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The World Cup organisers admitted on Thursday that they were disappointed by worn-looking pitches, but blamed unseasonably cold weather in Germany in May for the problems. All of the playing surfaces at the 12 World Cup stadiums were replaced at the end of the German league season in mid-May, but low temperatures at that time prevented the grass from growing properly.
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Another 2-0 deficit wasn’t enough to stop orange-clad Côte d’Ivoire from stomping away in its elephant dance. Taking advantage of two handballs by Milan Dudic, Côte d’Ivoire beat Serbia-Montenegro 3-2 on Wednesday night through Bonaventure Kalou’s penalty shot in the 86th minute.
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Ten-man Mexico scraped into the World Cup second round on Wednesday despite a chaotic 2-1 loss to a second-string Portugal. Mexico gave away a penalty, missed another and had a man sent off with 30 minutes left, but squeaked through when Group D rivals Angola were pegged back 1-1 by Iran.
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Angola scored the first goal of their short World Cup history, but a 1-1 draw with Iran in their final Group D match on Wednesday signalled the end of their remarkable journey in Germany. The Southern African nation, appearing in their first World Cup, had needed to win by three clear goals and hope that Group D rivals Mexico lost to Portugal.
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Sven-Goran Eriksson’s worst fears have been realised after the cruel injury to Michael Owen that has seriously depleted England’s already threadbare attacking options. Owen is expected to be ruled out of the World Cup later on Wednesday after twisting a knee in the first minute of England’s 2-2 draw with Sweden at the Rhein Energie Stadion.
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Coming into the World Cup, Côte d’Ivoire was widely regarded as the most talented team coming out of Africa. Now Ghana is the lone African team with a chance to qualify for the second round of the tournament, and the vanquished Elephants of Côte d’Ivoire are pulling for them.
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England finally got a result against Sweden it can live with. No, not a win — that has been too much to ask for. A 2-2 draw on Tuesday, however, was enough for the English to win Group B at the World Cup. Henrik Larsson tied it off a throw-in, getting the slightest touch to deflect the ball into the net in the 90th minute.
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Germany recorded a third straight win to finish top of World Cup Group A with their Polish connection of Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski gunning down a weakened Ecuador 3-0 on Tuesday. Both teams had already qualified for the last 16 of the competition but Germany go into the second round with wind in their sails.
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Two goals from defender Bartosz Bosacki — his first for his country — gave Poland a comeback 2-1 victory over Costa Rica in their nothing-at-stake Group A encounter on Tuesday. With Germany and Ecuador having already qualified for the last 16, the teams were playing for the futures of their under-fire coaches and to avoid last spot in the group.
German state prosecutors said on Tuesday two neo-Nazis were being detained after a weekend attack in which a teenager of Ethiopian origin suffered a fractured skull. The attack in Schoenefeld, on the south-eastern outskirts of Berlin, was clearly motivated by xenophobia, said prosecutors in Potsdam, capital of the state of Brandenburg, which surrounds Berlin.
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Angola are aiming to create the biggest surprise of this World Cup when they take on Iran on Wednesday with an outside chance of reaching the second round. Written off as no-hopers when they arrived, a gritty performance to force a goalless draw with Mexico has given the Southern African nation a shot at finishing in the top two of Group D.
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Liverpool striker Harry Kewell was on Tuesday cleared by a (world soccer governing body) Fifa disciplinary committee to play in Australia’s crucial World Cup group match with Croatia over his full-time rant at a match referee, team officials said.
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Spain joined the happy band of qualifiers for the second round of the World Cup on Monday but were made to work hard for their 3-1 victory over 2004 African Nations Cup champions Tunisia. It was a tough day at the office for Africa as the joy of Ghana’s win over the Czech Republic evaporated as Switzerland beat Togo 2-0.
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Ukraine outclassed Saudi Arabia in their crunch Group H game in Hamburg on Monday, firmly setting their stuttering World Cup campaign back on track with a convincing 4-0 win. The World Cup debutants showed their attacking intent against a toothless Saudi team from the start.
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Switzerland kept their World Cup dream well and truly alive with a 2-0 win over troubled but lively debutants Togo on Monday. Goals in either half from Alexander Frei and Tranquillo Barnetta lifted Kobi Kuhn’s youngsters up to the top of Group G on four points, along with South Korea, who await them in their remaining first-round fixture on Friday.
Going on holiday can increase the likelihood of suicide in people suffering from clinical depression. ”A change of scene does not help a person with depression. It’s more likely to make them worry about the new environment they are in,” says Christa Roth-Sackenheim, chairperson of the professional Association of German Psychiatrists.
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England have vowed to end their 38-year winless streak against Sweden in Cologne on Tuesday — even if the reward is a World Cup second-round showdown with host nation Germany. Fixture scheduling has left England heading into their final Group B match with the identity of their last 16 opponents in their own hands.
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For Netherlands football fans it has become the summer’s cult outfit. Over the past few months, a quarter of a million Netherlands supporters have bought themselves a pair of patriotic orange lederhosen — wearing them whenever Holland take to the pitch in the World Cup. But when Netherlands fans turned up on Friday to watch their team play the Côte d’Ivoire, wearing the garish trousers, officials from Fifa were not amused.
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Asamoah Gyan and Sulley Muntari scored a goal each on Saturday to lead Ghana to a surprise 2-0 upset over the Czech Republic in Group E of the World Cup. Gyan picked up a pass from captain Stephen Appiah in the second minute and easily beat goalkeeper Petr Cech.
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He has a goal-scoring record that not even Pele could match, but age may finally be catching up with Iran’s evergreen striker Ali Daei. Coach Branko Ivankovic said what some Iranians have been saying for years: Daei, now 37, is simply too slow.
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A high-ranking Fifa official was sent home from the World Cup in disgrace on Saturday after admitting he sold World Cup tickets for three times face value. Fifa president Sepp Blatter said he was ”furious” after Botswana’s Ismail Bhamjee confirmed he sold tickets at inflated prices.
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Portugal qualified for the World Cup knock-out stages for the first time in 40 years on Saturday with a 2-0 win over Iran. Iran offered robust resistance for more than an hour before Brazilian-born Deco’s unstoppable opener. Cristiano Ronaldo settled the matter with a penalty 10 minutes from the end.
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Angola’s coach called for African nations to cooperate to improve their football after a winless opening week for the continent at the World Cup. Four of the five African teams lost their first games with only Tunisia registering a draw against lowly Saudi Arabia.
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Arsenal’s Freddie Ljungberg fired Sweden to the brink of the second phase of the World Cup on Thursday, his late header sending Paraguay home in a 1-0 win. Sweden now face compatriot Sven-Goran Eriksson’s England on Tuesday as they bid to win Group B with either hosts Germany or Ecuador waiting in the next round.
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England stuttered into the second round of the World Cup in Germany on Thursday after late goals from Peter Crouch and Steven Gerrard handed them a flattering 2-0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago. Crouch, who had missed a series of chances throughout the match, finally made amends seven minutes from time.
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Ecuador beat Costa Rica 3-0 on Thursday to clinch qualification for the second phase of the World Cup for the first time in their history. The result means that Ecuador only need to draw with host nation Germany next Tuesday to win Group A by virtue of a superior goal difference, meaning they would avoid England if Sven-Goran Eriksson’s side win Group B.
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England striker Wayne Rooney was cleared by doctors on Thursday to play in the World Cup. His first World Cup appearance could come on Thursday afternoon, when England play Trinidad and Tobago. However, England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson said he would only use Rooney as a substitute.
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Substitute Oliver Neuville scored a stoppage-time winner as host nation Germany moved to the brink of qualifying for the last 16 of the World Cup with a 1-0 win over Poland on Wednesday. Germany had spurned countless chances, with their Polish-born strikers Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski the main guilty parties.
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More than 300 people were rounded up by police in Dortmund overnight after German hooligans sparked fighting before the World Cup match between Germany and Poland. The violence signalled the end of five trouble-free days at the World Cup.
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It’s another hot night in St Pauli. Even without World Cup fever raising temperatures and other things, most nights are sizzling in this party district of sex shops, nightclubs and prostitutes. Inside the packed restaurants are giant television screens showing every match. Tonight it’s Brazil. Or is it Germany?
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Defender Radhi Jaidi headed an injury time equaliser on Wednesday as Tunisia scrambled a 2-2 draw with Saudi Arabia, which left both teams waiting for an elusive World Cup win. After a defensive mix-up, forward Zied Jaziri put a high ball into the six-yard box which Jaidi nodded home.
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Perennial under-achievers Spain kick-started their bid to top Group H with a blast on Wednesday with a resounding 4-0 win over World Cup debutants Ukraine. With Spanish icon Raul starting on the bench, Valencia marksman David Villa took centre stage for Luis Aragones’s side with a goal in each half.