon they found their feet and started playing offensively. Saudi Arabia had to play with the setback of midfielder Khaled Aziz, who was injured and had to be replaced. Spain had the ball in control for most of the game and finished Saudi Arabia in the first half. The win for Spain was sealed when the short defender, Juanito, found the ball in the penalty area and head it in the net from a corner shot. Juanito's 36th-minute header was enough to separate the teams and confirm the Saudis' elimination after one draw and two defeats. While Marcos Paqueta's men pack their bags to go home, Spain, as Group H winners, can look forward to facing the second-placed team in Group G (one of Switzerland, Korea Republic or France) in Hanover on 27 June. It was ultimately a deserved victory for Spain's second-string who were in control for almost the entire match but were wasteful in front of goal. Saudi Arabia had the game’s outstanding player in goalkeeper Zaid, who made a host of quality saves to prevent a landslide defeat. While Saudi Arabia head for home, Spain can look ahead to the knockout stage with confidence.

US Blames It's Bad Performance on Referee

2006-06-23T01:11:00.000-07:00

German referee Markus Merk was at the centre of World Cup controversy after the United States criticised his officiating in their tournament-ending 2-1 defeat to Ghana. US coach Bruce Arena said Ghana's match-winning penalty in first-half stoppage time should never have been awarded. US defender Oguchi Onyewu appeared to have cleanly won a header under pressure from Ghana forward Razak Pimpong, but Merk adjudged there was a push and Stephen Appiah converted the spot kick which sent the Africans into the last 16. US however, seems to have other problems. In all their games, they have received many yellow and red cards and played very physically, so much that there is always someone walking off the field with a bloody face. Perhaps instead of critisizing the referee about doing a bad job, US should clean up its act and start playing soccer rather than American football. They also have to learn not to blame their own mistakes on the counter events.

In their appearance this year, they had a very good performance and for a team to become a world champion, it simply takes more than 8 years of soccer history and a country occupied with NHL, NBA and MLB.

As for Merk, he is one of the world's most experienced referees and took charge of the Euro 2004 final between Greece and Portugal. He is considered one of the candidates to referee the World Cup final on July 9, unless Germany are involved in it. Under FIFA rules, referees from the countries involved cannot officiate any World Cup match.

Brazil Defeats Japan 4-1

2006-06-22T15:54:00.000-07:00

Brazil wrapped up their World Cup Group F campaign with a 4-1 win over Japan in Dortmund on Thursday as an energised Ronaldo emerged from his shell to score the two goals that made him joint all-time World Cup top scorer with Germany's Gerd Muller. The win made it three wins out of three and secured a last 16 meeting with rank outsiders Ghana. But the samba stars had to react after Keiji Tamada smashed home Japan's opener against the run of play on 34 th minutes. Brazil made a come back with Ronaldo (45 minutes), Juninho Pernambucano (53 minutes) and Gilberto's (59’)superb goals to seize control of the match for Brazil, Ronaldo had the final word as he made it 4-1 nine minutes before the end.
With Brazilian legend Zico in their coaching hotseat the Japanese, needing a win to have any hope of reaching the last 16, refused to buckle under the early pressure from the men in yellow. Ronaldo, criticised for sluggish showings in the narrow wins over Croatia and Australia, almost broke his tournament duck twice in the opening 20 minutes as he finally began to look like the man whose eight goals, including two in the final, won Brazil the title four years ago in Japan. Brazil’s samba football finally arrived in Germany in a superb second-half performance that saw Japan dismantled, earning the world champions an intriguing last 16 clash against Ghana. Japan will fly home disappointed with their Germany 2006 campaign after impressing on home soil four years ago, and Zico's side may well wonder what might have been had they not conceded the equaliser just before half-time.

Croatia Draws 2-2 With Australia

2006-06-22T15:52:00.000-07:00

Another big shocker today, besides Ghana's victory, was the historical game played by Australia which lead to their advance to the next round. On a nervy night, Croatia opened the scoring through Darijo Srna’s second-minute free-kick. Craig Moore drew Australia level from the penalty spot on 38 minutes but the balance swung back Croatia’s way when Niko Kovac’s shot was fumbled by Zeljko Zalac in the 56th minute. However, Harry Kewell struck the decisive second Australian goal 11 minutes from time. Passions overflowed in the final minutes with referee Graham Poll issuing red cards to Croatia's Dario Simic and Josip Simunic and Australia's Brett Emerton, who now will miss Australia's second round match with Italy on Monday. The match was very physical and all together the referee issued 24 warnings. The Australians went into the final group match two points ahead of Croatia and only needed a draw to reach the last sixteen. Stuttgart played host to a night of unforgettable drama, where both sides could have progressed to the second round at different stages, but at the end it was Australia who were celebrating and heading to Kaiserslautern to face Italy on Monday.

Ghana 2 USA 1

2006-06-22T15:32:00.000-07:00

Ghana's 2-1 victory over the USA in Nuremberg booked their place in the Round of 16 and left Bruce Arena's men facing an earlier than expected flight home from the FIFA World Cup™ finals. Ghana captain Appiah grabbed back momentum from the Americans just before half-time after Clint Dempsey had scored in the 43rd minute to equalize. Ghana's Haminu Draman opened the scoring in the 22nd minute. US defender Oguchi Onyewu tackled Ghana forward Razak Pimpong from behind in the penalty area, the foul setting up Appiah, a former Juventus midfielder, for a scoring blast that found the net to the left of US goalkeeper Kasey Keller.
Needing two second-half goals for any hope of advancing, US coach Bruce Arena brought on 22-year-old forward Eddie Johnson in the 61st minute and attacking midfielder Bobby Convey in the 74th to spark offence. Ghana's defence was equal to the challenge, though not without several players tumbling to the ground after contact to derisive whistles from US supporters.Draman was carried off on a stretcher with an ice pack on the front of his upper right leg, leaving a 10-man Ghana to deal with the desperate US attack for several minutes until Alex Tachie-Mensah replaced him in the 80th minute. Dempsey netted the first US goal of the tournament off a brilliant cross from DaMarcus Beasley to energize the 2002 World Cup quarter-finalists.Draman, who replaced yellow-card suspended midfielder Sulley Muntari, stole the ball from US captain Claudio Reyna and raced in alone on Keller from the right side, then flicked a right-footed shot past him inside the far post. Reyna was stretchered off the field after the play but returned to the field until the 43rd minute when Ben Olsen replaced him. Reyna's left knee was treated on the sidelines. Muntari and Asamoah Gyan, who both scored in Ghana's win over the Czechs, were both suspended for the match for accumulated yellow cards. The same fate awaits Black Stars midfielder Michael Essien for the next match. The Chelsea star drew a yellow in the fifth minute for a foul on Reyna, his second booking of the tournament. And so the Black Stars move to the round of 16 for the first time and will face the champion defenders, Brazil.

Italy Beats Czech Republic 2-0

2006-06-22T15:10:00.000-07:00

Italy have moved into the last 16 of the World Cup and sent the Czech Republic home after defeating their Group E rivals 2-0 in Hamburg on Thursday, 22 June 2006. It was a good day for Italian substitudes, as both goals were scored by the usual bench sitters. Marco Materazzi put Italy in front with a towering first-half header before his fellow substitute Filippo Inzaghi finished a breakaway attack in the 87th minute to ensure the Azzurri finished top of the group. Italy only needed a draw to advance and their task was made easier in first-half stoppage time when the Czech Republic's Jan Polak was sent off for receiving a second yellow card. From then on, Italy played an Italian style football and killed the spirit of Czechs by endless passings across the field. The Czechs, who needed to win to progress, enjoyed spells of pressure but when they did breach the Italian defence they found keeper Gianluigi Buffon in imperious form. The Czechs threatened first after a sublime pass from Pavel Nedved opened up a statuesque Italian defence. 17 minutes into the game the Italians were forced into making a substitution in the 17th minute when central defender Alessandro Nesta limped off feeling his groin. Materazzi came on and nine minutes later he was on the scoresheet from a corner kick by Totti. In the second half Camoranesi was supstituted by Inzaghi who felt the pressure to prove himself. He got at least 2 missed shots at the goal before he was able to outrun the crawling Czech keeper and score his goal in the 87th minute. In conclusion:The Czech Republic gave it a real go but Italy's first goal helped Lippi's men take command of the game and the longer it went the less likely it appeared that the Czechs would save themselves. Inzaghi's strike ended the contest and left Italy looking forward to the next round while their opponents bow out. The Italians will next play Australia.

Iran 1 Angola 1

2006-06-21T12:47:00.000-07:00

Iran ended Angola's slim hopes of qualifying from Group D, as they held the African side to a 1-1 draw in Leipzig on Wednesday, 21 June 2006. Angola scored the first goal of their short World Cup history but a 1-1 draw with Iran in their final Group D match signalled the end of their remarkable journey in Germany. The southern African nation appearing in their first World Cup had needed to win by three clear goals and hope that Group D rivals Mexico lost to Portugal.The first half finished with Iran putting most of the pressure on Angola as if they were the one fighting for something. There were many injuries and exchanges on both half and both teams were playing with there better players on the beanch. Iran's Karimi and Golmohammadi did not play at all and Hashemnia and Kaibi where replaced in the second half. The scores were 0-0 until the 60th minute. The historic goal from the head of Flavio, who met an inch-perfect cross from Ze Kalanga powerfully on the hour mark, giving Iranian goalkeeper Ebrahim Mirzapour little chance. Iran, fighting to avoid a third consecutive defeat, struck back when Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh outjumped the Angolan defence from a corner to equalise with a well-placed header on 75 minutes. Iran's veteran striker Ali Daei should have added to his world record tally of 109 international goals but his first-half header from close range was woefully misdirected even though he was completely unmarked.
Angola's hopes suffered an early setback when Mateus, who had ballooned the ball over the bar after eight minutes, had to be stretchered off the pitch after apparently injuring his arm as he slipped and became entangled with an Iranian defender. But the biggest loss came when Angola's captain Akwa had to be substituted just minutes into the second half after suffering a knock.
Just as he had done against Mexico, Joao Ricardo kept his side in the game, leaping to save low shots from Andranik Teymourian and Rasoul Khatibi. Angola had lived dangerously in the first period when Vahid Hashemian's header from a corner was cleared off the goalline by Mendonca's hip and Joao Ricardo also punched away a well-directed Daei free kick after 20 minutes. Over all, the match was very physical with many injuries and if any of the teams had the chance to qualify for the next round they would have missed most of their good players anyway. The game ended with the result of 1-1 and both teams say fairwell to Germany.

Paraguay Wins Over Trinidad and Tobago 2-0

2006-06-20T14:32:00.000-07:00

Paraguay’s disappointing FIFA World Cup™ campaign finished on a high note as they beat Trinidad and Tobago 2-0 in Kaiserslautern's Fritz-Walter-Stadion on Tuesday 20 June.
The Soca Warriors, meanwhile, depart Germany without a win or goal to their name, and yet the pride of Leo Beenhakker’s team remains firmly intact, with tonight’s gallant defeat typical of their energetic, courageous performances throughout their debut tournament. Much of this match was, in fact, dominated by a T&T side who fell behind to the most unfortunate of opening goals, headed past his own, helpless goalkeeper by Brent Sancho in the 25th minute. The second half provided entertaining and competitive fare, and saw Paraguay weather a sustained Soca storm before securing their only points of the tournament with a coolly-taken 86th-minute winner from reserved, Nelson Cuevas. Paraguay collected their first result of Germany 2006 in their final match, leaving them in third place in the Group B table behind England and Sweden. Trinidad and Tobago, meanwhile, can feel a little frustrated not to have gained a share of the spoils, especially for their attacking second-half performance.

England Draws 2-2 with Sweden AGAIN

2006-06-20T14:02:00.000-07:00

England secured first place in Group B and a Round of 16 meeting with Ecuador after drawing 2-2 with Sweden in Cologne on Tuesday, 20 June 2006. England started the first half with great football. Owen was injured within less than minute of the game, but Rooney and Joe Cole made up for the loss. Crouch, who replaced owen was almost faded away during the game. The first ended with a beautiful goal from Joe Cole. In the second half however, Sweden made a come back and within minutes into the second half a header from Allback draws the score 1-1. Sweden got many corner kicks in the second half and two of them almost lead into goals, but they were unlucky and met the bar.
England's best defender, Ferdinand is replaced by Cambell for what seemed to be an injury. Also at the 78th minute angry Rooney is replaced by Gerrard. In his first touch of the ball he cleans a shot from England's goal line. Then 9 minutes later, a cross from Joe Cole meets Gerrards head and he scores for England. Sweden however, did not let go easily and a hand through in England's field rolled and met Larsson who scored Sweden's second goal in the 90th minute. England is being critisized for its poor defence and they finish the game with yet another draw with Sweden.England have still not beaten Sweden since 1968 but, as group winners, they will be happier to be facing Ecuador and not Germany in the Round of 16. Sweden's performance in the second half here, however, should give them confidence ahead of their meeting with the hosts.

England 1 Sweden 0 ( half time)

2006-06-20T12:56:00.000-07:00

Sweden are playing England in their final Group B match in Cologne tonight. Within the first minutes of the game Owen who was replacing Crouch for the game, lands on his right foot and goes down with what appeared to be a great knee injury. Crouch replaced him within minutes. Rooney got his share of the ball and played beautifully. The man of the match so far however, has been Joe Cole. He played brilliantly in the first half and finally in the 34th minute he spots the Swedish goalkeeper out of his goal and shoots a ball that lands in the back of the net and goaaaaaaaaaaaal for England. Minutes later Beckham has a free kick and he goes for the goal, but his attempt is saved by the goalkeeper. The two teams go to locker rooms with a score of 1-0 for England. This match has been by far the best game we've seen England play at the Germany World Cup.

Football Fans

2006-06-20T11:12:00.000-07:00

Watch a Video of British and Swedish fans as Cologne gets ready for the match between them. The security will be high since the British fans have proved before that they can get a little too crazy. England and Sweden have a history of equalizing their games so this game is a historical game for both and the tickets in the black market have reportedly been sold for 800 Euros.

Germany Beats Ecuador 3-0

2006-06-20T09:50:00.000-07:00

Germany sealed top spot in Group A in impressive style, with a Miroslav Klose brace (4', 44') and Lukas Podolski's first goal of the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ (57') sealing an emphatic 3-0 win over Ecuador. Both these sides had already qualified for the Round of 16 prior to this match, but it is Jurgen Klinsmann's side who will march on to the next phase in more confident mood after a performance that simply oozed self-assurance. The sell-out crowd of 72,000 at Berlin's Olympiastadion were certainly treated to a terrific showing from their side, for whom Klose - now tournament top scorer - was particularly impressive up front.
Germany started an offensive game and within 4 minutes into the game Miroslav Klose scores his first goal of the match from a pass by Podolski. Germany scores again at the 44th minute, when Ballack sends a ball in for Klose in the penalty area and Klose beautifually beats a defender and the goalkeeper and scores his second goal of the match just before half time. Starting in the second half, Ecuador saw slightly little bit more of the ball and shot two long balls in to Germany's net which was saved by the goalkeeper. In the 57th minute, Germany on the counter attack moves forward, with Schneider on the left and Podolski in the middle. Schneider's cross was finally met by Podolski and he got his first goal in the World Cup. With their third straight win, Germany – who could have added another goal with a smattering of chances near the end – strut confidently into the Round of 16, where they will take on the the runner-up from Group B (England, Sweden or Trinidad & Tobago). Ecuador, despite a difficult day in Berlin, can look forward to a match-up with Group B's winners winner (Sweden or England) in their first-ever knockout stage game at a FIFA World Cup finals.

Poland 2 Costa Rica 1

2006-06-20T09:27:00.000-07:00

Poland rescued some pride with a 2-1 victory over Costa Rica as both sides said goodbye to the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Hannover on Tuesday, 20 June 2006. With both sides already eliminated after two defeats, they went into this Group A match aiming to end on a high at least, and it was Costa Rica who started the better as they took a 25th-minute lead through Ronald Gomez's free-kick. However, Batosz Bosacki drew the Poles level eight minutes later and same player headed the winning goal in the 66th minute. Poland's victory means they finish third in Group A with one win and two defeats - the same record as four years ago in Korea/Japan. With three defeats, bottom-placed Costa Rica are left to dwell on their poorest return in three FIFA World Cups. The first goal of the game came in the 24th minute when Gomez sent a low left footed shot through the legs of Boruc the Polish goalkeeper. The teams go to half time with the score of 1-0 for Costa Rica.

In the second half, the Poles picked up the the tempo and Bartosz Bosacki scores twice for Poland. Poland wanted so much more from this FIFA World Cup, but at least they ended with a win. For the Costa Ricans it brings a disappointing finale to a campaign that began with a creditable display in the Opening Match against Germany.

Neville out of Sweden match

2006-06-20T01:31:00.000-07:00

An injured Gary Neville has been ruled out of England's match against Sweden while coach Sven-Goran Eriksson said he will rest at least one of his three players on yellow cards. Neville, who won his 80th cap in England's opening 1-0 victory over Paraguay, is struggling to recover from a torn calf muscle which he initially feared could end his tournament. "He's out. We hope he will be ok for the next game but were not sure about that," said Eriksson. Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher will continue to deputise for Neville, as he did in the last game against Trinidad and Tobago.
While Eriksson has no other injury concerns, he will rest at least one of his three players on yellow cards -- Peter Crouch, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard. Eriksson has already said Wayne Rooney will start up front alongside Michael Owen which means Crouch will not start. England are attempting to end a 38-year winless streak against Sweden here Tuesday.They have already qualified for the round of 16 where they will face either Germany or Ecuador

Portuguese Interested In Mirzapour!

2006-06-19T23:16:00.000-07:00

Portuguese first division club CD Nacional are reportedly interested in signing Iranian national goalkeeper Ebrahim Mirzapour following his strong showing during his team's 2-0 loss against Group D World Cup rivals Portugal in Frankfurt on Saturday, the kicker sports magazine said in its Monday edition. CD Nacional ended up fifth during the recently concluded Portuguese football season. The 27-year-old Mirzapour is still under contract with Iranian first division squad Foolad Khuzestan.

Italy's legends watch history repeat itself

2006-06-19T22:50:00.000-07:00

Some of Italy's legendary stars, keeping a watchful eye on the national team at the 2006 World Cup, might be forgiven for feeling that they are looking at a mirror image of Italian footballing history.Thirty-six years ago in Mexico, Alessandro "Sandro" Mazzola and Gianni "Gigi" Riva tussled for a place on the pitch in a similar manner to playmakers Francesco Totti and Alessandro Del Piero today. Mazzola and Riva's rivalry in the 1960s as players for Milan's two clubs, Inter and AC Milan respectively, spilled over into the national side. Italy's coaches could not figure out how to field the two brilliant midfielders in the same team. They ended up playing in a relay, the "staffetta", in each match during the 1970 World Cup, when Italy eventually lost 4-1 to Brazil in a final that is often hailed as the best ever. Today, Roma's Totti and Juventus's Del Piero have both appeared on the field in Germany in each of Italy's matches, but never simultaneously. And the Azzurri may face Brazil as soon as the next round. Now in their sixties, the grey and white-haired veterans' demeanour mirrors their contrasting styles on the field decades ago. When Totti admitted a few weeks ago to being 70 percent fit following a broken ankle he suffered in February, the older Del Piero responded that he was 100 percent fit.

Hernan Crespo Warns Argentina

2006-06-19T22:33:00.000-07:00

Argentina's veteran striker Hernan Crespo warned that "we've still not won anything," as he played down the euphoria of the 6-0 win over Serbia and Montenegro which guaranteed a place in the last 16 even before a Wednesday meeting with Holland. The heady optimism following that success and the earlier 2-1 win over Ivory Coast "are part of the game but we are trying to stay detached from it all. The win over Serbia and Montenegro was very important - but guarantees nothing," said Crespo, two goals to his name already at the tournament. The Chelsea striker added that the two wins "do not change the way we are approaching things." Coach Jose Pekerman has also been urging the squad to keep their feet on the ground. Crespo's teammate Javier Saviola forecast that Argentina and The Netherlands would go all out for three points to win the group. A draw would see Argentina top the group, however, on goal difference and then play the runner-up of Group D - either Portugal, Mexico or Angola.

Tattoo Crazy World Cup

2006-06-19T15:51:00.000-07:00

FIFA directives to keep their shirt on after scoring might keep many of them under wraps, but the World Cup brings together a swathe of players who don't mind getting the needle - for the sake of sporting a tattoo. The beneedled skin of England skipper David Beckham is well documented but he is far from alone among the 735 players taking part at the event. Drawings, messages of undying love, childrens' names cover arms, backs, legs and necks, as well as other assorted regions. Beckham famously has the names of sons Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz as well as that of his wife, Victoria - in Hindi - on his forearm, though some linguistic experts say it contains inaccuracies.On one arm he also has his England number seven in Roman numerals - he wore the same number shirt at Manchester United but has worn 23 at Real Madrid - and a number of other additions including a winged guardian angel across the back of his neck and a Michelangelo angel on his right arm. Luis Gonzalez of Argentina comes close to rivalling 'Becks' as he has ten tattoos of his own, including the signature of Diego Maradona and also the name of his wife Pamela in Chinese. Others include the initials of his family, a rose on his left leg and a depiction of Jesus on his right. Another Argentine, Fabrizio Coloccini, has a tattoo depicting his deceased mother on his chest at heart level. Spanish defender Sergio Ramos has the names of his parents on his forearm while Spain striker Fernando Torres, in a possible bid to emulate Beckham, has an Indian inscription on one arm. Italy are also in on the act with "Roman" Francesco Totti having a gladiator tattoo. Brazil take a religious approach with Adriano opting for a forearm slogan "Jesus lives with me" while Serbian star Mateja Kezman has an image of Christ on his right arm. And England striker Wayne Rooney has a Celtic cross on his right arm. On his back the same player has the word "then" as he and a friend had a catchphrase, "okay then."The friend now sports the "okay." Sounds abit like "dude where is my car?!".

Spain Beats Tunisia 3-1

2006-06-19T15:30:00.000-07:00

Spain booked their ticket for the second round of the World Cup after a pulsating 3-1 win over Tunisia in Group H. The African team got off to a great start when Jaouhar Mnari opened the scoring in the eighth minute. Roger Lemerre’s side held the lead until half-time when his counterpart Luis Aragones made a bold double substitution. Tunisia lost its touch on the ball in the second half and even though it was raining heavily the Spanish finally found their game and made a huge come back. Spanish icon Raul came off the bench at the start of the second half to equalise Jawer Mnari's shocking eighth-minute opener. And minutes later Atletico Madrid striker Fernando Torres struck the first of two goals after beating the Tunisian defence to a through ball from second half substitute Cesc Fabregas. Torres, who scored in Spain's 4-0 thrashing of Ukraine, beat Tunisia keeper Ali Boumnijel from the penalty spot in the dying minutes of a match which Spain easily dominated. Through out the game Spain had 65% ball possession and 10 corners compared to 1 Tunisian corner. The victory leaves Spain, who are bidding to get past the quarter-finals for the first time in 56 years, needing only a draw to come top of the group with Saudi Arabia still to play. A perfect six points, Spain qualify for the second round with another classy display of attacking football. Tunisia, ahead for much of the match, will now need to defeat Ukraine to stand a chance of making the knockout stage. As the Spanish heros made history inside the stadium, fans went crazy outside.... Watch the report!

Sweden Outclassed Saudi Arabia 4-0

2006-06-19T15:17:00.000-07:00

Ukraine outclassed Saudi Arabia in their crunch Group H game here Monday, firmly setting their stuttering World Cup campaign back on track with a convincing 4-0 win. Redemption for the 4-0 mauling Ukraine suffered at the hands of Spain in their opening match came in a brace of goals either side of the interval from Andriy Rusol, Serhiy Rebrov, Andriy Shevchenko and the impressive Maksym Kalinichenko. The World Cup debutants, boasting four changes from the Spanish debacle, showed their attacking intent against a toothless Saudi team from the start.
They took the lead in the fourth minute, Rusol's knee connecting with an inswinging Kalinichenko corner to send the ball bouncing between Saudi goalkeeper Mabrouk Zaid's legs and into the goal - the former Soviet republic's first at the World Cup. Rebrov doubled the lead after 36 minutes, the former Tottenham and West Ham player blasting in a curling 35-yard shot that left Zaid rooted to the spot. Shevchenko made it three straight after the interval, the European footballer of the year rising above his Asian counterpart Hamad al-Montashari to head a home another Kalinichenko free-kick. Kalinichenko got a deserved goal with six minutes remaining, calmly burying a beautifully-weighted Shevchenko cross past a despairing Zaid. Saudi Arabia's best chance of the first-half came in the 24th minute, a curling cross by Dokhi deflected by Rusol towards goal and tipped around the post by Oleksander Shovkovsky. Any half-time pep talk from Saudi Arabia's Brazilian coach Marcos Paqueta was quickly dispelled by Shevchenko's goal a minute after the restart.
But the Saudi team, bolstered by the introduction of attacking left-back Abdulaziz Khathran, did manage to mount some attacks but the final touches were clumsy and left ineffectual captain Hussein Sulimani wildly gesticulating at his team-mates. It was Kalinichenko who proved to be the real thorn in the sides of the "sons of the desert". One blistering 20-yard shot in the 64th minute hit the crossbar, but his efforts were later rewarded with the fourth goal.The result means that Saudi Arabia, whose squad play entirely for clubs in the desert kingdom, have not won a match since their first appearance in the 1994 World Cup when they reached the second round. They have a point from their 2-2 with Tunisia from their first match.

Switzerland Defeats Togo 2-0

2006-06-19T11:18:00.000-07:00

Switzerland surged to top of Group G with a convincing 2-0 win over Togo in Dortmund on Monday, 19 June which leaves the Helvetians leading the section on goal difference. Victory was secured by goals from Alexander Frei and Tranquillo Barnetta in the 16th and 88th minute respectively, the second of which took Kobi Kuhn's side clear of Korea Republic by a single goal. All the Swiss now need is a point against Dick Advocaat's Taeguk Warriors to guarantee their place in the last 16. Togo, though impressive in flashes, could have few complaints at surrendering all three points, and Otto Pfister's side remain without a point and anchored to the bottom of a group in which Switzerland and Korea both lead on four points from France, who have two. Switzerland moves to the top of Group G with this 2-0 victory. Their four-point haul from their opening two games was equal to that of Korea Republic, but Kuhn’s men moved ahead of the Asian nation on goal difference. The result also ensured that Togo cannot qualify for the Round of 16.

France 1 South Korea 1

2006-06-18T14:39:00.000-07:00

South Korea grabbed a heroic 1-1 draw with stuttering France in their vital Group G encounter to edge closer to a spot in the last 16 of the World Cup. The 2002 semi-finalists went behind to an early Thierry Henry goal but Manchester United midfielder Park Ji-Sung grabbed the equaliser nine minutes from the end as South Korea staged a grandstand finish. The win puts South Korea, who beat Togo in their opener, on four points with the under-pressure French on two and perilously close to a second straight exit from the World Cup in the first round.French coach Raymond Domenech, under fire in some quarters for sticking with an ageing team, put out the country's oldest ever international side with an average age of 30 years and 289 days. One of the old stagers, thirty-four-year-old defender Lilian Thuram, equalled Marcel Desailly's record of 116 appearances for Les Bleus.
France opened brightly with Lyon midfielder Florent Malouda, in the side for Frank Ribery, looking dangerous down the right flank. The South Korean defence had to look smart in the sixth minute when Henry found Sylvain Wiltord with a neat ball but the Lyon striker's effort was blocked by a defender.
France continued to stream forward and they opened the scoring after just nine minutes following a defence-splitting move. Wiltord found Henry in the box and the Arsenal striker guided the ball past Korean 'keeper Lee Woon-Jae from six yards out. It was the quicksilver Henry's 34th strike for France and broke a goal drought for the national team in the World Cup finals stretching back to the victory over Brazil in the 1998 final. South Korea were showing little as an attacking force but a long ball out of defence worried William Gallas and he was relieved to see his nervy back-header sail over the bar for a corner. Henry wriggled his way into the box in the 27th minute but was robbed by Spurs wing-back Lee Young-Pyo, the referee waving aside claims for a penalty.
Midfielder Patrick Vieira came close to grabbing a second for the rampaging French in the 31st minute, his goal-bounder header from an inswinging corner from Zinedine Zidane being clawed back by Lee Woon-Jae on the goal line. South Korea were quicker to the ball than in the first half and the French front line was being given precious little room despite the promptings from midfield maestro Zidane. With the clock ticking down, South Korea piled forward and were rewarded with the equaliser in the 81st minute. Seol's cross from wide on the right was headed back across goal by Cho and Park bundled the ball into the net from close range. France responded quickly and the guile of Zidane created an opening for Henry in the 85th minute but his shot was blocked by the outrushing Lee. And so the second half ended 1-1 draw for both teams.

I'm sorry De Rossi tells bloodied McBride

2006-06-18T14:26:00.000-07:00

Italy's Daniele de Rossi has apologised to US striker Brian McBride for the elbow to the face that saw him red-carded in their Group E World Cup clash here on Saturday. McBride was floored by the blatant blow as both players jumped for a high ball in the 28th minute of the game and left the field with blood streaming down his face. De Rossi was sent off and after touchline treatment McBride returned to the fray in a no-holds barred match that ended in a 1-1 draw and two more red cards. "He came up to me after the match and told me he was sorry and that he had not meant to do it," said the Fulham striker said who required three stitches to his cut eye after the game. "For me that matter is now finished and done with."
Also sent off were McBride's American team-mates Eddie Pope and Pablo Mastroeni - only the fourth time in World Cup history that three players had been red-carded in the same game. The other games were between South Africa and Denmark in 1998, Hungary v Brazil in 1954 and between Czechoslovakia and Brazil in 1938.

Brazil Won Australia 2-0

2006-06-18T13:42:00.000-07:00

Five-time champions Brazil advanced to the second round of the World Cup with a hard-earned 2-0 Group F win over Australia. It took a 49th-minute goal from Adriano to unlock the stout Australian defence but the champions were given a big fright as Australia threw everything at them. Substitute Fred had a simple tap in for Brazil's second on fulltime to wrap up the victory after Robinho shot struck the post. Coach Guus Hiddink again went for all-out attack to save the match as he did in the last-gasp win over Japan last weekend. Brazil's win extended their record of successive wins at World Cup finals to nine and has them poised to top the group with next Thursday's final match with Japan.
Brazil broke the deadlock four minutes after halftime when Ronaldo cleverly held on to the ball from two defenders and laid across goal to Adriano who evaded Scott Chipperfield and fired home for his first goal of the tournament. But the Australians earned admirers in the way they pushed the Brazilians all the way with German referee Markus Merk not giving them much with his decisions. Ronaldo was again substituted for the second match of the tournament to whistles from the crowd, but his replacement Robinho livened up things up front. Hiddink pitched on attackers Harry Kewell and John Aloisi into the battle in the second half and Kewell came close to scoring a couple of times. Dida and Viduka jostled for a high ball and Kewell had an open goal with Dida out of position but blazed over the bar in the 57th minute. Substitute Marco Bresciano and Kewell both had breakaways but Brazil snuffed them out but Australia were having more of the game. Kewell had another chance as he was put away by Viduka and his fierce volley was just over the bar. Hiddink went for all-out attack, like he did in the first match against Japan, and brought on Aloisi for defender Craig Moore with 20 minutes left.
Brazil coach Alberto Carlos Parreira brought on two subs minutes later bringing off Ronaldo for Robinho and Gilberto Silva for midfielder Emerson. Robinho just missed scoring in the 77th minute with a swinging volley as Australia's defence lived dangerously. Bresciano brought a great diving one-hand save from Dida with 10 minutes left as play swung from end to end and Viduka hit the top netting with another effort with Dida beaten.Referee Merk dished out five yellow cards - to Australians Brett Emerton and Jason Culina and Brazilian skipper Cafu, Ronaldo in the first half and Robinho late in the game.When the referee blew fulltime Kewell remonstrated with him for half a minute over his display before he was pulled away by a team member.

Japan And Croatia Draw 0-0

2006-06-18T13:33:00.000-07:00

It was a story of frustration for Japan and Croatia as they played out a goalless draw in Nuremberg on Sunday, 18 June 2006. Both teams now have one point after Sunday's game, while their Group F rivals Brazil and Australia were playing in Munich later in the day. Japan have the unenviable task of facing Brazil in their final group game in Dortmund on Thursday, when Croatia take on Australia in Stuttgart. The Asian champions had goalkeeper Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi to thank for throwing them a lifeline as he brilliantly saved Darijo Srna's 21st minute penalty after Dado Prso had been tripped in the penalty area. Japan had more chances of the two sides but were continually let down by poor finishing.
Atsushi Yanagisawa wasted Japan's best opportunity, somehow slicing wide of an open goal from Akira Kaji's cross had left Croatian keeper Stipe Pletikosa stranded early in the second half. Brazilian-born midfielder Alex proved a constant threat to the shaky Croatian defence, but failed to find the target. Japan must do without their captain Tsuneyasu Miyamoto for the Brazil clash after he picked up his second yellow card of the competition when he caught Prso's heel to concede the penalty.Although Srna's spot kick was hit hard and low, Kawaguchi leaped to his left to push it round the post.
Chances for Croatia were few and far between. Marko Babic should have done better with his shot after surging half the field in the second period only to blast wide, while Niko Kranjcar raced on to a defence-splitting pass but could not stretch far enough to get his shot on target.
The towering Josip Simunic's header went wide as Croatia grew increasingly desperate. Robert Kovac also picked up his second yellow card of the tournament in the 31st minute but Shunsuke Nakamura's 30-meter free-kick rebounded off the wall. In the 35th minute, Hidetoshi Nakata went close with a long-range shot but Stipe Pletikosa punched the ball to safely.

Trouble For Germany

2006-06-18T02:44:00.000-07:00

Hosts Germany were handed an injury scare ahead of Tuesday's World Cup match against Ecuador when defender Christoph Metzelder suffered a knee injury in a training session.
Borussia Dortmund's Metzelder was forced to pull out of training after 50 minutes, complaining of pain in his right knee.The extent of the injury is not yet known but manager Jurgen Klinsmann is unlikely to risk Metzelder against Ecuador as his side have already qualified for the last 16. The 26-year-old defender has been plagued by injuries and only returned to the national team in October last year after 21 months out with achilles tendon problems.

Since then he has established himself as first choice centre-back alongside Hanover's Per Mertesacker. Metzelder played in both of Germany's opening two wins over Costa Rica and Poland.

Italy Draws 1-1 with USA

2006-06-17T15:53:00.000-07:00

Sad day for Italians as they watched their team draw with the American new comers in a bad-tempered World Cup clash in which three players were sent off. The result means that all four teams in Group E, which also includes Ghana and the Czech Republic, still have a chance of making the last 16. Alberto Gilardino gave Italy the lead in the 22nd minute with a diving header, but an own goal by Cristian Zaccardo in 27th minute, brought the USA back on level terms. The American brought their war attitude to the game, and as I was watching the game in an Italian bar, many Italians made comments about Americans mixing up "football" with "European Soccer".
Three-time world champions Italy had Daniele De Rossi sent off in the 28th minute for elbowing Brian McBride and the USA's Pablo Mastroeni shortly followed him down the tunnel for clattering into Andrea Pirlo. The Americans were then reduced to nine men a minute after half time when Eddie Pope picked up his second yellow card. It was only the fourth time in the history of the World Cup that three players had been sent off in the same match. Kasey Keller pulled off two excellent saves to deny Italy substitute Alessandro Del Piero in the closing stages as the USA bravely dug in to snatch a point. The American played a game far from defencive and gave Italy a hard time by constant attacks and tackles. Italy absorbed the pressure and took the lead in the 22nd minute after Pope's foul on Luca Toni wide on the right. Pirlo delivered a low centre into the box and Gilardino stooped to steer the ball past a helpless Keller with his forehead. Italy's joy lasted just five minutes with a defensive howler gifting the USA an equaliser.
Zaccardo swung a boot out widly to try and clear Convey's crossed free-kick and succeeded only in diverting the ball past his own keeper, Gianluigi Buffon.Worse was to follow seconds later as De Rossi was rightly sent off for elbowing McBride in the face. McBride's face was dripping with blood as De Rossi headed down the tunnel with his head hung low. Despite their numerical disadvantage, Italy almost restored their lead but Toni shot wide after sprinting clear of the USA defence. Mastroeni then joined De Rossi for an early bath following a late lunge on Pirlo. Pope lasted just 60 seconds of the second-half before the USA's Carlos Bocanegra headed against his own bar. McBride should have hit the target after being put clear by Landon Donovan and Gianluca Zambrotta drove wide for Italy as play swung from end to end. Del Piero's introduction lifted Italy, but the two chances that fell his way were superbly stopped by KellerThe result leaves the group wide open going into the final first round match with Italy on four points, followed by the Czech Republic and Ghana both on three and the USA on one. Italy will face the Czech Republic in Hamburg next Thursday, while the USA take on Ghana in Nuremberg the same day.

Watch a report of Italian and American fans before the game.

Ghana Beats Czech Republic 2-0

2006-06-17T15:43:00.000-07:00

Ghana's "Black Stars" sliced apart the highly fancied Czech Republic 2-0 with a combination of speed and accuracy that threw Group E wide open and left the Czechs' World Cup hopes teetering on the brink. The Czech Republic would have been humiliated were it not for a slew of close range saves from Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech, especially after they were reduced to ten men when Tomas Ujfalusi was sent off in the 67th minute. But Ghana's Asamoah Gyan - scorer of their first goal while Sulley Muntari got the other late in the game - also bounced the resulting penalty off the post, in the only flaw in an otherwise brilliant afternoon for the Ghanaians in their first ever World Cup finals.
However Gyan's penalty was even more costly to him as having taken one effort when the referee hadn't whistled he was booked for that and will miss their final group match against the United States. Gyan beat the Czech offside trap in the second minute on a through ball from Stephen Appiah, shooting it low past the outstretched Cech. The Czechs were lucky not to be three down by half-time after Gyan again broke through but Cech saved at his feet, while Appiah shot narrowly wide with only the keeper to beat. In contrast with the lethal accuracy and pace of Ghana's packed midfield the Czechs desperately lacked deft footwork in their opponents penalty area. But the "Black Stars" repeatedly capitalised on the nervous-looking Czechs' inability to retain possession in midfield. Cech was forced into a brilliant save from Gyan after the Modena forward latched onto a goalkick that bounced past the Czech defenders. All the Czech hopes faded half way through the second half when Ujfalusi - whose missed header in the first-half had let in Gyan for the goal - was sent off for bringing down Matthew Amoah in the penalty area. Cech then beat off a peppering of shots over the next 20 minutes from the unbridled Michael Essien, Gyan, and Appiah, until he finally succumbed to Muntari in the 82nd minute.

Ghana Scores Against Czech

2006-06-17T09:08:00.000-07:00

The Czech Republic are looking to retain their place at the top of Group E when they face a Ghana side needing points to keep their FIFA World Cup™ dreams alive. But their hopes are currently evaporating as Ghana managed to score its first World Cup goal at the 3rd minute of the game. The goal came from Asomoah Gyan and at the moment Ghana Leads the game 1-0.

Portugal 2 Iran 0

2006-06-17T08:29:00.000-07:00

A dissapointing finish for Iran and an insured place for Portugal after second-half goals from Deco and Cristiano Ronaldo secured a 2-0 on Saturday, 17 June 2006. Iran played a defensive game and although they managed to keep the ball out of the net, Portugal had 63% possession over the game. The first chance came for Deco which was brilliantly saved by Iran's goalkeeper Mirzapour. Then at the 31st minute Portugal's strike was answered by a Teymorian's strugle to get behind the defence, but he was offside. For the rest of the first half, there were some shots by Portugal on Iran's net by Figo, Ronaldo and Maguel, but they all went wide.
Second half started with more strikes from Iran, but Deco, the Brazilian player of Portugal scored a goal from outside the penalty area in the 63rd minute. Iran striked back with a good attempt by Rasoul Khatibi, and Mahdavikia, but luck was not on their side. In the 80th, Figo made a run for Iran's goal and Golmahammadi, the defender who had scored against Mexico, took down Figo in the penalty area. His attempt lead to his injury and he had to be replaced, but he also gave away a penalty against Iran. Ronaldo stood behind the ball and scored the games second goal for Portugal. Despite battling bravely all the way and showing much to be proud of, Iran's hopes are crushed with one group game still to go. Portugal, while sure of a spot in the Round of 16, are not yet guaranteed first place in the group with a tough final test against second-placed Mexico still to come. Only pride will be at stake for Iran in their final match against Angola.

Zambrotta and Gattuso Are Back For Italy

2006-06-17T01:18:00.000-07:00

Italy's Gianluca Zambrotta and Gennaro Gattuso are both available for Saturday's World Cup Group E match here against the United States.Versatile defender Zambrotta and tough-tackling midfielder Gattuso missed Monday's 2-0 victory over Ghana, but Azzurri coach Marcello Lippi said the recovered pair were ready to face the Americans. However Lippi refused to say whether he would change the team that started the opening match against the Ghanaians. The Americans were trounced 3-0 by the Czech Republic in their first match and are now in danger of an early exit, while victory for the Italians should be enough to earn them a last 16 place. Despite their contrasting fortunes in their opening games, Lippi said the USA, for whom Claudio Reyna hit the post when the Czechs were leading 1-0, were not to be underestimated. The USA are expected to make changes, but midfielders Landon Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley are likely to retain their places despite being publicly criticised by coach Bruce Arena after the Czech defeat.
Italy, who won the World Cup in 1934, 1938 and 1982, have played the United States eight times, winning six and drawing two. The teams met in the first round of the 1990 World Cup, with tournament hosts Italy winning 1-0 in Rome.

Watch a video as Italy prepares for the match with US.

Condoleezza Rice Talks about Football!

2006-06-17T01:12:00.000-07:00

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice doesn't know much about "non-American football". But she does know the US side better raise its game if it hopes to stay in the World Cup hunt.
Asked at a news conference with visiting Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema about Saturday's match between Italy and the United States, Rice tried to play the good diplomat. "I learned a long time ago not to hold strong opinions or predictions about something about which I have so little expertise, as soccer, or European football," she told reporters.
But the top US diplomat, an avid fan of American football, could not resist a comment on her country's lackluster performance in its 3-0 loss Monday to the Czech Republic in a Group E opener. "Obviously, I would like to see the United States do well," she said. "But even I, a pure novice in watching soccer, knows that they will have to play a lot better than they did."The Americans are back in action later on Saturday taking on Italy in what has become a must-win game for the quarter-finalists of four years ago.

Too Many Yellow Cards

2006-06-16T14:48:00.000-07:00

Franz Beckenbauer is annoyed at all the yellow cards being handed out by World Cup referees, and the tournament organizer accused an African official of stupidity on Friday. Beckenbauer told ZDF television that Benin's Coffi Codjia's yellow cards in the match between Ecuador and Costa Rica "were stupid." Codjia handed out five yellows, about average for the competition so far. Beckenbauer said bookings for time wasting were ridiculous. FIFA has ordered referees at the World Cup to clamp down on time wasting by immediately carding offenders. Players were told about the harsher line in pretournament briefings. Referees handed out 102 yellow cards and five red cards in the first 21 matches of the competition, an average of 4.9 yellow cards per match. An average of 4.25 yellows per game were handed out at the 2002 World Cup: 272 yellows and 17 reds in 64 matches. If the number of given yellow cards in each game continues like this, soon we will have no main players on the field.

Mexico and Angola Finish 0-0

2006-06-16T14:32:00.000-07:00

Today's surprise was the game between Mexico, the favorates of the group and Angola, who play at the World Cup for the first time. Angola goalkeeper Joao Ricardo made several stunning saves and dominated his penalty area as he led Angola to a 0-0 draw with Mexico on Friday night. Angola, who lie 53 places below El Tri in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking, frustrated the Mexicans who were looking for a goal to insure their place in the World Cup. Mexico played a good offensive game, but they lacked the ability to finish the job on target. They missed many shots, and managed to land the others in the arms of the Angolan goalkeeper, Ricardo. Angola managed to keep the Mexican on their toe, even after Andre from the Angolan team received a red card and had to leave the field at the 79th minute.
Angola collected their first ever FIFA World Cup point with a courageous display and still have a chance of making the second round. Despite creating few clear chances, Mexico, on four points, are nevertheless well positioned to qualify with the fixture against Portugal still to play. With today's performance, the fate of group D is still questionable and we have to waite of the remaning games to clear up the final results regarding which teams get to move to the second round.

Netherlands Beats Cote d'Ivoire 2-1

2006-06-16T11:31:00.000-07:00

The Netherlands booked their place in the Round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup™ as goals from Robin van Persie and Ruud van Nistelrooij earned a hard-fought 2-1 win over Côte d'Ivoire in Stuttgart on Friday, 16 June 2006. Their second win in Group C means the Dutch advanced with a game to spare, along with Argentina who also have six points after beating Serbia and Montenegro 6-0 earlier in the day. Côte d'Ivoire, like the Serbo-Montenegrins, can go no further in this tournament but they certainly pushed the Dutch all the way. After Van Persie's 23rd-minute free-kick opener, Van Nistelrooij doubled the Dutch lead four minutes later but the Ivorians hit back through a spectacular Bakary Kone effort.
Van Persie's free kick so far maybe the best free kick shot with the left foot that led into a goal at the World Cup. All 3 goals came before the half time and in the second half it was Cote d'Ivoire's battle to get a draw out of the game.
The ball possesssion in the the second half was 50-50, with good unleashing of players by d'Iviore and Neatherland with good defense. Theire were many yellow cards in the game, but finally the stadium that was uniformly orange whent home happy with the result that the Dutch managed to earn. With this second win by the narrowest of margins, the Netherlands advance to the last 16 alongside Argentina. Debutants Côte d'Ivoire put on another fine show but when they travel home after their final match against Serbia and Montenegro they will reflect on the costly goals conceded early in their first two games.

Argentina 6 Serbia and Montenegro 0

2006-06-16T09:37:00.000-07:00

Argentina gave a fearsome show of attacking strength as they swept aside Group C rivals Serbia and Montenegro 6-0 in Gelsenkirchen on Friday, 16 June 2006. Jose Pekerman's team equalled their record FIFA World Cup™ win against Peru from 1978 against opponents they had, coincidentally, dismantled by the same score at the 2004 Olympic Football Tournament. More importantly, the victory took them a big step closer to the second round, while leaving Serbia and Montenegro’s hopes hanging by a thread.
The flow of goals began in the sixth minute with Maxi Rodriguez and after Esteban Cambiasso had doubled the lead in the 31st minute, Rodriguez struck again to make it 3-0 ten minutes later. There was no respite for Serbia and Montenegro after the break as, following the dismissal of Mateja Kezman, Hernan Crespo hit Argentina's fourth in the 78th minute. Substitutes Carlos Tevez (84') and Lionel Messi (88') completed the scoring in the final ten minutes. Serbia and Montenegro's defence went 649 minutes without conceding in qualifying but it took Argentina just six minutes to find the net here, following some fine interplay between Rodriguez, Juan Pablo Sorin and Javier Saviola. Rodriguez applied the final touch as he collected a Saviola pass and slipped the ball past Dragoslav Jevric. At 31st minute,A glorious move produced Argentina's second goal. The ball was swept crossfield from one navy shirt to another before arriving at the feet of Cambiasso. He fed Crespo with his back to goal in the box, and was on hand to meet the striker's back-heeled return and shoot high into the net.
The third goal arrived at the 41st minute thanks to the persistence of Saviola. After stealing the ball from Mladen Krstajic by the corner flag, he glided past another white shirt before launching a low shot at goal. Jevric got a hand to the ball, pushing it towards the far post where Rodriguez turned it into the net, via a post. Just three minutes after taking the field for his first FIFA World Cup appearance, Messi became the architect of Argentina's fourth goal. Breaking into the left-hand side of the penalty box, he looked up and sent a low cross to the far post where Crespo did the rest. Tevez, another substititute, was one of six Argentina players who played in the victory over Serbia and Montenegro in Patras two years ago. He scored twice then and found the net here with a fine effort. After leaving two defenders for dead he placed the ball low past Jevric for another memorable Argentina goal.
Now Tevez turned provider, picking out Messi's surge into the box and the teenager did the rest with a confident finish inside the near post. If anyone doubted Argentina's credentials, they can doubt no more. As for Serbia and Montenegro, this ‘nightmare group’ has become just that.

Sweden 1 Paraguay 0

2006-06-15T16:58:00.000-07:00

Arsenal's Freddie Ljungberg fired Sweden to the brink of the second phase of the World Cup, his late header sending Paraguay home in a 1-0 win. Ljungberg's strike leaves the Scandinavians strongly positioned to take second place in Group B, three points above Trinidad and Tobago going into their game against leaders England. For Paraguay, however, the late goal spelt heartbreak, ending their hopes of progressing to the second round. England are certain of their place while the Swedes can still mathematically be caught by Trinidad and Tobago. Despite having the lion's share of the possession the Swedes were unable to force an early breakthrough despite the probings of Juventus playmaker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, whose failure to find his usual lustre saw him replaced at the break by Marcus Allback.
Roberto Acuna welcomed the Copenhagen striker by felling him to pick up a booking as the Paraguayans offered a muscular approach.But just when it looked as if a goalless draw that would have suited neither side was set to be the end product Ljungberg nodded home after Allback headed across goal to find the midfielder lurking on the edge of the six-yard box.
The goal sparked bedlam on the Swedish bench and among some 30,000 Swedish fans inside the Olympic Stadium.
With England having made it into the last 16 by virtue of a laboured 2-0 win against minnows Trinidad and Tobago, the Swedes, who could only draw against the Caribbean side in their opener, were seeking to move onto four points.
And they just made it.

Ronaldo Faints

2006-06-15T11:51:00.000-07:00

Brazil's star striker Ronaldo was taken to hospital in Frankfurt after feeling unwell at the World Cup but medical tests showed nothing wrong with him, the Brazil Football Confederation (CBF) said.The CBF said on its website that the 29-year-old Real Madrid player started feeling unwell on Wednesday evening after the Brazilians had returned to their Konigstein base following the 1-0 win over Croatia in Berlin.
The Brazilian medical team whisked him off to a Frankfurt hospital, but he returned to join the squad after medical tests cleared him and he was expected to train normally on Thursday.
Ronaldo was the star of the last World Cup in Japan and South Korea, scoring both Brazilian goals in the 2-0 win over Germany in the final.
But his form has slumped over the last year as he has struggled with weight problems and he is expected to leave Madrid during the close season. He was widely criticised for his lacklustre performance against the Croatians on Tuesday. Coach Carlos Alberto Parreira, however, has said he intended to play him in the Brazilians' next game against Australia on Sunday.
The Brazilian famously played in the 1998 World Cup final in Paris against France despite being taken mysteriously taken ill shortly before the kick-off. France went on to dethrone the Brazilians with a 3-0 victory. Ronaldo needs just one goal to equal Pele as Brazil's top all-time World Cup goalscorer.

England 2 Trinidad and Tobago 0

2006-06-15T11:21:00.000-07:00

England secured their place in the Round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup™ with a 2-0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago but they left it late before striking through Peter Crouch and Steven Gerrard on Thursday, 15 June 2006. Crouch broke the deadlock in Nuremberg with a headed goal in the 83rd minute and his Liverpool team-mate Gerrard added a superb second in the 91st minute. England, who welcomed back Wayne Rooney as a second-half substitute, have taken six points from their two Group B matches while Trinidad and Tobago remain on one point.
The first half was over goalless with some scares on both sides. Owen was not able to deliver in the first half, so in the second half Erikson made some major changes and fianlly brought in Rooney, the much anticipated English player. Rooney managed to create a competetive attitude in the England team and finally in the 83rd minute, a cross by Beckham was headed in by Crouch.
In the beggining of the added time Steven Gerrard scored from a distant and England got the lead 2-0. Over all England put on a dissapointing show. T & T however, must be very proud of their performance as they defeated really well. England did not appear to be on top of their game. They had alot of miss shots and even David Beckham was not his 100% and sent a number of bad crosses. If England was to performe the same, Germany will have nothing to worry about. The worse man of the match without a doubt was Lampard who is usually a threat, but in this game he missed 8 shots on target.

British Fans

2006-06-15T09:43:00.000-07:00

Watch the latest news about the British Fans.

Ecuador Beats Costa Rica 3-0

2006-06-15T08:36:00.000-07:00

Ecuador beat Costa Rica 3-0 to clinch qualification for the second phase of the World Cup for the first time in their history. The result means that Ecuador only need to draw with host nation Germany next Tuesday to win Group A by virtue of a superior goal difference, meaning they would avoid England if Sven-Goran Eriksson's side win Group B. Agustin Delgado, who scored the second goal, was confident his nation could spring a shock and force Germany to accept the runner's-up spot. Ecuador coach Luis Suarez said he was delighted with his team's attacking performance, and said: "We want to go a lot further and make history."
The impressive South Americans took the lead when Carlos Tenorio notched his second goal of the tournament, heading in a curling cross from the right by Luis Valencia with just eight minutes gone. Delgado smashed in the second from a tight angle early in the second half after Edison Mendez had nodded the ball into his path. Substitute Ivan Kaviedes wrapped up the scoring with a powerful shot in stoppage time. Costa Rican substitute Alvaro Saborio hit the crossbar with a looping shot five minutes from the end, but his team and Poland will now only be playing for pride when they meet in Hanover on Tuesday. Ecuador, who eased past Poland 2-0 in their first match, dominated the match.
Costa Rican goalkeeper Cristian Mora had to scramble to save on 40 minutes when a deflected cross from Valencia almost caught him out on the goalline. Delgado, who was a flop with English club Southampton, could have made it 2-0 on the stroke of half-time, but he failed to connect properly from the six-yard box. And Costa Rica wasted a golden chance when the unmarked Douglas Sequeira directed his header wide just before half-time. Ecuador crashed out in the first round in their first ever World Cup appearance four years ago. Germany beat Poland 1-0 on Wednesday, giving them two victories in two games. But the Germans only beat Costa Rica 4-2 in their opening match, meaning that their goal difference now in the group is three, while Ecuador's is five.

Bad News For Argentina

2006-06-14T15:17:00.000-07:00

Argentina's teenage star Lionel Messi, who has not played in the World Cup yet, has a painful left foot following training, a team source said. Team doctors were keeping an eye on Messi but he was not thought to be seriously injured, the source at the squad's base in southern Germany added, two days ahead of Argentina's tie against Serbia-Montenegro in Group C. Coach Jose Pekerman chose to bolster the team's defensive capability in the 2-1 victory against Ivory Coast last Saturday and did not field the 18-year-old.
Messi, who has recovered from a three month layoff due to a thigh injury, was in scintillating form for Spanish league champions Barcelona this season. Pekerman has come under intense pressure to include the youngster, who has been hailed as an heir to Diego Maradona, in his starting line-up.

Watch the Argentinians as they get ready for their next game and a report on Messi's condition.

Neville doubtful for Trinidad and Tobago clash

2006-06-14T15:12:00.000-07:00

Gary Neville looks certain to miss England's second World Cup match against Trinidad and Tobago, manager Sven-Goran Eriksson has revealed. The experienced Manchester United defender was nursing a sore calf and is now rated as 'very doubtful' for Thursday's Group B game against the Caribbean islanders in Nuremberg.
Neville, who earned his 80th cap in the 1-0 victory over Paraguay on Saturday, is likely to be replaced by either Liverpool's Jamie Carragher or Bayern Munich's Owen Hargreaves. England will qualify for the second round if they defeat Trinidad et Tobago on Thursday.

Germany Defeats Poland 1-0

2006-06-14T14:08:00.000-07:00

last-gasp goal from substitute Oliver Neuville gave Germany their second successive Group A victory against Poland in Dortmund on Wednesday, 14 June 2006.
Germany, who had been frustrated for the vast majority of the match through a combination of poor finishing and excellent goalkeeping from Artur Boruc, were grateful when the Borussia Monchengladbach man side-footed home in the first minute of added time. The result does not guarantee the hosts qualification for the Round of 16, but it leaves them with one foot in the knockout stages.
The first half finished with the score of 0-0 with a number of srikes by Klose and Podolski. In the second half we saw a lot more action from the German side. In the 75th minute Klose was aiming for the Polish goal when he was stopped by the Polish defender Radaslow Sobolewski which gave him his second yellow card of the game and he had to leave the game. Poland was forced to play for the last 15 minutes with 10 men and that was when the real siege on the Polish net started. In the 90th minute both Klose and Ballack hit the pole. Although the Polish goalkeepr Boruc did an amazing job of saving the balls, finally at the 91's minute he was defeated by the German striker Neuville who scored from a beautiful cross from Odonkor. The Germans won the game with a late goal and look forward to move to the finals.

GOAAAL for Germany in Added Time

2006-06-14T13:56:00.000-07:00

The German's finally succeed to break the Polish net in 91 minute in time added on. The goal came from Oliver Neuville who came to play in second half instead of Podolski.

Germany Draws 0-0 with Poland ( Half time)

2006-06-14T12:51:00.000-07:00

Germany returns to action against Poland who knows that a second successive defeat could prove fatal to their already-fragile FIFA World Cup™ hopes. The Polish are holding the German's on their toe and so far have been played a good defensive game with a number of strikes. But it was the German strikers Klose and Podolski who have each missed two oppurtunities to score. Podolski was ironically born in Poland and now plays for the German side against his home country. At the half time, both teams go back to locker rooms with a score of 0-0, although Germany had the possession of the ball 57% of the times.

Seven suspected Polish hooligans arrested at World Cup

2006-06-14T12:04:00.000-07:00

German police have arrested seven suspected Polish football hooligans in Dortmund where Poland was meeting Germany in a World Cup match in the evening. The men were arrested after they were stopped and searched in downtown Dortmund and found to be carrying the kind of dental guards worn by boxers. It gave the impression that they could be bracing for clashes with German fans, a spokesman said.
The police are expecting about 30,000 Polish fans to show up for the much-awaited Group A match between the host nation and the Poles, whose hopes of reaching the second round will be crushed if they lose here.
They said 11 Polish police officers who are experts on dealing with hooligans would be on the streets of Dortmund, but that for the time being the atmosphere in the western city was "totally peaceful".

Tunisia 2- Saudi Arabia 2

2006-06-14T11:54:00.000-07:00

An injury-time header from Radhi Jaidi rescued a point for Tunisia as they drew 2-2 with Group H rivals Saudi Arabia in Munich on Wednesday, 14 June 2006.
Jaidi struck two minutes into added time just as Saudi Arabia were contemplating a fine comeback victory. Trailing to Zied Jaziri's 23rd-minute goal, the Saudis drew level through Yasser Al Kahtani's fine near-post finish in the 57th minute and then thought they had taken all three points with substitute Sami Al Jaber completed a sweeping move with a cool finish six minutes from time. A point a piece for Tunisia and Saudi Arabia after an exciting encounter which both sides will argue they should have won. Spain's 4-0 victory over Ukraine earlier means both teams will fancy their chances of making the second round.

Spain 4-0 Ukraine

2006-06-14T11:48:00.000-07:00

Spain made a dream start to their 2006 FIFA World Cup™ campaign with a 4-0 victory over Group H rivals Ukraine in Leipzig on Wednesday, 14 June 2006.
Having waited as long as any team to get their campaign under way, Spain raced out of the starting blocks and were two goals in front inside 17 minutes as Xabi Alonso headed a 13th-minute opener before David Villa doubled the advantage. If Ukraine thought things could not get any worse they were wrong as they lost Vladyslav Vashchuk to a red card just two minutes into the second half after conceding a penalty for a challenge on Fernando Torres. Villa tucked away the spot-kick and Torres completed the scoring with a spectacular half-volley with nine minutes remaining. For just the second time since 1950, 12-times finalists Spain opened their FIFA World Cup campaign with a win. This was a comprehensive and impressive victory against first-timers Ukraine and should fill Luis Aragones's side with confidence. Ukraine's defeat means not one of the teams competing in the FIFA World Cup for the first time has yet managed a win.

Watch a report on the fans as they cheer their teams.

Rooney Will Not Play Against T &T

2006-06-14T02:07:00.000-07:00

Wayne Rooney is unlikely to play in England's World Cup match with Trinidad and Tobago, reports said, following speculation he was set to make a dramatic comeback. British newspapers have reported that Rooney was expected to make a shock appearance from the substitutes bench in Thursday's Group B game in Nuremberg, where a victory will see England advance to the last 16. But reports on Tuesday said Rooney's return was unlikely as medical experts who said his foot injury had healed will not fly to Germany to re-assess the player's condition until Friday.
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is furious with England counterpart Sven-Goran Eriksson over the Swede's refusal to rule Rooney out of the tournament until the second round.
United are concerned that Rooney has been rushed back too soon and risks further injury if he is forced to play without being properly match fit. Rooney meanwhile has been training hard and is expected to play a full part in Tuesday's session at England's idyllic Mittelberg training ground.
However, sources within the England camp have said the coaching staff have asked Rooney to ease up and are worried he may injure himself again while attempting to prove his fitness to Eriksson.

Navidkia joins Iran football squad

2006-06-13T20:52:00.000-07:00

Midfielder Moharram Navidkia joined Iran’s national football team here Monday night. Croat manager Branko Ivankovic called up Navidkia to replace the injured Sattar Zare’. Iran lost its 2006 World Cup Group D opener against Mexico 3-1 Sunday following a defending blunder that helped the North American side net twice in three minutes. Iran arrays against Portugal and Angola in Frankfurt and Leipzig on June 17 and 21 respectively.

Totti fit to face United States

2006-06-13T20:43:00.000-07:00

Italy striker Francesco Totti will be fit for their second Group E World Cup match against the United States on Saturday, team doctor Enrico Castellacci confirmed. Totti was substituted early in the second half of Monday's 2-0 win over Ghana after taking a knock on the knee, but the Roma captain's injury is minor.
"Totti bruised his left knee, but he's had a scan and there's no problem," Castellacci said.
Totti has only recently returned to action after breaking his left ankle in February. Castellacci said that Gianluca Zambrotta will also be available to face the Americans after recovering from the left thigh strain which kept him out of the Ghana match. Tenacious midfielder Gennaro Gattuso, also absent against Ghana, is making good progress after feeling a recurrence of a right leg injury and could also be back for Saturday's match, Castellacci added.

Ivankovic to make Iran changes

2006-06-13T20:21:00.000-07:00

Iran coach Branko Ivankovic will make changes to his line-up as he attempts to keep his team in the World Cup when they face Portugal in Frankfurt on Saturday. Iran lost their Group D opener 3-1 to Mexico and a defeat against the Portuguese will spell the end of the Iran campaign. Skipper Ali Daei looks like being the most high profile casualty with the veteran striker, who was roundly criticized in the Iranian press for his lacklustre performance against Mexico, suffering from a back injury.
"We will have to see what happens in the next few days with Ali Daei," said Ivanovic.
The 37-year-old Daei is the world's top international scorer with 109 goals.
Goalkeeper Ebrahim Mirzapour, who was singled out for criticism for his part in the first Mexican goal, could also be an uncertain starter. But Ivankovic came to the keeper's defence.
"Until he made the mistake, he had had a good game," said the coach. Meanwhile, injured players Ali Karimi, Mehdi Mahdavikia and Ferydoon Zandi all trained on Tuesday.