GROUP STAGE

STADIUM: Allianz Arena (München)

DATE: 9-06-2006 (18:00 h)

ATTENDANCE: 64.950

REFEREE: Horacio Marcelo Elizondo (ARG)

GOALS: 1-0 (Lahm 6’); 1-1 (Wanchope 12’); 2-1 (Klose 17’); 3-1 (Klose 61’); 3-2 (Wanchope 73’); 4-2 (Frings 87’)

BOOKED: Fonseca (30’)

[Incidents: Opening game of the World Cup, preceded by an inaugural ceremony. A minute of silence was observed before kick-off in memory of all the football players who died in 2006.]

Germany - Costa Rica

4-2 (2-1)

GERMANY

Lehmann

COACH: Jürgen Klinsmann

COSTA RICA

Porras

COACH: Alexandre Guimarães

GAME SUMMARY

Miroslav Klose scored twice for Germany on his 28th birthday as they opened the World Cup finals in Munich with a thrilling 4-2 victory over Costa Rica. German coach Jürgen Klinsmann rested captain Michael Ballack (even though the player had announced that he was fit to play) because the team's doctors decided that playing him would be too risky. Bernd Schneider took over the captaincy and Klinsmann named Tim Borowski to fill Ballack's central midfield position.

Germany scored after six minutes when Philipp Lahm, after wrong-footing a defender, sent a magnificent shot from the edge of the box past the keeper which struck the far post and flew in. The hosts could have scored a second four minutes later, but Klose just missed tapping the ball into the goal and then Schneider's shot from inside the box flew over the bar. But it was Costa Rica who scored next when, in the 12th minute, Wanchope raced through a frozen German defense (who wrongly thought he was offside) to pick up a pass from Ronald Gómez and slide the ball past the German keeper. It took the Germans only five minutes to regain the lead when Schneider, racing down the left flank, cut the ball back into the box to Bastian Schweinsteiger, who passed to Klose for a close-range tap-in. The Polish-born striker then made it 3-1 when he fired into the roof of the net in the 61st minute after his header was parried by Porras. Wanchope added his second goal with 17 minutes to go before Frings grabbed Germany's fourth with a a superb 30-meter drive in the 87th.

GROUP STAGE

STADIUM: Arena AufSchalke (Gelsenkirchen)

DATE: 9-06-2006 (21:00 h)

ATTENDANCE: 52.000

REFEREE: Toru Kamikawa (JAP)

GOALS: 0-1 (C. Tenorio 24’); 0-2 (Delgado 80’)

BOOKED: Smolarek (37’) / Hurtado (31’), Méndez (70’)

Poland - Ecuador

0-2 (0-1)

POLAND

Boruc

COACH: Paweł Janas

ECUADOR

Mora

COACH: Luis Suárez

GAME SUMMARY

Goals from Carlos Tenorio and Agustín Delgado enabled Ecuador to spring the first shock of the 2006 World Cup finals with a 2-0 victory over Poland in Gelsenkirchen. Tenorio headed home in the 24th minute from Delgado's flick-on, and with ten minutes left Delgado hit the clincher. Poland were short on ideas in the final third of the pitch, although they did hit the woodwork twice in the closing stages.

Roared on by the vast majority of fans inside the stadium, Poland started brightly, but Ecuador were the first to threaten, Segundo Castillo's dipping 25-meter volley comfortably saved by Artur Boruc. Jacek Krzynówek drilled a free kick wildly over the bar for Poland before Ecuador took the lead. A long throw-in from the right touchline was flicked on by the gangly Delgado and Carlos Tenorio's angled header just eluded Boruc's outstretched hand for the opener. The same goalscoring combination almost doubled Ecuador's advantage five minutes later, but Delgado's cutback from the byline was blazed over the bar by Tenorio from close range. Ulises de La Cruz, Edison Méndez and Luis Valencia all had shots saved as Ecuador finished the first 45 minutes firmly in control.

Poland had Ecuador under pressure at the start of the second half and came close to levelling the score in the 52nd minute. Mirosław Szymkowiak's superb through-ball found Krzynówek totally unmarked and clean through on goal, but after slamming the ball into the net his celebrations were cut short by a raised linesman's flag. Ecuador captain Iván Hurtado showed his vast experience on the hour, sliding in to block Szymkowiak's blistering shot with timely precision and keeping his side's hard-earned lead intact. Ecuador killed off the contest in the 80th minute when substitute Iván Kaviedes broke the offside trap before sliding the ball across goal and giving Delgado an easy tap-in. Polish substitute Paweł Brożek hit the post in the last minute.

GROUP STAGE

STADIUM: Waldstadion (Frankfurt am Main)

DATE: 10-06-2006 (15:00 h)

ATTENDANCE: 48.000

REFEREE: Marco Antonio Rodríguez (MEX)

GOALS: 1-0 (Gamarra [o.g.] 3’)

BOOKED: Gerrard (19’), Crouch (63’) / Valdez (22’)

England - Paraguay

1-0 (1-0)

ENGLAND

Robinson

COACH: Sven-Göran Eriksson

PARAGUAY

Villar (Bobadilla 8’)

COACH: Aníbal Ruiz

GAME SUMMARY

England failed to capitalize on a superb start, but hung on to beat Paraguay 1-0 in their opening match in the World Cup finals in Frankfurt. The English took a third minute lead with an own goal from Paraguay captain Carlos Gamarra, who deflected David Beckham's 40-meter curling free kick past his own goalkeeper with a glancing header under pressure from Michael Owen and John Terry. But England failed to show the killer instinct coach Sven-Göran Eriksson had urged and at times rode their luck against skillful opponents. Things got worse for Paraguay five minutes later when an injured Villar was replaced by 20-year-old reserve Aldo Bobadilla, the fastest keeper substitution in World Cup history. The newcomer promptly gave away a free kick inside his area, Frank Lampard's shot came back off the wall and the midfielder warmed Bobadilla's gloves with a 25-meter drive. England were always in control, despite the heat and several crunching tackles by both sides, with Paraguay defending tenaciously and shooting from distance. Striker Nelson Valdez had their best chance before the break with a shot that flew narrowly wide.

Paraguay were more ambitious after the break and Valdez again made the more threatening moves. After the substitution of Michael Owen (recently back from a lengthy injury layoff), Joe Cole, who had been giving Paraguay a torrid time down the left, was pushed up as a strike partner for Peter Crouch (himself standing in for injured Wayne Rooney). Paraguay nearly levelled when Paul Robinson flapped at a cross but Carlos Paredes failed to get his effort on target.

GROUP STAGE

STADIUM: Signal Iduna Park (Dortmund)

DATE: 10-06-2006 (18:00 h)

ATTENDANCE: 62.959

REFEREE: Shamsul Maidin (SIN)

GOALS: -

BOOKED: Larsson (90’) / A. John (15’), A. John (46’ > RC), Yorke (74’)

[Incidents: Trinidad goalkeeper Shaka Hislop was a late replacement for Kelvin Jack, who had been officially confirmed by Leo Beenhakker in the starting line-up but re-injured his calf muscle during the pre-match warm-up. Avery John was sent off (min. 46).]

Trinidad and Tobago - Sweden

0-0 (0-0)

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

Hislop

COACH: Leo Beenhakker

SWEDEN

Shaaban

COACH: Lars Lagerbäck

GAME SUMMARY

Trinidad and Tobago (the smallest country ever to reach the finals) held Sweden 0-0 in their opening game, even though the Caribbean team played nearly the whole of the second half with 10 men after the sending-off of Avery John. The Trinidadian defender was shown the first red card of the tournament for a second booking shortly after the restart but, with emergency goalkeeper Shaka Hislop in brilliant form (he was called up when Kelvin Jack dropped out with an injury after the pre-match warm-up), Trinidad held out defiantly.

The Swedes poured forward for much of the game, but failed to break down the gallant “Soca Warriors” rearguard, which produced a well organized defensive display, masterminded by experienced coach Leo Beenhakker. Former Manchester United forward Dwight Yorke was also a great steadying influence as his side came under constant pressure. West Ham United goalkeeper Hislop rose to the occasion magnificently after his short-notice call-up, turning aside countless efforts from the Scandinavian squad and crowning his performance with a sliding stop from Marcus Allbäck and reflex save from Zlatan Ibrahimović in the closing stages. Near the end the unthinkable almost happened when, in a rare Trinidad raid, Stern John released substitute Cornell Glen, who rocketed a shot against the Sweden crossbar.

GROUP STAGE

STADIUM: AOL Arena (Hamburg)

DATE: 10-06-2006 (21:00 h)

ATTENDANCE: 49.480

REFEREE: Frank de Bleeckere (BEL)

GOALS: 1-0 (Crespo 24’); 2-0 (Saviola 38’); 2-1 (Drogba 82’)

BOOKED: Saviola (41’), Heinze (48’), Lucho González (81’) / Eboué (62’), Drogba (90+’)

Argentina - Ivory Coast

2-1 (2-0)

ARGENTINA

Abbondanzieri

COACH: José Pékerman

IVORY COAST

Tizié

COACH: Henri Michel

GAME SUMMARY

Argentina began their quest for a third World Cup with a 2-1 victory over determined debutants Ivory Coast in a high quality match in Hamburg. Hernán Crespo and Javier Saviola scored first-half goals which proved enough to account for the gallant Ivorians, although Didier Drogba pulled a goal back with eight minutes left to raise hopes that his side could snatch a point.

Argentina could have gone ahead after 15 minutes, but a header by Roberto Ayala (which TV replays showed may have crossed the line) was not given as a goal. Ayala rose above the defense to meet Román Riquelme's corner from the right and Jean-Jacques Tizié fumbled his bullet header, which hit the post before he caught it (possibly behind the line). In minute 24, after the Argentinians had often been in serious trouble from the fast Ivorian breaks, several players went up for Riquelme's free kick from the left and the ball fell free in the middle of the area, where Crespo used his goal poacher's instincts to poke it home. Then Riquelme's superb ball through the center of the Ivorian defense seven minutes from halftime was brilliantly steered home by Javier Saviola for Argentina's second, justifying coach José Pékerman's choice to field the pair up front. Midfielder Kader Keïta had Ivory Coast's best chance of the first half. Drogba, on the right, headed down Kanga Akalé's left wing cross and Keïta dived to head from close range only for goalkeeper Roberto Abbondanzieri to save with his legs.

Argentina looked frail at corners, where the Ivorian attackers towered over their smaller defenders, but the South Americans profitted from Ivory Coast's poor defending at set pieces to break the deadlock. Early in the second half, a free kick from the left by Riquelme skimmed the far post without anyone making contact in the box. To the beat of drums from their fans and with idol Diego Maradona watching in the stands, Argentina later seemed to prefer settling into a pattern of defending in depth as Ivory Coast sought to get back into the game. The danger was always latent from Henri Michel's team, but substitute Bakari Koné blasted a chance over and then Drogba turned the ball wide of the post after a free kick, before he netted the consolation goal for the African team. Argentina then had another effort disallowed before the final whistle.

GROUP STAGE

STADIUM: Zentralstadion (Leipzig)

DATE: 11-06-2006 (15:00 h)

ATTENDANCE: 37.216

REFEREE: Markus Merk (GER)

GOALS: 0-1 (Robben 18’)

BOOKED: Stanković (34’), Koroman (64’), Dragutinović (81’), Gavrančić (90’) / Van Bronckhorst (56’), Heitinga (85’)

Serbia-Montenegro - Netherlands

0-1 (0-1)

SERBIA-MONTENEGRO

Jevrić

COACH: Ilija Petković

NETHERLANDS

Van der Sar (c)

COACH: Marco van Basten

GAME SUMMARY

Arjen Robben scored a fine first half goal to give the Netherlands a 1-0 victory over Serbia and Montenegro. The Chelsea winger used his blistering pace to good effect as he ran to chase a chipped pass by Robin van Persie and beat the onrushing Serbian keeper Dragoslav Jevrić. Robben, whose pace consistently caused problems for stand-in right-back Nenad Đorđević (starting as part of a defensive reshuffle caused by center back Nemanja Vidić's suspension), went close with two further excellent first half efforts, but the Dutch were content to hold their advantage in the second half.

Three minutes after the opener, Jevrić had to palm away a ferocious shot by Robben from the edge of the area, but in the 37th, with the traffic going mostly one-way, could only watch as the flying winger's right-footed shot just missed the far post. Seven minutes into the second-half Robben should have done better with his shot after a smart one-two with Ruud van Nistelrooij, and a clever free kick also almost fell his way for finishing. The Serbs pressed for an equalizer, and Phillip Cocu had to be on his guard to head a dangerous Mateja Kežman effort behind, while the defense was left to scramble away a handful of crosses. Dutch keeper Edwin van der Sar was forced into a vital diving save to his left in the 71st minute, snuffling out a drilled shot by Ognjen Koroman, who had been allowed far too much space on the edge of the area. In the final quarter, Robben twice went close to doubling his tally, while an excellent free kick whipped by Van Persie into the Serbian area just evaded a lunging Dirk Kuijt.

GROUP STAGE

STADIUM: Frankenstadion (Nürnberg)

DATE: 11-06-2006 (18:00 h)

ATTENDANCE: 41.000

REFEREE: Roberto Rosetti (ITA)

GOALS: 1-0 (Bravo 28’); 1-1 (Golmohammadi 36’); 2-1 (Bravo 76’); 3-1 (Zinha 79’)

BOOKED: Torrado (18’), Salcido (90+’) / Nekounam (55’)

[Incidents: The Mexican goalkeeper Oswaldo Sánchez, who lost his father earlier in the week, rejoined the team on the day before this match after flying back from Mexico, where he had attended the funeral.]

Mexico - Iran

3-1 (1-1)

MEXICO

Sánchez

COACH: Ricardo La Volpe

IRAN

Mirzapour

COACH: Branko Ivanković

GAME SUMMARY

Omar Bravo scored a goal in each half to lead Mexico to a 3-1 win over Iran in their World Cup debut. The Mexican attacker hit the opener and the decisive second after Yahya Golmohammadi equalized after 36 minutes. Iran had been the livelier team at the start and Oswaldo Sánchez made a fine save as early as the 12th minute from Vahid Hashemian's downward header. The Mexicans responded and went in front in the 28th minute when Pável Pardo floated a ball for Guille Franco in the penalty area and he nodded it on for Bravo to tap in. Iran's equalizer came after Mehdi Mahdavikia's corner caused havoc and defender Golmohammadi slammed in the loose ball.

The Mexican coach Ricardo La Volpe brought on midfielder Zinha at halftime in place of striker Guille Franco to give Jared Borgetti more space up front. Borgetti, however, limped off seven minutes later, but the substitution worked wonders. Zinha pounced on a mix-up in the defense in the 76th minute to feed Bravo for his second goal of the game. Then Zinha again made sure of victory with a thumping header from a cross by Mario Méndez in the 79th minute.

GROUP STAGE

STADIUM: RheinEnergieStadion (Köln)

DATE: 11-06-2006 (21:00 h)

ATTENDANCE: 45.000

REFEREE: Jorge Luis Larrionda (URU)

GOALS: 0-1 (Pauleta 4’)

BOOKED: Jamba (28’), Locó (45+’), André (52’) / Cristiano Ronaldo (26’), Nuno Valente (79’)

Angola - Portugal

0-1 (0-1)

ANGOLA

João Ricardo

COACH: Luís Gonçalves

PORTUGAL

Ricardo

COACH: Luiz Felipe Scolari

GAME SUMMARY

Portugal opened the scoring after only four minutes and then dominated for most of the match, but in the end made heavy work of defeating former colony Angola 1-0 in their World Cup opener. Pauleta might have opened the score just 12 seconds into the game, when a Nuno Valente pass unleashed him, but the Portuguese attacker narrowly missed the far post. Three minutes later, however, he scored Portugal's goal, after veteran Luís Figo waltzed through a static Angolan back line before cutting the ball back for the predatory Pauleta to slip home. Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo hit the crossbar with a header just before the break, but Angola grew in confidence in their World Cup debut. Midfielder André forced a fine save from Portuguese keeper Ricardo, who was otherwise largely untroubled, and Angola emerged with credit for a battling performance. The course of the game didn’t chance in the second half, with Portugal largely on top but unable to press home their advantage with a second goal. Chelsea midfielder Maniche forced a fine save from the Angolan keeper in the dying moments.

GROUP STAGE

STADIUM: Fritz-Walter-Stadion (Kaiserslautern)

DATE: 12-06-2006 (15:00 h)

ATTENDANCE: 46.000

REFEREE: Essam Abdel-Fattah (EGY)

GOALS: 0-1 (Nakamura 26’); 1-1 (Cahill 84’); 2-1 (Cahill 89’); 3-1 (Aloisi 90+’)

BOOKED: Grella (33’), Moore (58’), Cahill (69’), Aloisi (78’) / Miyamoto (31’), Takahara (40’), Moniwa (68’)

Australia - Japan

3-1 (0-1)

AUSTRALIA

Schwarzer

COACH: Guus Hiddink

JAPAN

Kawaguchi

COACH: Arthur Antunes Coimbra “Zico”

GAME SUMMARY

Tim Cahill scored twice in five minutes to lead Australia to a stunning 3-1 comeback win over Japan. Second half substitute Cahill equalized after 84 minutes following mayhem in the Japanese defense, and thundered in the second in the 89th minute. Fellow substitute John Aloisi completed a remarkable comeback with the third goal deep into stoppage time.

Australia made the early running, but they fell behind after 26 minutes when Shunsuke Nakamura's cross floated over Mark Schwarzer into the empty net, although the keeper claimed he was impeded by Atsushi Yanagisawa. The Egyptian referee Abdel-Fattah waved away furious protests from Australia, but the goal was not disallowed. The Socceroos, playing in the finals for the first time since 1974, hustled and bustled against a side content to pack the midfield. Kawaguchi made fine saves from Mark Viduka and Marco Bresciano, but with Harry Kewell clearly not fully recovered from a groin injury they lacked a killer instinct until Cahill's equalizer. Japan were forced to rely on the counterattack, and from one such break Takashi Fukunishi fired over, then a smart turn from Naohiro Takahara was let down with an inaccurate finish. Bresciano tested Kawaguchi again and, after Nakamura's goal, the ineffective Kewell blazed narrowly over. Hiddink threw on attacking midfielder Cahill and strikers Aloisi and Joshua Kennedy in a bold move after the break, and it reaped a stunning dividend.

GROUP STAGE

STADIUM: Arena AufSchalke (Gelsenkirchen)

DATE: 12-06-2006 (18:00 h)

ATTENDANCE: 52.000

REFEREE: Carlos Arecio Amarilla (PAR)

GOALS: 0-1 (Koller 5’); 0-2 (Rosický 36’); 0-3 (Rosický 76’)

BOOKED: Onyewu (5’), Reyna (60’) / Rozehnal (16’), Lokvenc (59’), Rosický (81’), Grygera (88’)

USA - Czech Republic

0-3 (0-2)

USA

Keller

COACH: Bruce Arena

CZECH REPUBLIC

Čech

COACH: Karel Brückner

GAME SUMMARY

Two goals from Tomáš Rosický and a Jan Koller header gave the Czech Republic a convincing 3-0 victory over the United States. Koller, Czech Republic's all-time top-scorer, showed his importance in the team as early as the fifth minute, when he powered home an unstoppable header from a cross by overlapping right-back Zdeněk Grygera. With Pavel Nedvěd pulling the strings in midfield, the Czechs looked the better side in the first half hour, but the U.S. did carve an opening in the 28th minute when captain Claudio Reyna struck the base of a post from outside the box. However, that effort was eclipsed eight minutes later by Rosický. Seizing on a poor clearance by Oguchi Onyewu, the midfielder struck a superb 25-meter shot to leave Kasey Keller helpless as the ball swerved away from him into the top left corner.

The Czechs, already struggling to get Euro 2004 top scorer Milan Baroš fit, suffered a blow when Koller was carried off on a stretcher late in the first half after a hamstring injury. The Central European team continued to look the more dangerous side after the break, despite U.S. coach Bruce Arena changing to a more attacking formation with the introduction of Johnson and O’Brien. Rosický rattled the bar with another long-range strike in the 68th minute, but was on target eight minutes later after running on to a Nedvěd pass and calmly steering past Keller.

GROUP STAGE

STADIUM: AWD-Arena (Hannover)

DATE: 12-06-2006 (21:00 h)

ATTENDANCE: 43.000

REFEREE: Carlos Eugênio Simon (BRA)

GOALS: 1-0 (Pirlo 40’); 2-0 (Iaquinta 83’)

BOOKED: De Rossi (10’), Camoranesi (62’), Iaquinta (88’) / Muntari (41’), Gyan (65’)

Italy - Ghana

2-0 (1-0)

ITALY

Buffon

COACH: Marcello Lippi

GHANA

Kingson

COACH: Ratomir Dujković

GAME SUMMARY

Goals from Andrea Pirlo and Vincenzo Iaquinta gave Italy a 2-0 victory over Ghana in an entertaining match. Midfielder Pirlo's 40th-minute goal came after Ghana, looking sharp in their approach play, had wasted two good chances to take the lead. The African team, playing in their first World Cup finals match, looked nervous in the opening stages and almost fell behind in the 27th minute when Luca Toni wriggled free of marker Kuffour and blasted a shot against the underside of the bar. That served as a wake-up call to Ghana, who then produced their best spell of the game, twice giving the Italians a scare. Asamoah Gyan should have done better when he drove wide after being set up by Matthew Amoah. Emmanuel Pappoe then blasted high and wide from a promising position in the 32nd minute. Italy responded with a thundering drive from 30 meters by Francesco Totti which Kingson tipped over. Five minutes before the break Totti played a quick, short corner to an unmarked Pirlo, who had the space to line up a shot which whistled through a crowded penalty area to give Lippi's side the lead.

After the break, Italy rarely looked in danger and controlled the game as they best know. Albertino Gilardino forced Kingson into action again in the 51st minute with a low drive after racing on to a delightful Totti pass, but again Ghana replied, Michael Essien's 20-meter drive forcing Gianluigi Buffon to full stretch. Totti limped off in the 56th minute to be replaced by Mauro Camoranesi and Italy continued to look dangerous, Simone Perrotta bringing a good save from Kingson. Ghana had an appeal for a penalty turned down in the 79th minute when Gyan went down under challenge inside the area, but four minutes later substitute Iaquinta secured the Italian victory when he raced clean through after picking up a poor back pass from Samuel Kuffour and rounded goalkeeper Richard Kingson before slotting the ball into an empty net.

GROUP STAGE

STADIUM: Waldstadion (Frankfurt am Main)

DATE: 13-06-2006 (15:00 h)

ATTENDANCE: 48.000

REFEREE: Graham Poll (ENG)

GOALS: 0-1 (Mohammed Kader 31’); 1-1 (Lee Chun-soo 54’); 2-1 (Ahn Jung-hwan 72’)

BOOKED: Kim Young-chul (41’), Lee Chun-soo (51’) / Abalo (23’), Romao (24’), Abalo (53’ > RC), Tchangai (90+’)

[Incidents: Abalo was sent off (min. 53).]

South Korea - Togo

2-1 (0-1)

SOUTH KOREA

Lee W.J. (c)

COACH: Dick Advocaat

TOGO

Agassa

COACH: Otto Pfister

GAME SUMMARY

Ten-man Togo saw their hopes of a fairytale victory on their World Cup debut extinguished by 2002 semifinalists South Korea. Mohammed Kader had put the African minnows ahead with a superb 31st minute strike, but Jean-Paul Abalo was sent off early in the second half, and from the resulting free kick Lee Chun-soo equalized. Then substitute Ahn Jung-hwan struck South Korea's 72nd minute winner with an unstoppable right foot shot.

Togo's preparations for their first World Cup had bordered on a soap opera, with globetrotting coach Otto Pfister quitting over a squad pay row before making a U-turn. Confusion still reigned about who was coaching the African side until Pfister was confirmed to be in charge moments before kick-off. Although the Togolese fans must have feared the worst, their team made an inspired start. Mohammed Kader shot over from a narrow angle after 11 minutes and caused panic in the Korean defense every time he got the ball. It was no surprise when he broke the deadlock with 14 minutes left in the half. Taking a pass neatly on his thigh, Mohammed Kader sped into the right side of the penalty area, steadied himself, then fired a low shot into the corner of the net. Togo almost went further in front four minutes before halftime when Yao Sènaya's curling free kick was tipped over the bar by Lee Woon-jae.

The Africans continued to impress in the second half, as Mohammed Kader forced another fine save from the Korean keeper. The match swung in South Korea's favor within the space of two minutes, though. In the 53rd minute Togo skipper Abalo was dismissed for a second yellow card for pulling down Manchester United's Park Ji-sung on the edge of the area. From the resulting free kick, Lee Chun-soo curled a delightful free kick past Kossi Agassa. The goal sparked a wave of Korean pressure, with Park Ji-sung at last displaying the dazzling runs that made him so popular at Old Trafford last season. Togo gallantly went for the win despite being a man down, but they were sunk when Ahn Jung-hwan picked up a loose ball and advanced to fire an unstoppable shot past Agassa which took a slight deflection.

GROUP STAGE

STADIUM: Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion (Stuttgart)

DATE: 13-06-2006 (18:00 h)

ATTENDANCE: 52.000

REFEREE: Valentin Ivanov (RUS)

GOALS: -

BOOKED: Abidal (64’), Zidane (72’), Sagnol (90+’) / Magnin (42’), Streller (45’), P. Degen (56’), Cabanas (72’), Frei (90+’)

France - Switzerland

0-0 (0-0)

FRANCE

Barthez

COACH: Raymond Domenech

SWITZERLAND

Zuberbühler

COACH: Köbi Kuhn

GAME SUMMARY

France are still seeking their first goal at a World Cup finals since lifting the trophy eight years ago after being held 0-0 by Switzerland in their opening game in Stuttgart. Four years ago the French were eliminated in the group stage when they fired blanks in all three matches, and this time it was their Alpine neighbors who enjoyed the best chances. Things could have been worse for the French as Switzerland's Alexander Frei and Daniel Gygax both missed excellent chances.

The first half was fairly even with arguably the best opportunity for Switzerland, when striker Frei wasted an effort from close range in the 24th minute after a long-range Tranquillo Barnetta free kick bounced through untouched to hit a French post. The French claimed a penalty after a shot towards goal by Thierry Henry hit defender Patrick Müller's hand on 37 minutes. Switzerland missed the best opportunity of the game on 65 minutes with a header from close range by Gygax that Fabien Barthez somehow managed to save with his foot. The only good news for France was a decent performance from ageing Zinédine Zidane, who will retire after the finals. Top prospect Franck Ribéry showed his class on occasions, but could not quite live up to huge expectations.

GROUP STAGE

STADIUM: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

DATE: 13-06-2006 (21:00 h)

ATTENDANCE: 72.000

REFEREE: Benito Armando Archundia (MEX)

GOALS: 1-0 (Kaká 44’)

BOOKED: Émerson (42’) / N. Kovač (32’), R. Kovač (67’), Tudor (90’)

Brazil - Croatia

1-0 (1-0)

BRAZIL

Dida

COACH: Carlos Alberto Parreira

CROATIA

Pletikosa

COACH: Zlatko Kranjčar

GAME SUMMARY

Kaká struck a spectacular goal just before halftime to grab a 1-0 victory for title holders Brazil over dogged Croatia in their World Cup opener. After a frustrating first half, AC Milan’s midfielder picked the ball up just outside the Croatian area and curled it perfectly into the top left corner for the only goal of the game. That was enough to see Brazil become the first team in World Cup history to win eight successive matches in the finals.

Pletikosa made two vital saves to keep his side in the game, first from a blistering long-range Roberto Carlos shot from 25 meters after 15 minutes, and then from a point-blank Ronaldinho header in the 62nd minute. That inspired the Croatian forwards to go in search of the equalizer and Dida was kept busy at the other end as Dado Pršo, Marko Babić and Jerko Leko kept the Brazilian defense under pressure. Ronaldo had a poor game in the Brazilian attack, recalling his woeful performance in the 1998 World Cup final. It was no surpise then when Carlos Alberto Parreira replaced him with Robinho after 69 minutes. Although Brazil failed to reach their exalted heights of magical football, they showed their usual touches of brilliance in flashes and defended well and in depth when they had to.

GROUP STAGE

STADIUM: Zentralstadion (Leipzig)

DATE: 14-06-2006 (15:00 h)

ATTENDANCE: 43.000

REFEREE: Massimo Busacca (SWI)

GOALS: 1-0 (Xabi Alonso 13’); 2-0 (Villa 17’); 3-0 (Villa [p.] 48’); 4-0 (Torres 81’)

BOOKED: Rusol (17’), Vashchuk (RC 47’), Ezers’kyj (53’)

[Incidents: Vashchuk was sent off (min. 47).]

Spain - Ukraine

4-0 (2-0)

SPAIN

Casillas (c)

COACH: Luis Aragonés

UKRAINE

Shovkovs’kyj

COACH: Oleg Blokhin

GAME SUMMARY

Spain made their best start to a World Cup finals, not only winning but demolishing debutants Ukraine 4-0. Luis Aragonés took his run to 23 matches without defeat since he became the Spanish coach after Euro 2004. After taking a 13th minute lead through Xabi Alonso, Spain added two more from David Villa and a superb fourth from young Atlético striker Fernando Torres. Ukraine, totally outplayed, were reduced to 10 men after 47 minutes when Vladislav Vashchuk was harshly sent off for tugging at Torres's shorts. Spain played sparkling football in defense, midfield and attack and could easily have added more goals. In contrast, Andrij Shevchenko, the 2004 Footballer of the Year who has been signed by Chelsea from AC Milan for 45 million euros, hardly had a meaningful touch.

Spain went ahead after 13 minutes, Xabi Alonso bravely getting his head to the ball from Xavi's left-wing corner. Four minutes later the lead was doubled. Andrij Rusol conceded a free kick just outside the penalty area with a clumsy challenge and then compounded his blunder by deflecting Villa's free kick past hapless goalkeeper Oleksandr Shovkovs’kyj. Blokhin attempted to pep up his side by bringing on Andrij Vorobej and Oleg Shelaev at halftime, but his plans were wrecked within 90 seconds of the restart when Vashchuck was harshly shown the red card for hauling back Torres. Although the foul was clearly outside the area, Torres did not tumble until he was inside and Ukraine were doubly punished. Shovkovs’kyj made a brave attempt to keep out Villa's penalty but, although he touched the ball, he could not prevent it from going inside the post. Spain crowned their impressive display when Torres volleyed home after a flowing move started by Carles Puyol on the halfway line.

GROUP STAGE

STADIUM: Allianz Arena (München)

DATE: 14-06-2006 (18:00 h)

ATTENDANCE: 66.000

REFEREE: Mark Shield (AUS)

GOALS: 1-0 (Jaziri 23’); 1-1 (Al-Qahtani 57’); 1-2 (Al-Jaber 84’); 2-2 (Jaïdi 90+’)

BOOKED: Haggui (35’), Bouazizi (36’), Chedli (65’), Chikhaoui (79’)

Tunisia - Saudi Arabia

2-2 (1-0)

TUNISIA

Boumnijel

COACH: Roger Lemerre

SAUDI ARABIA

Zaid

COACH: Marcos Paquetá

GAME SUMMARY

Defender Radhi Jaïdi salvaged a point for Tunisia with a powerful header in stoppage time, after Saudi Arabia's record goalscorer Sami al-Jaber seemed to have given his side the win when he came off the bench to put them 2-1 up with six minutes to go. Just 90 seconds after his introduction, veteran Al-Jaber beat Tunisian keeper Ali Boumnijel with a left-footed shot. Ziad Jaziri's first-half volley had given Tunisia the lead, before Yasser al-Qahtani equalized with a deft flick.

Jaziri had served notice of the threat he posed with his quick feet and strong running as early as the second minute, when he surged into the Saudi box and went to the ground under pressure from Omar al-Ghamdi. The Tunisian striker claimed a penalty, but Australian referee Mark Shield waved play on. Midway the first half, Jaziri took his goal superbly. With both feet off the ground, he showed exquisite technique to lash a right-footed volley past Mabrouk Zaid, following a faulty defensive header by Redha Tukar. Later on, Tukar tried to make amends for his mistake with a well-taken free kick that was comfortably saved by Boumnijel. Tunisia made the fatal mistake of sitting on the lead, a tactical error they were punished for as Saudi Arabia adopted a bolder approach in the second half. Key to the Saudis' revival was the influence of midfielder Mohammed Noor, who began to get forward into more advanced positions.

Soon after the restart, Noor spurned a good chance to equalize when he flicked the ball wide with just Boumnijel to beat. But Noor made amends for his miss when he delivered an enticing cross to the near post that Al-Qahtani cleverly flicked into the net. Then Al-Jaber, who had just entered the game, calmly shot past Boumnijel after galloping clear of the Tunisian defense. Saudi Arabia almost extended their lead when captain Hussein Sulaimani's deflected free kick crashed against the woodwork. But in injury time Jaïdi came to Tunisia's rescue, thumping a header past Zaid after Jaziri crossed from the right.

GROUP STAGE

STADIUM: Signal Iduna Park (Dortmund)

DATE: 14-06-2006 (21:00 h)

ATTENDANCE: 65.000

REFEREE: Luis Medina Cantalejo (SPA)

GOALS: 1-0 (Neuville 90+’)

BOOKED: Ballack (58’), Odonkor (68’), Metzelder (70’) / Krzynówek (3’), Sobolewski (28’), Sobolewski (75’ > RC), Boruc (89’)

[Incidents: Sobolewski was sent off (min. 75).]

Germany - Poland

1-0 (0-0)

GERMANY

Lehmann

COACH: Jürgen Klinsmann

POLAND

Boruc

COACH: Paweł Janas

GAME SUMMARY

Oliver Neuville put Germany within reach of the last 16 with a goal in the first minute of stoppage time. The forward latched onto a low cross from fellow substitute David Odonkor to slide the ball past the despairing dive of Poland goalkeeper Artur Boruc. The goal came a minute after Miroslav Klose and Michael Ballack had hit the bar within seconds of each other. The Germans created a hatful of chances, but failed to make the most of them and also found Boruc in sensational form.

Klose should have eased German nerves earlier in the game. The Werder Bremen striker came close twice in the first 15 minutes with a header and a low shot that the Polish keeper smothered. He then failed to hit the target with another header and struck the crossbar in the second half with a similar effort. His strike-partner Lukas Podolski also came close to scoring, but his shot from Philipp Lahm's low cross went wide of Boruc's left-hand post. At the other end, Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann had little to do. The Poles threatened on several occasions, particularly in the second half, with Ireneusz Jeleń pulling the strings in midfield. When they did get a sight on goal, it was Jeleń who came closest to scoring, but his second-half strike from the edge of the area went straight down Lehmann's throat. Germany brought on the pacy David Odonkor in the last 25 minutes and his arrival appeared to add a spring into the step of his frustrated side, who couldn’t capitalize on the sending-off of Radosław Sobolewski for two bookable offences. The Poland keeper was in no mood to lie down and made fantastic reaction saves from the industrious Lahm and Neuville. When he was beaten the woodwork saved him, as in the last minute of normal time Klose headed against the woodwork from close range and Ballack did the same with the rebound. But with just a few seconds of stoppage time remaining, all of Boruc's good work was undone by the instinctive reaction of Neuville. Odonkor sped down the right to fire in a low ball which found the small forward, who eluded his two markers to prod past the helpless Polish keeper.

GROUP STAGE

STADIUM: AOL Arena (Hamburg)

DATE: 15-06-2006 (15:00 h)

ATTENDANCE: 50.000

REFEREE: Coffi Codjia (BEN)

GOALS: 1-0 (C. Tenorio 8’); 2-0 (Delgado 54’); 3-0 (Kaviedes 90+’)

BOOKED: Castillo (44’), De la Cruz (54’), Mora (60’) / Luis Marín (10’), Solís (28’)

Ecuador - Costa Rica

3-0 (1-0)

ECUADOR

Mora

COACH: Luis Suárez

COSTA RICA

Porras

COACH: Alexandre Guimarães

GAME SUMMARY

Ecuador booked a place in the knock-out stages for the first time ever with a comfortable 3-0 win over Costa Rica. Carlos Tenorio gave Ecuador an eighth-minute lead with a powerful header from Luis Valencia's cross. The advantage was doubled when Agustín Delgado lashed home from a tight angle shortly after half-time. Ecuador finished the scoring in injury time with a flourish when Iván Kaviedes capped a flowing move by volleying home from close range.

Knowing defeat would end their hopes of reaching the second round, Costa Rica could not have made a worse start as they fell behind after just eight minutes. Delgado's shot was charged down, but the rebound fell kindly, allowing him to feed Valencia, whose whipped cross was powerfully headed home by Carlos Tenorio. Segundo Castillo then tested Costa Rica keeper José Porras from a free kick. Much of the football was pretty but with no real purpose, as Ecuador formed around the imposing central pairing of Iván Hurtado and Giovanny Espinoza and allowed Costa Rica to pass the ball square in front of them. It took Costa Rica 39 minutes to muster their first on-target shot, with Mauricio Solís firing straight into Cristian Mora's midriff from 25 meters. At the other end, Porras reacted brilliantly as Valencia's cross deflected goalwards off Luis Marín. Costa Rica opened Ecuador up for the first time, but Douglas Sequeira's free header was disappointing after Leonardo González's cross picked him out at the far post. Costa Rica needed a sharper cutting edge to stay alive in the competition, but former Premiership striker Paulo Wanchope was a disappointment.

The “Ticos” were facing a mountain to climb when Ecuador doubled their lead early in the second half. Kaviedes flicked the ball inside, where Delgado chested it down to lash a ferocious shot inside Porras's near post. Ecuador keeper Mora was at last called into action, palming away a stinging effort from Solís. Costa Rica were denied a goal which might sparked a late rally when Álvaro Saborío curled a shot against the bar. In injury time, Ecuador scored their third when Kaviedes rounded off a flowing move by volleying home Edison Méndez's cross.

GROUP STAGE

STADIUM: Frankenstadion (Nürnberg)

DATE: 15-06-2006 (18:00 h)

ATTENDANCE: 41.000

REFEREE: Toru Kamikawa (JAP)

GOALS: 1-0 (Crouch 83’); 2-0 (Gerrard 90+’)

BOOKED: Lampard (64’) / Theobald (18’), Whitley (19’), Jones (45+’), Hislop (47’), Gray (56’)

England - Trinidad and Tobago

2-0 (0-0)

ENGLAND

Robinson

COACH: Sven-Göran Eriksson

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

Hislop

COACH: Leo Beenhakker

GAME SUMMARY

England had to endure 83 minutes of frustration against Trinidad & Tobago before Peter Crouch and Steven Gerrard powered them into the second round with a hard-earned 2-0 win. Captain David Beckham floated a perfect ball from the right to the far post for Crouch to head home the first. Then, in injury time, Gerrard made sure with a left-foot drive from the edge of the box.

However, until their late charge, England had looked likely to follow in the path of the Swedes, who were unable to break down the Caribbean outsiders in their opening match. England were boosted by the return of Wayne Rooney. His 58th minute arrival, met with loud cheers by England's fans, came hours after two medical experts had pronounced him fit to play after a faster than expected recovery from a broken foot. England looked sharper with Rooney and fellow substitute Aaron Lennon on the pitch, but their finishing remained poor and the well organized Soca Warriors defended in numbers attempting to get a draw. Michael Owen ballooned an early chance when Frank Lampard's shot was only parried by Shaka Hislop. England kept stringing their passes together but could only create half-chances against some determined defending. Crouch nearly tipped the ball past Hislop at the far post after a Joe Cole cross. Beckham aimed a series of corners at John Terry to no avail. England squandered two great chances before the break, though, when Lampard skied an Owen cut back from close range and Crouch fluffed a volley from Beckham's inviting cross, his shot heading towards the corner flag. England fans were still chanting for Rooney to come on when Terry spared his team's blushes just before the break by clearing off the line after an aerial duel between Rio Ferdinand and Stern John.

GROUP STAGE

STADIUM: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

DATE: 15-06-2006 (21:00 h)

ATTENDANCE: 72.000

REFEREE: Ľuboš Micheľ (SVK)

GOALS: 1-0 (Ljungberg 89’)

BOOKED: Linderoth (14’), Lučić (48’), Allbäck (60’) / Caniza (3’), Acuña (51’), Núñez (54’), Paredes (74’), Barreto (85’)

Sweden - Paraguay

1-0 (0-0)

SWEDEN

Isaksson

COACH: Lars Lagerbäck

PARAGUAY

Bobadilla

COACH: Aníbal Ruiz

GAME SUMMARY

Sweden midfielder Fredrik Ljungberg scored a priceless late goal to grab a 1-0 win that eliminated Paraguay from the World Cup. Ljungberg headed the ball into the bottom corner in the 89th minute after a right wing cross was headed back across goal by substitute Marcus Allbäck. Then Ljungberg almost added a second in injury time with a long-range shot that Aldo Bobadilla pushed away for a corner as Sweden looked to finish off the plucky South Americans. Before the goal, Allbäck had come closest to breaking the deadlock, but his shot on the turn ten minutes from time was well saved by Bobadilla.

Roared on by a huge contingent of yellow-clad supporters among the 72,000 crowd at the Olympiastadion, the Swedes had piled on the pressure at the outset. Midfielder Kim Källström, promoted to the starting lineup after a strong performance as a substitute in Sweden's first match against Trinidad, was a frequent threat to the Paraguayan defense. In the best moment of the first half, he forced an outstanding diving save from Aldo Bobadilla with a powerful shot from just outside the penalty area. Paraguay tried hard, but were unable to create many clear-cut chances. Striker Zlatan Ibrahimović had an excellent opportunity to give Sweden the lead just before halftime, but his weak shot from close range was easily gathered by Bobadilla.

The Paraguayan keeper faced a tougher test in the 54th minute when Henrik Larsson curled a free kick round the wall, but Bobadilla got down to push the ball wide. Allbäck, a halftime substitute for Ibrahimović, lobbed Bobadilla five minutes later only for Denis Caniza to hook the ball away just before it crossed the line.

GROUP STAGE

STADIUM: Arena AufSchalke (Gelsenkirchen)

DATE: 16-06-2006 (15:00 h)

ATTENDANCE: 52.000

REFEREE: Roberto Rosetti (ITA)

GOALS: 1-0 (Maxi Rodríguez 6’); 2-0 (Cambiasso 31’); 3-0 (Maxi Rodríguez 41’); 4-0 (Crespo 78’); 5-0 (Tévez 84’); 6-0 (Messi 88’)

BOOKED: Crespo (36’) / Koroman (7’), Nađ (27’), Krstajić (42’), Kežman (RC 65’)

[Incidents: Kežman was sent off (min. 65).]

Argentina - Serbia-Montenegro

6-0 (3-0)

ARGENTINA

Abbondanzieri

COACH: José Pékerman

SERBIA-MONTENEGRO

Jevrić

COACH: Ilija Petković

GAME SUMMARY

Argentina gave the most impressive performance of the World Cup finals so far when they overwhelmed a woeful Serbia-Montenegro side 6-0 with a superb display of flowing football. Maxi Rodríguez scored twice in the first-half, either side of a goal from Esteban Cambiasso after a remarkable 24-pass movement. The dispirited Serbs had Mateja Kežman sent off after the break before Hernán Crespo and substitutes Carlos Tévez and Lionel Messi rubbed in the Argentines' superiority.

It took Argentina only six minutes to make the initial breakthrough, Maxi Rodríguez firing in a shot with the outside of his right foot after a run and return pass from Javier Saviola. The highlight of the game came in the 31st minute with a patient 24-pass build-up which ended with a deft backheel from Crespo into the path of Cambiasso, who drove the ball home. Four minutes before the break, Maxi Rodríguez scored his second, off a post, after Saviola dispossessed Mladen Krstajić near the right corner flag and worked his way into the area before trying a shot that was parried.

After 65 minutes Serbia's problems worsened when Mateja Kežman was sent off for a foul tackle on Javier Mascherano. With 15 minutes to go, Barcelona's 18-year-old forward Lionel Messi was brought on and his arrival sparked a furious finish from Argentina. Within three minutes, Messi's low cross from the left was driven in by Crespo, and six minutes later Tévez cut in from the left to score a fine solo effort. In the 88th minute, Messi crowned a delightful one-touch move between Crespo and Tévez to shoot in the sixth.

GROUP STAGE

STADIUM: Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion (Stuttgart)

DATE: 16-06-2006 (18:00 h)

ATTENDANCE: 52.000

REFEREE: Óscar Julián Ruiz (COL)

GOALS: 1-0 (Van Persie 23’); 2-0 (Van Nistelrooij 27’); 2-1 (B. Koné 38’)

BOOKED: Robben (34’), Mathijsen (35’), Van Bommel (58’), Landzaat (90+’) / Zokora (25’), Drogba (41’), Boka (66’)

Netherlands - Ivory Coast

2-1 (2-1)

NETHERLANDS

Van der Sar (c)

COACH: Marco van Basten

IVORY COAST

Tizié

COACH: Henri Michel

GAME SUMMARY

The Netherlands held firm against a spirited fightback by the Ivory Coast to ensure their passage to the knockout stage of the World Cup. A Robin van Persie thunderbolt and a cool strike from Ruud van Nistelrooij put the Dutch 2-0 ahead, but Bakary Koné pulled a goal back for the Ivorians just before halftime. The second half saw less goalmouth action, but Ivory Coast were close to equalizing when Didier Drogba's header was cleared off the line.

Arsenal's Van Persie fired the Dutch ahead in the 23rd minute with a free kick blasted in the top left corner after Kolo Touré had brought the Dutchman down outside the penalty area. Four minutes later, Arjen Robben put Van Nistelrooij through after a typically forceful run down the left, and the striker clinically finished. The Ivorians fought back though, and first Didier Zokora shook the frame of the goal with a venomous right-foot blast, then little Bakary Koné halved the deficit with a contender for goal of the tournament: he took the ball off Zokora on the left and cut diagonally across goal before scoring with an unstoppable right foot shot on 38 minutes. Bakary Koné's goal was the first the Dutch had conceded in eleven competitive matches, ending goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar's clean sheet record at 1,013 minutes. With the Ivorians looking likely to equalize with every attack, the halftime whistle came at just the right moment for Van Basten's men.

By contrast to the exciting first period, the second half was a disappointment. Niggly fouls disrupted the flow of the game, but goalscorer Van Persie came to the rescue at the other end for the Dutch after 78 minutes when he cleared off the line following a header from Drogba.

GROUP STAGE

STADIUM: AWD-Arena (Hannover)

DATE: 16-06-2006 (21:00 h)

ATTENDANCE: 43.000

REFEREE: Shamsul Maidin (SIN)

GOALS: -

BOOKED: Pineda (59’) / Delgado (13’), André (44’), Zé Kalanga (50’), André (79’ > RC), João Ricardo (86’)

[Incidents: André was sent off (min. 79).]

Mexico - Angola

0-0 (0-0)

MEXICO

Sánchez

COACH: Ricardo La Volpe

ANGOLA

João Ricardo

COACH: Luís Gonçalves

GAME SUMMARY

African minnows Angola clung on for a goalless draw with Mexico to keep alive their hopes of qualifying for the next stage. The Central Americans laid siege to the Angolan area for much of the second half and striker Omar Bravo almost broke the deadlock in the end as his close range shot hit the post. Angola also had to play the last eleven minutes without midfielder André Macanga, who was sent off for a second bookable offense.

Roared on by a 43,000 crowd dominated by their green and red clad fans, the technically and tactically superior Mexicans started well, but their backline struggled to get forward fast enough to trouble an African team who defended deep from the start. The first half's best chance fell to Guille Franco, who picked up a loose ball in the box only to hit his shot straight at the keeper from point blank range. Mexico's captain and Barcelona center back Márquez also smacked a free kick off the post in the 13th minute from just outside the area, and later saw João Ricardo make a fine save from a long range effort.

Meanwhile, Angola seemed awestruck and their first meaningful attack did not come until the 23rd minute, when Figueiredo fired a powerful right footer from about 20 meters just over the bar. Lone striker and captain Akwá looked an isolated figure up front against Mexico's central defenders, but he also went close after 32 minutes, heading over from Figueiredo's nicely-curled free kick.

Mexico poured forward in the second half, helped by a switch to a more attacking 4-3-3 formation just after the break. The African debutants, however, defended in numbers and looked increasingly confident going forward as the game went on, without creating many clear-cut chances. Bravo had a chance in the 66th minute when he was put clear by a defensive error, only to fire straight at keeper João Ricardo. Earlier, Angola defender Jamba cleared off the line from substitute Arellano after João Ricardo saved from Guille Franco.

GROUP STAGE

STADIUM: Waldstadion (Frankfurt am Main)

DATE: 17-06-2006 (15:00 h)

ATTENDANCE: 48.000

REFEREE: Éric Poulat (FRA)

GOALS: 1-0 (Deco 63’); 2-0 (Cristiano Ronaldo [p.] 80’)

BOOKED: Pauleta (45+’), Deco (48’), Costinha (61’) / Nekounam (20’), Madanchi (32’), Kaabi (73’), Golmohammadi (88’)

Portugal - Iran

2-0 (0-0)

PORTUGAL

Ricardo

COACH: Luiz Felipe Scolari

IRAN

Mirzapour

COACH: Branko Ivanković

GAME SUMMARY

An inspired strike from midfielder Deco set Portugal on their way to the knockout stages of the World Cup with a 2-0 win over Iran. The Barcelona star marked his debut in the finals with a rasping drive from just outside the penalty area just after the hour mark. A Cristiano Ronaldo penalty on 80 minutes sealed the Portuguese win.

Until then, Portugal had dominated but failed to take advantage of a series of chances against limited opposition. Iran's best chance came moments after Portugal's initial breakthrough as substitute Rasoul Khatibi dribbled his shot wide when clear on the left. Vahid Hashemian's powerful header also forced a smart save from Ricardo. But with Iran pressing hard for an equalizer, Portugal's veteran Luís Figo burst clear on the left and was pulled down in the penalty area by Yahya Golmohammadi.

Playmaker Deco, one of the three changes to the Portugal starting line-up, forced a fine save from Mirzapour in the 13th minute. The Iranian goalkeeper just managed to keep out a shot from right-back Miguel in the 45th minute, deflecting the ball out for a corner as it almost squeezed under his body. The second half followed the same pattern, with Deco finally giving Portugal breathing space as he struck home Figo's perfectly weighted pass. Cristiano Ronaldo's penalty drew the fight from the Iranians and Pauleta might have added to the Portuguese tally, while the former had a second goal ruled out for offside.

GROUP STAGE

STADIUM: RheinEnergieStadion (Köln)

DATE: 17-06-2006 (18:00 h)

ATTENDANCE: 45.000

REFEREE: Horacio Marcelo Elizondo (ARG)

GOALS: 0-1 (Gyan 2’); 0-2 (Muntari 82’)

BOOKED: Lokvenc (49’), Ujfaluši (RC 65’) / O. Addo (18’), Essien (37’), Gyan (66’), Boateng (75’), Muntari (84’), Mohamed (90+’)

[Incidents: Ujfaluši was sent off after fouling Amoah in the Czech area (min. 66). The subsequent penalty shot was missed by Gyan.]

Czech Republic - Ghana

0-2 (0-1)

CZECH REPUBLIC

Čech

COACH: Karel Brückner

GHANA

Kingson

COACH: Ratomir Dujković

GAME SUMMARY

World Cup debutants Ghana kicked some life back into African football with a deserved 2-0 win over the Czech Republic. Asamoah Gyan fired Ghana ahead in the second minute of the match, and the Africans deservedly doubled their advantage eight minutes from time when Sulley Muntari blasted in another. They could have made the result more emphatic but for a penalty miss from Gyan midway the second half. The foul that led to the penalty also saw Czech defender Tomáš Ujfaluši red-carded, leaving the pre-match favorites struggling with ten men for the final 24 minutes.

Forced to play without injured strikers Jan Koller and Milan Baroš, the Czechs looked a shadow of the team that won 3-0 in their opener. Starting the match at a fierce tempo, Ghana won a corner with less than a minute played and forced Petr Čech into an early clearance. If that was a warning, the Czechs seemed unable to heed it when Gyan fired into the net just a few seconds later. Receiving a cross from captain Stephen Appiah, the Modena striker chested the ball down before unleashing a low strike past Čech.

Karel Brückner's men enjoyed their best moments during the early stages of the second half and thought they had found an equalizer when Pavel Nedvěd headed home in the 46th minute only for the move to be ruled offside. Gradually, though, Ghana took charge and enjoyed a succession of chances before their missed 66th minute penalty. The dismissal of Ujfaluši after a trip on Matthew Amoah led to a twice-taken penalty from Gyan. He tucked in the first top left, but the referee said he had not blown for the kick to be taken and booked him. The second cannoned off the right post and bounced to a Czech defender. The miss didn’t seem to affect Ghana’s concentration, and eight minutes from time Muntari made it 2-0 with a beautiful shot to the top corner of Čech’s goal.

GROUP STAGE

STADIUM: Fritz-Walter-Stadion (Kaiserslautern)

DATE: 17-06-2006 (21:00 h)

ATTENDANCE: 46.000

REFEREE: Jorge Luis Larrionda (URU)

GOALS: 1-0 (Gilardino 22’); 1-1 (Zaccardo [o.g.] 27’)

BOOKED: Totti (5’), De Rossi (RC 28’), Zambrotta (70’) / Pope (21’), Mastroeni (RC 45’), Pope (47’ > RC)

[Incidents: De Rossi (min. 28), Mastroeni (min. 45) and Pope (min. 47) were all sent off.]

Italy - USA

1-1 (1-1)

ITALY

Buffon

COACH: Marcello Lippi

USA

Keller

COACH: Bruce Arena

GAME SUMMARY

Three men were sent off on a dramatic night in Kaiserslautern as the nine of the United States held the ten of Italy to a 1-1 draw. Alberto Gilardino's 22nd minute goal for Italy was canceled out by an own goal by Cristian Zaccardo five minutes later, but the real drama centered on referee Jorge Larrionda. The Uruguayan sent off Daniele de Rossi for elbowing, with Pablo Mastroeni and Eddie Pope of the USA joining him either side of halftime. The three red cards equaled a World Cup finals record. There have been also three dismissals on three other occasions: in 1938 (Brazil vs. Czechoslovakia), 1954 (Hungary vs. Brazil) and 1998 (South Africa vs. Denmark).

A draw was the least a USA performance full of brim and vigor deserved as they harried the more skillful Italians from start to finish. Bobby Convey and Clint Dempsey had gone close before Italy took the lead as slack marking allowed Gilardino to head home Andrea Pirlo's curling free kick. But the advantage did not last long as Zaccardo hacked an inswinging corner into his own net under no particular pressure. With Italy clearly rattled, De Rossi departed for a blatant elbow on Brian McBride which left the Fulham striker with a bleeding nose. But on the stroke of the interval Mastroeni joined De Rossi in the dressing-room for a late tackle on Pirlo.

The second half had barely started when United States central defender Pope was shown a second yellow card for a tackle from behind on Gilardino, suddenly leaving Italy with a man advantage. Surprisingly, it was the USA who pushed hardest for a winner with McBride shooting wide from a good position after fine work by the ever-lively Landon Donovan. Substitute DaMarcus Beasley even had the ball in the net, but it was ruled out with McBride in an offside position. Carlos Bocanegra gave Arena's men a scare when he headed against his own crossbar, and Kasey Keller palmed away Alessandro del Piero's volley, but the Americans held out for a memorable draw.

GROUP STAGE

STADIUM: Frankenstadion (Nürnberg)

DATE: 18-06-2006 (15:00 h)

ATTENDANCE: 41.000

REFEREE: Frank de Bleeckere (BEL)

GOALS: -

BOOKED: Miyamoto (21’), Kawaguchi (42’), Alex (72’) / R. Kovač (32’), Srna (69’)

[Incidents: Srna missed a penalty shot (min. 22), saved by Kawaguchi.]

Japan - Croatia

0-0 (0-0)

JAPAN

Kawaguchi

COACH: Arthur Antunes Coimbra “Zico”

CROATIA

Pletikosa

COACH: Zlatko Kranjčar

GAME SUMMARY

Japan keeper Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi denied Croatia with a superb penalty save in a 0-0 draw that leaves both sides with a chance of qualifying for the next stage. Darijo Srna's 22nd-minute penalty failure proved costly for Croatia, who largely controlled a game both teams were desperate to win after opening defeats. Kawaguchi plunged low to his left to turn away Srna's firmly struck kick, awarded when captain Tsuneyasu Miyamoto made a clumsy trip on striker Dado Pršo.

The Croats had the better of the first half with Niko Kranjčar stinging the hands of Kawaguchi early on. Kranjčar later headed into the side-netting and then lashed a right-foot shot against the bar in the 28th minute, compounding Croatia's frustration. Kawaguchi was forced into another sprawling save from Ivan Klasnić five minutes before the break as Croatia pushed for the opening goal.

Striker Atsushi Yanagisawa missed Japan's best chance six minutes into the second half after superbly being fed by Akira Kaji with goalkeeper Stipe Pletikosa out of position but fluffing in front of an open goal. Croatia came straight back with Kranjčar firing just wide, but they failed to capitalize on their territorial advantage in a scrappy second half.

GROUP STAGE

STADIUM: Allianz Arena (München)

DATE: 18-06-2006 (18:00 h)

ATTENDANCE: 66.000

REFEREE: Markus Merk (GER)

GOALS: 1-0 (Adriano 49’); 2-0 (Fred 90’)

BOOKED: Cafu (29’), Ronaldo (31’), Robinho (83’) / Emerton (13’), Čulina (39’)

Brazil - Australia

2-0 (0-0)

BRAZIL

Dida

COACH: Carlos Alberto Parreira

AUSTRALIA

Schwarzer

COACH: Guus Hiddink

GAME SUMMARY

Goals from Adriano and Fred gave Brazil a 2-0 win over battling Australia and sent the world champions into the last 16 of the World Cup. Inter’s striker notched his first goal of the tournament four minutes into the second half after the South Americans had endured a frustrating first-half against Guus Hiddink's men. Substitute Fred wrapped up the win in the last minute, rolling home a rebound after a Robinho shot came back off a post. Australian substitute Harry Kewell had missed a great chance to equalize a minute after coming on, shooting over an empty goal after keeper Dida dropped the ball.

Ronaldo played poorly again and was substituted for the second game running in another generally unconvincing performance by Brazil. Their best first-half move came in the third minute, when Ronaldo controlled the ball on his chest and flicked it backwards to Kaká, who volleyed wide from the edge of the penalty area. Australia packed the midfield and hustled Brazil out of their stride with tenacious marking and tackling. Brazilian pair Ronaldo and Ronaldinho were both subdued, with only Kaká's penetrating runs offering any threat. Ronaldo was again out of sorts and at one point had a heated argument with coach Carlos Alberto Parreira on the touchline. His frustration was complete with a yellow card for playing on after he had been flagged offside.

The second half was only four minutes old when Brazil got the breakthrough they badly needed. Ronaldinho picked out Ronaldo, who held off his marker and rolled the ball across the face of the penalty area to Adriano. The Inter’s striker, also struggling until then, took one touch and placed a low shot beyond goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer's left hand. Brazil secured victory when Fred added a late second, guiding a rebound into an empty net after Robinho had hit a post.

GROUP STAGE

STADIUM: Zentralstadion (Leipzig)

DATE: 18-06-2006 (21:00 h)

ATTENDANCE: 43.000

REFEREE: Benito Armando Archundia (MEX)

GOALS: 1-0 (Henry 9’); 1-1 (Park Ji-sung 81’)

BOOKED: Abidal (79’), Zidane (85’) / Lee Ho (11’), Kim Dong-jin (29’)

France - South Korea

1-1 (1-0)

FRANCE

Barthez

COACH: Raymond Domenech

SOUTH KOREA

Lee W.J. (c)

COACH: Dick Advocaat

GAME SUMMARY

Park Ji-sung's 81st minute goal gave South Korea an unexpected point after they had been almost totally outplayed by France. The French, who had made a really bright start and should have been more than 1-0 up at the break, are by no means certain to qualify for the knockout stages after the game, since they are two points behind the Koreans and will trail Switzerland by the same margin if the Swiss beat Togo. Yet for most of the game anything but a French win looked extremely unlikely.

After their lackluster 0-0 draw with Switzerland, France seemed a revived side as they attacked with menace and easily contained the Koreans' raids. In the seventh minute, Thierry Henry's deft pass found Sylvain Wiltord, who was thwarted by advancing goalkeeper Lee Woon-jae, but two minutes later the French scored their first goal at a World Cup finals since 1998. Henry's superb anticipation meant that he was in exactly the right spot after Wiltord forced the ball into the goalmouth. The Arsenal striker controlled the ball with his right foot and swept it past the keeper with his left. The South Koreans could make little headway as the French defense blocked off the majority of hopeful balls played up to the front three attackers. France were desperately unlucky not to be awarded a second goal in the 32nd minute when (TV replays showed) Lee Woon-jae could only get his right hand to a powerful header from Vieira when the ball was well over the line. As the ball came out, the Mexican referee penalized Malouda for a foul as he followed up. The South Koreans mustered only one threatening effort before the break, when Lee Young-pyo's curling free kick from the right eluded everyone and went past the far post.

Despite the narrow margin, the game was looking as one of the most one-sided ones of the competition yet. But gradually a lethargy crept into the French play during the second half. They were eventually punished when Cho Jae-jin headed across the goalmouth and goalkeeper Fabien Barthez (a spectator for most of the game) flapped weakly at Park Ji-sung's nodded effort and the ball crept inside an upright. With five minutes left, Zinédine Zidane received his second yellow card of the finals and will miss the important last game against Togo. Deflated France had to survive several anxious moments as the delighted Koreans pressed strongly in the closing stages.

GROUP STAGE

STADIUM: Signal Iduna Park (Dortmund)

DATE: 19-06-2006 (15:00 h)

ATTENDANCE: 65.000

REFEREE: Carlos Arecio Amarilla (PAR)

GOALS: 0-1 (Frei 16’); 0-2 (Barnetta 88’)

BOOKED: Salifou (45’), Adebayor (47’), Romao (53’) / Vogel (90+’)

Togo - Switzerland

0-2 (0-1)

TOGO

Agassa

COACH: Otto Pfister

SWITZERLAND

Zuberbühler

COACH: Köbi Kuhn

GAME SUMMARY

Switzerland stepped up their bid for a place in the knock-out stages and ended Togo's campaign thanks to goals from Alexander Frei and Tranquillo Barnetta. Rennes striker Frei neatly stabbed home the unmarked Barnetta's cross from close-range after 16 minutes. Togo were denied a decent penalty claim when Emmanuel Adebayor was chopped down, and Mohammed Kader twice went close. But despite a sustained spell of Togo pressure, Barnetta rifled in late on to send the World Cup debutants home.

Despite all their off-field problems (there was even a doubt before the match that the fixture would go ahead after a row over player bonuses), Togo began brightly and had good chances to open the scoring. Adebayor's headed flick fell to Mohammed Kader, whose neat turn failed to receive the finish it deserved and ended up in the hands of Pascal Zuberbühler. The two Togolese attackers continued to cause the Swiss back line problems, and Adebayor felt he should have had a penalty when he appeared to be held back when heading towards goal. But for all the Africans' endeavor in attack, their defensive frailties were soon exposed when poor marking led to Switzerland's opener. Barnetta found himself with plenty of space down the Switzerland right and he volleyed Ludovic Magnin's cross into the box for Frei to turn home from five meters. Togo failed to wilt under the strain however, and hit back with a chance of their own. A horrific gaffe from the out-of-sorts Arsenal defender Philippe Senderos handed Thomas Dossévi a free shot on goal, but he blazed his effort wide from close range. As Togo searched for a way back into the match, they were denied what looked to be a certain penalty by referee Carlos Amarilla. The Paraguayan official waved away appeals after Adebayor was scythed down by Patrick Müller and Togo would have felt hard done by going into the break a goal down.

The Swiss started the second half with more zest and Barnetta had a half volley acrobatically tipped over by Agassa, while substitute Hakan Yakın sliced a long-range drive just over. Yakın should have put the Swiss in a commanding position on 64 minutes, but his close-range shot when clean through was well palmed away by the goalkeeper. As Togo went in search of the vital equalizer, the game became stretched, but they were kept out by a lack of quality in the final third and a resolute rearguard display. To compound Togo's misery, Barnetta completed Switzerland's victory with a sweet strike from just inside the penalty area on 88 minutes to send them top of their group.

GROUP STAGE

STADIUM: AOL Arena (Hamburg)

DATE: 19-06-2006 (18:00 h)

ATTENDANCE: 50.000

REFEREE: Graham Poll (ENG)

GOALS: 0-1 (Rusol 4’); 0-2 (Rebrov 36’); 0-3 (Shevchenko 46’); 0-4 (Kalinichenko 84’)

BOOKED: Dokhi (41’), Al-Ghamdi (57’), Kariri (73’) / Nesmachnyj (22’), Kalinichenko (77’), Sviders’kyj (89’)

Saudi Arabia - Ukraine

0-4 (0-2)

SAUDI ARABIA

Zaid

COACH: Marcos Paquetá

UKRAINE

Shovkovs’kyj

COACH: Oleg Blokhin

GAME SUMMARY

Ukraine revived their hopes of advancing to the second round with a crushing 4-0 victory over Saudi Arabia. The performance made amends for their 4-0 defeat to Spain in their World Cup opener. Andrij Rusol and Sergij Rebrov had given a fired-up Ukrainian side a deserved 2-0 lead before Andrij Shevchenko headed home from an inswinging free kick just a minute after halftime. Shevchenko set up midfielder Maksym Kalinichenko for the fourth in the 84th minute.

The eastern Europeans dominated throughout, with plenty of width to generate a series of crosses which troubled a nervous Saudi defense. Ukraine opened the scoring early into the game, when center-back Rusol burst on to a Kalinichenko corner, kneeing home from close range. Saudi Arabia keeper Mabrouk Zaid then fell victim to the wet pitch in the 36th minute, slipping as he tried to get across goal to save a dipping long-range drive from Rebrov which made it 2-0. Shevchenko added the third within a minute of the restart, heading home another well-hit Kalinichenko center to mark a return to form after a month blighted by injury. The new Chelsea sign-up then broke through on the left six minutes from time, slipping the ball across unselfishly for Kalinichenko to round off the victory.

GROUP STAGE

STADIUM: Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion (Stuttgart)

DATE: 19-06-2006 (21:00 h)

ATTENDANCE: 52.000

REFEREE: Carlos Eugênio Simon (BRA)

GOALS: 0-1 (Mnari 8’); 1-1 (Raúl 71’); 2-1 (Torres 76’); 3-1 (Torres [p.] 90+’)

BOOKED: Puyol (30’), Fàbregas (89’) / Ayari (32’), Trabelsi (40’), Jaïdi (70’), Guemamdia (81’), Jaziri (85’), Mnari (90+’)

Spain - Tunisia

3-1 (0-1)

SPAIN

Casillas (c)

COACH: Luis Aragonés

TUNISIA

Boumnijel

COACH: Roger Lemerre

GAME SUMMARY

Late strikes from Raúl and a Fernando Torres double saw Spain come from behind to claim a dramatic 3-1 win over Tunisia that clinched a place in the knockout stages. Tunisia looked on course for a shock win over the much-fancied Spaniards when Jawhar Mnari steered home at the second attempt after striker Ziad Jaziri had teased his way past three Spanish defenders. The 2004 African champions looked as though they might keep Spain at bay as their defense deflected wave after wave of attacks in the second half. But Raúl and fellow-substitute Cesc Fábregas turned the course of the match.

Spain had been quick off the mark, with striker David Villa going close after five minutes when he fired a rasping shot into the side netting. But Mnari stunned them with his early goal and, although Spain enjoyed more of the possession, they were unable to unlock the Tunisian defense in the first half. Casillas had to react sharply to stop Jaziri sneaking in for a second while defender Hatem Trabelsi proved to be a real handful with his rampaging runs down the right. Trabelsi and the towering Radhi Jaïdi did a great job at shackling Spain's attack, but they were thankful to left back Anis Ayari for clearing a Xabi Alonso header off the line on the stroke of halftime.

Luis Aragonés rang the changes at halftime and brought on captain Raúl in place of Luis García and Cesc Fábregas instead of Marcos Senna, and his substitutes provided the impetus that eventually allowed Spain to break down the Tunisian resistance. Midway the second half, the Spanish pressure paid off when Raúl pounced on the rebound after Fàbregas’s low shot from the edge of the area was parried by keeper Ali Boumnijel to level the scores 19 minutes from time. Five minutes later, Fàbregas fed a great through ball to the feet of Fernando Torres, who rounded Boumnijel and steered the ball into the empty net. Torres then grabbed his second goal from the penalty spot—and became top scorer at the tournament with three goals—when he fired home in the first minute of stoppage time. The young Atlético de Madrid striker, who had himself been fouled in the area by substitute Alaeddine Yahia, saw his spot kick hit Boumnijel, but the Tunisian keeper could not keep it out.

GROUP STAGE

STADIUM: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

DATE: 20-06-2006 (16:00 h)

ATTENDANCE: 72.000

REFEREE: Valentin Ivanov (RUS)

GOALS: 0-1 (Klose 4’); 0-2 (Klose 44’); 0-3 (Podolski 57’)

BOOKED: Valencia (52’) / Borowski (75’)

Ecuador - Germany

0-3 (0-2)

ECUADOR

Mora

COACH: Luis Suárez

GERMANY

Lehmann

COACH: Jürgen Klinsmann

GAME SUMMARY

Miroslav Klose struck twice to steer Germany to a 3-0 win over a half-hearted Ecuador, sealing first place in Group A for the World Cup hosts. The Polish-born striker swooped for his first in the fourth minute of a match played in stifling humidity at Berlin Olympic Stadium. Then he made it 2-0 just before the interval as Ecuador showed little desire to scrap it out. Fellow striker Lukas Podolski slid in the third in the 57th minute after a good cross from midfielder Bernd Schneider.

It was clear before the start that the match meant more to Germany than to Ecuador, who made five changes to the side that beat Costa Rica 3-0. Klose grabbed his first goal when the Ecuadorian defense failed to clear a corner and the ball fell to Per Mertesacker on the left. He hooked it back across goal, Bastian Schweinsteiger laid it back and Klose pounced. The goal seemed to resign Ecuador to their fate and Germany continued to create chances. Schneider wafted a shot over from Philipp Lahm's cross while Klose failed to make clean contact when he tried to chip the keeper. Klose then shot too high from Schneider's clever ball into the box, but just before halftime he atoned with a fine finish. Ballack chipped through, Klose held off his marker and took the ball round goalkeeper Cristian Mora before slipping it into an empty net. Edwin Tenorio and Edison Méndez brought saves from Jens Lehmann after the break, but Germany had a 72,000 full house cheering again through Podolski's sliding finish for the third.

GROUP STAGE

STADIUM: AWD-Arena (Hannover)

DATE: 20-06-2006 (16:00 h)

ATTENDANCE: 43.000

REFEREE: Shamsul Maidin (SIN)

GOALS: 1-0 (Ronald Gómez 25’); 1-1 (Bosacki 33’); 1-2 (Bosacki 66’)

BOOKED: Umaña (17’), Luis Marín (45+’), Ronald Gómez (45+’), Badilla (56’), Leonardo González (76’) / Radomski (18’), Bąk (24’), Żewłakow (29’), Baszczyński (60’), Boruc (90+’)

Costa Rica - Poland

1-2 (1-1)

COSTA RICA

Porras

COACH: Alexandre Guimarães

POLAND

Boruc

COACH: Paweł Janas

GAME SUMMARY

Bartosz Bosacki scored in each half as Poland finished their World Cup participation with a 2-1 win over Costa Rica. Both teams had already failed to reach the knockout stages after losing their opening two matches.

Ronald Gómez fired a low free kick through the Polish wall and between goalkeeper Artur Boruc's legs to open the score in the 25th minute. Bosacki hit Poland's first goal in the finals and his first international goal after 33 minutes, when Costa Rica keeper José Porras came out and missed a Maciej Żurawski corner, and the Polish defender blasted in off the underside of the bar. Bosacki then headed in from Jacek Krzynówek's corner to clinch the Polish victory in the 66th minute.

GROUP STAGE

STADIUM: RheinEnergieStadion (Köln)

DATE: 20-06-2006 (21:00 h)

ATTENDANCE: 45.000

REFEREE: Massimo Busacca (SWI)

GOALS: 0-1 (J. Cole 34’); 1-1 (Allbäck 51’); 1-2 (Gerrard 85’); 2-2 (Larsson 90’)

BOOKED: Alexandersson (83’), Ljungberg (87’) / Hargreaves (76’)

Sweden - England

2-2 (0-1)

SWEDEN

Isaksson

COACH: Lars Lagerbäck

ENGLAND

Robinson

COACH: Sven-Göran Eriksson

GAME SUMMARY

A scrappy last-minute goal from Henrik Larsson saw Sweden draw 2-2 with England, a result that sees them go through to play hosts Germany in the last 16, with group winners England facing Ecuador. England, who lost striker Michael Owen to a knee injury after just four minutes, took the lead with a stunning 34th minute volley from Joe Cole. Sweden levelled with a Marcus Allbäck header in the 51st minute, but Steven Gerrard put England back in front with a header from a Joe Cole cross five minutes from time. However, Larsson brought the scores level again after a long throw deceived the English defense.

England were rattled by the sight of Owen leaving on a stretcher after he fell awkwardly and twisted his right knee as he went down. The English side struggled to keep possession for the opening twenty minutes against a combative Sweden side, who have not lost to them in 12 matches stretching back 38 years. Ljungberg was a threatening early presence, while defender Teddy Lučić sent in a superb angled drive from a corner that was charged down by Frank Lampard. Wayne Rooney helped redress the balance with some nice passes and a shot that ricocheted off Lučić. However, that was nothing compared to the subsequent candidate for one of the goals of the tournament. Joe Cole controlled a headed clearance by Niclas Alexandersson with his chest and struck a long-range shot that keeper Andreas Isaksson could only touch on to the inside of his post as it flew in.

Sweden equalized early in the second half when Tobias Linderoth curled over a corner from the right and Allbäck's glancing header beat keeper Paul Robinson and Ashley Cole on the line. Sweden were nearly 2-1 up minutes later when Ljungberg's header was parried on to the underside of the bar by Robinson in a goalmouth melee. Eriksson replaced Rio Ferdinand with Sol Campbell in central defense, but the next chance fell to Sweden when captain Olof Mellberg hit the top of the bar. Sweden had a nervous England side on the ropes and were clearly looking to deliver the knockout blow, prompting Eriksson to swap Rooney for Gerrard. The Liverpool midfielder promptly cleared off the line with his first touch after a Kim Källström effort, and then put England ahead in the 85th minute with a firm header from a far post Joe Cole cross. But the drama was not over as Larsson got the final touch on a long throw by Erik Edman in the 90th to salvage a draw and Sweden's unbeaten run against England, stretching back to 1968.

GROUP STAGE

STADIUM: Fritz-Walter-Stadion (Kaiserslautern)

DATE: 20-06-2006 (21:00 h)

ATTENDANCE: 46.000

REFEREE: Roberto Rosetti (ITA)

GOALS: 1-0 (Sancho [o.g.] 25’); 2-0 (Cuevas 86’)

BOOKED: Paredes (30’), Dos Santos (54’) / Sancho (45’), Whitley (48’)

[Incidents: Paraguay central defender and captain Carlos Gamarra, 35, made his 110th and final appearance for his country.]

Paraguay - Trinidad and Tobago

2-0 (1-0)

PARAGUAY

Bobadilla

COACH: Aníbal Ruiz

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

Jack

COACH: Leo Beenhakker

GAME SUMMARY

Paraguay ended World Cup debutants Trinidad & Tobago's slim hopes of reaching the last 16 with a 2-0 victory in their last game. The South Americans, already eliminated, claimed their first points of the tournament through Brent Sancho's first-half own goal and an 86th-minute Nelson Cuevas effort.

Both teams had failed to score a single goal in the tournament, but it could have been 1-1 after just five minutes in a lively start at Fritz-Walter-Stadion. Recalled Soca Warriors keeper Kelvin Jack, who missed the first two games through injury, flung himself to his left to claw away Roque Santa Cruz's glancing header from a free kick. Paraguay keeper Aldo Bobadilla was also tested at the other end by a powerful Cornell Glen header. Trinidad carried the bigger threat from set pieces and Bobadilla punched clear from another awkward curling free kick. Santa Cruz and Nelson Valdez were off target with headers before the breakthrough came on 25 minutes, when Roberto Acuña's free kick was headed on by Julio dos Santos and the luckless Sancho deflected the ball into his own net. Trinidad coach Leo Beenhakker reacted by throwing on striker Kenwyne Jones in place of defender Avery John, and the substitute almost made an instant impact when his fiercely driven free kick flew narrowly wide. Paraguay had a goal chalked off when defender Denis Caniza slipped the ball under Jack but was denied by the linesman's flag. Trinidad's problems got worse before the break with Glen carried off on a stretcher after falling awkwardly.

Paraguay were on top in the second half, and only another flying Jack save, to deny Valdez, and Densill Theobald's goal-line clearance kept the scoreline down. Trinidad finally conceded a second goal when Cuevas produced a neat finish after a one-two with Santa Cruz. Substitute Russell Latapy went closest for Trinidad when his screamer from the edge of the box fizzed over.

GROUP STAGE

STADIUM: Arena AufSchalke (Gelsenkirchen)

DATE: 21-06-2006 (16:00 h)

ATTENDANCE: 52.000

REFEREE: Ľuboš Micheľ (SVK)

GOALS: 1-0 (Maniche 6’); 2-0 (Simão [p.] 24’); 2-1 (Fonseca 29’)

BOOKED: Miguel (26’), Maniche (69’), Boa Morte (88’), Nuno Gomes (90+’) / Rodríguez (22’), Lucho Pérez (27’), Lucho Pérez (61’ > RC), Márquez (65’), Zinha (87’)

[Incidents: The moveable roof of Arena AufSchalke was closed before the game because the weather forecast predicted rain. Bravo missed a penalty shot (min. 57). Lucho Pérez was sent off (min. 61).]

Portugal - Mexico

2-1 (2-1)

PORTUGAL

Ricardo

COACH: Luiz Felipe Scolari

MEXICO

Sánchez

COACH: Ricardo La Volpe

GAME SUMMARY

Portugal beat 10-man Mexico 2-1 in a match decided by two penalties to go into the second round of the World Cup as group leaders. The Portuguese seemed to be cruising when they went 2-0 up thanks to a sixth minute goal by Maniche and a Simão Sabrosa penalty in the 24th. Mexico hit back in the 29th minute through José Francisco Fonseca, but saw Omar Bravo blaze his spot kick over the bar in the 57th. Four minutes later Lucho Pérez, already booked in the first half, tried to get Mexico a second penalty but was shown a red card instead for diving. Portugal's success earned Luiz Felipe Scolari a World Cup record of ten successive victories as a coach.

Portugal went ahead when Maniche supplied Simão, who made a lovely run on the left flank before returning the ball for his teammate to hammer home. They increased their advantage after an inexplicable handball in the box by the Mexican captain Rafael Márquez. Winger Simão stepped forward to convert the 24th minute penalty, stuttering only slightly before firing the ball beyond goalkeeper Oswaldo Sánchez. Mexico replied five minutes later when Fonseca headed home from a Pável Pardo corner. Fonseca almost equalized six minutes before the interval from an Omar Branco cross, but his header went just wide.

After the break, Mexico kept up the attack, with Fonseca (who started instead of Guille Franco) having a say in most of the offensive moves. In the 56th minute, a Pardo cross found Bravo, who tapped it to Fonseca, but the latter’s shot lacked sufficient power to get past Ricardo. A minute later, Mexico had a chance to equalize after Miguel touched the ball with his hand in the box, but Bravo's penalty sailed into the crowd.

GROUP STAGE

STADIUM: Zentralstadion (Leipzig)

DATE: 21-06-2006 (16:00 h)

ATTENDANCE: 38.000

REFEREE: Mark Shield (AUS)

GOALS: 0-1 (Flávio 60’); 1-1 (Bakhtiarizadeh 75’)

BOOKED: Madanchi (37’), Teymourian (55’), Zandi (90+’) / Locó (22’), Mendonça (45+’), Zé Kalanga (67’)

[Incidents: As many as five players had to be substituted during the game due to injury: Nosrati, Mateus, Hashemian, Akwá and Figueiredo.]

Iran - Angola

1-1 (0-0)

IRAN

Mirzapour

COACH: Branko Ivanković

ANGOLA

João Ricardo

COACH: Luís Gonçalves

GAME SUMMARY

Flávio Amado’s 60th minute header gave Angola their first goal at a World Cup finals, and although a three-goal victory would have sent them through into the next stage (after Mexico’s defeat in the other group game), Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh nodded in a 75th minute equalizer for Iran.

The historic Angolan goal came when Flávio met an inch-perfect cross from Zé Kalanga and gave Iranian goalkeeper Ebrahim Mirzapour little chance. And it could easily have been followed by another two minutes later when Mendonça had a golden opportunity, but he shot wide when the ball fell to him on the edge of the penalty area. Iran, fighting to avoid a third consecutive defeat, struck back when Bakhtiarizadeh outjumped the Angolan defense from a corner to equalize with a well-placed header after 75 minutes. Iran's veteran striker Ali Daei should have added to his world record tally of 109 international goals, but his first-half header from close range was woefully misdirected even though he was completely unmarked.

Angola's hopes suffered an early setback when Mateus, who had ballooned the ball over the bar after eight minutes, had to be carried off the pitch after apparently injuring his arm as he slipped and became entangled with an Iranian defender. Two minutes later Locó had to leave the field after a bruising tackle, but the defender returned. Angola's biggest loss came when captain Akwá had to be substituted just minutes into the second half after a knock.

Just as he had done against Mexico, João Ricardo kept his side in the game, leaping to save low shots from Andranik Teymourian and Rasoul Khatibi. Iran had the best chances of the first half, but were let down by poor finishing in a stadium where, for once in this well-attended World Cup, there were empty seats. Angola had lived dangerously in the first period, when Vahid Hashemian's header from a corner was cleared off the goal line by Mendonça's hip and João Ricardo also punched away a well-directed Ali Daei free kick after 20 minutes.

GROUP STAGE

STADIUM: Waldstadion (Frankfurt am Main)

DATE: 21-06-2006 (21:00 h)

ATTENDANCE: 48.000

REFEREE: Luis Medina Cantalejo (SPA)

GOALS: -

BOOKED: Kuijt (28’), Ooijer (42’), De Cler (48’) / Cambiasso (57’), Mascherano (90’)

Netherlands - Argentina

0-0 (0-0)

NETHERLANDS

Van der Sar (c)

COACH: Marco van Basten

ARGENTINA

Abbondanzieri

COACH: José Pékerman

GAME SUMMARY

World Cup heavyweights Argentina and Netherlands cancelled each other out in a 0-0 draw in their last group match. The Argentines finished top on goal difference and will meet Mexico in the second round, whereas the Dutch finished second and will face Portugal.

A tight, tactical battle only sprung to life on isolated occasions, mainly when Argentina threatened to score, having created the more chances. After both teams had weighed each other up for the opening quarter of an hour, the first shot on target came from the Dutch. An error by right-back Nicolás Burdisso allowed winger Dirk Kuijt to force a leaping save from keeper Roberto Abbondanzieri. Minutes later, Argentina strung together a long passing movement which ended with Carlos Tévez shooting narrowly wide of Edwin van der Sar's right-hand post. The keeper—equalling the Dutch caps record of 112 held by Frank de Boer—had to act sharply to turn over Román Riquelme's inswinging corner. Tévez then chased a low Riquelme free kick to the near post, forcing a quick intervention from defender Khalid Boulahrouz, whose attempted clearance came back off the post. With Argentina being forced back in the latter stages of the first half, Maxi Rodríguez had a shot from outside the box that shaved the diving Van der Sar's right-hand post. Argentine teenager Lionel Messi, making his first start in the finals, was restricted by close Dutch marking but got in a shot in first-half stoppage time that went straight to Van der Sar.

Messi tried to spark the attack immediately after the interval, but continued to be well shackled by the Dutch defense. Tévez, with Riquelme prompting from midfield, provided the danger and brought a diving save from Van der Sar in the 73rd minute. Maxi Rodríguez had another attempt at a long-range shot, while Tévez shot over near the end. Marco van Basten's substitutions brought added urgency to his team's attacks and a spate of corners in the final minutes.

GROUP STAGE

STADIUM: Allianz Arena (München)

DATE: 21-06-2006 (21:00 h)

ATTENDANCE: 66.000

REFEREE: Marco Antonio Rodríguez (MEX)

GOALS: 0-1 (Žigić 10’); 0-2 (Ilić 20’); 1-2 (Dindane [p.] 37’); 2-2 (Dindane 67’); 3-2 (Kalou [p.] 86’)

BOOKED: Keïta (33’), Domoraud (41’), Dindane (43’), Domoraud (90+’ > RC) / Nađ (17’), Dudić (35’), Duljaj (37’), Nađ (45+’ > RC), Gavrančić (57’)

[Incidents: Nađ (min. 45+) and Domoraud (min. 90+) were both sent off.]

Ivory Coast - Serbia-Montenegro

3-2 (1-2)

IVORY COAST

Barry

COACH: Henri Michel

SERBIA-MONTENEGRO

Jevrić

COACH: Ilija Petković

GAME SUMMARY

Ivory Coast fought back from two goals down to beat Serbia-Montenegro 3-2 and secure their first World Cup win in a fiercely fought battle. Substitute Bonaventure Kalou struck the winner from the penalty spot after Serbian defender Milan Dudić handled in the area for the second time. In the first half, he had given away another blatant handball penalty that let Ivory Coast back into the match.

The game was played in continual rain, torrential at first, and both teams offered an exciting spectacle, even though they were already eliminated and there was nothing at stake. The crunching tackles and repeated yellow cards, seven in the first half alone, showed neither side wanted to end fourth in a group generally regarded as the toughest at this World Cup. Ivory Coast showed they continue to suffer defensive lapses despite their efforts to solve them. The Serbs, seeking to heal their injured pride after a 6-0 drubbing by Argentina in their last game, again had a man sent off, as substitute stand-in left-back Albert Nađ was shown a second yellow just before the break.

Serbia took the lead in the 10th minute when striker Nikola Žigić controlled a long ball from Dejan Stanković, rounded the keeper and slotted home. They doubled their advantage ten minutes later, when Saša Ilić pounced on a fumbled clearance by Ivory Coast stand-in captain Cyril Domoraud from a Predrag Đorđević cross. Only a minute earlier, the Ivorians had missed a golden chance when Aruna Dindane shot against the keeper from close range before Kanga Akalé missed an easy rebound. However, their pressure eventually paid off when Dindane tucked away a twice-taken penalty in the 37th minute following a needless handball by Dudić.

With a man advantage, Ivory Coast dominated the second half. Blaise Kouassi struck the bar, Dindane came close with a header and finally headed in a Kader Keïta cross in the 67th minute to earn cheers from appreciating neutrals in the crowd. But they were not finished yet, and when Dudić again handled in the area, even if it was less deliberate this time, Kalou stepped up to score from the penalty spot and seal a historic victory for Ivory Coast, who had Domoraud sent off for a second booking in stoppage time.

GROUP STAGE

STADIUM: AOL Arena (Hamburg)

DATE: 22-06-2006 (16:00 h)

ATTENDANCE: 50.000

REFEREE: Benito Armando Archundia (MEX)

GOALS: 0-1 (Materazzi 26’); 0-2 (Inzaghi 87’)

BOOKED: Polák (35’), Polák (45+’ > RC) / Gattuso (31’)

[Incidents: Polák was sent off (min. 45+).]

Czech Republic - Italy

0-2 (0-1)

CZECH REPUBLIC

Čech

COACH: Karel Brückner

ITALY

Buffon

COACH: Marcello Lippi

GAME SUMMARY

Italy fought off the stubborn resistance of 10-man Czech Republic to secure a 2-0 victory to top Group E. Defender Marco Materazzi scored with a resounding header on 26 minutes before the Czechs had Jan Polák dismissed for two yellow cards. In the second half, Filippo Inzaghi added a late second.

Playing with only 10 men for the whole of the second half, the Czechs were always struggling, although Juventus midfielder Pavel Nedvěd forced two fine saves from his teammate Gianluigi Buffon. By contrast, as the Czechs tired, Italy created a string of chances with Francesco Totti going close and Filippo Inzaghi particularly wasteful. But Inzaghi finally made amends as he latched onto a through ball to round Petr Čech and score the deciding second.

The Czechs had been dominant in the early stages and, as in the second half, Buffon twice denied Nedvěd. The Italians were forced into making a substitution in the 17th minute, when central defender Alessandro Nesta limped off feeling his groin. Materazzi came on to replace him, and nine minutes later the Inter Milan central defender put Italy ahead, when Totti swung over a corner from the right and Materazzi jumped above his marker to plant a firm, downward header past Čech. The Czechs' task of overhauling Italy was made even harder when Polák was shown the red card in stoppage time of the first half after receiving a second booking for tackling Totti from behind.

GROUP STAGE

STADIUM: Frankenstadion (Nürnberg)

DATE: 22-06-2006 (16:00 h)

ATTENDANCE: 41.000

REFEREE: Markus Merk (GER)

GOALS: 1-0 (Dramani 22’); 1-1 (Dempsey 43’); 2-1 (Appiah [p.] 45+’)

BOOKED: Essien (5’), Illiasu (32’), Mensah (81’), Appiah (90+’) / Lewis (7’)

Ghana - USA

2-1 (2-1)

GHANA

Kingson

COACH: Ratomir Dujković

USA

Keller

COACH: Bruce Arena

GAME SUMMARY

Ghana won a place in the last 16 of the World Cup on their finals debut with a 2-1 victory over the United States in a Group E decider they largely controlled. A controversial stoppage time penalty just before the break converted by captain Stephen Appiah secured the required three points for the African team, after Clint Dempsey had cancelled out Ghana's initial goal by Haminu Dramani. The Africans finished second in their group, but will be without midfield inspiration Michael Essien for the eight-finals, as his crunching tackle on Claudio Reyna in the first half brought his second consecutive yellow card of the tournament.

Ghana were the more combative side for most of the match, although they struggled to find their rhythm early on against a United States team missing key center-back, Eddie Pope, and holding midfielder Pablo Mastroeni through suspension. They also lost captain Reyna towards the end of the first half.

Ghana took the lead in the 22nd minute when midfielder Dramani robbed Reyna and strode into the penalty area to curl the ball past a diving Kasey Keller. Midfielder Dempsey fired the U.S. back on level terms two minutes from the break after DaMarcus Beasley cracked in a low cross from the left following a defensive mix-up among three Ghanaians. But within three minutes the referee had a controversial call when Razak Pimpong was adjudged to have been pushed by Oguchi Onyewu in the American area. Appiah cracked the spot kick into the top left corner to give Ghana the lead before halftime. The U.S. struck the post midway through the second half, but otherwise, with a lone striker for much of the match, caused the Ghanaian defense few problems. Arena threw on forward Eddie Johnson to join striker Brian McBride for the last half hour, a move that kick-started a series of U.S. assaults on the Ghanaian goal. McBride struck the post in the 66th minute with a header from an Eddie Lewis cross, but Ghana held on to their advantage and finally earned a historic qualification.

GROUP STAGE

STADIUM: Signal Iduna Park (Dortmund)

DATE: 22-06-2006 (21:00 h)

ATTENDANCE: 65.000

REFEREE: Éric Poulat (FRA)

GOALS: 1-0 (Tamada 34’); 1-1 (Ronaldo 45+’); 1-2 (Juninho Pernambucano 53’); 1-3 (Gilberto 59’); 1-4 (Ronaldo 81’)

BOOKED: Kaji (40’) / Gilberto (44’)

[Incidents: After a brace in this game, Ronaldo tied “Torpedo” Müller as the all-time top scorer in the World Cup, with 14 goals.]

Japan - Brazil

1-4 (1-1)

JAPAN

Kawaguchi

COACH: Arthur Antunes Coimbra “Zico”

BRAZIL

Dida (c) (Rogério Ceni 82’)

COACH: Carlos Alberto Parreira

GAME SUMMARY

Japan, coached by former Brazil captain Zico, took a shock lead through Keiji Tamada in the 34th minute before Ronaldo (heavily criticized for his performances in Brazil's first two games) equalized in first-half injury time. Second-half goals from Juninho Pernambucano, Gilberto and Ronaldo again allowed Brazil to finish the group with maximum points and complete their 10th successive win at the World Cup finals.

Ronaldo kept his place when coach Carlos Alberto Parreira made five changes to his team, and for the opening 20 minutes Brazil's football flowed for the first time in the tournament as they sliced through the Japanese defense. Only goalkeeper Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi stood between the rampant champions and a significant lead. Kawaguchi turned away two efforts from Ronaldo and one each from Robinho, Kaká and Juninho. But Brazil left gaps at the back and Japan took advantage when Alex slipped the ball inside to Tamada, who fired past Dida with a first-time shot on the turn. This was the first goal Brazil had conceded in seven internationals (the last being against Bolivia last October). Brazil were knocked out of their stride, but levelled out of the blue when Ronaldinho's diagonal pass found Cicinho, who headed across goal for the unmarked Ronaldo to nod home.

In the second half, Juninho put Brazil ahead with a dipping 30-meter effort which went through Kawaguchi's hands in the 53rd minute. Six minutes later, Ronaldinho produced a slide-rule pass for Gilberto to break down the left and place the third past Kawaguchi. Ronaldo made it 4-1 when he swivelled before curling in a shot from the edge of the box.

GROUP STAGE

STADIUM: Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion (Stuttgart)

DATE: 22-06-2006 (21:00 h)

ATTENDANCE: 52.000

REFEREE: Graham Poll (ENG)

GOALS: 1-0 (Srna 2’); 1-1 (Moore [p.] 38’); 2-1 (N. Kovač 56’); 2-2 (Kewell 79’)

BOOKED: Šimić (32’), Tudor (38’), Šimunić (61’), Pletikosa (70’), Šimić (85’ > RC), Šimunić (90+’ > RC) / Emerton (81’), Emerton (87’ > RC)

[Incidents: Šimić (min. 85), Emerton (min. 87) and Šimunić (min. 90+, once the game was over) were all sent off. By mistake, the referee showed the yellow card to Šimunić three times (in minutes 61, 90 and 90+), although the Croatian player was only shown the red card after his “third” yellow card, once the game was finished.]

Croatia - Australia

2-2 (1-1)

CROATIA

Pletikosa

COACH: Zlatko Kranjčar

AUSTRALIA

Kalac

COACH: Guus Hiddink

GAME SUMMARY

Australia reached the World Cup second round for the first time after holding Croatia to a thrilling 2-2 draw in their final Group F game. Harry Kewell equalized in the 79th minute as Australia twice came back from a goal down to earn the point they needed to finish runners-up to Brazil. As many as three players—Croatia's Dario Šimić and Josip Šimunić plus Australia's Brett Emerton—were sent off in a dramatic finale, with Šimunić being shown three yellow cards by English referee Graham Poll in the confusion.

Srna caught the Socceroos napping early with a superbly taken free kick after Australian captain Mark Viduka tripped Niko Kovač just outside the area. Australia regained their composure and looked to have strong grounds for a penalty when defender Šimunić brought down Viduka, but Poll ruled there was no foul. However, the English referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot seven minutes before the interval when Croatia defender Stjepan Tomas reached up and handled the ball in the goalmouth, and Moore coolly slotted the penalty past Stipe Pletikosa.

Croatia, who needed to win to stay alive, looked to have sealed victory when Niko Kovač scored eleven minutes after the break with a long-range shot that bobbled past Australia goalkeeper Željko Kalac. However, Kewell's instinctive reflexes from a goalmouth scramble earned a late equalizer and secured qualification for Australia. The match ended in pandemonium after Poll showed Šimunić a yellow card near the end of the match and the player, having been booked in the 61nd minute, began to walk to the touchline. However, the English referee seemed to forget about the earlier booking and Šimunić stayed on the pitch until he was shown another yellow for complaining at the conclusion of the game and was finally dismissed.

GROUP STAGE

STADIUM: Fritz-Walter-Stadion (Kaiserslautern)

DATE: 23-06-2006 (16:00 h)

ATTENDANCE: 46.000

REFEREE: Coffi Codjia (BEN)

GOALS: 0-1 (Juanito 36’)

BOOKED: Al-Jaber (27’), Al-Temyat (77’) / Albelda (30’), Reyes (35’), Marchena (75’)

Saudi Arabia - Spain

0-1 (0-1)

SAUDI ARABIA

Zaid

COACH: Marcos Paquetá

SPAIN

Cañizares

COACH: Luis Aragonés

GAME SUMMARY

Defender Juanito's 36th minute goal ensured that Spain moved into the last 16 as group winners with a 1-0 victory over Saudi Arabia. Having already qualified for the knockout stages, Spain fielded a second string side against the Saudis, who needed to win to have any chance of qualifying. Juanito sent a bullet header past keeper Mabrouk Zaid after José Antonio Reyes whipped in a free kick from the left. The victory also extended Spain's unbeaten run to 25 games and meant they finished the group stage with a maximum nine points for the second World Cup in a row. On the other side, it was a disappointing end to the tournament for Saudi Arabia, who went back home with just a point after surrendering the lead to draw 2-2 in their opening match against Tunisia.

The Spanish substitutes quickly settled into their usual fluent passing game and, although they did little to trouble the Saudi defense in the first quarter of an hour, they warmed to the task as the half wore on. Live-wire winger Joaquín went close with a dipping shot and midfielder David Albelda had a fierce drive turned past the post by Zaid after a gleaming passing move involving Andrés Iniesta and Cesc Fábregas just before the half hour. Six minutes later Juanito put Spain into the lead with his header, and Reyes went close to extending his side's lead with a sharp volley just before the break.

Coach Luis Aragonés replaced captain Raúl with David Villa at halftime and gave leading scorer Fernando Torres a run out for the final 20 minutes, but with Spain happy to sit on their lead it was Saudi Arabia who made much of the running in the second period. Defender Hussein Sulaimani twice forced Santiago Cañizares to make sharp saves midway through the half and substitute Nawaf al-Temyat caused problems for the back four with some neat runs into the area.

GROUP STAGE

STADIUM: Olympiastadion (Berlin)

DATE: 23-06-2006 (16:00 h)

ATTENDANCE: 72.000

REFEREE: Carlos Arecio Amarilla (PAR)

GOALS: 1-0 (Shevchenko [p.] 70’)

BOOKED: Sviders’kyj (18’), Shelaev (47’), Tymoshchuk (61’), Rusol (65’) / Jaziri (9’), Bouazizi (43’), Jaziri (45+’ > RC), Jaïdi (90’)

[Incidents: Jaziri was sent off (min. 45+).]

Ukraine - Tunisia

1-0 (0-0)

UKRAINE

Shovkovs’kyj

COACH: Oleg Blokhin

TUNISIA

Boumnijel

COACH: Roger Lemerre

GAME SUMMARY

A dubious penalty won and taken by Andrij Shevchenko was enough to see Ukraine through to the next round of the World Cup as they beat 10-man Tunisia 1-0 in a deciding final game. Shevchenko appeared to trip as he tussled for the ball with Tunisian defender Karim Haggui, but Paraguayan referee Carlos Amarilla pointed straight to the spot and Shevchenko sent Tunisia goalkeeper Ali Boumnijel the wrong way with the kick after 70 minutes. It was rough justice on the 2004 African champions, who should have been awarded another penalty minutes before when Andrij Voronin handled a goalbound free kick from Anis Ayari. The winner came after Ukraine had looked the most threatening in an untidy match littered with yellow cards in front of another 72,000 sellout crowd in the Olympic Stadium.

The error-strewn first half saw few chances. On twenty minutes, Anatolij Tymoshchuk forced Tunisia keeper Ali Boumnijel into a reflex save and Shevchenko badly miskicked with an attempted volley. The Ukrainian attacker thrust forward on the half-hour mark after exchanging a neat one-two, but he was bundled off the ball before he could shoot. Tunisia's slim hopes suffered a body blow when striker Ziad Jaziri was sent off just before halftime for a second yellow card after tripping Tymoshchuk.

It had always looked as if Shevchenko would be the difference between the teams as his darting runs pulled the Tunisia defense apart. He showed his class with a delightful backheader on the halfway line in the closing stages that left the Tunisian defense flat-footed, but Oleg Shelaev shot harmlessly over the crossbar despite having time to control the ball and take aim. Tunisia toiled but created few genuine goalscoring chances, although impressive defender Hatem Trabelsi drilled a shot wide in the 85th minute with their best opportunity of the second half. Voronin could have doubled Ukraine's advantage seconds before the whistle, but misfired.

GROUP STAGE

STADIUM: RheinEnergieStadion (Köln)

DATE: 23-06-2006 (21:00 h)

ATTENDANCE: 45.000

REFEREE: Jorge Luis Larrionda (URU)

GOALS: 0-1 (Vieira 55’); 0-2 (Henry 61’)

BOOKED: Aziawonou (38’), C. Touré (44’), Salifou (88’) / Makélélé (30’)

Togo - France

0-2 (0-0)

TOGO

Agassa

COACH: Otto Pfister

FRANCE

Barthez

COACH: Raymond Domenech

GAME SUMMARY

France finally laid to rest the ghosts of 2002 with a 2-0 victory over Togo to secure a place in the last 16 of the World Cup. “Les Bleus” needed to win by two clear goals to make sure of avoiding an early exit after leaving the previous finals without a win or a goal. Debutants Togo, who were already eliminated, resisted bravely in the first half before collapsing by conceding two goals in quick succession in the second. France's first World Cup victory since they stunned Brazil 3-0 in the 1998 final means that Zinédine Zidane, who missed the game through suspension, will play at least one more match before his announced retirement. It was a memorable evening also from Lilian Thuram. The Juventus defender, who is expected to retire from international football after the tournament, won his 117th cap, breaking the national record he shared with Marcel Desailly.

France resolutely raced the ball forward from kick-off and threatened twice in the first ten minutes through David Trézéguet, with an effort from inside the area that flew wide and then a header from a Ribéry cross. Togo had their moments and France goalkeeper Fabien Barthez was tested by Mohammed Kader early on, but the best opportunities in a lively first half were for France. Ribéry and Trézéguet wasted a few chances each before the break, but the match remained scoreless at halftime.

The second half started on a slightly slower tempo, but there was soon another bad miss for France, Ribéry wildly hammering the ball over the crossbar from close range on 54 minutes. France, fielding two strikers in Henry and Trézéguet for the first time in these finals, then scored twice to kill the tie and survive. Patrick Vieira celebrated his 30th birthday in style by curling the ball into the corner of the net after a Franck Ribéry pass on minute 55. Vieira was also involved in the second goal six minutes later with a downward header from which Thierry Henry doubled the advantage with his right foot from near the penalty spot.

GROUP STAGE

STADIUM: AWD-Arena (Hannover)

DATE: 23-06-2006 (21:00 h)

ATTENDANCE: 43.000

REFEREE: Horacio Marcelo Elizondo (ARG)

GOALS: 1-0 (Senderos 23’); 2-0 (Frei 77’)

BOOKED: Senderos (43’), Yakın (55’), Wicky (69’), Spycher (82’), Djourou (90’) / Park Joo-young (23’), Kim Jin-kyu (37’), Choi Jin-chul (78’), Ahn Jung-hwan (78’), Lee Chun-soo (80’)

Switzerland - South Korea

2-0 (1-0)

SWITZERLAND

Zuberbühler

COACH: Köbi Kuhn

SOUTH KOREA

Lee W.J. (c)

COACH: Dick Advocaat

GAME SUMMARY

Goals from Philippe Senderos and Alexander Frei gave Switzerland a 2-0 win over South Korea in an all-or-nothing game, which also meant the elimination of the Koreans. The Arsenal defender (who sustained a nasty cut near his eye after clashing heads with Choi Jin-chul) headed the opener from a free kick by Hakan Yakın in the 23rd minute. Then Frei made sure of victory with 13 minutes left, pouncing on a stray pass by a defender, rounding goalkeeper Lee Woon-jae and slotting the ball into an empty net to secure Switzerland’s qualification. The Swiss striker scored after an offside flag went up, but Argentine referee Horacio Elizondo ruled the goal should stand after a protest from the Koreans and a consultation with his linesman. Switzerland enjoyed the distinction of becoming the only side to qualify for the second round without conceding a goal.

The first chance of the game arrived in the eighth minute when Park Ji-sung went close. The Swiss were always dangerous at set pieces, with Yakın a revelation in his first international start for more than nine months. Sidelined by a string of injuries for much of that time, he showed little sign of rustiness when he fired in a perfectly weighted free kick for Senderos to head past the Korean keeper. Switzerland had more than enough chances to double their lead as the half progressed, but it was South Korea who ended it the stronger with Park Joo-young scuffing a scoring opportunity in the 44th minute. Lee Chun-soo also had a fierce low drive parried by Swiss keeper Pascal Zuberbühler.

The second half began as frenetically as the first, and Senderos had to leave the pitch clutching his arm after a bad fall. Knowing a defeat would almost certainly end their World Cup campaign, South Korea pushed forward and were unfortunate not to win a penalty when Patrick Müller appeared to handle the ball in the Swiss area. While the Koreans looked the more urgent, the Swiss were the more efficient and should have stretched their lead when Frei broke down the right only to see his powerful shot fly back off the top of the post.

1/8 FINAL

STADIUM: Allianz Arena (München)

DATE: 24-06-2006 (17:00 h)

ATTENDANCE: 66.000

REFEREE: Carlos Eugênio Simon (BRA)

GOALS: 1-0 (Podolski 4’); 2-0 (Podolski 12’)

BOOKED: Frings (27’) / Lučić (28’), Lučić (35’ > RC), Jonson (48’), Allbäck (78’)

[Incidents: Lučić was sent off (min. 35). Larsson missed a penalty shot (min. 53).]

Germany - Sweden

2-0 (2-0)

GERMANY

Lehmann

COACH: Jürgen Klinsmann

SWEDEN

Isaksson

COACH: Lars Lagerbäck

GAME SUMMARY

Germany booked their place in the World Cup quarterfinals as two early goals from Lukas Podolski helped secure victory over 10-man Sweden. Podolski scored on just four minutes, driving home the loose ball after Sweden keeper Andreas Isaksson parried, and doubled the German lead eight minutes later when he finished smartly after a Miroslav Klose's pass. Sweden's Teddy Lučić was sent off for a second booking on 35 minutes and their miserable day was complete when Henrik Larsson missed a second-half penalty.

It was an assured display from Germany, who always looked like adding to their lead after gaining the early advantage. Both sides were still settling down when Podolski's goal sent the home fans at the Allianz Arena into raptures. Michael Ballack created the opening as he found Klose, who turned his marker but saw the ball pushed away from his feet by Isaksson. However, Podolski was on hand to slot in via a deflection off Lučić's head. Larsson had an opportunity to level on eight minutes, but shot into the side netting from inside the small area. The Swedish attacker was left to rue his wastefulness four minutes later as Podolski was played in by a delightful pass from Klose before finishing with considerable assurance.

Unsurprisingly, the goals filled Germany with confidence and instilled their play with a real swagger. Jürgen Klinsmann's side surged forward, as Ballack's drive was parried by Isaksson, Bernd Schneider drove wide, Klose's near-post effort was saved and Bastian Schweinsteiger's 30-meter was brilliantly tipped by the keeper around the post. Things got worse for Sweden on 35 minutes as Lučić received a second yellow card after being judged to have tugged Klose's shirt. Ironically, Sweden's best passage of play followed. Zlatan Ibrahimović's shot from a narrow angle was fumbled around the post by Jens Lehmann, while Mattias Jonson beat Lehmann to Larsson's cross only for Phillip Lahm to clear.

After the interval, Sweden were gifted a chance as they were awarded a penalty for an innocuous-looking challenge on Larsson, but the Barcelona striker blazed way over the bar. Ballack then shot from 20 meters only for Isaksson to produce another fine save, tipping the ball onto the post. The pace, unsurprisingly, began to drop in the sweltering heat of Munich and the match lost much of its earlier fluency. But following Larsson's penalty miss, the Germans never seriously looked like conceding. Indeed, they looked close to increasing their lead as Schneider's 85th-minute drive was deflected by Tobias Linderoth onto a post, while substitute Oliver Neuville's shot was blocked.

1/8 FINAL

STADIUM: Zentralstadion (Leipzig)

DATE: 24-06-2006 (21:00 h)

ATTENDANCE: 43.000