France 1 - 1 (3-5 PKs) Italy

Fabio Grosso was the hero of Italy's semi-final win over Germany, and Grosso scored the penalty kick that won the World Cup final for Italy. All five Italians made their spot kicks, while David Trezeguet's kick hit the cross bar for France. It was a classic cup final, marred by the sending off of France legend Zinedine Zidane for inexplicably head-butting Materazzi in extra time.

 

Zidane loses his head and uses his head to knock Materazzi to the ground.

 

All credit to Italy's defense, led by captain Fabio Cannavaro, for shutting down France after an early penalty kick. And their penalty takers deserve full credit too. England showed how hard penalty kicks can be, but the Italians stepped up and did the job, firing their shots into the back of the net: Andrea Pirlo, Marco Materazzi, Danielle De Rossi, Alessandro Del Piero, and Fabio Grosso.

 

Fabio Grosso's Penalty Kick wins the World Cup for Italy.

 

Penalty Kicks
1. Italy: Pirlo - goal
1. France: Wiltord - goal
2. Italy: Materazzi - goal
2. France: Trezeguet - missed, off cross bar
3. Italy: De Rossi - goal
3. France: Abidal - goal
4. Italy: Del Piero - goal
4. France: Sagnol - goal
5. Italy: Grosso - goal

 

Italy wins the World Cup 5-3 on penalty kicks.

 

Goal keepers: Fabian Barthez (France), Gianluigi Buffon (Italy)

 

World Cup Final: Minute by Minute

120:00 France 1 - 1 Italy
Zinedine Zidane was sent off for head-butting Materazzi in the chest. Neither team could find a goal in extra time, so we go to penalty kicks.

 

119:00 Wiltord runs onto a long ball, but his sliding shot is high and wide. Penalty kicks loom.

 

117:00 Everyone looks exhausted. The Italians are getting sloppy with their passing, but France is too tired to press them.

 

114:00 The crowd continues to jeer the sending off of Zidane as Diarra is called for a foul.

 

110:00 RED CARD: Zinedine Zidane. Amazingly, Zidane drills Meterazzi with a head butt to the chest. The Italian is knocked to the ground, and Zidane is sent off in his final international appearance. The replays showed that Materazzi may have said something to Zidane to precipitate the incident, but it is a shocker that Zidane would lose his cool and react in that manner with a fierce head butt. What a bizarre moment! The referee didn't see the foul, but after consulting with the linesmen, he pulled out the red card. Perhaps Zidane was frustrated at not putting his header past Buffon.

 

109:00 Del Piero is tripped up. He grabs the ball as he hits the ground, expecting a free kick, but he is whistled for a hand ball.

 

107:00 France Substitution: Sylvain Wiltord enters the match in place of an exhausted Henry.

 

106:00 De Rossi gets hit in the face by the elbow or hand of Malouda as they contest a high ball.

 

105:00 France 1 - 1 Italy; 15 more minutes of extra time to come
Fatigue is really setting in now. Thierry Henry sits down in the middle of the pitch after the whistle.

 

104:00 Zidane plays the ball to Sagnol on the right wing. Sagnol curls a pass back into the box, and Zidane heads a powerful shot on goal only for Buffon to make a spectacular save, tipping the ball over the bar. If the header had been a few inches to either side of Buffon, it would have been 2-1 to France.

 

102:00 Zidane chips the ball into the box, but Buffon comes off his line to catch the ball.

 

100:00 France substitution: David Trezequet enters the match as a substitute for Ribery.

 

99:00 Ribery gets a back-heel pass from Malouda, side steps a defender, and shoots just wide from the edge of the box.

 

98:00 Zambrotta runs down the right wing to support the attack, but France wins the ball and counter attacks. Once again, the Italian defense clamps down to regain possession.

 

97:00 Henry fakes out Gattuso, but his pass forward is intercepted by Cannavaro.

 

95:00 Malouda goes down near the edge of the box, but the referee waves play on. It looked like Malouda initiated the contact with Gattuso.

 

93:00 Malouda dribbles the ball down the left wing, challenges two defenders, and wins a corner kick. Zidane's kick is cleared at the near post.

 

91:00 France maintains possession to start extra time until Malouda loses it out of bounds.

 

90:00 France 1 - 1 Italy; Extra Time to Follow
Italy looked like they had the winning goal, when Toni headed the ball into the net just past the hour mark, but the goal was waved off. Although another player looked off-side, it could be argued that it was a passive off-side, and Toni's goal should have counted as he was level with the final defender. In any event, the goal did not count, and the match continues.

 

89:00 It's back and forth action. Makelele plays Zidane into the Italian half, but his is dispossessed by Gattuso. Iaquinta takes the ball down the right wing for Italy, but he too has the ball taken away.

 

88:00 Iaquinta breaks into the box along with two French defenders, but the ball is played back to Barthez before the Italian striker can tee up a shot.

 

87:00 Zidane's shot is headed away by Pirlo. Makelele follows up with a rare shot, but it sails high over the bar.

 

86:00 Cheers from the Italian fans as Alessandro Del Piero enters the match. Camoranesi makes way for the striker.

 

85:00 Toni plays the ball to De Rossi on the left wing, but De Rossi lobs a tame shot toward goal that is easily handled by Barthez.

 

83:00 France strings together several nice passes before Sagnol sends a cross into the box that is chested out for a corner kick by Zambrotta.

 

81:00 Zidane goes down after landing awkwardly on his shoulder. Italy plays the ball out of bounds as the stretcher comes onto the pitch. Zidane walks off the pitch, testing his shoulder. Is it a serious injury or just fatigue? Probably the latter as Zidane runs back onto the pitch.

 

77:00 Italy finally enjoy a few moments of possession in the second half.

 

76:00 Diarra picks up a yellow card for dissent after a challenge on Luca Toni. Pirlo's free kick from the center of the pitch curls just wide of the left post.

 

74:00 Cannavaro shows off a bicycle kick to clear the ball away, but France earn a free kick on the left wing. Zidane's kick sails harmlessly wide of the far post and out for a goal kick.

 

73:00 Luca Toni collects the ball in the box, turns and fires a shot on goal, but he is whistled for a hand ball. On his follow through, Toni's shin collides with Thuram's leg. The players use the stoppage in play as a water break.

 

72:00 On television, Bill Clinton is shown watching the match from the stands. He watches Abidal fire a speculative, long-range attempt well over the goal.

 

70:00 Ribery dribbled in and out of the box, and eventually draws a foul from Cannavaro on the left wing. Zidane's free kick goes off the hands of Buffon and out for a throw in.

 

69:00 Ribery fires high and wide from long range.

 

68:00 De Rossi gets pinned in at the right touch line, and fires a long pass back to Buffon.

 

65:00 Cannavaro tries to play the ball forward from the back, but Malouda regains possession and fires a shot over the bar.

 

63:00 Henry's shot is saved by Buffon, and then at the other end of the pitch, Toni's shot is blocked by a defender.

 

62:00 Following the substitution, Italy immediately put the ball into the back of the net. Luca Toni heads Pirlo's free kick into the goal, but the play is ruled off-side. I think it was another player, rather than Toni who was off-side. No goal.

 

61:00 A double substitution for Italy. Iaquinta and De Rossi enter the match in place of Perrotta and Totti.

 

58:00 Malouda plays the ball into the box again, but Zidane's shot is blocked by a defender. Camoranesi slips allowing France to retain possession. It's one way traffic for France.

 

56:00 Patrick Vieira cannot continue for France. He is replaced by substitute Diarra.

 

54:00 France continues to attack. Malouda caused problems again, dribbling in from the right wing and sending a pass across goal, but Ribery cannot get a touch to the ball.

 

53:00 Ribery attack down the right wing, centers the ball to Zidane who quickly passes it on to Malouda running into the box from the left. Malouda is taken down by Zambrotta, but no penalty is called. This one looked more like a penalty than the one that was awarded early in the match.

 

52:00 Malouda flies down the right side and picks out Henry in the box. Henry waits a moment too long, and Cannavaro is able to clear. The French are piling on the pressure.

 

50:00 Henry dribbles into the box, spins around, and tries to center the ball, but it is cleared over the line for a corner kick. Nothing comes from the corner.

 

49:00 Grosso works on Sagnol in the corner and wins a corner for Italy. The short corner is played into the box, headed forward by Gallas, and pin balls around and over the line for a goal kick.

 

47:00 Malouda is whistled for a foul, elbowing Zambrotta to the pitch.

 

46:00 With Malouda down on the ground, Henry continues the play, dribbling past several defenders and directing a weak shot on goal that is easily saved by Buffon.

 

HALF TIME: France 1 - 1 Italy
France took the early lead on a dubious penalty kick decision, and an equally dubious decision from Zidane to chip his spot kick down the middle. Fortunately for Zidane, his shot clipped the underside of the cross bar and fell just over the line to give France the lead. But Italy responded quickly as defender Marco Materazzi jumped over Patrick Vieira to head the ball into the net from a Pirlo corner kick. It's shaping up to be a classic final.

 

45:00 +2 Camoranesi breaks free of the French defense, but he is whistled off-side.

 

45:00 Totti takes a free kick from the left wing, but it is headed out of the box by France.

 

42:00 Luca Toni drops deeper to get involved in the play; Totti has been nearly invisible so far.

 

41:00 With play stalling in midfield, the crowd begins the wave.

 

38:00 A loose back pass from Sagnol almost plays Luca Toni through on goal for Italy, but Barthez comes out of goal to blast the ball away.

 

36:00 On the other end of the pitch, Cannavaro's slilding tackle prevents a shot from Henry. Nothing comes from the resulting corner kick.

 

35:00 A sliding tackle from Thuram blocks a shot from Luca Toni, but Italy win a corner kick. Toni almost makes it 2-1 for Italy, but his header bounced off and over the bar.

 

33:00 Perrotta is lying on the ground with an apparent foot or ankle injury after being stepped on by Ribery. France plays the ball out of bounds. Perrotta trots back onto the pitch after receiving the cold water treatment to his foot.

 

30:00 Gattuso is not strictly man-marking Henry, but he is nearby whenever the French striker gets the ball.

 

29:00 Makelele is whistled for a trip. Italy wins a free kick in France's half of the pitch, but Totti's long-range attempt is blocked.

 

27:00 Italy wins another corner kick as Vieira plays the ball over the line. Materazzi wins another header and sends the ball down on goal. The ball is cleared off the line, but Meterazzi was called for a foul anyway.

 

25:00 France is beginning to control possession in midfield, but Italy's defense is preventing any real scoring chances, winning the ball before France can get off a shot.

 

23:00 Makelele displays fine dribbling to set up Henry in the middle of the pitch, but Gattuso tackled the ball away from the French striker.

 

19:00 GOAL: Materazzi for Italy; France 1 - 1 Italy. Redemption for Materazzi. The Italian defender out-jumps Patrick Viera to head the ball home from a Pirlo corner kick.

 

11:00 Willy Sagnol is booked for a foul on Fabio Grosso.

 

7:00 GOAL: Zidane for France; France 1 - 0 Italy. Zinedine Zidane attempts a cheeky chipped penalty kick that hits off the under side of the cross bar and drops down just over the line to give France the lead. Similar to Hurst's goal for England in the 1966 final, except this one was clearly over the line.

 

6:00 The diving continues for France as Florent Malouda draws a penalty kick. There was minimal, if any, contact from Materazzi, but referee Horacio Marcelo Elizondo awards a spot kick to France as Malouda flings himself to the ground.

 

5:00 Zambrotta is booked for a foul on Lilian Thuram near the French penalty area.

 

2:00 With his head turned away, Thierry Henry runs into the shoulder of Fabio Cannavaro. He has to leave the pitch, but returns after a minute of treatment.

Germany 3 - 1 Portugal

It was the Bastian Schweinsteiger show in Stuttgart as Germany claimed third place in the 2006 World Cup with a convincing 3-1 win over Portugal. Schweinsteiger scored twice, and saw his free kick deflected in the net for another goal.

 

After losing to France in the semi-final, Portugal coach Luiz Scolari admitted it was hard to motivate his squad for the 3rd place match. That lack of motivation was evident in today’s match as the Germans looked far more determined to claim 3rd place in the tournament. Oliver Kahn started in goal and was cheered by the Stuttgart crowd, a fitting tribute to one of Germany’s footballing legends.

 

The match remained scoreless until the 56th minute when Bastian Schweinsteiger fired home a curling blast from just outside the penalty box. Seven minutes later, Schweinsteiger’s free kick from the left wing was turned into his own goal by Petit. In the 78th minute, Schweinsteiger scored again. As he dribbled toward the area, Petit backed away, providing him with more than enough space to unleash another swerving shot that eluded Ricardo and went into the net just inside the right post.

 

Moments later, Schweinsteiger was given a deserved ovation as he left the pitch, to be replaced by Thomas Hitzlsperger, who plays for Stuttgart in the Bundesliga. The move ensured that Klinsmann gave each of his players at least one appearance in the World Cup.

 

Luis Figo started the game on the bench, but he came on as a substitute and contributed to a late goal for Portugal in what was likely his last international appearance for Portugal. In the 88th minute, Figo’s cross was headed into the net by a diving Nuno Gomes.

 

Germany coach Jurgen Klinsmann and the players seemed genuinely pleased to capture the bronze medals. The tournament began with low expectations and criticism of Klinsmann, but it ended on a high note for the Germans. Although Germany didn’t make it to the final, Klinsmann was vindicated, Lukas Podolski was named young player of the tournament, and the future of German football looks bright. The Stuttgart crowd even chanted the name “Jurgen Klinsmann” in praise.

 

France 1 – 0 Portugal

A penalty earned by Thierry Henry and converted by Zinedine Zidane was enough to send France to the World Cup final. After France’s win against Spain, I recalled the saying, “old age and treachery will always prevail over youth and skill.” Well, the same could be said about today’s match. On the penalty, there was minimal contact as Ricardo Carvalho’s left boot touched Henry’s leg. But Henry made the most of it, tripping to the ground. And it worked as the referee gave France the decisive penalty kick.

 

Portugal got off to a fast start, and in the 9th minute, Maniche had the first good shot on goal. But his powerful blast sailed just over the bar. Ono the flip side, Cristiano Ronaldo was booed and jeered every time he touched the ball. As the first half progressed, however, France gradually slowed the game down and established their passing game. Zinedine Zidane and Claude Makelele began to take control of the midfield, while Ribery provided quickness on the wing.

 

In the 32nd minute, Thierry Henry won a penalty kick after minimal contact from Ricardo Carvalho. As Henry attempted to play the ball back across his body, Carvalho kicked at and ball but failed to make contact. Off balance as he was falling to the ground, Carvalho’s left foot came up and made contact with Henry’s shin. It wasn’t a deliberate or hard kick, but Henry made the most of it, tripping and falling to the ground. Zinedine Zidane then stepped up to take the spot kick. Ricardo once again guessed the right way, diving to his right, but Zidane’s low shot had enough pace to beat the Portugal keeper.

 

Moments later, Portugal appealed for a penalty when Cristiano Ronaldo fell dramatically to the ground as he attempted to head home a cross. Perhaps Ronaldo’s reputation for diving influenced the referee’s no-call. In any event, it didn’t look like a foul on the replay. After only a minute of injury time, the half time whistle blew with France holding a 1-0 lead.

 

Shortly after half time, Henry fired a low shot on goal. The ball deflected off Ricardo, but it dribbled just wide of the left post. Moments later, Ricardo was forced to make another save on Ribery’s blast. Ricardo’s one-handed punch went way up in the air, and he was able to collect it

 

In the 53rd minute, some Portugese fans cheered for what they thought was a tying goal, but Pauleta’s strike only hit the side netting. Miguel went down after an attempted one-two move with Pauleta, and had to leave the match near the hour mark. After a couple of minutes playing with ten men, Portugal finally sent on a substitute, and it was Chelsea’s Paulo Ferreira. That made it two Chelsea players for each side: Carvalho and Ferreira for Portugal, and Gallas and Makelele for France.

 

In the 68th minute, Scolari sent on Simao to help spark Portugal’s attack. And surprisingly, it was Pauleta that was substituted. In response, French coach Raymond Domenech sent on Sylvain Wiltord as a substitute for Malouda. (On a side note, Domenech was the coach of France’s 1996 Olympic team. It was the Atlanta Olympics, but the football matches were played in Athens, Georgia – home of soccerword.com)

 

More substitutions followed. For France, Govou came on for Ribery, and for Portugal, Costinha was replaced by the more attack minded Helder Postiga. Within minutes of entering the game, Govou beat his marker down the right wing and fired a low pass across the box, but no one was there to receive it. Meanwhile, Portugal resorted to long balls and diving in an attempt to draw a penalty kick.

 

In the 77th minute, Ronaldo fired in a swerving free kick that fooled Bartez, bouncing off his chest and arms and up into the air. Figo was first on the scene, but his header landed on top of the net. It was almost a howler for Barthez. With just over five minutes to go, Thierry Henry was replaced by Luis Saha, a somewhat odd substitution given that a penalty shootout was still a possibility. And Saha quickly picked up a red card, ruling him out of the final. Portugal’s Carvalho will also miss the next match, Saturday’s third place game, after picking up a booking. It hasn't been a great tournament for Carvalho. First, Rooney stomped on his crotch, and now he gave up the penalty kick that knocked Portugal out of the World Cup.

 

In injury time, Portugal poured men into the box, including keeper Ricardo, looking for the tying goal. But the French defense held firm. France will play Italy in the World Cup final on Sunday.

 

World Cup Semi-final: Italy 2 - 0 Germany
Move over Marco Tardelli. Fabio Grosso becomes the latest Italian to score a memorable goal against Germany. Only minutes away from a penalty kick shootout, Italy came up with two late goals to advance to the World Cup final. In front of a pro-German crowd in Dortmund, Fabio Grosso and Alessandro Del Piero stepped up with two brilliant strikes in the final two minutes of extra time to break the German's hearts and set off wild celebrations back in Italy. After Grosso curled a brilliant, left-footed shot past German keeper Jens Lehman, he raced down the pitch in celebration, shaking his head back and forth. It was reminiscent of Marco Tardelli's celebration after scoring against Germany in the 1982 final.

 

Grosso (right) celebrates his winning goal.

 

Dortmund's own Sebastian Kehl started for Germany in place of suspended defensive midfielder Torsten Frings. Surprisingly, Tim Borowski also started in place of Schweinsteiger. The match was allowed to flow by referee Benito Archundia Tellez of Mexico, and it was much more compelling than earlier matches with card-happy refs. Despite the free-flowing play, there were relatively few goal scoring chances in regulation. Italy controlled possession, but could not translate that advantage into a goal.

 

Both clubs made second half changes in an attempt to jump start the offese. Jurgen Klinsmann sent on Scweinsteiger in the 72nd minute for Borowski, and later substituted Bern Schneider with Odonkor. Likewise, Italy replaced Luca Toni with Alberto Gilardino in the 74th minute. But none of the subsitutes would help their countries score in regulation.

 

Italy had two great chances to win the match early in extra time. Substitute Gilardino dribbled into the box and hit the right post from a close range shot. Moments later, Gianluca Zambrotta collected the ball after a corner kick and slammed the ball off the crossbar. Two posts in two minutes, but the game was still without a goal.

 

In extra time, Italy coach Lippi brought on two strikers - Del Piero and Iaquinta - in place of midfielders, perhaps anticipating penalty kicks. With ten minutes remaining, Lukas Podolski forced a fine save from Gianluigi Buffon as the Italian keeper tipped the blast over the bar.

 

It was back and forth action over the final five minutes, and Italy finally broke through with only minutes to go. Once again, Fabio Grosso was the hero for Italy. It started from a corner kick. The headed clearance fell to Andrea Pirlo at the edge of the box, and he played a nice pass through to Grosso in the box. From the right of the area, Grosso curled a perfect left-footed strike just inside the left post to stun the Dortmund crowd. After the goal, Grosso ran across the pitch, shaking his head in celebration reprising Tardelli's famous celebration in the 1982 World Cup final.

 

And moments later, Del Piero added a second goal to seal the victory. Cannavaro started the move from the Italian side of midfield, and Gilardino set up the goal as he dribbled into the box, drawing the defender towards him. Gilardino then played the ball back to Del Piero cutting in completely unmarked from the left. And Del Piero curled a perfect, right-footed shot just inside the right post. It was almost a mirror image of Grosso's goal.

 

As a result, Germany lose for the first time ever in Dortmund. But more importantly, Italy remain unbeaten against Germany in the World Cup, and advance to the final.

 

Tardelli (right) celebrates his winning goal in the 1982 final.

France 1 - 0 Brazil
It was 1998 all over again in Frankfurt as an aging France side defied the odds to defeat Brazil and advance to the semi-finals. Zinedine Zidane recaptured the form of eight years ago, displaying brilliant control on the ball, remarkable vision, and inch-perfect passes to lead France to victory. And the French defense kept the potent Brazillian attack force at bay to record an historic victory. The only goal of the match came from a free kick in the 57th minute, and it was the familiar combination of Zidane to Henry. Zidane sent a brilliant cross from the left wing across goal, and remarkably, Henry was unmarked as he volleyed home at the far post. Ronaldinho had a chance to tie the match in the 88th minute, but his free kick from just outside the box curled just over the cross bar. Zidane, who will retire from international football after the tournament, will play at least one more World Cup match, against Portugal in the semi-finals. But this may be the end of the road for the all-time World Cup goal scorer Ronaldo. After losing to France in the 1998 final, Brazil had been unbeaten in World Cup play. Until now.

Portugal 0 - 0 (3-1 PKs) England
It was a bad day for England. David Beckham left the match with an injury, Wayne Rooney was shown a red card for stamping on Carvalho's crotch, and Portugal keeper Ricardo made three penalty kick saves to end England's dream. After going a man down in the second half, England bravely held on throughout 120 minutes to force penalty kicks. And it all went wrong there. Frank Lampard's nightmare of a world cup continued when he missed England's first penalty kick. Owen Hargreaves made England's only penalty kick, before Gerrard and Carragher had their shots saved by Ricardo. Two Portugal players missed the goal completely, but England could not take advantage of it as Ricardo came up big in goal for Portugal. Cristiano Ronaldo, who urged the referee to send off Rooney, made the final kick to win the match for Portugal.

 

The first half was more of a stalemate, with both teams defending well and allowing few chances. The match did have a back and forth flow as the referee allowed the game to proceed with few whistles. The only poor decision was the yellow card on John Terry after he collided with former Chelsea teammate Tiago near the center circle. It looked like a 50-50 challenge, but Terry was booked and would have missed the semi-final if England had advanced.

 

Cristiano Ronaldo was a threat down the left wing, and Neville struggled to keep up with his pace. Portugal’s best scoring chance of the first half was created by Ronaldo, cutting in from the left, but his left-footed shot was high at the near post. For England, Rooney and Lampard both had low, mid-range shots saved by Ricardo.

 

Steven Gerrard impressed with his work rate, running all over the pitch to support the attack, and to defend on of Ronaldo’s surging runs. David Beckham made little impact in the first half, uncharacteristically sending in a poor corner kick, and hitting the wall with a free kick from just outside the box. England looked better than previous matches, but still could not find the net in the first half.

 

In the 52nd minute, Eriksson did what many thought he didn’t have the courage to do. He took off David Beckham with Aaron Lennon coming on as a substitute. Moments later, England has a great scoring chance from a Gerrard corner kick, but Lampard mishit his volley and it didn’t force a save from Ricardo.

 

It didn’t take long for Aaron Lennon to make an impact on the game. He dribbled through the Portugal defense at laid the ball back. Rooney couldn’t get a foot to the ball, but Cole came sliding in for a shot that sailed over the bar.

 

And then it went all wrong for Rooney. After battling for the ball with two Portugal players, Rooney was struggling to stay on his feet, and he stepped down on Ricardo Carvalho’s crotch. It looked accidental, but the referee showed Rooney a straight red card, with Rooney’s Manchester United teammate Ronaldo lobbying for the red card. Ironically, it was another Chelsea defender, Paulo Ferreira, that injured Rooney’s foot in a league match, almost ruling him out of the World Cup. And now, Chelsea’s Carvalho was the player that Rooney fouled to get sent off.

 

With England’s lone striker sent off, Eriksson sent on Peter Crouch as a substitute for Joe Cole. For much of the remaining second half, England played with nine men behind the ball, with only Crouch up front. England did have a few chances on goal. Lampard’s low free kick troubled Ricardo, who could only block the shot, but Lennon’s follow up shot was easily saved. In the final minutes of regulation time, England managed two corner kicks, and came very close to scoring. After one of the corners, the ball fell to John Terry in the box, but his close range shot was deflected up and over the cross bar.

 

In extra time, England were content to defend with nine men behind the ball, and hope to hit Crouch on the counter attack. And Crouch did well to hold the ball up as best he could with two and three Portugal defenders marking him. At one point, Crouch released Aaron Lennon into the box, but Lennon was tackled before he could get a shot on target. England appealed for a penalty, but the referee ruled that it was a clean challenge. Near the end of the 30 minutes of extra time, Eriksson surprisingly took off substitute Lennon, replacing him with Jamie Carragher. And after Lampard and Gerrard had their spot kicks saved, it was Carragher who left to take England’s fourth PK. After drilling the ball into the top right corner before the referee blew his whistle, Carragher was forced to retake the kick. And once again, Ricardo made a diving save to deny England and send Portugal through to the semi-finals.

 

Penalty Kicks: Portugal wins 4-2

 

1. Portugal: Simao - goal
1. England: Lampard – saved by Ricardo
2. Portugal: Viana - missed off the left post
2. England: Hargreaves – goal, off Ricardo’s hand into the corner
3. Portugal: Petit – missed wide left
3. England: Gerrard – saved by Ricardo
4. Portugal: Postiga - goal
4. England: Carragher – saved by Ricardo
5. Portugal: Ronaldo - goal

 

Goal keepers: Paul Robinson (England), Ricardo (Portugal)

Italy 3 - 0 Ukraine
Gianluca Zambrotta scored an early goal, assisted on a late goal, and cleared a Ukraine shot off the line to lead Italy into the semi-finals. Luca Toni added two second half goals to complete an impressive performance by the Italians. In the 6th minute, Zambrotta received a pass in the midfield, dribbled towards goal, and fired a low, left-footed shot just inside the right post to give the Italians the early lead.

 

Just before the hour mark, Ukraine had two great chances to score, but the Italian defense held firm. It was the turning point of the match. In the 58th minute, Oleg Gusiev's close-range shot was blocked by Italian keeper Gianluigi Buffon. The rebound fell to Maksym Kalinichenko, but his bullet of a shot was cleared off the line by goal-scoring hero Zambrotta. Seconds later, at the other end of the pitch, Francesco Totti played a perfect cross for Luca Toni to head into the net at the far post.

 

Instead of the being tied 1-1, Ukraine trailed 0 - 2. The game turned on that series of events. Up 2-0, the Italians were in control of the match. And Luca Toni added another goal in the 69th minute to finish off the Ukraine. This time, Zambrotta was the play maker, dribbling past a defender and deliverying a perfect cross that left Toni with the simple task of tapping the ball into the empty net. The impressive win puts Italy into the semi-final against Germany in a match-up of traditional European powerhouses.

Germany 1 - 1 (4 - 2 PKs) Argentina
Germany's march to the finals continued with a 4-2 penalty kick win over Argentina. Until the 80th minute, however, it looked like it was going to be Argentina's day. Roberto Ayala scored the first goal of the match for Argentina in the 49th minute, heading Riquelme's corner into the German goal.

 

In the 72nd minute, Argentina coach Jose Pekerman made a tactical change, sending on Esteban Cambiasso as a substitute for Riquelme. The move was intended to improve Argentina's defending in the midfield as they tried to hang on to the lead. But it didn't work out that way. In the 80th minute, Michael Ballack curled a pass into the box. It was flicked on by Borwowski, and Miroslav Klose leaned in to head the ball into the back of the net.

 

I'm sure Pekerman wished he had Riquelme, Crespo, and Messi available for extra time and the penalty kicks, but instead he had to make do with Tevez and Cruz. After a scoreless extra period of 30 minutes, the game was decided by penalty kicks. The steady Germans - Oliver Neuville, Michael Ballack, Lukas Podolski, and Tim Borowski - converted all of thier kicks. Before the penalty kicks began, Germany's former #1 keeper Oliver Kahn actually spoke words of encouragement to Lehman. Apparently, it paid off as Lehman saved the spot kicks from Ayala and Cambiasso to send Germany through to the semi-finals. After the match, German coach Jurgen Klinsmann was understandably confident, "We were convinced that if we got to penalties we'd advance. The belief we have in ourselves is really strong."

 

Substitute Tim Borowski, who came on for Bastien Schweinsteiger in the 74th minute, proved to be the key figure in the match. He set up the first goal, scored the final penalty kick, and he may have started to post-match brawl with his "shhh" gesture towards the Argentine players after making his spot kick. Players and officials from both sides pushed and kicked at one another after the match. The Germans contend that Per Mertesacker was stepped on by an Argentine player to start the mini-brawl. Whatever the case may be, the Germans are through to the semi-finals, and Jose Pekerman has resigned as Argentina's coach. We'll have to wait and see if FIFA takes any action in response to the post-match incident.

France 3 - 1 Spain
There's a saying that "old age and treachery will always prevail over youth and skill." I don't know if that's always true, but it worked out that way today in Hannover as France's aging squad came from a goal down to stun Spain 3-1. A goal from a controversial free kick, and a late strike from Zinedine Zidane earned France a spot in the final eight.

 

Spain took the lead with a 28th minute penalty kick from David Villa after Lilian Thuram had taken down Pablo Ibanez in the box. At that point, you had the feeling that it might be another one goal affair with Spain digging in on defense. But the game sprang to life just before half time as Franck Ribery ran onto a nice pass from Patrick Vieira, flew past the defense, dribbled beyond the keeper at the left edge of the box, and chipped the ball into the goal ahead of the diving attempts of two Spanish defenders.

 

With the game tied, the second half was thrilling as both sides pushed for the winning goal. And it came from a controversial free kick awarded to France. Thierry Henry was running after a long ball that he had no chance of reaching. Spanish defender Carlos Puyol was running in stride, shielding Henry off the ball when his elbow came up and made contact with Henry's chest. Maybe it was a foul, but Henry made a meal of it, grabbing his face and rolling on the ground as if he had taken an uppercut to the chin. The referee was fooled. He gave France a free kick and Puyol a yellow card. Quite harsh. And you just knew what would happen next. Zidane curled in a free kick that was flicked on for Vieira to head in at the far post.

 

Didn't Henry feature in all those Eric Cantona commercials about fair play at the World Cup? Well, I guess all that talk about honor goes out the window when a spot in the quarter-finals is at stake. And Zidane ensured France would be there with a 90 minute strike. This one was legitimate as Zidane cut in from the left, dribbled past Puyol, and fired a low shot past the keeper.

 

France's win sets up a rematch of the 1998 final against Brazil. We'll see if Henry can get the better of Ronaldinho this time around. The last time they faced one another was in Barcelona's victory over Arsenal in the Champions League Final. I'm betting on Brazil.

Brazil 3 - 0 Ghana
Ronaldo beame the leading goal scorer in World Cup history as Brazil ended Ghana's Cinderalla run. Ronaldo opened the scoring in the 4th minute, running onto a nice pass from Kaka and faking out the keeper with a clever step-over move. He easily finished into the open net to record his 15th World Cup goal. Adriano kneed in a cross from Cafu to double Brazil's lead just before half time, but replays showed that he was marginally off-side as the pass was made. In the 80th minute, Ghana's Asamoah Gyan was booked for a blatant dive in the box. It was his second yellow of the match, so he was off and Ghana were reduced to ten men. Brazil took advantage, once again beating the off-side trap in the 83rd minute. This time it was Ze Roberto who sprinted from midfield, flew past the defenders, flicked the ball over the keeper, an tapped it into the open net. Although Brazil won by three goals, they still did not achieve the level of performance they are capable of producing. But such is the quality of Brazil that even on an off-day, they can win by three goals.

Ukraine 0 - 0 (3-0 PKs) Switzerland
Ukraine won 3-0 on penalty kicks, despite Shevchenko missing on the first attempt. For Switzerland, at least no one person will take the blame for missing a kick - all of their kick takers were dreadful. Streller fired a weak shot that was easily saved by Ukraine keeper Olexander Shovkovskiy. On the second kick for Switzerland, Barnetta blasted his shot off the bar, and Shovkovskiy made a nice diving save on Cabanas' spot kickt. Gusiev converted Ukraine's fourth PK to clinch the victory.

 

In regulation, each team hit the woodwork once, and that was as close as we came to seeing a goal in a very defensive-minded match. Ludovic Magnin was energetic throughout the match, despite getting kneed in the back of the head by a teammate at one point. Several times he motioned for the crowd to get behind the Swiss, but unfortunately, there wasn't much to cheer about in the first 120 minutes. Newcastle's Alan Shearer summed up the match prior to PKs: "Thank God that's finished - I feel like I've been here for 10 years."

 

After a scoreless 30 minute extra period, we saw penalty kicks for the first time in the tournament. And for the first time in the history of the World Cup, a team that conceded no goals in the tournament has been eliminated. The Swiss kept clean sheets in all of their matches, only losing on penalty kicks in the round of 16.

 

Penalty Kicks
1. Ukraine: Shevchenko - saved by Zuberbuhler
1. Switzerland: Streller - saved by Shovkovskiy
2. Ukraine: Milevskiy - goal (chipped down the middle)
2. Switzerland: Barnetta - miss (off the cross bar)
3. Ukraine: Rebrov - goal (hard drive down the middle)
3. Switzerland: Cabanas - saved by Shovkovskiy
4. Ukraine: Gusiev - goal (low down the middle)

 

Goalkeepers: Pascal Zuberbuhler (Switzerland), Olexander Shovkovskiy (Ukraine)

Italy 1 - 0 Australia
With only seconds remaining in injury time, Fabio Grosso dribbled past one defender and was taken down by Lucan Neil in the box to earn a penalty for Italy. In fact, Grosso fell over Neil who had tried to take the ball away with a sliding tackle. In any event, Francesco Totti stepped up to the spot a fired a bullet of a penalty kick past Mark Schwarzer and into the top left of the goal. Italy won on the last kick of the game.

 

That outcome looked unlikely after Italy missed several chances in the first half and were reduced to ten men in the 51st minute. Marco Materazzi fouled Marco Bresciano just outside the box. Materazzi wasn't the last defender, and it wasn't a particularly hard foul, but he was shown a red card anyway. Another typically bizarre referee decision in this tournament.

 

Australia could not take advantage of their extra man as Italy defended well throughout the second half. With only seconds remaining in the announced three minutes of injury time, 30 minutes of added time beckoned. But Australia were punished for failing to score against ten-man Italy when Grosso earned the last second penalty kick. Totti, who came on as a late substitute, kept his cool and fired Italy into the quarter-finals.

Portugal 1 - 0 Holland
During his brief stay at Chelsea, Maniche was only slightly better than dreadful. But for some reason, he turns into a completely different player when he takes the field for Portugal. He was great at Euro 2004, and he scored the only goal of the match to send Portugal through to the quarter-finals. In the 23rd minute, Deco crossed the ball into the box, and Pauleta laid it off for Maniche. After a dribble to his right, Manich fired a bullet past Edwin van der Sar.

 

Playing without Ruud van Nistelrooy, the Dutch tried to find an equalizer, but the final touch was never there. Robin van Persie shot wide from close range, and Arjen Robben couldn't break down the Portugal defense like he did in previous games.

 

Near half-time Russian referee Valentin Ivanov sent off Costinha for a deliberate handball, his second yellow of the match. The handball was completely unnecessary as Costinha was in the middle of the pitch and there was no danger that would warrant such a drastic action. Being on a yellow card, he should have known better.

 

In the second half, the match became even more contentious, with Ivanov losing control of the game. Luis Figo was only shown a yellow card for head-butting van Bommel. Then, in the 63rd minute, Figo and Khalid Boulahrouz were chasing the ball when Boulahrouz' elbow made slight contact with Figo's face. It looked completely accidental, but the referee showed the Dutch defender his second yellow of the match, reducing Holland to ten men.

 

And it got even more chippy from there. Deco, apparently unhappy that Holland did not return the ball to Portugal after an injury, unleashed a flying tackle on Johnny Heitinga that probably should have earned a straight red card. Deco got a yellow instead, but not to worry. A few minutes later, he picked up another yellow for refusing to give the ball to Holland for a free kick. With Portugal down to ten men, you would have expected Marco van Basten to bring on Ruud van Nistelrooy in a last ditch effort to find a tying goal, but the Manchester United striker mysteriously remained on the bench.

 

Six minutes of injury time were awarded, giving Holland some hope of tying the game, but that hope was dashed four minutes into stoppage time when Giovani van Bronckhorst became the record fourth player to be sent off. At least he had the consolatin of chatting to his Barcelona teammate Deco on the bench. In all, there were 16 yellow cards shown, tying the World Cup record. And four players sent off was also a record.

 

Once again, the referee made some poor decisions, but the players were pretty poor themselves. Feigning injury, poor sportsmanship, and lots of fouls. Portugal advance to face England in the next round, but they will be without the suspended Deco and Costinha, and they may be without Cristiano Ronaldo who was injured in a early foul by Boulahrouz. The England fans will certainly not complain about that.

England 1 - 0 Ecuador
Once again, it wasn't pretty, but England survive the heat in Stuttgart to advance to the quarter-finals. A trademark bending free kick from David Beckham was the difference as England won 1-0. The England captain got sick moments after the goal, and lasted until the 87th minute when Aaron Lennon came on in his place. Ecuador should have scored a goal early on when John Terry's poor headed allowed Tenorio through on goal. But Ashley Cole came to the rescue, sliding in at the last moment to deflect the shot onto the bar. Near the end of the match, Rooney and Lampard created some good chances, but once again, Lampard's final touch was off target. The overall performance from England was far from impressive, but they got the result they needed.

 

Here are the key moments of the match:

 

10: A poor header from John Terry played Carlos Tenorio through on goal. Ashley Cole came sliding in just in time to deflect Tenorio’s shot off the cross bar.

 

17: England were having trouble keeping possession through the midfield, resorting to many long balls over the top without much effect.

 

18: After a few nice passes, Gerrard curled a shot well over the bar.

 

19: John Terry picked up a yellow card for a high boot on Tenorio. The Ecuador player rolled around clutching his shoulder. The resulting free kick was tipped just wide of the right post by Rio Ferdinand.

 

25: The Stuttgart heats appeared to be taking its toll as the game slowed to a snail’s pace: lots of fouls, lots of Ecuador players lying on the ground.

 

27: Lampard fired in a low, bouncing shot but it was easily caught by the Ecuador keeper.

 

35: Beckham curled a free kick just wide of the left post.

 

41: Rooney stole the ball from an Ecuador defender and tried to dribbled into the box, but Espinoza tackled the ball away. The ball actually deflected off Espinoz’a hand, but it looked unintentional.

 

46: Rooney played a nice ball forward, but Gerrard was brought down on the edge of the box. No foul was called.

 

50: Gerrard fired a pass across the face of goal, but no one was there to finish.

 

55: Lampard chipped the ball over the defenders, but Rooney is blocked out by Hurtado and Espinoza. All three tumbled to the ground, but there was no foul.

 

60: David Beckham curled a free kick over the wall and into the lower left of the goal. Ecuador keeper may have gotten a slight touch, but the ball was perfectly placed, low off the left post and into the net.

 

63: Gerrard chested the ball down for Lampard on the edge of the box, but Lampard pulled his shot wide right.

 

65: Beckham appeared to be throwing up on the pitch, apparently suffering from the heat. Moments later, Lampard collected a loose ball in the box, but instead of shooting, he tried to lay off a pass for Rooney. But it was cleared by a defender.

 

71: Lampard broke forward down the right and crossed the ball in front of goal, but it was too far for Rooney

 

72: Rooney dribbled the ball through a defender’s leg, and laid the ball back in the path of Lampard, but the midfielder fires the shot well over the bar.

 

75: Rooney fired a long shot in on goal, but it was well saved by the keeper.

 

77: Jamie Carragher came on as a substitute for Joe Cole.

 

78: Mendes shot just wide of the right post following a poor clearance from Ferdinand. Paul Robinson was booked for time wasting.

 

81: Sven Goran Eriksson looked fairly cool on the bench, with one leg crossed over the other and his tie still neatly in place. To his left sat Steve McClaren in shorts.

 

84: England were beginning to tire. Beckham was still struggling, and Paul Robinson stayed down after pouncing on the ball, requiring a couple minutes of treatment. They better hold on to their 1-0 lead in regulation, because I don’t think they would last through 30 minutes of added time.

 

87: Aaron Lennon came on for the ill David Beckham. John Terry assumed the captain’s arm band.

 

90: Rooney released Aaron Lennon down the right wing. His initial shot was blocked, but Lennon earned a corner kick. Rooney played a short corner as England try to hold the ball up in the corner to run the clock down.

 

90+: Stuart Downing came on as a substitute for Steven Gerrard.

 

90+3: The final whistle sounded to the relief of the England players and fans.

Argentina 2 - 1 Mexico
Argentina entered the match as the heavy favorites, but it was Mexico that scored first. In the 5th minute, Mexico were awarded a free kick near the right sideline. Pavel Pardo played the free kick into the box, and Mario Mendez flicked the ball on to the far post where Rafael Marquez was waiting to stab the ball into the back of the net.

 

Mexico's surprise lead did not last long, though, as Argentina pulled even five minutes later. A corner kick was met by Mexico's Jared Borgetti head, and perhaps Hernan Crespo's leg, deflecting the ball into the net. Hernan Crespo claimed the goal, but replays showed that Borgetti's head made the most contact with the ball. Perhaps Crespo got a slight touch as well.

 

In any event, the match stayed tied and 1-1 until the whistle at the 90 minute mark. In extra time, Maxi Rodriguez scored a brilliant goal, a candidate for goal of the tournament, to put Argentina ahead for the first time. Juan Pablo Sorin crossed the ball from the left wing to the right edge of the box. Rodriguez chested the ball down, and much like Joe Cole against Trinidad and Tobago, fired a perfect, curling volley into the top left corner of the goal. And Argentina held on to their 2-1 advantage until the end of the 30 minute extra time. Argentina will face Germany in the quarter-finals.

Germany 2 - 0 Sweden
Miroslav Klose twice set up Lukas Podolski to score within the first twelve minutes of the game, and Germany never looked back. In the fourth minute, Klose ran between two defenders into the box. Sweden keeper Isaksson slapped the ball away before Klose could shoot, but it fell to Podolski on the edge of the box. Podolski fired a shot toward the open net, and a diving header from defender Teddy Lucic could not keep it out of the goal. In the 12th minute, Klose dribbled to the edge of the box, drawing three defender to him. He rolled a nice pass to Podolski in space, and once agains Podolski fired the ball home.

 

Sweden, and Lucic in particular, were dealt another blow when Lucic received his second yellow of the match for an apparent tug on Klose's shirt. It didn't look like much of a foul to me, certainly not a yellow card. But several Germans motioned for referee Carlos Eugenio Simon to book Lucic, and he did just that, smiling as he displayed the red card. Perhaps he was recalling Graham Poll's "three yellow cards for Simunic" display.

 

Sweden had a chance to get back into the game when Henrik Larsson won a penalty kick, falling to the ground from what looked like minimal contact. It may have been a dive, but German boss Jurgen Klinsmann knows all about that, right? In any event, justice was served as Larsson's spot kick was drilled well over the bar. German keeper Jens Lehmann stood in the center of the goal as the ball sailed safely high of the bar. Down two goals and reduced to ten men, it was all over for Sweden. Germany maintained their unbeaten record in this World Cup, and Carlos Eugenio Simon maintained the poor referee performance.

Switzerland 2 - 0 South Korea
The Swiss captured first place in Group G with a two goal win over South Korea. Arsenal's Phillipe Senderos headed in Hakan Yakin's free kick in the 22nd minute to give the Swiss the lead. With his follow through, Senderos's head collided with a Korean defender, leaving the goal scorer with a bloody face. But he didn't care as the Swiss were on pace to win the group. Alexander Frei scored in the 77th minute to put the game away. The linesman had originally raised his flag to indicate off-side, but the referee ruled that the pass came off a Korean defender. Although the Koreans stopped playing when the flag was raised, the goal stood, and Switzerland are through as group winners. The Swiss will play Ukraine in the second round. Unlucky South Korea is the only country with four points not to advance past the group stage.

 

France 2 - 0 Togo
The French have finally scored! Patrick Vieira set up one goal and scored the other as France leap frogged South Korea in the standings to advance to the final 16. The game was scoreless until early in the second half when France scored twice within six minutes. Vieira, playing on his 30th birthday scored the first goal from inside the box, and Thierry Henry added the second goal in th 61st minute. It wasn't easy, but France is through to the second round, meaning Zinedine Zidane will have at least one more match for France. Spain will be their opponents in the next round.

Spain 1 - 0 Saudi Arabia
Juanito's 36th minute header was all Spain needed to defeat Saudi Arabia and finish first in Group H. For the first time in World Cup history, Spain played with a completely different starting 11 than their previouis game. And the "subs" kept Spain's winning streak going with their third straight victory in the tournament. Spain will play France in the second round.

 

Ukraine 1 - 0 Tunisia
Ukraine also made it to the next round with a one goal victory over Tunisia. A 71st minute penalty kick from Andriy Shevchenko was the only goal of the match. Tunisia striker Ziad Jaziri was sent off just before half time with his second yellow card of the match.

Brazil 4 - 1 Japan
Brazil came from a goal down to record their third straight win in the 2006 World Cup and their 10th straight win at the World Cup finals. Ronaldo scored twice to tie Gerd Muller with 14 career World Cup goals.

 

Brazil controlled the early stages of the game, but Japan took a shock lead in the 33rd minute. Brazillian born Alex played Keiji Tamada through on goal, and Tamada fired a rising shot past Dida at the near post. It looked like Japan would hold onto the lead at half time, but Ronaldo headed in the tying goal in stoppage time. From the left of the box, Ronaldinho played a pass over the defense to Cicinho at the right edge of the area. Cicinho headed the ball back across goal, and Ronaldo headed home inside the left post.

 

Japan keeper Kawaguchi made several brilliant saves in the first half, but his howler allowed a long-range strike from Juninho to find the net in the 53rd minute. Juninho's swerving shot from 30 yards completely fooled Japan keeper Kawaguchi and sailed just over his hands and into the net. It looked like Kawaguchi may have been screened by one of the defenders because he was late to react to the shot.

 

Gilberto added a fantastic goal six minutes later, running past the defense and firing a low, left-footed shot just inside the right post from a tight angle. Ronaldo added a quality goal of his own in the 81st minute, exchanging one-touch passes with Robinho before turning and firing the ball into the right of the goal. Japan had their moments, but the quality of Brazil was too much for them. Brazil will face Ghana in the next round.

 

Australia 2 - 2 Croatia
Croatia needed a win to advance to the next round, and they were leading 2-1 late in the game. But a Harry Kewell goal in the 79th minute salvaged a draw for Australia and booked their place in the round of 16. darijo Srna had given Croatia the early lead in the 3rd minute, but Australia equalized on Craig Moore's 39th minute penalty kick.

 

Croatia were back in front when Nico Kovac's shot bounced over the Australia keeper and into the net. Eleven minutes from time, though, Harry Kewell came to Australia's rescue. Marco Bresciano's cross was flicked on by Aloisi, and Kewell was there to score the goal. Despite Croatia's claims of off-side, the goal was allowed by referee Graham Poll.

 

Croatia's Simic and Australia's Emerton were both sent off for their second yellow cards, but referee Graham Poll failed to send off Simunic for his second yellow card. The game ended in a bizarre fashion as Tim Cahill's goal was not allowed, occuring after the final whistle. And after the match, as Simunic continued to complain, Poll showed him his third yellow of the match, and finally a red as well. It was a horror game for Poll. Although allowing an off-side goal was the linesman's mistake, giving a player three yellows before sending him off is a real amateur error. But this is the same referee who allowed Henry's quick free kick against Chelsea two seasons ago. I wonder if Poll will be given another game in the tournament?

Italy 2 - 0 Czech Republic
The Italians finished top of Group E thanks to a two goal win over ten-man Czech Republic. Marco Materazzi came on for the injured Alessandro Nesta in the 17th minute, and scored a goal within ten minutes to give Italy the lead. Without the injured Jan Koller, the Czechs struggled to create scoring opportunities. And they were dealt another blow when Jan Polak was sent off just before half time for picking up a second yellow card. Filippo Inzaghi sealed the win, and first place for Italy, when he rounded Czech keeper Petr Cech to score in the 87th minute.

 

Ghana 2 - 1 United States
Two defensive mistakes, poor attacking, and a horrible referee decision cost the United States a spot in the second round. The United States needed a win against Ghana and an Italy victory over the Czechs to make it to the final 16. The Italians did their part, but the Americans once again had trouble scoring goals.

 

The trouble began for the Americans in the 22nd minute when Claudio Reyna's indecisiveness on the ball led to him being dispossessed by Haminu Dramani. Reyna fell to the ground after an apparent clash of knees while Dramani dribbled in on goal and beat Kasey Keller with a shot just inside the right post.

 

The Americans looked to have regained the momentum with a goal in the 43rd minute. DeMarcus Beasley intercepted a pass from Boateng and curled a nice pass across goal for Clint Dempsey to fire into the back of the net. The goal gave the Americans hope, but it was quickly dashed as referee Markus Merk awarded a controversial penalty kick to Ghana just before half time. A poor clearing attempt from Carlos Bocanegra allowed Ghana to play the ball into the box. American defender Oguchi Onyewu and Ghana striker Pimpong both jumped for the ball. Onyewu appeared to win a clean header, but Pimpong fell to the ground and Merk called it a penalty. Stephen Appiah scored from the spot to restore Ghana's lead.

 

In the second half, the United States came close to scoring, but McBride hit the post with his header, and Onyewu headed just over the bar. As the 90th minute approach, the Ghana players took advantage of every challenge, falling to the groud for treatment in an effort to waste time. And it worked as they held on to an historic win. Ghana, the only African nation to advance out of the group stage, will play Brazil in the next round.

The Americans can blame poor officiating, in part, for their early departure. The two red cards they received against Italy were harsh, and the penalty that was awarded to Ghana was one of the worst decisions of the tournament. But ultimately, it was the Americans lack of scoring that cost them. Landon Donovan was invisible for most of the time, and Brian McBride lacked service up front. Whether the players or Bruce Arena's 4-5-1 system were to blame is debatable. But the bottom line is that poor decisions aside, the USA just wasn't good enough this time around. Better luck in 2010 in South Africa.

Group D
9 Portugal (3-0-0)
4 Mexico (1-1-1)
2 Angola (0-2-1)
1 Iran (0-1-2)

Group C
7 Argentina (2-1-0)
7 Holland (2-1-0)
3 Ivory Coast (1-0-2)
0 Serbia & Montenegro (0-0-3)

 

Sorry Argentina fans. I don't have an Argentina flag to display, so I will have to use Holland's.

Holland 0 - 0 Argentina
Despite the goalless draw, both countries qualify for the second round. Argentina is the group winner.

 

Ivory Coast 3 - 2 Serbia & Montenegro
Ivory Coast came from two goals down to defeat ten man S&M and record their first ever World Cup finals win. Zigic and Ilic scored first half goals to put Serbia & Montengro in front. But Aruna Dindane scored twice (one on a twice taken penalty kick), and Bonaventure Kalou added another penalty kick goal to give the Ivory Coast the win. Albert Nadj was sent off for S&M in the 45th minute.

England 2 - 2 Sweden
England twice held the lead in this match, but Sweden fought back twice to earn a deserved draw. England dominated the first half, and Joe Cole produced the goal of the tournament in the 34th minute. Cole chested down a clearance attempt and fired a perfectly placed high volley off Swedish keeper Isaksson's fingertips, off the right post, and into the top right corner of the goal.

 

England's first half success was marred by what looks to be a serious injury to Michael Owen. In only the second minute of the match, Owen landed awkardly on his right leg, and his knee buckled underneath him. He crawled off the pitch, and was taken to the dressing room on a stretcher. Peter Crouch came on for Owen.

 

Leading 1-0 at half time, England were put under pressure from Sweden in the second half, especially from set pieces. In the 50th minute, Marcus Allback flicked on Tobias Linderoth's corner kick, and Ashley Cole could not clear the ball at the far post. Cole tried to head the ball off the line, but he just managed to head it into the roof of the net.

 

In the 69th minute, Sven Goran Eriksson took off Wayne Rooney, who reacted angrily to the substitution, and sent on Steven Gerrard in his place. In the 85th minute, Joe Cole chipped in a perfectly placed pass for Gerrard to head home just inside the near post.

 

The late goal looked to have won the match for England, but Sweden responded with a late goal of their own. Horrible defending by England allowed Sweden to score from a throw-in. A bouncing ball into the box was not cleared by any of the England defenders or collected by keeper Paul Robinson. Instead, Henrik Larsson was able to poke the ball over the line just inside the right post to salvage a draw for Sweden. Olof Mellberg may have also gotten a touch on the ball, but the goal was initially credited to Larsson.

 

The draw was still good enough for England to win group B. They will face Ecuador on Sunday in the second round, while Sweden will play Germany on Saturday. Still, England's inability to finish off the game and their poor play against set pieces will surely worry coach Sven and the England fans. Once again, England flashed moments of brilliance, but the overall performance seemed less than the sum of the parts.

 

Paraguay 2 - 0 Trinidad & Tobago
Both teams had already been eliminated, so there was little at stake in this match apart from pride. An own goal from T & T's Brent Sancho gave Paraguay the lead, and Nelson Cuevas scored the second goal of the game. Paraguay finished third in the group, while Trinidad & Tobago are left with their opening draw against Sweden as the highlight of their World Cup experience.

Germany 3 - 0 Ecuador
Germany wrapped up first place in group A with a comfortable three goal win over Ecuador. Miroslav Klose scored from close range in the fourth minute, and added his fourth goal of the tournament just before half time. Michael Ballack played a nice chipped pass to set up Klose's second goal. Lucas Podolski scored Germany's third and final goal just before the hour mark. Ecuador, who were resting many players on yellow cards, will face England in the next round unless the English lose to Sweden later today.

 

Poland 2 - 1 Costa Rica
Both clubs had already been eliminated before this game began, but that didn't stop both sides from taking it seriously. Ten yellow cards were shown in a physical match. In the 24th minute, Ronald Gomez scored on a low free kick to give Costa Rica the early lead. Poland were level within ten minutes when defender Bartosz Bosacki's volley from a corner kick found the back of the net. And Bosacki scored again with a header in the 66th minute to put the Poles in front. Paulo Wanchope, who had scored twice for Costa Rica against Germany, looked to have earned Costa Rica a draw, but his late goal was ruled off-side.

Group H: Spain 3 - 1 Tunisia
Joahar Mnari gave Tunisia a suprise lead in the 8th minute. His initial shot was saved by Iker Casillas, but Mnari tapped in the rebound from close range. Tunisia bravely held on to their slim lead until the 71st minute. Tunisian keeper Ali Boumnijel could not hand on to Cesc Fabregas' shot, and Raul was there to score the tying goal. Moments later, Boumnijel was caught well off the goal line, and Torres dribbled to his left and poked the ball past the keeper with the outside of his right foot. With the keeper so far off the line, the ball bounced slowly into the open net to seal the victory. In stoppage time, Torres won and converted a penalty kick to complete the scoring. The spot kick was struck low at the keeper, but it deflected off the diving Boumnijel and into the net.

Group H: Ukraine 4 - 0 Saudi Arabia
After losing their first match by four goals to Spain, Ukraine rebounded to hand Saudi Arabia a four-goal thrashing. Andriy Rusol scored from a corner kick to give Ukraine the early lead in the fourth minute. Serhiy Rebrov scored from a 35 yard strike in the 36th minute when the keeper slipped attempting to stop the shot. Maxim Kalinichenko set up Andriy Shevchenko to head in the third goal just after half time. And Shevchenko turned provider as Kalinichenko tapped in the fourth goal just before time. Ukraine now need just a point from their final game against Tunisia to advance to the second round.

Group G: Switzerland 2 - 0 Togo
Alexander Frei scored the opening goal for the Swiss in the 17th minute, deflecting Tranquillo Barnetta's cross into the net from close range. The Swiss held on to their one goal lead throughout most of the match, and Barnetta added a second goal in the 88th minute to seal the deal. Barnetta's precise, low strike deflected into the goal off the left post. Switzerland and South Korea are not tied for first place in the group with four points. They play one another in the final group match, while France remains in third place after two draws.

South Korea 1 - 1 France
A late goal by Park Ji-Sung earned South Korea a draw against 1998 champions France. The draw leaves South Korea in first place in the group, and France are in danger of missing out on the second round. Thierry Henry gave France the early lead in the 9th minute. Sylvain Wiltord played the ball into the box on what may have been a deflected shot, and Henry collected the ball with his right foot and chipped it past the keeper with his left. France should have had a second goal when Vieira's headed crossed the line, but the Korean keeper quickly pulled the ball back and the referee did not award the goal. The lone goal looked like it might hold up for France, but South Korea grabbed a late equalizer from Manchester United's Park Ji-sung. Seol Ki-Hyeon's cross from the right wing was headed down in front of goal by Cho Jin-Jae, and Park Ji-sung was there to lob the ball over France keeper Barthez. The ball bounced just over the line as defender William Gallas could not keep it out. France had a chance to regain the lead in the 85th minute, but Henry shot right at the keeper when he was free on goal. Zindedine Zidane was shown his second yellow card of the tournament after colliding with a Korean player, meaning he will miss France's next game. The decision seemed unnecessarily harsh as the contact was minimal, and Zidane appeared to be pulling up after Woon-Jae Lee saved Henry's shot.

Group F: Brazil 2 - 0 Australia
Brazil booked their place in the final 16 with a two goal win over the Socceroos. Australia kept Brazil in check for the first 45 minutes, but Brazil finally broke through with two second half goals. Adriano scored the first goal in the 49th minute. Ronaldo looked like he might have been off-side when he collected a through ball, but the linesman's flag stayed down. Ronaldo received a long pass from Ronaldinho, played a nice pass across to Adriano, and Adriano fired a low lefr-footed strike just inside the right post to open the scoring. Substitute Fred scored in the 90th minute, tapping the ball into the open net after Robinho's shot came back off the post, to seal the win for Brazil.

 

Group F: Japan 0 - 0 Croatia
Japan and Croatia played to a scoreless draw in the heat of Nuremburg. Croatia had a great opportunity to take the lead when they were awarded a penalty kick following Tsuneyasu Miyamoto's foul on Dado Prso. But Japan keeper Kawaguchi made a diving save to deny Darijo Srna from the penalty spot. Japan also had chances on goal, but could not produce a finishing strike. Atsushi Yanagisawa should have scored from close range, but he shot wide of the right post from four yards.

 

Group E: USA 1 - 1 Italy
The United States and Italy played one of the most intriguing matches of the tournament so far. Unfortunately, it was spoiled by a terrible referee. Card-happy Jorge Larrionda got one call right when he sent of Daniele De Rossi for elbowing Brian McBride in the face. McBride was bloodied and required treatment on the sideline before returning to the game.

 

From that point on, Larrionda’s mission appeared to be to send off as many Americans as he could. At the 45 minute mark, Pablo Mastroeni was shown a straight red card for a late challenge. It was definitely a foul, and probably a yellow card, but no way was it a straight red card. Then, two minutes into the second half, Eddie Pope was given his second yellow card of the game for a foul on Gildardino. Again, it was a foul, but hardly a sending-ff offense. An online BBC poll indicated 64% felt Pope should not have been sent off. The result was the United States playing down nine men to ten, rather than having a man advantage.

 

As for the game itself, despite controlling the early stages of the game, the United States fell behind from an Italy free kick. Andrea Pirlo curled his free kick around a USA defender, and Gilardino was on hand to head the ball past keeper Kasey Keller from close range.

 

The USA continued to press the attack, and were able to tie the match thanks to an own goal from Cristian Zaccardo. He tried to clear Bobby Convey’s curling free kick, but Zaccardo’s left-footed attempt grazed the ball and deflected it back into the Italian goal.

 

And then the red cards started to appear. De Rossi went in the 28th minute, followed by Mastroeni in the 45th, and Pope in the 47th.

 

Ten-man Italy played in a 3-4-2 formation, while nine-man USA countered with a 4-3-1. Despite the odd formation, the final 30 minutes had plenty of back and forth action as both teams sought out a winning goal.

 

In the 65th minute, substitute DeMarcus Beasley looked to have give USA the lead, but Brian McBride was in an off-side position when Beasley’s shot skipped past Italian keeper Buffon. The referee apparently felt that McBride was interfering with play by raising a foot to allow Beasley’s shot to go through on goal.

 

Italian substitute Del Piero had a good look at goal in the 73rd minute, but Kasey Keller made a fine diving save on the close range shot. As the 90 minute mark approached, both teams looked exhausted and content to settle for a draw. And that is what they got. Both teams are still alive in the World Cup, but Jorge Larrionda may have refereed his final match.

Group D: Portugal 2 - 0 Iran
For the first hour of the match, all Portugal had to show for their dominating possession was the memory of a few flashy tricks from Cristiano Ronaldo. But just past the hour mark, Luis Figo and Deco combined to give Portugal the lead. Figo cut in from the left and laid the ball off for Deco, just outside the center of the box. And Deco let loose a bullet of a shot that slammed into the back of the net, just inside the left post. Iran substitute Rasoul Khatibi nearly tied the match, but his shot rolled just wide of the right post. Moments later, Figo was brought down just inside the box, and Cristiano Ronaldo drilled the resulting spot kick into the top left of goal to secure advancement for Portugal.

Mexico 0 - 0 Angola
Despite being reduced to ten men, Angola held on to a 0-0 draw against Mexico. Following the same script that Trinidad and Tobago used against Sweden, the underdogs were able to fend off Mexico's attacks, even after Andre Macanga was given his second yellow card in the 79th minute for a needless hand ball near midfield.

Group C: Holland 2 - 1 Ivory Coast
So much for the group of death. After the first two matches, Holland and Argentina have clinched spots in the second round. Goals from Robin van Persie and Ruud van Nistelrooy in a span of three first half minutes gace Holland the early advantage. In the 23rd minute, Van Persie sent a screaming left-footed free kick over the wall and into the top left corner of the goal from just outside the box. And three minutes later, Holland added a second. Arjen Robben dribbled into the center of the box, drew four defenders toward himself, turned, and picked out van Nistelrooy cutting in from the left. With no one around him, van Nistelrooy calmly collected the ball and fired it into the back of the net.

 

Ivory Coast made a valliant comeback, and cut into Holland's lead before half time. In the 38th minute, Bakari Kone raced past two Holland players and fired a blast into the top left corner of the goal.

 

The game was marred by terrible decisions from the referee. Arjen Robben was booked for diving when he was taken down in the box by two defenders. Robben fell dramatically, but there was definitely contact from the defender. Perhaps Robben's reputation, rather than the play itself, influenced the referee's decision.

 

The Ivory Coast was also the victim of poor judgement from the referee. Dutch keeper van der Sar and Ivorian striker Didier Drogba both raced for a loose ball. Van der Sar got their first, diving to collect the ball on the ground. Drogba pulled up and jumped over the keeper, but he was harshly shown his second yellow card of the tournament - meaning he will miss the Ivory Coast's final game - despite making minimal, if any, cotact with the Dutch keeper. That decision seemed to take the edge off the Ivory Coast's comeback. And indeed neither team managed to score in the second half. The result means that Holland goes through to the next round, and the Ivory Coast cannot advance.

Group C: Argentina 6 - 0 Serbia & Montenegro
Argentina produced the finest attacking football of the tournament so far in a six goal thrashing of Serbia & Montenegro. The goals flew in early and often as Argentina established themselves as the early favorites to win it all. In the sixth minute, a clever series of passes led to the opening goal. Juan Pablo's backheel picked out Saviola cutting in from the left. He slipped a nice past into the box, and Maxi Rodgriguez ran onto the ball and slammed it home.

 

In the 31st minute, a goal from Esteban Cambiasso completed one of the most spectacular passing displays in World Cup history. Argentina strung together 24 passes, culminating in a brilliant sequence of one touch skill. Riquelme picked out Saviola, who played the ball to Cambiasso, who then found Crespo with a pass. Crespo's quick back heel returned the ball to Cambiasso to fire into the net from close range.

 

Ten minutes later, a mistake by the S & M left back led to another Argentina goal. Mladen Krstajic tried to shield the ball from Saviola as it ran over the end line, but Saviola stole the ball, dribbled into the box, and unleashed a low shot. It was partially saved, but only into the path of Maxi Rodgriguea, who scored off the near post into the empty net to give Argentina a commanding lead. It could have been even greater, but Crespo was incorrectly ruled offside when he was played through on goal.

 

With the game effectively over at half time, Argentina could have sat on the three goal lead, but there were more goals to come. In the 78th minute, Crespo found the net, and this time it wasn't ruled off side. Lionel Messi, who came on moments before as a substitute, raced down the right side and played a nice pass across goal. Crespo raced in at the far post to tap it into the net for Argentina's fourth goal of the game.

 

And the brilliant goals kept coming. Carlos Tevez, another substitute, scored the fifth goal in the 84th minute, dribbling through two defenders, a firing a low curling shot past the keeper. Tevez then turned play maker, setting up Messi's goal in the 88th minute. Tevez picked out Messi running into the box from the right side, and Messi beat the keeper at the near post.

 

It was a truly dominating performance by Argentina. With so many attacking options, and with such depth at the striker position, no one will want to play Argentina in the next round. As far as I'm concerned, they should be co-favorites - along with Brazil - to win it all.

Group B: England 2 - 0 Trinidad & Tobago
England have advanced to the final 16 of the world cup, but it took two late goals - from Peter Crouch and Steven Gerrard - to secure victory over Trinidad and Tobago. England had several chances earlier in the game. A long range strike by Frank Lampard rebounded off keeper Shaka Hislop, but Michael Owen's follow up volley went well wide. Joe Cole sent in a nice cross to the far post, but Peter Crouch's sliding shot was steered wide of the post by Hislop.

 

Wayne Rooney made his first appearance on the pitch as a 58th minute substitute for Michael Owen. But fellow substitute Aaron Lennon had a greater impact racing past defenders on the right wing. After the substitution, Beckham picked out Peter Crouch in front of goal, but his header went over the bar.

 

England began to improve their attacking play, but Frank Lampard missed out on three goal scoring chances in a row. In the 74th minute, he made a nice run into the box, but his volley sailed high. Three minutes later, Crouch found Lampard right in front of goal, but Lampard's shot bounced right to Hislop. And in the 78th minute, Rio Ferdinand picked out Lampard cutting into the box, but this time his shot was pulled just left of goal. The good news was that Lampard was reading the game well and getting into the proper position. The bad news was the finishing.

 

Just when it looked like England were not going to find the net, Peter Crouch finally found the target in the 83rd minute, heading another Beckham cross into the top of the goal. Aaron Lennon headed the ball back to Beckham on the right wing. And with plenty of time and space, Beckham delivered an inch perfect cross into the box. And this time Crouch drilled his header into the back of the net.

 

In the 90th minute, Steven Gerrard put the game away with a left footed blast from the edge of the box. He made space for himself, pulling the ball across his body with his right foot, before firing into the net with his left. Moments later, Stern John deflected a cross into the England net, but he was just off-side.

 

John Terry was a defensive presence in the back, and made a vital clearance off the line when the game was still scoreless. Some pundits may criticize England for not displaying the attacking flair that Argentina or the Czech Republic displayed, but the results are all that matter. And the scoreline is somewhat misleading. England creating many goal scoring chances, especially late in the second half. If Lampard and Crouch had converted even a third of their chances, England could have won by five or six goals. The bottom line is two wins from two games, and England are already in the next round. No need to start worrying England fans.

Group B: Sweden 1 - 0 Paraguay
A late goal from Freddie Ljungberg gave Sweden a dramatic victory. With four points from two games, Sweden needs only a draw against England to ensure their spot in the next round. Sweden will also advance if Trinidad and Tobago fail to win their final group match against Paraguay. Today's loss to Sweden eliminates Paraguay from the tournament.

Group A: Ecuador 3 - 0 Costa Rica
Ecuador have advanced to the second round of the World Cup for the first time after defeating Costa Rica by three goals. Carlos Tenorio, Delgado , and Kaviedes scored the goals as Ecudaor cruised to victory. Ecuador and Germany are both undefeated after two matches and sit atop Group A. Both clubs have clinched a spot in the final 16.

Group A: Germany 1 - 0 Poland
Neither team could convert their chances for most of the game, but near the end the Germans got closer and closer. In the 90th minute, Miroslav Klose's header came off the bar, and then Michael Ballack's follow up volley bounced off the cross bar. Then, a minute into stoppage time, two substitutes combined to give Germany a vital victory. David Odonkor played a nice cross into the box, and Oliver Neuville came sliding in to fire the ball past the Polish keeper Artur Borac. The late, late goal set off wild celebrations from the German fans. The win gives Germany six points from two games and virtually assures that they will advance to the next round.

Group H: Tunisia 2 - 2 Saudi Arabia
Ziad Jaziri gave Tunisia the lead in the 23rd minute, volleying the ball high into the net after a free kick bounced in his path. But Saudi Arabia came back with two goals of their own in the second half. In the 57th minute, Mohammed Noor's quick pass into the box was one-touched past the keeper by Al Kahtani. At the 80 minute mark, Saudi Arabia's record goal scorer, Al Jaber came on as a substitute. And in the 84th minute, Al Jaber ran past the Tunisian defense, received a pass in acres of space, and calmly beat the keeper to score the apparent winner. In injury time, Hussein Sulaimani nearly doubled Saudi Arabia's lead when his shot hit the woodwork. Given a reprieve, Tunisia took advantage later in injury time. Bolton's Rahdi Jaidi scored with a downward header that just crept under the keeper to earn a draw for Tunisia.

 

Group H: Spain 4 - 0 Ukraine
Spain took advantage of a few lucky breaks and trounced Ukraine by four goals. Xavi Alonso put Spain in front in the 14th minute, heading home from a corner kick. There was a defender at the near post, but the ball somehow made its way into the goal between the defender and the keeper. It looked like one of the two could have made a play on the ball.

 

David Villa extended the lead three minutes later when his free kick from just outside the box took a deflection off the wall and caught the keeper leaning the wrong way. Ukraine suffered more bad luck just after half time. Fernando Torres raced into the box with Vladislav Vashchuk closing fast. There was incidental contact between the two as Torres went to ground after shooting on goal. The referee harshly awarded a penalty kick to Spain and showed Vaschuk a red card. David Villa promptly converted the spot kick, and Ukraine was down to ten men. All the luck went against Ukraine: A deflected goal, a harsh penalty, and a dubious red card. Game over.

 

In the 81st minute, Spain completed the scoring with the best goal of the game. Puyol played the ball into the path of Torres, and the Spanish striker fired a bullet into the back of the net. Ths game, like many others, was played in hot weather making it difficult on the players, and with half the field in shadows, making for difficult TV viewing.

Group G: South Korea 2 - 0 Togo
Goala from Jung-Hwan Ahn and Chun-Soo Lee gave Korea a 2-1 win over ten-man Togo.Togo took a surprising lead in the 31st minute when Mohamed Kader controlled a lobbed pass with his thigh, burst through the Korean defense and fired past the keeper. Togo held on to their lead until the second half when Abalo was sent off for a second yellow card for tripping Jung-Hwan Ahn on the edge of the box. Chun-Soo Lee curled the resulting free kick into the top left corner to tie the game. And in the 72nd minute, Ahn scored from the right edge of the box to give Korea the lead. His blast may have taken a slight deflection of a Togo defender, but it was placed perfectly in the top left of goal. The win puts South Korea in first place in Group G.

 

France 0 - 0 Switzerland
In the other Group G match, France and Switzerland played to the first 0-0 draw of the tournament. Let's hope there aren't too many repeats of this result.

 

Group F: Brazil 1 - 0 Croatia
A late first half strike from Kaka was the only goal of the match, but it was enough to ensure that Brazil became the first country to win eight consecutive World Cup matches. Croatia frustrated the Brazil strikers for most of the match, but Kaka's goal stood up. He recieved the ball from Cafu on the right win, steadied the ball, and fired a left footed shot into the top left corner of the goal.

 

At the other end of the pitch, Brazil keeper Dida made two nice saves on Dado Prso and Ivan Klasnic to preserve the victory. The win gives Brazil three valuable points in Group F, but their lacklustre performance (by their standards) will certainly give the other contenders hope.

Group E: Italy 2 - 0 Ghana
Goals from Andrea Pirlo and Vincenzo Iaquinta gave Italy a well deserved two goal win over Ghana. In the 40th minute, Pirlo received a short corner kick at the left edge of the box and fired a low shot through traffic and inside the right post. Gilardino may have gotten a slight touch on the ball, but the goal was credited to Pirlo.

 

Italy held on to their slim lead and put the game away with Ianquinta's 83rd minute goal. After a poor back pass from Ghana defender Samual Kaffour, Iaquinta raced past the defender, dribbled past the keeper, and tapped the ball into the open net.

 

Luca Toni also impressed in the win, showing that the 6'4" striker is more than just an aerial threat. He demonstrated great skill and quickness on the ball as well. On a down note for Italy, Francesco Totti, who was recovering from a broken leg, had to leave the match in the 56th minute.

 

With the win, Italy join the Czech Republic atop the Group E table with three points each. The Czech's greater goal difference (+3) gives them the slight edge, but both teams look like that will go far in the tournament.

Group E: Czech Republic 3 - 0 USA
The United States entered this year's World Cup with high hopes, but they were quickly dashed as Jan Koller headed the Czech Republic into the lead within five minutes. And it only got worse from there. Tomas Rosicky produced two stunning goals to complete the rout. Rosicky fired home a curling 35 yard strike in the 36th minute, and in the 76th minute, he sprinted onto a precise Pavel Nedved pass, split the defense, and chipped the ball over USA keeper Kasey Keller into the middle of the goal.

 

The United States had two good chances to score, but Claudio Reyna's shot hit the left post in the first half, and Eddie Johnson's curling strike in the 71st minute was just wide of the left post.

 

The only negative for the Czech Republic was the loss of Jan Koller who left the game with an apparent hamstring injury. But today's performance was one of the best we have seen so far in the tournament. The Czechs lool like legitimate contenders.

Group F: Australia 3 - 1 Japan
Tim Cahill came off the bench to score two late goals for Australia as the Socceroos came from a goal down to record the victory in their opening match. Shunsuke Nakamure gave Japan the lead in the 26th minute as his shot sailed into the net while Australia keeper Mark Schwarzer was impeded by Takashi Fukunishi. Despire protests from the Australians, the referee allowed the goal to stand.

 

That goal looked like it would be enough as Japan held onto the lead with under ten minutes remaining. Remarkably, though, Australia scored three times after the 83 minute mark. Tim Cahill pounced on a loose ball in the box to score the equalizer from close range. And moments later, his blast from 20 yards put Australia in the lead. John Aloisi sealed the win with an injury time goal.

Groud D: Portugal 1 - 0 Angola
It was almost a replay of the England game against Paraguay as Portugal scored an early goal and then held on for the win. Five minutes into the match, Luis Figo raced past the Angola right back, drew the keeper out of the goal, and laid off a nice pass for Pauleta to fire home. It was all Portugal in the first half, but they could only score the one goal. Cristiano Ronaldo came close to doubling the lead in the 35th minute, but his header hit the bar. After the early goal, it looked like it might be a rout, but Angola, a former colony of Portugal, did well to prevent any further scoring. Unfortunately for Angola, however, they could not find then net themselves. Much like the England victory over Paraguay, Portugal will be pleased with the result, but hopeful that the performance will improve in the next match.

Group C
3 Argentina (1-0-0)
3 Holland (1-0-0)
0 Ivory Coast (0-0-1)
0 Serbia & Montenegro (0-0-1)

 

Pictures of the Day

Arjen Robben scores against Serbia & Montenegro

 

van Nistelrooy and van Persie celebrate with Robben

Group C: Holland 1 - 0 Serbia & Montenegro
Arjen Robben caused problems for the S&M defense all game long, and his goal in the 17th minute was the difference as Holland won their opening match. Robin van Persie played a perfect lobbed pass over the S&M defense, and Robben raced past the defenders to collect the ball and shoot past the keeper.

 

Holland could have scored even more, as Robben's surging runs created scoring chances for himself and his teammates. But Robben shot wide on several occasions, as did van Persie. Ruud van Nistelrooy had a chance from a free kick, but his back heel attempt was handled by the keeper.

 

Mateja Kezman, dubbed Batman when he played with Arjen Robben at PSV Eindhoven, could not match Robben's success in this match, and was replaced by Danijel Ljuboja just past the hour mark. Holland also substituted one of their strikers, bringing on Dirk Kuyt for Ruud van Nistelrooy. Neither move had much impact on the game as neither team scored in the second half.

 

Overall, it was Holland's greater possession of the ball - with Wesley Sneijer controlling the center of the pitch and Robben controlling the wings - that made the difference.

Group C: Argentina 2-1 Ivory Coast
It was a a good day for Chelsea strikers as both Hernan Crespo and Didier Drogba scored, but it was an even better day for Juan Riquelme who set up both goals as Argentina won their opening match. In the 24th minute, Riquelme's free kick from the left wing bounced off a couple of players in the box before bouncing into the path of Hernan Crespo in front of goal. And Crespo did not miss from close range.

 

In the 34th minute, the Ivory Coast came close to tying the game, but Argentina keeper Roberto Abbondanzieri saved Ketia's point-blank header. Moments later, Argentina doubled their lead, and it was Riquelme who once again made the goal. He played a perfect through ball for Javier Saviola who beat the defenders and shot past Ivorian keeper Jean-Jacques Tizie.

 

Argentina took a two goal lead into the half, but they could have been up by three. In the 15th minute, Tizie could not hang on to a headed shot from Roberto Ayala. The ball went through his arms, off the left post, and was nearly over the line when Tizie recoverd to pull the ball back. The Argentine players thought it was a goal, but replays showed that the entire ball was not across the line.

 

Argentina continued to enjoy the run of play in the second half, and leading by two goals, Crespo and Saviola were both substituted. The move almost backfired as Didier Drogba finally scored in the 80th minute on a neat left-footed flick in front of goal. In a frantic final ten minutes, the Elephants tried to find another goal, but the Argentine defense held on for an important opening match win.