Category — World Cup
World Cup update : summary
Switzerland beat Spain 1-0
Chile beat Honduras 1-0
Related Posts:
June 17, 2010 No Comments
World Cup Update : Uruguay vs S.Africa : 3 vs 0
Uruguay beat South Africa 3-0 in their World Cup Group A match on Wednesday thanks to two goals from Diego Forlan including a penalty after the host nation’s goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune was sent off.
Forlan opened the scoring when he blasted a stunning right-footed shot from well outside the penalty area which dipped beyond the reach of Khune in the 24th minute.
South Africa were always chasing the technically superior Uruguayans as the hosts sought in vain to build on the point they earned against Mexico in the opening match.
In a dramatic second half, Khune was sent off after catching Luis Suarez with his boot as the
Uruguayan striker tried to round him and substitute ‘keeper Moeneeb Josephs was unable to stop Forlan’s confident spot-kick.
Alvaro Pereira completed the scoring to wrap up a comfortable victory for the South Americans.
Related Posts:
June 17, 2010 No Comments
World Cup 2010 official ball criticised
Stars from England, Brazil and Italy have joined forces to criticise the controversial new ball to be used in the World Cup, but the developer insists there will be no cause for concern once the tournament gets underway in South Africa.
The Adidas ‘Jabulani’ ball has caused concern at training camps across the globe as the world’s best players try it out ahead of the start of the World Cup on June 11.
It is believed to have an unpredictable swerving movement which makes its hard for goalkeepers and strikers to anticipate its direction in flight.
England goalkeeper David James says the ball is “horrible”, Brazil forward Luis Fabiano calls it “weird” and Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon fears its “unpredictability” could ruin the World Cup.
However, Dr Andy Harland, who developed the ball at Loughborough University’s Sports Technology Institute in England, said much of the criticism was due to the unfamiliar effects arising from teams playing at altitude as part of their pre-World Cup training.
“I’ve seen nothing that’s concerned me,” he told Sky Sports News. “This ball has been around since December and been used since then around the world with very few comments.
“Teams have gone to altitude and you’ve seen comments come out in those circumstances.
“We’ve said all along it would affect the ball, but it should be said whichever ball you play with at altitude is going to be affected.”
The ball is billed as the roundest ever made, a quality which would make it less stable in the air if not for a series of grooves on the surface designed to reduce aerodynamic problems.
Harland said not one team had contacted him to discuss the ball and added he was not surprised by the criticism.
“It’s not entirely unexpected,” he said. “Before every tournament players come out and voice their opinions.
“There are no secrets about this ball. The ball is designed to allow the very best players in the world to exhibit their skills.”
Related Posts:
June 3, 2010 No Comments
World Cup countdown : Argentina 1 Germany 0
[1] 
[0]
Diego Maradona’s Argentina beat Germany 0-1 in a highly anticipated international friendly on Wednesday. The only goal of the match came from Gonzalo Higuain.
Argentina were by far the better side in the first half and came close to scoring the opening goal when Angel Di Maria got past two defenders and blasted a shot onto the German crossbar.
But the visitors did get a reward for their performance in the 45th minute. Goalkeeper Adler stormed out of the penalty area in an attempt to clear the ball, but missed and allowed Gonzalo Higuain to take advantage and score.
The second half showed a more balanced encounter with Germany spending more time on Argentina’s half, but Joachim Löw’s men failed to create any danger near the goal.
The Germans begin their World Cup Group D campaign against Australia on June 13, and face Serbia and Ghana in the remaining games. Argentina are drawn into Group B with Nigeria, Korea Republic and Greece.
Related Posts:
March 4, 2010 No Comments
World Cup countdown: Portugal 2 China 0
[2] 
[0]
Portugal earned a hard-fought 2-0 win over China PR in an international friendly played on Wednesday.
The city of Coimbra was the venue for the match, in which Portugal drew first blood through Hugo Almeida after 37 minutes.
The rather fruitless encounter never truly came to life, although Portugal did add a second goal four minutes into injury time as a Liedson strike was deflected by a defender.
The Portuguese face a tough challenge in South Africa, next June, as they share Group G with Cote d’Ivoire, Korea DPR and Brazil.
China did not qualify for the World Cup finals.
Related Posts:
March 4, 2010 No Comments
