Germany edge Uruguay to claim third place

Sami Khedira's 82nd-minute header earned Germany a 3-2 victory in a rousing and rain-soaked World Cup third-place play-off match with Uruguay here on Saturday.

The Stuttgart midfielder rose to nod the ball beyond Fernando Muslera after Uruguay failed to clear a late corner, while Diego Forlan was inches away from a dramatic equaliser with an injury-time free-kick that struck the crossbar.

Forlan rounded off an impressive individual showing at the tournament with a brilliantly-taken volley to give Uruguay a 2-1 lead early in the second period, only for Marcell Jansen to restore parity moments later.

Millions in illegal W.Cup bets seized in Hong Kong

Hong Kong police have seized 35 million US dollars worth of illegal betting slips during the World Cup, with that figure expected to soar ahead of this weekend's final, a report said Thursday.

Since the global tournament kicked off last month, police in the financial hub have launched a series of raids that netted the arrests of at least 55 illegal bookmakers and hauled in about 270 million Hong Kong dollars (35 million US dollar) in betting records, the South China Morning Post said.

The betting figures are an almost four-fold increase from the 2006 World Cup when police seized gambling slips worth 74 million Hong Kong dollars.

Hong Kong police did not immediately respond to the report.

In a joint operation last month, mainland Chinese police arrested at least 45 people and confiscated 44 million Hong Kong dollars' worth of betting slips in the nearby southern industrial city of Shenzhen.

Punters in Hong Kong, a football and horse racing-mad former British colony returned to China in 1997, can bet legally on a variety of sports events including the World Cup through the Hong Kong Jockey Club.

Loew hails Spanish masters

Germany coach Joachim Loew hailed Spain as masters of the football universe and expressed confidence that they would beat the Netherlands in Sunday's World Cup final.

Despite his frustration at his side's failure to reproduce the kind of form with which they swept past England and Argentina in earlier rounds, Loew paid a gracious tribute to the quality of Spain's passing game and accepted they had deserved their 1-0 semi-final victory on Wednesday.

"Of course we are disappointed, as you inevitably are when you lose a semi-final," said Loew.

"But we have to congratulate the Spanish team. They played very well and over the last two or three years they have been the most skilled team of all.

"They showed that tonight with the way they circulated the ball very quickly and we were not able to reproduce the kind of play we did in previous matches.

Viva Espana! Spain euphoric at semi-final win

The whole of Spain erupted with joy as the national side reached the World Cup final for the first time ever with a 1-0 win over Germany -- and the fiesta looked set to last well into the night.

"It's over! We are in the final of the World Cup! It's historic, what joy!" shouted a commentator from the television channel La Cuatro as the final whistle went.

A cacophony of firecrackers, vuvuzelas, car horns and cheers rang out across Madrid, where Spanish red and gold flags adorn balconies, roofs and bars.

Thousands of ecstatic fans sang and waved flags outside Real Madrid's Bernabeu stadium where the match was broadcast on giant screens.

The crowd shouted "Yes, yes, yes, this year, yes!" and "I am Spanish, Spanish, Spanish!" to celebrate the win, which takes Spain into the final against Holland on Sunday.

Dutch joy as 32-year wait ends

Elated Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk fulfilled a 32-year dream on Tuesday by steering his team into the World Cup final for the first time since 1978.

It was a long time coming but Van Marwijk said the wait was worth it.

"Of course I am very, very happy and proud that such a small country is in the final of a world championship, it is hard to comprehend," he said after his team overcame Uruguay 3-2.

"It is something I started working on two years ago and I always said that to achieve something you really have to believe in it and do it. It's been a long process."

Capello back in charge as Terry mutiny fizzles out

Fabio Capello was firmly back in control of England's World Cup campaign on Monday after a player revolt launched by John Terry fizzled out, leaving the former captain isolated.

Terry had launched his abortive coup by promising to air a string of grievances at a squad meeting, even if that meant upsetting Capello.

Versions of what went on in the meeting on Sunday evening vary but leaks from inside the camp to the English media were unanimous in indicating that no other senior player had been prepared to back the Chelsea defender.

Humiliatingly, Terry was reportedly persuaded not to say anything for fear of triggering a direct confrontation with the Italian which could have plunged England's campaign into even deeper crisis ahead of their crucial meeting with Slovenia on Wednesday.

Terry's mute presence at the meeting was in sharp contrast to the tone he adopted at a press conference on Sunday, where he had boasted of his readiness to do some straight talking.

"If we feel something has to change, we owe it to the country and the manager to say it in that meeting tonight," Terry said. "If it upsets him or any other player, so what."

Queiroz says N.Korea clash 'all or nothing'

Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz admitted on Sunday their World Cup clash with North Korea is do-or-die and he will not be happy with anything other than a resounding victory.


Both teams go into Monday's match desperately needing to win with the Portuguese held to a goalless draw by Ivory Coast in their Group G opener while North Korea lost 2-1 to Brazil.

The Koreans got almost everyone behind the ball to blunt Brazil's natural samba flair and they will need more of the same if they want to tame Portugal and their captain Cristiano Ronaldo.

Queiroz, a former assistant to Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, knows the stakes are high.

Park, Tevez put friendship aside in key duel

South Korea winger Park Ji-Sung and Argentine striker Carlos Tevez, who became close friends when they were Manchester United teammates, will be sworn enemies in a crunch World Cup clash on Thursday.

Both South Korea and Argentina won their opening games in South Africa and victory for either side in the Group B encounter will open the door to a last 16 place.

"We have played together and I think it is great that we will play against each other, but this is not just a friendly, this is the greatest place to play football," said 29-year-old Park.

"We are both adversaries for now and we will both be doing our best to win the game."

Park says he expects Tevez to have briefed the Argentina defence about his playing style, just as he has told the South Koreans how to cope with the livewire South American striker.

Rooney promises red card redemption

Wayne Rooney has vowed to achieve redemption for his red card exit from the last World Cup by firing England into the knockout stages of this tournament.

The Manchester United striker failed to do himself justice in Germany, where he was not fully match fit following an accelerated pre-tournament rehabilitation from a broken metatarsal bone.

Having failed to score in four appearances, Rooney departed the tournament in disgrace, his frustration over his own and England's under-performance culminating in a stamp on Portugal's Ricardo Carvalho in a quarter-final England were to lose on penalties.

Forlan powers Uruguay past South Africa

Uruguay's Diego Forlan blasted a stunning 25-metre goal in the 24th minute and added a penalty as the two-time world champions beat host nation South Africa 3-0 Wednesday in a World Cup match.

As a result, the South Americans moved atop of the Group A standings while the South Africans suffered a severe blow in their bid to avoid becoming the first World Cup host ousted in the first round.

Atletico Madrid star Forlan opened the scoring by slamming a right-footed shot from well outside the penalty area which tucked under the crossbar, leaving South African goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune helpless.

"I capitalized on the opportunity for the goal. Step by step," Forlan said. "We are professionals. We play football and we finish."

History-making Swiss shock favourites Spain in World Cup

World Cup favourites Spain crashed to a shock 1-0 defeat to unfancied Switzerland in their opening game of the tournament here on Wednesday.

A rock solid defence and a tremendous goalkeeping effort from Diego Benaglio saw the Swiss take the lead in the 51st minute through Gelson Fernandes and sustain wave after wave of pressure to hold on for the win in the Group H clash.

The victory was Switzerland's first-ever over Spain in 19 games dating back 85 years.

"It is a historic victory," said Switzerland's German coach Ottmar Hitzfeld.

"We haven't beaten Spain for such a long time. We have taken a step towards the second round, but now more will be expected of us. We have to remain attentive and focussed," added the 61-year-old, one of only three coaches to have won the Champions League with two different clubs.

Dreams of unity as plucky N.Korea lose to Brazil

North Korea's first World Cup finals goal for 44 years against five-time winners Brazil brought delight to the isolated communist nation's fans and stoked dreams of reunification with South Korea.

While their tireless team eventually went down 2-1, supporters based in both Japan and South Korea saw great credit in the performance as North Korea returned to the finals for the first time since blazing a trail in 1966.

Not long after the game ended in a chilly Johannesburg, Pyongyang's official news agency praised its team for a "fierce" fight as fans singled out star striker Jong Tae-Se -- nicknamed Asia's Wayne Rooney -- for praise.

"Even though our compatriots lost the game, the team scored a goal. I'm proud of them as a blood brother," said a 34-year-old man who works for an organisation for ethnic Koreans in Japan.

Football powerhouse Brazil struggle to beat North Korea

Five-time World Cup winners Brazil opened their South Africa 2010 campaign with a workmanlike 2-1 win over Asian minnows North Korea on Tuesday.

Despite an attacking line boasting Kaka and Robinho, the South Americans had to work hard to break down dogged defending as the North Koreans worked tirelessly.

After a resilient first half, the North Korean defence finally cracked as Maicon scored from the tightest of angles before Galatasaray's Elano made sure of victory with the second goal in the Group G clash.

Brazil coach Dunga said he was not entirely happy with the result, but welcomed the three points with Ivory Coast and Portugal still to come.

Brazil calling on spirit of '94

On paper at least, Brazil’s FIFA World Cup™ qualifier at home to Bolivia on 29 August 1993 should have been straightforward. Carlos Alberto Parreira’s side were, however, under enormous pressure with three games left to play in the South American Zone.

Just one month earlier, Brazil had suffered their first-ever defeat in the qualifying competition, 2-0 away to Bolivia in La Paz, and the week before the return fixture had left the pitch to a barrage of booing after a 2-0 home win over Ecuador. However, showing the strength of will and unity that would end up taking them to glory at USA 1994, Brazil’s first world crown for 24 years, A Seleção put La Verde to the sword in a 6-0 success.

Yet despite the emphatic nature of that win, the defining moment came when the players entered the field hand-in-hand prior to kick-off. This gesture of togetherness was repeated before each match right through to 17 July 1994, the day they edged Italy on penalties to lift the FIFA World Cup Trophy for a fourth time.

New Zealand-Slovakia preview

New Zealand and Slovakia have long coveted places at the FIFA World Cup™. The Kiwis last appeared on its prestigious stage in 1982, and were the underdogs going into their play-off with Bahrain in late 2009. The Slovaks were outsiders in a qualifying group also comprising the likes of Slovenia, Czech Republic, Northern Ireland and Poland.

But by reaching South Africa 2010, the pair created expectation. And while, given that defending world champions Italy and a capable Paraguay side are also in Group F, a majority view this match as a battle to avoid finishing bottom of the pool, New Zealand and Slovakia consider it an opportunity to put one foot in the knockout phase.

The match

New Zealand-Slovakia, Group F, Rustenburg, Tuesday 15 June, 13.30 (local time)