Friday, July 16, 2010

Diego Forlan wins Golden Ball

Following Spain's 2010 World Cup final triumph over the Netherlands, Uruguay striker Diego Forlan picked up the Golden Ball award while young Germany forward Thomas Mueller took the Best Young Player accolade as well as the Golden Boot.

Atletico Madrid attacker Forlan proved to be one of the star performers in South Africa, beating off competition from the likes of Wesley Sneijder and Spain hitman David Villa to be crowned the tournament's best player - as voted for by the media.

Forlan was, however, pipped to the post when it came to the Golden Boot, with Thomas Mueller's five goals and three assists for Germany edging him ahead of Silver Boot winner Villa and Holland playmaker Sneijder who picked up the bronze award.

Mueller also claimed the Best Young Player gong for his impressive performances in South Africa, beating both Ghana's Andre Ayew and Mexico's Giovanni Dos Santos to claim the prize.

Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas, who made a string of impressive saves in Spain's 1-0 final victory over the Netherlands, claimed the Golden Glove while Vicente del Bosque's side were again recognised with the Fair Play Award.

Spain the FIFA World Cup Champions

Spain are champions of the world after Andres Iniesta's goal deep into extra-time gave them victory over Netherlands in the 2010 World Cup final at Soccer City following a goalless first 117 minutes.
Iniesta netted as Spain broke to punish 10-man Holland after John Heitinga's sending-off seven minutes earlier.
Both sides lined up as expected: Netherlands continued with the first 11 which has been Bert van Marwijk’s choice lineup since Arjen Robben’s return from injury, while Vicente Del Bosque favoured Barcelona’s Pedro over Liverpool’s Fernando Torres just as he had for the semi-final victory over Germany.
At the national anthems were belted out there were signs of nerves on the faces of players on each side; everyone concerned knowing that they could make history for their country by claiming the title of world champions for the first time.

The opening few minutes were notable mainly for the inability of either side to really string a significant series of passes together as every player looked to get a calming first touch of the ball. But in the fifth minute Spain created a real opportunity for themselves as they started to stamp their authority on proceedings.

Xavi sent a free-kick in from the right to find Sergio Ramos, who had gained half a yard on Robin van Persie, but the right-back’s header came from an awkward height and allowed Maarten Stekelenburg to make a full-length parry to keep the scores level.

Holland’s first shot at goal came when Dirk Kuyt scuffed a 30-yard effort after Sergio Busquets had failed to control a simple square pass, and the Liverpool wide man’s effort was easily gathered by Iker Casillas.

In the 11th minute Spain created a second decent opportunity, and again it was full-back Ramos who was the Johnny on the spot. Having run at Giovanni van Bronckhorst, he took a step to the right and saw a gap open up, but his right-footed effort was well blocked by Joris Mathijsen.

From the resulting corner Xabi Alonso swung in a delicious far post ball for David Villa, but the striker’s volleyed effort hit the side-netting when he’d have hoped to do better.

The game was beginning to get a little scrappy as the Netherlands looked to find a way to earn more possession. Van Persie was the first player to enter referee Howard Webb’s notebook when he brought down Joan Capdevila with a nasty looking challenge, and moments later he was followed by Carles Puyol, booked for a tackle from behind on Arjen Robben.

Wesley Sneijder fired in a dangerous free-kick, but Casillas managed to collect before the ball took a potentially nasty bounce. Winger Robben was temporarily the centre of attention as within minutes he was running at Capdevila, eventually winning a corner as Alonso came in to cover.

The near-inevitable Mark van Bommel booking arrived in the 22nd minute, when he was late arriving for the ball and went right through Andres Iniesta. Seconds later it was 2-2 on the yellow card count after Ramos was slightly late sliding in on Kuyt wide on the Holland left.

Whilst Spain were still enjoying most of the possession, suddenly the Netherlands were managing to earn more territorial advantage, breaking up the rhythm of la Furia Roja’s passing temporarily. They did so by foul means rather than fair when Nigel de Jong’s high boot caught Alonso flush on the chest after the Real Madrid midfielder had nicked away a bouncing ball. The Oranje midfielder may have thought himself lucky only to become the fifth player cautioned, rather than the first man into the showers.

There was a much more pleasing piece of sportsmanship shown by the Dutch a few moments later. Iker Casillas had thrown the ball out after he’d collided with Puyol, allowing the Barcelona defender to receive treatment, but upon arrival of the long pass from a Dutchman at the restart, the keeper misread the flight and palm the ball away for a corner. However, van Persie simply rolled the ball in from the flag to spare the Real Madrid man’s blushes and allow Spain to rebuild from the back.

The next Dutch corner nearly had a very different ending. Robben played the ball in low to the edge of the area, from where van Bommel played a cross to the far post for Mathijsen, but the centre-back could only respond with a complete air shot.

Breaking up the other end, Spain could have had an opener when Pedro’s quickfire shot from range sailed just wide with Stekelenburg still to set himself.

Sneijder almost became the sixth name in the book when he caught Busquets just before the break as the game continued to flatter rather than thrill, but referee Webb saw fit to give the Inter midfielder a final warning.

On the stroke of half-time the Dutch created one of the best chances of the game so far when Robben cut inside to drill a low left foot shot which Casillas got down to and pushed wide.

Spain appeared to come out after the interval with a little bit more fire in their bellies as they looked to repeat their second half efforts against Germany. Within three minutes they’d forged an opening when Puyol got his head to a right wing corner and Capdevila failed to get anywhere near enough on his right foot effort and the ball ran harmlessly away.

The Dutch responded when Van Persie’s backheel sent Gregory van der Wiel in behind the Spanish defence, but his cross was met by no Oranje jerseys, though a nervous looking Casillas may have got a slight touch before the ball ran out and a goal kick was given.

Dutch skipper Van Bronckhorst was next in the book for pulling back Ramos as he went for a return pass in a dangerous position. From the set piece Xavi curled the ball just wide of the near post, but Stekelenburg had it well covered.

John Heitinga soon became the fifth Dutchman to have his name taken when he clattered into David Villa after Ramos had broken up a Holland attack and sent the forward on the run down the left.

Iniesta was perhaps lucky not to join them as the game once again threatened to deteriorate, his foul on Sneijder giving Robben the chance to swing in a free-kick towards Heitinga. The defender sent a header just across the face of goal, but had been flagged offside in any case.

Mathijsen did well to head away from a Capdevila cross as a game of football finally started to break out amongst the scrappy challenges.

Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque made the first change of the final on the hour by introducing Jesus Navas for the ineffective Pedro.

Suddenly, the best chance of the final was handed to Robben by a delicious through ball by Sneijder and a bad misjudgement on the part of Gerard Pique. The Bayern Munich winger found himself one-on-one with Casillas, but after delaying once too often, his shot sent the keeper the wrong way, but was blocked by Casillas’ boot.

Capdevila joined the ever-increasing list of numbers in Howard Webb’s notebook but again the Netherlands failed to make the most of the resulting free-kick as they continued to get half-chances to show up the favourites.

Substitute Navas did superbly to run at van Bronckhorst and make space to cross for David Villa, but after Heitinga had slipped to open a really shooting opportunity for the Spaniard the centre-back recovered magnificently to block the shot that followed.

Dirk Kuyt was replaced after a hard-working performance in favour of speedy winger Eljero Elia as Van Marwijk looked to keep Spain guessing at the back.

Heitinga conceded a further free-kick, which Villa could only tun over, before Sneijder got a second final warning from Howard Webb as the referee looked to save his ink with just 15 minutes separating the World Cup decider from extra-time.

After an excellent exchange between Villa and Xavi, the former had a left foot shot well blocked by Heitinga, but from the corner Sergio Ramos was guilty of wasting a magnificent chance to settle the contest as he headed over from eight yards when completely unmarked.

There was a real flashpoint in the 78th minute when Van Bommel caught Iniesta as he retrieved the ball, but the Spanish midfielder decided to take his own retribution by lashing out at the Bayern Munich man. Again, Webb decided that leniency was the correct course of action and Iniesta got away with only a lecture.

Iniesta then came extremely close to opening the deadlock when he jinked past Heitinga inside the box, but Wesley Sneijder of all people was sweeping up behind the defence and made a magnificent last-ditch challenge to save the Dutch.

In the 83rd minute it was Holland’s Robben who could have struck as he left Puyol and Pique in his wake before Casillas smothered the ball. The Bayern Munich winger exaggerated his contact with the keeper having shrugged off a near rugby tackle from Puyol, but all he succeeded in doing was earning a yellow card for his fall and subsequent penalty claims.

Spain’s second substitution saw Alonso replaced by Cesc Fabregas in an attacking change with just three minutes of normal time remaining.

Wesley Sneijder looked to steal a glorious victory on the stroke of full-time, but his ambitious 45 yard effort went harmlessly wide and the game went into extra time.

Within two minutes of the extra 30 minutes resuming, Spain thought they should have had a penalty when Heitinga and Xavi collided, but it looked as though the midfielder made contact with the Dutchman rather than the other way around.

The European champions then forced a real save out of Stekelenburg for the first time since the early moments of normal time as Fabregas broke clear, but the big goalkeeper did superbly to block his right foot shot.

Within seconds they were nearly behind when Casillas came for a corner and collided with Fabregas, leaving Mathijsen to beat Ramos in the air but miss the open goal.

It then took a magnificent piece of defending from van Bronckhorst to keep the scores level as the game became more stretched. Fabregas sent Iniesta through, but the Dutch skipper did brilliantly to send the Barca man onto his wrong foot and then snuff out the danger, winning a goal kick to boot.

Bert van Marwijk decided to increase the attacking intentions of his team by bringing on Rafael van der Vaart for defensive midfielder De Jong.

In a now very open game, Jesus Navas’ shot deflected off Van Bronckhorst and found the side-netting before the Netherlands cleared the corner with relative ease.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst was then substituted into retirement, replaced by Edson Braafheid.

After spending over an hour warming up, Fernando Torres was finally introduced at the beginning of the second period of extra-time, surprisingly enough for the tournament’s joint top scorer David Villa in a like for like switch.

Elia went on his first attack at Ramos and beat the full-back with ease, but couldn’t reach his overhit touch before getting a cross in as the Netherlands continued to look the more worried by the prospect of penalty kicks.

After so many yellow cards it appeared only a matter of time before a red would follow and with only 11 minutes remaining it finally came, though it did seem a little harsh on John Heitinga when he became the fifth player to be dismissed in a World Cup final.

The Dutch defender laid a hand on the shoulder of Andres Iniesta as the Barcelona man broke forward and Howard Webb saw fit to send off Heitinga for a second offence.

Moments later the 10 men were hit with another yellow when van der Wiel took down the self same Iniesta.

Many Spain players asked for Holland to be reduced to nine when Robben turned in a left foot effort long after the whistle had gone for offside, but Webb, not for the first time tonight, showed leniency towards a man walking the tightrope.

With five minutes left a Wesley Sneijder free-kick was clearly met with a heavy deflection off Fabregas in the wall, but the referee’s rough night continued when he failed to spot the touch and gave a goal kick. There was then an apparent foul on Elia on the edge of the area overlooked as Holland looked for a winner.

And the decision was to be vital as Spain broke to the other end of the pitch and scored a 116th minute winner. With the 10-man Dutch stretched, the Furia Roja used the extra man as Andres Iniesta got on the end of a Fabregas pass at the far post to drill across Stekelenburg into the back of the net. He removed his shirt to reveal a message to former Espanyol defender Dani Jarque, who died of a heart attack last year.

Spain's only bad news of the night came when Torres pulled up with an apparent hamstring injury in the second minute of injury time, but he'll be taking a World Cup winner's medal to the treatment table with him.

Germany takes third place

Germany have grabbed third place at the 2010 World Cup, claiming the bronze medal position after a fine 3-2 win over Uruguay.

Die Mannschaft impressed early and moved ahead thanks to a predatory strike from Thomas Mueller but Edinson Cavani had tied the scores by the interval. The Celeste turned the game on its head when Diego Forlan’s well-taken volley found the net but their lead was also short lived, with Marcell Jansen levelling matters. Sami Khedira won the game with a header in the twilight of a fine fixture.

Traditionally the third place playoff is one of the most exciting games of the World Cup, and both sides showed early enterprise in Nelson Mandela Bay.

As early as the third minute Thomas Mueller would have the ball in the Uruguayan net, poking home from 18 yards, though his goal was disallowed for an earlier infringement committed by Cacau, who had been drafted into the team to replace the flu-ridden Miroslav Klose.


Moments later a rash challenge by another newcomer to the Europeans’ starting XI, Dennis Aogo, was lucky to escape with only a caution when he clattered into Diego Perez high and late, leaving the Uruguayan hardman to receive treatment.

Diego Forlan was typically the first man in sky blue to threaten, sending a free kick a foot to the right of Hans-Joerg Butt’s goal.

But it was Germany who were making most of the early running, forcing Jorge Fucile and Diego Lugano into some desperate clearances. The South American defence was very nearly breached on ten minutes when a deep corner from Mesut Oezil was firmly headed against the bar by Arne Friedrich, with Fernando Muslera beaten. Mueller could not wrestle home the rebound.

The Bayern Munich man had better luck soon afterwards. A thunderous long range drive from Bastian Schweinsteiger was poorly dealt with by the Uruguayan custodian, who spilled the ball out into the middle of the box. Mueller reacted when others did not, giving himself a simple tap in from ten yards.

Die Mannschaft were at this stage creating regular inroads into the Celeste’s defence but wouldn’t even enjoy the lead for ten minutes.

Forlan had already worried the German rearguard with a blocked back post header from a deflected cross by the time Cavani drew the sides level. Perez superbly picked the pocket of Schweinsteiger in the centre of the park, setting in motion a break that saw the Europeans outnumbered from the outset. Luis Suarez, booed relentlessly by the South African crowd, rolled a well-weighted pass to the Palmero striker, who took a touch before stretching to prod the ball by Butt and into the net.

The closing stages of the opening period, which were played out under heavy rain, did not bring the drama of the opening moments, though Uruguay might have grabbed the lead four minutes before the break. Forlan’s clever reverse pass released Suarez but the Ajax striker dragged his shot wide from a somewhat awkward angle.

Right on the stroke of half-time, Cacau nearly latched onto a deflected Mueller pass, though Fucile covered superbly across to avert the danger.

Within three minutes of the restart Suarez had another disappointing miss. Cavani’s initial foray into the box was blocked by Butt, who could not hold the ball on the slick surface. From a tight angle, the forward recuperated possession and laid a pass back to his Amsterdam-based colleague. Still admittedly faced with a tight angle, the unpopular striker saw the flying goalkeeper touch his shot wide.

The wind was nevertheless in the Uruguayans’ sails and the South Americans would soon have the advantage. Arevalo Rios found himself uncharacteristically far forward down the right and lobbed a waist-high pass back towards the edge of the box, from where Forlan showed stunning poise to volley home a terrific goal with his right foot.

Germany had posed no serious threat after the interval until they levelled up on 55 minutes. Jerome Boateng’s cross from deep on the right side was badly missed by the out-of-sorts Muslera, allowing Jansen to unconventionally knock the ball into the empty net with his head.

From the ashes of these two quick fire goals grew a superb open game. Oezil dallied too long when well placed in the Uruguay box, but up at the other end the Celeste were causing Germany real issues.

A Suarez block had to be averted by a smart challenge. Undeterred, the Ajax man tried an effort from distance that was spectacularly blocked by Butt, who soon had to be sharp from his goal line to thwart the Golden Boot chasing Forlan.

Stefan Kiessling was introduced by Joachim Loew to add some attacking flair at the expense of Cacau. The Bayer Leverkusen man’s clever turn in the box with quarter of an hour brought with it a scoring chance, though his drive was straight at Muslera, who batted the ball uncomfortably clear.

Loew’s side were looking the more likely side to snatch third place, and they did just that with nine minutes remaining. Another deep Oezil corner was allowed to bounce about the six yard box. Khedira ultimately got the decisive touch, sending a clever header looping over Muslera and into the top corner of the net.

The latter stages of the game were typically fraught. Uruguay pushed men forward in increasing numbers, allowing Germany to counter with purpose. Boateng had a firm shot saved well by Muslera, before a fluid counter ended with Kiessling scooping the ball over from close range.

In additional time, Suarez won a free kick on the edge of the Germany box. Forlan hovered, but the magic was not there as he blasted against the bar.

Over the course of this campaign, both Germany and Uruguay can look back at their achievements with some pride, yet die Mannschaft’s attacking brand of football has really captured the imagination and for their enterprise over the course of the last month they deserve third.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Spain in the World Cup Final for the first time

Spain are through to face Holland in the World Cup final after a power-header from defender Carles Puyol was enough for the European champions to end the hopes of Joachim Loew’s Germany.
Both teams made one change from their regular line-up: Piotr Trochowski replaced the suspended Thomas Mueller for the Germans while out-of-form Fernando Torres was dropped in favour of Pedro Rodriguez in the Spanish side.

Germany kicked off but immediately and happily surrendered possession as they invited Spain to attack. The cagey opening was halted by an intruder streaking onto the pitch but it was the European champions who carved out the first real chance of the game on six minutes.

Pedro slipped in a sublime through ball to David Villa, who just managed to get a touch to it but it wasn’t enough to trouble an alert Manuel Neuer.

La Furia Roja continued to camp out inside the German half as Bastian Schweinsteiger and Mesut Oezil provided glimpses of threat on the counter-attack for Die Mannschaft. But it was the Spaniards again who had the next chance after 13 minutes. From a short corner, Andres Iniesta drilled in a cross from the right flank and Carles Puyol stooped low to send a bullet header just over the bar.

Straight to the other end, an Oezil corner forced Iker Casillas to flap the ball nervously away as Joachim Loew’s side started to enjoy a bit more of composure and possession on the ball. Spain regained control as quickly as they gave it away, although they failed to create any meaningful goalscoring chances.

In fact, the next opportunity didn’t arrive until the half-hour mark and even then, Xabi Alonso’s 25-yard screamer flew wide of Neuer’s left post. Trochowski then showed how it was done when his left-footed pile driver from a similar distance forced Casillas to make a brilliant sprawling save.

Oezil managed to create more panic in the Spain box when he shimmed past two defenders but hesitated when he prepared to pull the trigger as Puyol pinched the ball off him. Vicente del Bosque’s troops finished the half the stronger with Sergio Ramos, Iniesta and Pedro creating openings, but it was Oezil who had a penalty shout turned down right before the whistle after a challenge from Ramos.

Neither coaches made any changes of personnel at the break but it was Germany who looked the more adventurous side in the start of the second period. And it was suddenly Spain who were playing on the counter attack. Pedro bombarded 50 yards down the right wing beating a number of German defenders before pulling the ball back to Xabi Alonso, who could only fire wide despite a clean view on goal.

Seconds later, Xabi rattles in another humdinger just outside the box after being teed up by Xavi, but again his effort flashed marginally wide.

La Roja should have taken the lead on 57 minutes when they were presented with a double chance. First, Pedro’s shot on the edge of the box was parried away by Neuer. From the follow up, Iniesta’s pull-back into the middle bounced too far in front of Villa at the back post. Pedro then dragged his shot wide before Miroslav Klose pummelled an ambitious volley well over at the other end after a poor clearance from Sergio Ramos.

The flurry of chances sparked the game to life and on 63 minutes, Xabi Alonso curled in a cross to an over-lapping Ramos, who went down under a challenge from Lukas Podolski right infront of goal but the referee only pointed to a goal-kick. Five minutes later, Villa charged past Marcell Jansen on the right channel but his fierce drive from a tight angle was saved by Neuer.

Germany then came close when Toni Kroos connected with Podolski’s cross but his soft half volley at the far post was blocked by Casillas. The Nationalelf were on the ascendency but on 72 minutes, they were stung when Spain rocketed into the lead. Xavi swung in a corner and Carles Puyol steamed in unmarked to thump an unstoppable header past Neuer into the top corner.

The Germans immediately started pushing forward and it was Spain’s turn to hit their opponents on the counter. With ten minutes to go, La Roja should have wrapped up the semi-final when Pedro was put clean through on goal but opted to dribble his way past Arne Friedrich instead of going for goal or squaring to an unattended Fernando Torres.

Torres himself then had a chance two minutes from the end but Friedrich robbed the ball off him just as he was about to pull the trigger. Spain were enjoying a nice spell of keep-ball possession inside the German half as the clock ticked down and it was enough for them to hold on for another 1-0 win, but one that secures them a passage into the final of the 2010 World Cup.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Netherlands took a place in the World Cup Final

At full-time in Cape Town, the first of two semi-final clashes has ended 3-2 to the Netherlands. Gio van Bronckhorst's early long-ranger was cancelled out just before half-time by a similar effort from Uruguay's hero Diego Forlan. Second half goals from Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder and a late strike from Maxi Pereira made for a truly enthralling encounter.

The South Americans were, of course, without the services of hand-ball hero/villain Luis Suarez and left-back Jorge Fucile through suspension. Nicolas Lodeiro would also miss out after injuring his foot against Ghana, while a knock picked up against Ghana meant Diego Lugano wouldn't start. The Dutch had to play without right-back Gregory van der Wiel and holding midfielder Nigel de Jong.

The first chance came after Wesley Sneijder swung the ball into the box, having picked it up after Arjen Robben's first attempt came off of Martin Caceres. Muslera's punch wasn't convincing, and the ball landed at the feet of Dirk Kuyt, about 15 yards from the back post. The Liverpool forward took a touch and struck straight for goal, but his shot sailed over the bar.

Both sides enjoyed some of the ball in the first 15 minutes, but it was certainly the Dutch who looked the more dangerous side with it. While Uruguay were adjudged to be offside on a few occasions and trying a couple shots from distance, pressure from the Oranje was causing the Celeste to look a little uncertain in their defending.

And the pressure would pay off. Sneijder passed the ball to his skipper, Gio van Brockhorst, who was skipping up from left-back. Who knows what possessed the captain to have a pop from 30-odd yards, but his sweetly struck shot drifted beautifully past Muslera, smacking off the inside of the woodwork before eventually ending up in the top corner of the Uruguayan goal. Holland had the advantage.

Caceres then became the villain just before the half-hour mark. His dangerous acrobatics on the edge of the area saw his boot come of the face of Demy de Zeeuw as he tried an audacious overhead kick. The Barca-owned full-back was shown a yellow card by the Uzbekistanian referee for dangerous play while de Zeeuw sent a search party out for his teeth.

Edinson Cavani, who was failing to really get himself into the game, found himself with the ball deep inside the Dutch box. The Palermo forward held onto the ball far too long, leaving an unmarked Alvaro Pereira fuming in the centre. Pereira was afforded a second chance through with just over five minutes left in the first half, but his tame shot was aimed straight at Stekelenberg.

Just as it looked as though the South Americans were destined for a plane home, none other than Diego Forlan stepped up to produce another little piece of Celeste magic. The Uruguayan talisman found the ball in a central position, at a similar distance to van Bronckhorst's goal – and the outcome was the same. Beating Skekelenburg, the stinging shot shook the top corner of the net and Oscar Tabarez's men found themselves back in the game just before half time.

Probably a little worse for wear, Demy de Zeeuw was hooked at half time and replaced by a more attacking figure in Real Madrid's Rafael van der Vaart. Immediately the Dutch made it clear that they wanted an early second-half goal as they shot down the left. Some tense build-up would come to an abrupt end, though, as the linesman's flag rose for offside.

The Netherlands were soon to suffer a scare of their own, however, as a pass played in for Cavani prompted Stekelenburg to run out and meet the ball. The Ajax 'keeper misjudged the distance though, and Cavani was able to chip the ball over the goalie before hitting the ground from the challenge. Pereira was there to lap up the loose ball and strike towards goal, but van Bronckhorst added to his heroic reputation by heading the ball away from the otherwise empty goal.

There was certainly no clear winner in terms of game dictation midway through the second half. Pressure from Uruguay won a free kick in a similar position to where Forlan buried a dead ball against Ghana. The set-piece forced a wonderful save from Stekelenburg though, who was all too happy to receive the praises of his teammates. At the other end, Holland were carving out plenty of chances of their own.


It was only a matter of time before one of the sides took one of their many chances, and it was Wesley Sneijder who did so for the Dutch as he has done so often already. A strike from outside of the box seemed too fast for anyone to do anything about, and the ball rocketed low and hard into the bottom right corner of Muslera's goal. There was a hint of controversy though as van Persie, who did swipe at the ball in vain, seemed to be in an offside position. The linesman let it stand though, and the Dutch went ahead again.

Just minutes later the Oranje struck again. A well worked piece of play saw Dirk Kuyt stretch the South American defence as he took off down the left. A perfectly weighted cross met the head of an onrushing Robben, whose simple nod was enough to put the ball past Muslera once more and take the score to 3-1.

In a game that really looked like it could have gone either way before the third goal was scored, the cushion of a brace truly handed the reins of the game over to the Dutch. They began to see the final few minutes of the game out in an incredibly relaxed fashion, and with the talismanic Forlan being subbed off for Sebastian Abreu, the match was all but over for their opponents.

In the first minute of an added three, Maxi Pereira clawed one back for the Celeste. Belting the ball goalwards after a Uruguayan free-kick hung around the box, the Benfica defender's left-footed shot went past Stekelenburg and into the Dutch goalkeeper's net. It was not enough for the South Americans though, as the referee blew the whistle for full-time soon afterwards, allowing the Netherlands safe passage into the 2010 World Cup final.

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Spain 1-0 Paraguay

Spain edged past Paraguay on a cool, damp evening in Johannesburg. After either side missed a penalty early in the second half, David Villa netted a late winner for the Spaniards, who for the first time, have advanced to the semifinals.

Having scraped by Japan in penalties just four days ago, Paraguay entered tonight's match fatigued and in need of a few changes. Coach Geraldo Martino swapped six members of his previous starting XI, notably replacing forwards Roque Santa Cruz, Edgar Benitez, and Lucas Barrios with Nelson Valdez and Oscar Cardozo, who started as attackers in a 4-4-2 formation.

Vicente Del Bosque's Spain also narrowly qualified for the quarter-finals, but the coach opted to retain the entire starting line-up that featured in a 1-0 win over Portugal. Despite having a good run-out in the second half, Fernando Llorente failed to earn a starting role ahead of faltering striker Fernando Torres.

From the opening kick-off, Paraguay pressed their opponents high up the pitch. Jonathan Santana first tested Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas after 50 seconds, but his shot was rather weak and lacked enough accuracy to beat the Real Madrid man.

Paraguay played with a downright frenetic work rate, and for the most part, kept la Furia Roja from playing in the centre of the park. Strikers Torres, and in particular, David Villa, were forced to play out wide in order to receive service.

Much of the opening half hour was marked by poor distribution, poorer individual defending, and even worse finishing. The normally precise distributors Gerard Pique and Xabi Alonso were uncharacteristically wayward in their passing, and Paraguayan midfielders Cristian Riveros and Paulo da Silva made a pair of howlers.

Eventually, Del Bosque's men settled into their smooth passing game, and while the likes of Torres and Villa were able to beat their markers on the flanks, they had no options available in the penalty area. Their best chance of the first half was a looping volley from Xavi that missed over the bar.

To their benefit, the Spaniards were able to keep the opponents on their heels. After Santana's initial effort, Paraguay managed to break forward only once, but Claudio Morel's cross was just too strong to fall to Santana's head.

Five minutes before the half-time break, Paraguay should have taken the lead. Following a cross from the right side, Nelson Valdez chested the ball down and finished well, but was ruled offside. Replays showed that the Dortmund forward was kept onside by Pique, but the whistle came to Spain's rescue.

Highlights Paraguay vs Spain

Perry | MySpace Video

At the end of the first half, Paraguay were surely disappointed not to have taken the lead, but could be pleased with the result. Spain, by contrast, were surely let down by their lack of clear chances on goal.

At the start of the second half, play resumed as it had ended in the first half. No changes were made, and the relentless defensive work of Paraguay forced giveaways.
Del Bosque responded by bringing in Cesc Fabregas in place of Torres, in an attempt to pack the midfield. Seconds later, referee Carlos Batres made a game-changing decision. Following a corner kick, the referee awarded Paraguay a penalty after Pique dragged down Cardozo. The Paraguayan striker stepped up to the spot, but had his kick saved by Casillas in the lower-right corner of goal.
Moments later, Villa was played through on goal, and earned a penalty as Antolin Alcaraz pulled him down. Xabi Alonso netted from the spot kick, but the referee signaled a re-take due to encroachment. On take two, goalkeeper Justo Villar parried to his left and appeared to foul Cesc Fabregas before Sergio Ramos' follow-up was cleared off the line.
Towards the end of regulation, Spain finally began to attack with width, but appeared more sluggish than before. The game seemed destined for extra time before, all of a sudden, Villa netted his fifth goal of the tournament. Andres Iniesta burst to the edge of the penalty area before teeing up substitute Pedro, whose shot beat Villar, but clanged off the left post. Villa was first to the rebound, and curled his follow-up off the inside of the right post.
Paraguay were uninterested in exiting the tournament without a fight. Striker Lucas Barrios came off the bench to inject a sense of urgnecy into the Paraguayan attack, and with two minutes left, the Dortmund striker fired a blast that Casillas could only bobble. Substitute Roque Santa Cruz was first to the ball, but Casillas heroically blocked his effort.
At the other end, Villa had a chance to put the game to rest, but Villar made a terrific save to preserve a chance for Paraguay, but it was all in vain. Spain maintained possession exceptionally throughout injury time, and advanced to the semifinals for the first time in their history.

Germany 4-0 Argentina

Germany hammered Argentina in the quarter-finals of the 2010 World Cup on a gorgeous afternoon in Cape Town. Thomas Mueller opened the scoring for die Mannschaft after just three minutes, and Germany took second half goals from Miroslav Klose (68, 89), and Arne Friedrich (74) to round off their comprehensive victory.

Following emphatic wins in the Round of 16, coaches Diego Maradona and Joachim Loew named unchanged lineups. There had been fitness concerns for Argentine forward Lionel Messi and German winger Lukas Podolski, but the pair were declared ready to play from the start.

For Argentina, Gabriel Heinze and Javier Mascherano entered the game just a yellow card away from missing out on a possible semifinal berth. The Germans had to be more careful, with Arne Friedrich, Sami Khedira, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Mesut Oezil, Thomas Mueller, Philipp Lahm, and substitute Cacau all set to earn suspensions in the event of a booking.

Argentina kicked off the match and were faced by a high-intesity, pressing German machine that could not have started the match better. After just three minutes, Lukas Podolski won a free kick from Nicolas Otamendi. Schweinsteiger delivered a gorgeous cross to Mueller, who beat Otamendi to the ball and nodded home the opening goal, his fourth of the tournament.

After the opener, Argentina found it difficult to move fluently forward. The entire German team dropped back to deny their opponents space to pass, and were quick to exploit a rather exposed Argentine defence. With Mascherano the only buffer for his team's centre halves, the Germans created and used space in the centre of the park.

After spending the majority of the opening ten minutes on their heels, the Argentines settled in. Their pace and runs up front were difficult to cover, and Messi, Carlos Tevez, and Gonzalo Higuain linked well in the build-up.

Still, the Germans seemed to always have the ability to recover and make the necessary, last-minute intervention. In the opening half hour, the best chance the Albicelestes created was a through ball from Messi that goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was able to collect just ahead of Tevez.

While Argentina had trouble creating goal-scoring opportunities, the Germans were next to threaten to score. In the 24th minute, Mueller pounced on a deflected ball, and burst into the penalty area before squaring for Miroslav Klose, who looped his first-time effort over the bar. Six minutes later, Podolski unleashed a long-ranged effort that flashed just wide of the right post.

Late in the first half, Argentina finally began to look a threat in front of goal. Angel di Maria, who began the game as a left winger, found space to attack on the right side, but had his low shot saved by Neuer. Not long thereafter, Higuain had a similar effort stopped.

After 36 minutes, Maradona's men thought they had equalised, but the play was called back. After Mueller was carded for a hand ball, Higuain slotted home from a through ball from the ensuing freekick, but was adjudged to have done so from an offside position.

The game began to stretch in the final moments of the first half, and while Messi regularly found the ball at the top of the German penalty area, he was always closed down and never had a clear view of goal. Mueller had a chance to double the Germans' advantage late in the half, but had his close-ranged effort blocked.

At the end of a rousing first half, Germany entered the tunnel with a well-deserved, albeit slim, advantage. Argentina looked good in spells, but needed much more in order to advance to the semifinals.

[Goora&Real] Argentina vs Germany

Goora&Real | MySpace Video

The second half began with both teams unchanged, and Argentina pinning their oponents back in their own half. Di Maria struck a scorcher wide of the left post early on, but it did not take long for play to stretch over the length of the pitch.

As in the first half, Messi found himself having to drop very deep to retrieve the ball, and Germany used a very high offside trap. Argentina managed to breach their opponents' back line on multiple occasions, but a timely intervention from Per Mertesacker's face denied Tevez a shot on goal.

Towards the hour mark, the game shifted into a new gear. Back and forth the teams sprinted, but neither could create a clear goal-scoring opportunity. The sheer pace left both sides visibly fatigued, but favoured the seemingly fitter Germans, who bested their opponents in transition.

Whereas Argentina often had to settle for shots from outside the box, the Germans showed enough mettle to double their advantage. Once again, the impressive Mueller was at the centre of the play. As he appeared to be felled by Martin Demichelis, the 20-year old attacker managed to turn and pass through to the wide-open Podolski. With just goalkeeper Sergio Romero to beat, the Koeln striker squared for Klose, who tapped his 13th World Cup goal into an open net.

After going two goals behind, Maradona had to roll the dice, and opted to bring on attacking midfielder Javier Pastore to replace Otamendi, who by the time of his substitution, was on his final warning.

Unfortunately for the Albicelestes, they had no time to develop a comeback before Germany struck yet again. After a short corner kick, Schweinsteiger was given a free path to the byline, wherefrom he centered to Friedrich, who scored his first international goal with a tap-in.

With the score at 3-0 and a quarter hour left, the game was effectively ended as a contest. Argentina sought a consolation goal, but were fatigued and had to be more concerned with the prospect of giving up a fourth goal. Loew brought on substitutes Toni Kroos and Piotr Trochowski to protect the card-bearing Mueller and Khedira, and still, the Germans were able to use team defending to thwart their opponents.

As icing on the cake, Klose completed his brace in the 89th minute, finishing coolly from Oezil's cross.

The final result sends Argentina home on a bitter note, while Germany head into their semi-finals task without the suspended Mueller, but with a massive confidence boost.

Uruguay 1-1 Ghana (4-2 Pens)

Uruguay progressed to the semi-finals of the 2010 World Cup by beating Ghana in a penalty shoot-out. Asamoah Gyan had a chance to be the hero for the Black Stars in the final minute of the second half of extra-time but sent his spot-kick crashing off the crossbar after Luis Suarez was shown a red card for using his hands to stop Stephen Appiah's header off the goal-line.
Gyan's miss set up a tense penalty shoot-out where Sebastian Abreu's cheeky chip sent Uruguay into the semi-finals after both John Mensah and Dominic Adiyiah missed from 12-yards away.
Sulley Muntari gave the Africans a well worked lead late in the first half, but Diego Forlan equalised soon after the break with a wonderfully struck free-kick from just outside the area.
Three of Uruguay's back four went into the game with yellow cards. Ghana, meanwhile, were without midfielder Andre Ayew and Udinese defender Jonathan Mensah. Anthony Annan and Isaac Vorsah both entered the clash with cautions from previous games.
Ghana got kicked off proceedings, shooting right to left, but it was Uruguay who started to put the passes together in the first few minutes of the game. A speculative long-ball from Jorge Fucile nearly found Luis Suarez, but the little striker was ruled offside. A dangerous cross and two corner kicks then peppered Richard Kingson's goal, but the Black Stars did well to defend.
The first Ghana chance came when Uruguayan defender Mauricio Victorino conceded a foul on Asamoah Gyan just before the 10 minute mark. However, despite a decent delivery from Inter's Sulley Muntari, the final ball wasn't enough to trouble Fernando Muslera and Uruguay were soon on the prowl again.
Suarez found himself with space to run at the Black Stars after poor control in the centre of the pitch by Annan gifted him the ball. He cut inside from the left, but his goal-bound strike was well stopped by the capable hands of Kingson. Uruguay were certainly looking like the side most likely to score at this point
A wonderful delivery from yet another Diego Forlan corner saw the ball come off the head of Edinson Cavani, before bouncing off John Mensah, and finally smacking Kingson right on the forehead. It was a well worked set piece that could have given the South Americans a deserved advantage, but the big 'keeper's face saved the day.
Ghana finally perked up after 20 minutes, putting some passes together and eventually winning a set-piece in the final third. Muntari stood over the ball for a second time, delivering expertly, but none of the Black Stars registered enough interest, leaving the ball to fly past the back post and out for a goal kick.

Annan lost the ball once again midway through the first half, gifting Diego Forlan a free shot from just outside the area. The shot was high and wide of the mark, but it served to highlight a possible weak spot in the Ghanaian defence. Uruguay then took a quick throw in on the left and Suarez was able to roll Vorsah and let one fly. Again, Kingson made a wonderful save to keep the scores level.
Vorsah quickly made up for his mistake at the other end, finding enough space on a Ghanaian corner to direct the ball almost into the top corner of Muslera's net. It was not to be though, as the headed attempt went just wide of the post.
The Africans sustained the burst of pressure they had just created with Kevin-Prince Boateng rounding his way towards the box, beating man after man, before squaring the ball to Gyan. It was a great pass, but the ball bobbled as it reached the striker, meaning he could only direct it past the post.
Having picked up a knock earlier in the game, Uruguay skipper Diego Lugano was forced to come off. Andres Scotti replaced the Fenerbahce defender during a troublesome time for the Uruguayans – Ghana were continuing to push forward in numbers. More alarmingly, Fucile lay on the ground with his eyes shut after an awkward fall in a challenge with Samuel Inkoom. He eventually got back to his feet, but the Celeste were well and truly rocked at the back.
After a flurry of attempts harangued Muslera's goal, including an ambitious but close overhead kick attempt from Boateng, a venomous, swerving, long range shot from Sulley Muntari caught the goalie off guard giving Ghana the lead at half time. At the break, it was 1-0 for Ghana.

Uruguay looked to recover quickly from the late first-half goal, with Forlan whipping the ball into the box for an onrushing Cavani. The Palermo striker looked to be fouled just on the edge of the box, but the referee waved play on, much to the attacker's disbelief. Soon after, Ajax's Nicolas Lodeiro, who replaced Alvaro Fernandez at the break, seemed to block a Muntari free kick with his hands. Again though, the ref motioned to get on with it.
Some great work from Fucile down the left won the South Americans a free kick on the edge of Ghana's box after John Pantsil scythed down the left-back. Diego Forlan opted to strike straight at goal and the speed of the shot saw it move in the air, fooling Kingson and finally ending up in the top corner. Uruguay were back in the game.
Boateng kept his head up after the goal, almost offering an instant reply as he played in Gyan. The striker seemed to take a little longer than he perhaps should have with the shot, but he troubled Muslera nonetheless. A good save from the Lazio goalie saw the ball out for a harmless corner kick.
Kingson was almost made to feel like the second Ghanaian left ruing a mistake as his handling of an easy take gave away a free corner. However Forlan's delivery was uncharacteristically poor this time, and the 'keeper breathed a sigh of relief.
It wasn't long until he was under pressure from Forlan again though, as the clever forward broke forward before squaring the ball to Suarez at the back post. It was an extremely tight angle, even for the most seasoned striker, but the 23-year-old held his head in his hands, clearly unhappy with his attempt.
There was then a decent penalty shout as Boateng went down the box after some muscling from Arevalo Rios and Maxi Pereira. The referee, for the third time, was still having none of it, unwilling to give anything other than a stonewall spot-kick. Ghana soon won a free kick from 25-yards to make up for it, but Gyan's strike was off-target.

Shots at both ends meant the game was explosive throughout the second period. Inkoom was hooked for the more experienced Stephen Appiah just as Forlan was allowed to strike another set piece at goal. The strike was a good one, forcing Kingson to scramble, but it only shaved the outside of the goal netting. Sebastian Abreu then took to the pitch in place of Cavani, heading straight to the front of the attacking line in a bold move by coach Oscar Tabarez.
Forlan almost added a second to his tally as the game edged into the last 10 minutes. A well timed ball in from the right found the Atletico Madrid striker, and he managed to get a foot to it. However, the touch from his heavily outstretched leg wasn't enough to tame the pass, and Kingson was able to wipe the sweat from his brow once more.
Muntari was hooked with minutes to go, A.C. Milan's Dominic Adiyiah taking to the stage in his place. With three minutes of injury time to play, both sides were scrambling to find that late goal that would avoid extra time. However, it was not to be, as the teams were too hurried in their actions to really create anything dangerous enough to trouble the 'keepers. After 90 minutes, the scores were even.

Ghana were the first to threaten as the first half of extra time commenced, winning an early corner. It didn't end well for Mensah though, as he was booked for dissent after claiming the referee should have done more about Fucile's heavy-handed defending of the set-piece.
Kwadwo Asamoah took it upon himself to rocket one towards goal from distance, and it was on target until it began to rise, but it would end up in the stands behind Muslera's goal.
Gyan looked like he might be in with a chance after Rios made a mistake in his own box to gift the striker the ball. The rest of the Uruguayan backline managed to get back and rescue their chances of a long overdue quarter-final though.
At the other end, Pantsil looked to have fouled Abreu in the box. To most it looked like a penalty kick, but the referee's positioning dictated that he would wave for the lofty striker to get back on his feet.
Ghana threatened again in the second half of extra time through a decent set-piece delivery from Pantsil. The initial attack was a bit scrappy, but the Ghanaians kept the ball well. The build-up saw the ball come back into Muslera's box and Gyan managed to get a decent header away, however the striker's nod went wide of the mark.
It was becoming increasingly more evident that the players were getting tired, both sides making silly mistakes through fatigue. It's worth mentioning that Ghana had already been through extra time against the USA on their path to this fixture.
A great ball in from the right saw Forlan free at the back post, but he foolishly opted to go for the strike with his left foot, forcing the ball wide of its intended target.
Ghana then began to push hard again. Appiah found space on the right to cross for Gyan who took the ball down well considering the pace on the pass. He turned his marker, but could only poke the ball towards Muslera who made a decent save.
A late flurry from Ghana saw a great flurry of chances heading straight for the net. A double goal-line clearance meant the chances were kept out, but Suarez's second defence of the goal mouth was with his hands, prompting a penalty kick and a sending off.
It should have been curtains for Uruguay at that point, but Asamoah Gyan, who had already scored twice from the spot for Ghana, hit the bar with his penalty. The ball flicked over the bar and the ref blew his whistle. Penalties lay in store...
Diego Forlan stepped up first for Uruguay. It was a cool finish, sending Kingson the wrong way and leading by example. Asamoah Gyan, who had just missed a penalty, then stepped up to match Forlan's strike. An absolutely perfect spot-kick, right into the top corner saw the scores tied.
Victorino was the second of the South Americans to shoot from the spot. Another expertly struck set-piece meant it was 2-1, but a similar strike from Stephen Appiah bought it level once again.
Scotti was next in line. It was low and central, but it was hard enough to beat Kingson. John Mensah was the Black Star to next take the long walk. The defender stood over the ball arrogantly, not taking much of a run up at all. After taking one step towards the ball, he struck it tamely and Muslera made an easy low save.
Pressure evidently got to Maxi Pereira, as the full-back raced towards his penalty, skying the ball way over the bar having put too much power in the strike. Adiyiah failed to take advantage of the gift from Pereira, sidefooting the ball slow and low, easy enough for Muslera to make another save.
It was up to now Kingson to save the Black Stars. Abreu took to the box, sauntering up the ball in cool fashion, chipping the ball straight down the middle as he watched Kingson flop to his left.
After a penalty shoot-out and a hugely exciting match, Uruguay have progressed to the semi-finals of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Netherlands 2-1 Brazil

Brazil have been eliminated from the World Cup after being unable to defend an early lead against Netherlands. The Dutch came back after falling 1-0 behind at half-time 1-0 to record a 2-1 win and progress to the semi-finals.

The Netherlands sprung the first attack of the afternoon as Dirk Kuyt floated in a ball from the left in search of Robin Van Persie but there was no problem for the Brazil defence to smother this threat.

Brazil then appeared to open the score after only eight minutes of play when Luis Fabiano set up Robinho, who calmly slotted home. However, the linesman had his flag up and the goal was deservedly disallowed.

The Selecao then did pick up the lead in the 10th minute. Felipe Melo found Robinho with a superb pass through the centre of the pitch and the Santos star calmly placed the ball past Maarten Stekelenburg to make it 1-0 for Brazil.

Oranje immediately tried to level the score and came close via Dirk Kuyt. The Liverpool attacker cut inside from the right before unleashing a low shot, but Julio Cesar deflected it wide for a corner kick.


The South Americans continued to dominate play and could have doubled their lead halfway the first half. Dani Alves found Juan with a good cross from the right and the centre back didn't hesitate to unleash a powerful shot, which went only just over the bar.

Kaka then opted to test the Dutch goalie at the half hour mark with a placed shot from 20 yards out. Stekelenburg pulled off an excellent save to deny the Real Madrid star though.

The referee awarded Oranje a free kick in a dangerous position about ten minutes before the half-time whistle. Wesley Sneijder stepped up to take it, but his shot was too weak to trouble Julio Cesar.

Netherlands then did seem to trouble the Brazilian defence minutes before the interval after a good attack down the right via Wesley Sneijder and Gregory van der Wiel. However, the latter's cross as eventually cleared by the South Americans' defence.

Maicon then nearly made it two for Brazil in the dying seconds of the first half. However, his powerful shot after an impressive run down the right ended up in the side-netting.

www.footnball.com- Netherlands vs Brazil Highlights

Christiano | MySpace Video

Netherlands started the second half with attacking intentions and the Europeans levelled the score in the 50th minute. Wesley Sneijder sent in a dangerous cross from the right and midfielder Felipe Melo headed the ball in his own net after shot stopper Julio Cesar missed his clearance.

The Dutch only just escaped falling behind again after 65 minutes of play. Ooijer failed to clear a cross from the right, deflecting the ball into the path of Kaka. The attacking midfielder aimed his placed shot just wide of the Dutch goal though.

Oranje then somewhat surprisingly took the lead in the 67th minute. Robben sent in a great corner kick for Kuyt, who flicked the ball on for Sneijder and the unmarked Inter star headed home from close range.

Things went from bad to worse for the Selecao only minutes after the 2-1. Robben went past Felipe Melo and the Juventus midfielder cynically fouled the winger before kicking out at him again after the referee's whistle, leaving the ref no other option but to show Melo the red card.

Holland launched a breakaway about ten minutes before the final whistle after some good work from Sneijder. However, the final pass for Kuyt was just too hard and Julio Cesar picked up the loose ball.

Brazil then looked dangerous after a series of corner kicks with five more minutes to go, but an excellent goalline clearance from Kuyt prevented the equalizer.

Sneijder should have put the match to bed in the 84th minute after a quick counter attack. However, the tricky midfielder failed to beat the Brazilian goalie after being set up by Robin van Persie.

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Spain 1-0 Portugal

Spain defeated Portugal 1-0 at the Green Point Stadium in Cape Town on Tuesday night to qualify for the quarter-finals of the World Cup. A second half strike from David Villa was enough for the European champions to see off the challenge of their Iberian rivals in the last-16 encounter. Portugal's Ricardo Costa was sent off late in the game.

Spain midfielder Xabi Alonso recovered from an ankle problem to start against Portugal on Tuesday night. Coach Vicente del Bosque maintained his faith in striker Fernando Torres despite the Liverpool hitman failing to shine in the World Cup so far.

Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz deployed Pepe in a midfield role in front of the back four and Cristiano Ronaldo and Simao on the wings. Hugo Almeida was the central striker for the Euro 2004 finalists.

It was Spain who started the brighter of the two sides as they had their first shot on goal as early as the second minute.

Gerard Pique instigated the move on the right side as he played Xavi in the middle of the park. The Barcelona maestro spread the ball wide to Sergio Ramos, who then played in Torres but the Liverpool hitman’s shot on goal was palmed away by Portugal goalkeeper Eduardo.
A minute later David Villa attempted a long-range effort from a narrow angle on the left but once again Eduardo stood up to the challenge.

Villa tried to repeat his trick in the seventh minute when he collected a Xavi pass on the left, cut inside and took a low right-footed shot on the Portugal goal. But once again the newly signed Barcelona striker was thwarted by Eduardo.

Portugal had failed to make any meaningful forays into the Spanish half but on 10 minutes star player Cristiano Ronaldo did attempt to create an opening. The Real Madrid player ran down the right and floated in a cross, which, though, was too far away for Almeida.

Spain continued to dominate possession and territory with Portugal restricted to hopeful crosses. In the 19th minute la Furia Roja had their opponents in a fix when Ramos released Torres on the right and he swung in a quick cross. However, there was no one in a red shirt to head home the pass.

A couple of minutes later Portugal had their first shot on target and could have actually taken the lead. Tiago was afforded too much time and space on the ball outside the Spain penalty box and took a stinging shot on goal. Casillas could only push it upwards and barely scrambled the ball away as Almeida rushed in to head it home.

The Group H winners propelled themselves into another attack in the 24th minute when a marching Ramos passed the ball to Andres Iniesta just outside the box. But the midfielder’s through ball aimed to find Villa went out of play.

However, Portugal could have taken the lead against the run of play in the 28th minute when Ronaldo’s straightforward free kick was wobbled over by Casillas before being finally put to safety.

A minute later Villa went for a cross-shot from the left but saw the ball end on the roof of the Portugal net. Moments afterwards Xavi went for goal himself from around 20 yards but couldn’t keep his shot on target.

Spain kept on trying to breach the Portugal citadel but could not find the opening goal of the game. However, in the 39th minute it was Queiroz's side who could have taken the lead when Raul Meireles crafted a wonderfully floated ball into the Spain penalty area only for Almeida to head the ball wide despite outjumping Joan Capdevila.

Portugal had two quick chances after that. Simao was almost sent through on goal on a quick counter but Casillas came out of his area to clear the danger. Moments later Fabio Coentrao delivered a dangerous cross into the area that Tiago fiercely headed towards Casillas’s goal but couldn’t find the target.

In the dying seconds, Torres had a chance but he was foiled by Portugal centre-back Ricardo Carvalho.

Spain started the second half in attacking mode as Torres tried to march along the left side. However, he was tackled by Coentrao.

On 52 minutes Ramos galloped down the right and delivered a ball towards Xabi Alonso, who was however beaten to the header by Tiago. The move continued, though, as Xavi tried to find Torres only to see the ball reach Eduardo.

Portugal then launched a counter-attack as Almeida whipped in a cross that was almost put into his own net by Carles Puyol as he protruded his knee to block the cross.

It became end-to-end action after that as Ramos and Xavi tried to play a one-two but failed. At the other end Casillas was forced to punch out a ball.

Just before the hour mark Spain coach Vicente del Bosque brought on Fernando Llorente in place of Fernando Torres and the change almost paid instant dividends. Ramos swung in a brilliant cross from the right that Llorente stooped to head into the Portugal net, but his header went straight to Eduardo.

Spain were the side imposing the most pressure at this point of time and the World Cup favourites eventually scored in the 63rd minute. A neat interplay among the Spanish players in tight spaces saw David Villa receive the ball on the left side of the box. His first attempt on the Portugal goal was blocked by Eduardo but the former Valencia striker made no mistake from the rebound.

La Furia Roja were clearly the side looking more likely to score the second goal of the night as Xavi and Capdevila both ventured forward. Indeed, the Spaniards could have netted in the 70th minute when right-back Ramos cut inside from the right and took an attempt on the Portugal goal with his left foot. Eduardo did just enough to parry it away.

Villa, who had earlier scored his fourth goal of the World Cup in South Africa, could have added to his tally on 77 minutes when he went for an audacious 30-yard attempt on goal that Eduardo once again punched away.

Spain continued to suffocate Portugal of space and possession. Things turned from bad to worse for the Portuguese when Ricardo Costa was sent off for elbowing Capdevila in the face on 88 minutes. Deep into injury time Portugal came close to stealing the equaliser but the Spanish defenders stood strong as Spain deservedly reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Paraguay 5-3 Japan after penalties shootout

he first penalty shoot-out of the 2010 World Cup has seen Paraguay progress at the expense of Japan after a tense but ultimately tepid encounter in Pretoria.

There were few genuine chances over the course of the bland encounter. La Albirroja had the better of the play but struggled to create chances against a well disciplined Samurai Blue defence, while the Japanese were frequently found wanting for real imagination in attack. Lucas Barrios had a promising opening midway through the first half, which was quickly followed by a Daisuke Matsui shot off the bar at the opposite end of the field.

Extra-time was only equally tense, so it took penalties to decide the outcome in favour of la Albirroja.

Contrary to prior expectations, the game actually started out with a nice tempo. Both sides pushed on purposefully, but neither seriously threatened to score. Yuichi Komano drove meaningfully forward from his right-back role in the Japanese defence but fired wide from an ambitious range.

Roque Santa Cruz offered some kind of riposte from the South Americans, firing a dangerous high cross along the line of the six yard box that was narrowly too long for Edgar Benitez, who had taken Nelson Valdez’s spot in the starting XI.

This promising opening would not last the duration of the fixture, which quickly nosedived into the kind of tactical affair that few neutrals would relish. The pressing of Japan in the middle of the field was commendable, but only on a handful of occasions would either defence look like being punctured.

Paraguay were bossing the ball but largely lacked imagination in the final third. A cute pass gave Lucas Barrios the chance to spin away from the defence on the edge of the box, which was a skill he executed brilliantly, but faced with Eiji Kawashima, the Borussia Dortmund forward was thwarted.

Matsui quickly offered a reply, quickly reacting to a loose ball 25 yards out to bend and dip a fine effort against the top of the Paraguayan crossbar.

Set pieces had been tipped to pose the Japanese real problems, though the delivery of Claudio Morel was questionable in the early stages. When he did finally get a corner right, the ball dropped kindly to Santa Cruz, who smacked his shot marginally wide of goal.

Six minutes before the interval a strong break down the right from Matsui, who was arguably the best player on the park in the first half, created a clean shooting chance for Keisuke Honda. From the edge of the penalty box, the CSKA Moscow player slashed his shot just wide, though Justo Villar was scrambling desperately.

There were few signs in the early stages of the second half that things would improve. Nestor Ortigoza dallied a little too long when seemingly well placed to allow Yuto Nagatomo to make a good block, while similar hesitancy would also cost Benitez when usefully positioned.

Cristian Riveros’ influence would rise and it would be the midfielder who had the first meaningful Paraguayan effort on goal after the restart, thumping a header straight at Kawashima.

By this stage Nagatomo had already had a shot deflected into the gloves of Villar and soon afterwards Tulio would head wide from a corner kick.

During this brief period there was real life about the game, but once again it would deteriorate into an uninspiring slugfest. Edgar Barreto tried a desperate shot from distance after 75 minutes but it was easily stopped by Kawashima, who might have had an issue with the awkwardly bouncing ball.

There was life in the latter stages of the game, but neither side looked capable of finding a breakthrough against their cautious opponents. Extra-time was therefore the logical outcome.

The first five minutes of the additional period followed the same script as the original ninety, though Kengo Nakamura had an ambitious shot deflected wide for the Samurai Blue before the South Americans regained their dominance.

Barrios was thwarted by Kawashima, who would make an even better block from Valdez moments later after the forward had spun effectively at the edge of the box.

Once again this hopeful start proved to be little more than a false dawn as the fear of losing outweighed the desire to claim victory. Set pieces provided the likelier route to goal, but neither goalkeeper was tested in the closing 20 minutes of the additional half-hour

The best moment came through a Keiji Tamada break down the left. Though his initial spurt was arrested, a clever flick from Shinji Okazaki had the veteran through on goal, though his attempted pass from a difficult angle couldn’t pick out a team-mate.
After all of the first five penalties had been scored, Komano sent his kick against the top of the bar. Paraguay were thereafter flawless from the spot and progressed to the last eight of the competition for the first time.

Monday, June 28, 2010

Brazil 3-0 Chile

Two goals in the first half from Juan and Luis Fabiano gave Brazil a comfortable 2-0 lead over Chile in the last-16 clash, before Robinho sealed the win in style with a second half strike as the Selecao set up a tantalising quarter-final showdown with the Netherlands.

South American pride and bragging rights were at stake as both Chile and Brazil looked to avoid becoming the first nation from the continent to be knocked out of the 2010 World Cup.

Chile showed all the initiative in the opening exchanges as they pinned back Brazil, who were happy to absorb the pressure and pounce on the break.

Indeed, it was the Selecao who had the first real chance after four minutes when Robinho released Luis Fabiano through on goal in a counter-attack, but the Sevilla striker dragged his shot wide across goal.

Dunga’s men quickly wrestled control of the game after that and on eight minutes, Gilberto Silva unleashed a piledriver from 25 yards out, which Claudio Bravo was forced to dive at full stretch to palm the ball away. Kaka then fired wired from the ensuing corner as Chile suddenly found themselves chasing shadows.

But La Roja finally carved out their first shot at goal on 12 minutes when Humberto Suazo fired his half-volley straight at Julio Cesar after he got in between two defenders to meet Alexis Sanchez’s through pass.

It didn’t take long for the frantic pace of the early minutes of the game to dissipate and chances started to dry up as both teams settled into a normal rhythm. In fact, the fans at Ellis Park had to wait until the 34th minute before they were up on their feet. And it was the Brazilian half of the crowd that were celebrating as the Canarinha took the lead when Juan thumped a bullet header into the top corner from Maicon’s corner.

Just three minutes later, it became 2-0. Robinho squared the ball to the middle to Kaka, who touched it on to Luis Fabiano and the striker coolly rounded the on-rushing Bravo before slotting the ball into the empty net.

Five minutes from the break, Michel Bastos galloped down the left channel and drilled in a low drive which flashed just wide, before Fabiano came close to a second but he hammered his header over from 12-yards out from a Maicon cross.

Brazil continued to look the more threatening side as Chile struggled to hang on for the half-time whistle.

A desperate Marcelo Bielsa made two changes at the break in a bid to haul his Chile side back into the contest. Rodrigo Tello came on for Pablo Contreras while Jorge Valdivia replaced Mark Gonzalez, but it was the Selecao who came out firing again when Dani Alves’ free kick all the way on the left channel just floated over the bar.

La Roja managed to string together a number of half-decent attacks, but it was their final ball into the opposition box that let them down. That only resulted in Brazil taking advantage of the gaps at the back to launch counter-attacks. And that was precisely how they five-time world champions made it 3-0.

Ramires made an interception in the halfway line, darted forward all the way to the edge of the area before teeing up Robinho to curl a wonderful side-footed shot past a hapless Bravo. Minutes later, Dani Alves let rip a 30-yard rocket which swerved agonisingly wide.

Chile, to their credit, didn’t let their heads drop as they fought valiantly for a consolation goal. Valdivia came closest on 65 minutes when he flicked up an Alexis Sanchez squared ball and pummelled in a volley which flew just over.

Another lightning break for Brazil almost resulted in a fourth goal when Robinho chased down a through ball and arrowed in a low drive across goal but Bravo got down well to swat it away.

Straight to the other end, Julio Cesar was forced to make his first save of the game when he dived full stretch to deny a superb shot from Humberto Suazo. Minutes later, Suazo’s volley right off the ground dipped over Julio Cesar but it could only clip the top of the bar.

Jean Beausejour and Valdivia had the last clear-cut chances of the game for Chile when they both pulled their shots wide but Brazil’s commanding lead never looked in danger as they went on to secure an impressive 3-0 win and a date with the Netherlands in the quarter-finals.

Netherlands 2-1 Slovakia

The Dutch always seemed to hold this match in their hands, particularly after grabbing the initiative thanks to a trademark strike from Arjen Robben. Bert van Marwijk’s Oranje maintained their steady if unspectacular level for much of the remainder of the match, though the Repre enjoyed some threatening moments in the second half. In the dying stages of the match, Wesley Sneijder pounced on a glaring goalkeeping error to put the Dutch into the quarter-finals, though a late Robert Vittek penalty would take some of the shine from the result.

Long range shots from either side were very much the order of the day in the opening few minutes. Slovakia made their presence felt with strong efforts from Vladimir Weiss and Marek Hamsik but it was the Netherlands who ultimately took a hold on the match, despite the initial exchanges being finely balanced.

Wesley Sneijder was heavily involved for the Dutch, as his been his custom in the competition to date. His first contribution was a shot from distance that went over the top, and that was matched by Dirk Kuyt soon afterwards, though the Liverpool man dragged his ambitious strike from range wide.

There could be little doubt that the Oranje were beginning to get into their stride, even if some of their passing was a little sloppy at times. Better opportunities started to be created by Bert van Marwijk’s side, but Robin van Persie wasted a good headed chance from just outside the six yard box and Sneijder finished tamely after being rolled in by the Arsenal forward.

It was Robben, making his first start of the World Cup after injury, who broke the deadlock. Sneijder was the architect, launching a fine long pass for the Bayern Munich winger to scamper onto down the left. As he has done so many times this season, the Dutchman gathered possession 30 yards from goal, advanced to the corner of the box, cut inside and slid a low left-footed shot into the corner of the net.

Prior to the break the Netherlands seemed to ease their effort somewhat, simply content to keep their opponents at an arm’s length. Van Persie tried to inject some life into the Dutch attack after the Oranje had withstood several Slovakian set-plays but the striker’s somewhat mundane right-footed shot from 25 yards was comfortably fielded by Jan Mucha.

A couple of minutes before the half-time interval, Van Persie slid a firm shot by the near post after good work by Mark van Bommel getting down the right.

Having drifted in and out of the game in the first half, it was Robben who tried to make a significant early impact in the second. The Bayern Munich forward again jinked inside onto his left foot at the edge of the box but this time his low drive was superbly blocked by Mucha down to his right.

Moments later the goalkeeper produced an arguably better block. After the corner kick resulting from Robben’s shot had broken down, the 26-year-old broke into the left side of the box before delivering an intelligent centre that was turned goalwards by Joris Mathijsen. The big defender connected with the ball well, but Mucha spread himself well to block with his face.

On the rare occasions the Slovakians pushed forward meaningfully, the Dutch tended to counter their attacks forcefully. A swift break down the right was led by Robben, who picked out Sneijder on the opposite side of the pitch, though the Inter man’s shot was blocked by a retreating defender.

Midway through the second period, Maarten Stekelenburg in the Netherlands goal was suddenly employed after being a spectator for much of the previous 65 minutes. Miroslav Stoch had a fierce strike from the edge of the box brilliantly turned over the top by the Ajax goalkeeper. Robert Vittek seemingly had the freedom of the box seconds later, but after breaking the offside trap he was thwarted by the custodian.

Stirred into action, the Oranje began to push their way forward once again, with Kuyt having a long range effort parried by the post with little over quarter of an hour remaining.

Slovakia certainly did allow their levels to drop, though Vittek was again found wanting in front of goal when he pivoted to shoot over from the edge of the box after a fortunate ricochet fell at his feet.

The Netherlands had rarely looked like adding to their tally, but when Mucha badly misjudged a quickly taken free kick from Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Kuyt was able to take his time and calmly pick out Sneijder on the penalty spot. With a whole goal to aim at, the Inter player didn’t waste his chance.

Play was spread in the remaining seconds, and Slovakia pulled a goal back with the very last kick - Vittek converting a penalty kick deep into stoppage time.

There can be few doubts the classier side progressed, but it is a source of debate whether it’s good for the Dutch to have progress to the quarter-finals without hitting their best level. Meanwhile, Slovakia can return home with their heads high after a World Cup debut to remember.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Argentina 3-1 Mexico

Argentina will face Germany in the World Cup quarter-finals after the South Americans overcame Mexico 3-1 in Johannesburg tonight.

Carlos Tevez headed home controversially after 26 minutes, appearing to do so from an offside position, before Gonzalo Higuain struck a second. Tevez hit a beautiful third in the second half before Javier Hernandez netted a consolation.

As expected, Juan Sebastian Veron and Jonas Gutierrez missed out as Diego Maradona switched largely back to the side which had started Argentina’s campaign rather than the rotated set-up of their last group game against Greece. With Walter Samuel injured, Nicolas Otamendi, Nicolas Burdisso and Maxi Rodriguez retained their spots. There were three changes for Mexico, as Efrain Juarez, Adolfo Bautista and Hernandez replaced Guillermo Franco, Cuauhtemoc Blanco and Hector Moreno, meaning a switch to centre-back for skipper Rafael Marquez.

After a largely Argentina dominated opening, Mexico had two great efforts in no time at all. First, Carlos Salcido cut inside and unleashed a speculative effort from 35 yards out which had Sergio Romero scrambling back to flick onto the bar. Before the Albiceleste could draw breath, Giovani dos Santos made a break down the right before pulling the ball back for Jose Guardado, whose left foot shot from 20 yards swung just wide of the far post with Romero beaten.

Although the South Americans slotted straight back into their smooth passing play, it was Mexico who once again forced the next decent opening, with Bautista and Hernandez combining well before the latter fired just wide.

El Tri were not having it all their own way though, as they were left resorting to kicks rather than tackles on Lionel Messi at times as they showed an early inability as to come to terms with the diminutive attacker’s threat. The No. 10 could even be found 30 yards from his own goal battling for the ball as he looked to find space wherever he could get it.

Eventually Messi was able to have a huge influence as Argentina took a highly controversial lead. He and Carlos Tevez ran in tandem at the heart of the Mexico defence and the Manchester City forward was able to squeeze the ball through for Messi to go one on one with Oscar Perez. After the keeper was able to foil him, Messi chipped the ball towards goal before Tevez, who appeared to be a metre or so offside, flicked home a header beyond two retreating defenders.

It momentarily appeared as though the strike was to be ruled out as referee Roberto Rosetti consulted his assistant at length, but despite protests from the Mexican players the goal was allowed to stand.

Within just seven minutes the Albiceleste rubbed salt into the open wounds by adding a second. Ricardo Osorio took his eye off a simple pass at the back, and the loose ball was pounced upon by Gonzalo Higuain, who charged forward before coolly rounding Perez and slotting into the empty net.

After their endeavour in the early stages and the injustice of the first goal, Mexico might have considered themselves unfortunate, but they now had to face up to the reality of chasing two goals.

It could so easily have been three after Messi’s throw was flicked on by Higuain and Tevez went on the rampage towards the Mexico goal, but el Tri managed to block his effort and then cleared Maxi Rodriguez’s cross soon after.

A further chance was wasted as Argentina really began to turn the screw. Otamendi did superbly to reach the bye-line before crossing for Higuain, who was unable to get enough contact onto his header and glanced wide from five yards.

There was a scuffle between the two sets of players as they went in at the break and when they all came back out Mexico did so without Bautista, who was replaced by Pablo Barrera.

After an initial period of cat and mouse at the start of the second half the result was put beyond doubt by a moment of Argentine magic.

Forced onto his left foot with seemingly nothing on, Carlos Tevez ducked back onto his right, getting a break off a Mexican defender as he did so, before unleashing an unstoppable effort from 25 yards.

It was a killer blow for el Tri, a side who could quite rightly have claimed to be Argentina’s equal for long spells in the game. They were left reduced to aiming speculative efforts at Sergio Romero, with Guardado closest to catching out the AZ goalkeeper.

Guardado was then replaced by Guillermo Franco as Javier Aguirre tried to come up with something that would get his team back into the running. Within seconds they’d fashioned an opportunity, but Hernandez could only head over from close range when unmarked.

With question marks over officiating continuing today, there was another flashpoint when Mexico appeared to have pulled a goal back when Pablo Barrera knocked the ball beyond Romero but Gabriel Heinze raced back to clear. Initially the ball seemed to have crossed the line, but video replays were in short supply.

But within seconds Mexico had their lifeline as Javier Hernandez beautifully turned a static Martin Demichelis before firing a neat left foot finish high into the net at Romero’s near post.

Far from signalling a late Mexican rally, the goal seemed to just fire up the Albiceleste further, as they continued to knock the ball around with ease, knowing that continued possession would make it very difficult for el Tri to regain any more ground on the scoreboard.

There was one opportunity for Mexico as a dangerous cross was swung over from the left but Gabriel Heinze superbly flung himself at the ball to clear at the far post ahead of Marquez.

Messi could have finally got his World Cup account ticking in stoppage time when unleashing a superb left foot strike, but Perez did well to tip over. But it was too little too late for the keeper as Mexico crashed out.

Germany 4-1 England

England have been knocked out of World Cup 2010 after losing 4-1 to Germany in their last 16 clash in Bloemfontein.

Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski benefited from poor defending in the first half to give the Germans a 2-0 lead before Matthew Upson headed past Manuel Neuer to pull a goal back for the Three Lions. Frank Lampard then saw his superb chip from the edge of the area cross the line but a goal was wrongly not given by referee Jorge Larrionda.

Fabio Capello’s side began the second half well but were undone by two German counter attacks as Thomas Mueller fired home twice to send England out of the tournament.

Germany made just one change from their 1-0 win over Ghana on Wednesday. Miroslav Klose returned from suspension to lead the line, replacing the injured Cacau, while Jerome Boateng and Bastian Schweinsteiger started despite concerns over their fitness.

Despite hinting in his pre-match press conference that he may make one change, Fabio Capello stuck with the same starting line-up in successive matches for the first time during his reign as England boss, with Matthew Upson keeping his place at centre-back ahead of Jamie Carragher and Ledley King.

Oezil has been one of the stars of the World Cup so far, and he had the game’s first major chance. The Werder Bremen playmaker managed to race in front of Ashley Cole to latch onto a looping pass forward before trying to beat James at his near post with a sharp right-footed strike at goal, but the England 'keeper made himself big and turned the ball away.

Capello has been criticised for persistently selecting Gerrard to play on the left side of midfield, but he was at the heart of England’s attacks early on. He continued to come deep to receive the ball, dictate the tempo of the game and look to pick out Rooney and Defoe, who was almost found one-on-one with Neuer before the keeper raced out of his goal to claim the ball.

There were very little opportunities for either side in the opening 20 minutes but Khedira and Lampard both had half-chances to open the scoring. Khedira cut inside from the right past Barry and attempted an ambitious left-footed shot but it flew high and wide before Lampard was presented with a free-kick 25 yards out, but could only smash the ball into the wall.

England had conceded just one goal in the tournament before the game, but that tally was doubled on 20 minutes. Neuer’s long goal-kick downfield caused unnecessary problems for England’s defence and neither Terry or Upson attacked the ball, leaving Klose to shrug off the challenge of Upson before sliding the ball into the bottom right-hand corner past the onrushing James.

Barry looked to get his side straight back into the game a couple of minutes after going behind. The Manchester City midfielder received a pass 25 yards out from goal and tested the palms of Neuer, who was able to catch the ball under pressure from Gerrard and Rooney looking to convert the follow up.

Poor defending from England was the tale of the first half and they were undone again minutes later. Klose played a terrific chip down the right wing to find Muller who benefited from slack defending once again to pick out the unmarked Podolski at the far post. The Cologne forward then fired the ball left-footed underneath James into the far corner.

Upson played a part in both of Germany’s goals but managed to pull a goal back for Capello’s men moments later. Gerrard was found in space on the edge of the area following a short corner to deliver a right-footed cross into the box and Upson climbed above everybody to head past a stranded Neuer into an empty net.

Goal-line technology has been the talk of football for years now and England should have benefited from it on 37 minutes. Lampard was left with plenty of space on the edge of the area to superbly chip the ball over Neuer, who had come off his line. The ball struck the crossbar and clearly crossed the line but the referee wrongly decided not to allow the goal, meaning the Germans reached half-time with their lead intact.

Lampard should have had a goal allowed in the first half, and he came close to equalising for England after 53 minutes. The Three Lions won a free-kick around 25 yards out and Lampard smashed the ball over the three-man wall, rattling the crossbar once again - only the ball bounced back into play this time.

Shocking defending from England proved to their downfall in the first half, but it was Germany who almost gifted Capello’s side a goal as the hour mark approached. Lahm’s short back-pass presented Defoe with a chance to go through on goal but Neuer rushed out of his area to smash the ball away.

Both sides were then given opportunities to add to their tallies. Mueller skipped past Terry far too easily before trying to find the bottom right-hand corner with precision but the shot took a deflection off Ashley Cole and sailed wide of the post. Rooney then picked out Milner unmarked on the right side of the German area but his snapshot was blocked by new Manchester City recruit Boateng.

England were the better team in the opening 20 minutes of the second half but Fabio Capello decided to change things. Fans favourite Joe Cole replaced Milner on the right wing and looked sharp on arrival, earning cheers from the Three Lions faithful with his first few touches.

Lampard had another chance from a free-kick shortly after, but, this time, the result was not what England were hoping for. His shot at goal was blocked by the wall and Germany quickly broke on the counter attack with Schweinsteiger. The Bayern Munich man raced forward and played in Mueller in space on the right-hand side of the area who beat James at his near post with a fierce strike.

Just a couple of minutes after Mueller’s goal, he was at it again. Another counter attack saw Oezil break with pace down the left wing, and after skipping past Barry with ease, he rolled the ball across the face of goal for Mueller to tap home from close range.

Changes were then made from both managers. Fabio Capello brought on Heskey for Defoe, while Joachim Loew was able to rest players and bring on Gomez and Trochowski for Klose and two-goal hero Mueller.

Germany were able to keep possession with ease for the next five minutes before Gerrard had a chance to pull a goal back. After a neat passing move, the England skipper picked up the ball on the edge of the area and jinked past a defender before firing towards the far corner and forcing Neuer into a decent save.

Wright Phillips was brought on late on for Johnson, who seemed to be struggling with a knock, but England couldn’t find a way back as they suffered their worst ever World Cup final defeat.

USA 1-2 Ghana

Asamoah Gyan has rifled Ghana into the quarter-finals of the 2010 World Cup after striking early in the first half of extra-time. The game was locked at 1-1 after 90 minutes when a Landon Donavon penalty cancelled out Kevin-Prince Boateng’s opening goal.

With a quarter-final showdown with Uruguay awaiting either nation, both teams went on an early charge to find the go-ahead goal in what was an open, free-flowing contest.

It was Clint Dempsey who had the first shot on target for the US after four minutes when he rifled in an ambitious 25-yard shot straight to Richard Kingson. But 60 seconds further up the field, Ghana surged into the lead against the run of play.

Ricardo Clark lost possession for the Americans right on the halfway line and Kevin-Prince Boateng darted forward almost unchallenged before drilling a low shot right on the edge of the area into the bottom corner past Tim Howard.

Ghana immediately grew in confidence as they completely dominated proceedings after the goal. Andre Ayew and Samuel Inkoom were constantly presented with acres of space down both wings on numerous occasions as the US struggled to close down their opponents.

The Black Stars had their next chance on 18 minutes when Asamoah Gyan curled in a freekick from 20 yards out but Tim Howard was equal to the task with a clean punch.

The USA finally caused some real panic in the opposition goal on 22 minutes when Landon Donovan released Michael Bradley through on goal down the left channel, but his cross-cum-shot was easily saved by Kingson.

The Stars And Stripes continued to struggle to find any meaningful rhythm and coach Bob Bradley was forced to make a tactical change just half an hour into the match as Maurice Edu came on for Ricardo Clark.

The change seemed to work a treat as the US carved out their best chance of the game just four minutes later. Dempsey slipped in a through ball to Robbie Findley who tried to stroke it in at the near post, but Kingson made a superb kick-save.

Straight to the other end, Ghana had an identical chance. Jay DeMeritt allowed a long clearance from the back to bounce over him and Kwadwo Asamoah latched onto it, but his low drive was smothered by Howard at his near post.

Asamoah then blazed wildly over after being teed up by a clever backheel from Boateng but Ghana were still able to head into the break with the advantage.

The US, sensing a need to change the complexion of the game, sent on Benny Feilhaber to replace Robbie Findley for the start of the second half and just two minutes in, the substitute almost equalised for the Americans.

Landon Donavon’s pull-back from the right trickled to Jozy Altidore, who laid it off for Feilhaber to attempt a toe-poke right infront of goal, but Kingson spread himself wide and successfully swatted the shot away.

Boateng and Gyan then had two attempts at goal fly just wide for the Ghanaians as both teams started trading blows from one end to the other. And right on the hour mark, the Americans were given a lifeline when Jonathan Mensah brought down Dempsey and the referee pointed to the spot.

Donavan stepped up and coolly slotted his penalty in off the post, sending Kingson the wrong way as USA restored parity.

Six minutes later, they were presented with a chance to take the lead. Donovan released Altidore with a lovely through pass but Kingson was quick off his line to make a superb sliding tackle. With 15 minutes left on the clock, the US should have given taken the lead. A slick build-up passing move saw Altidore release Bradley clean through on goal but he could only shoot low and meekly at Kingson. Moments later, Altidore had a glorious chance himself when he wrestled John Mensah off the ball inside the box but off-balance, he could only pull his shot agonisingly wide. The Black Stars suddenly looked out of steam and out of ideas as they pummelled multiple crosses into the box which was unable to be finished off. They did look the more dangerous side, however, as the Americans looked the more cautious as the game approached the end of regulation time and neither managed to find a winning goal. The first period of extra-time saw the Africans picking up where they left off after 90 minutes and they were rewarded for their adventure just three minutes in. Ayew’s speculative lobbed clearance found Gyan, who stayed firm despite Carlos Bocanegra’s shoulder charge before rifling in a stinging half-volley past Howard from 12 yards out. Shortly after, Feilhaber cannoned in a shot which just bounced wide after going through a crowd of defenders before Edu’s glancing header from a corner just flashed marginally off the mark. Ghana wisely retreated at the start of the second period of extra-time as a place in the quarter-finals beckoned. Chances were understandably few and far between as the legs started to go but to the credit of both teams, neither stopped running and the Africans even ventured forward occasionally to find a third goal. Herculez Gomez pulled a shot narrowly wide for the Americans late on and DeMeritt's overhead attempt just sailed over but there would be no more last minute heroics by the Stars And Stripes as the Black Stars hung on to claim a 2-1 victory to secure a berth in the quarter-finals to face Uruguay.