Fifa World Cup 2006 -Buletin Box-

[AjraiL]

gd job Iblish mamu...
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ECUADOR 3-0 COSTA RICA

Ecuador made history by beating Costa Rica 3-0 in Hamburg to qualify for the knockout rounds of the FIFA World Cup™ for the first time on Thursday, 15 June 2006.
Carlos Tenorio, Agustin Delgado and Ivan Kaviedes scored the goals that secured the South Americans' progress from Group A. Their victory means that they and hosts Germany become the first two teams to book their places in the last 16 - and ends Costa Rica and Poland's hopes of advancing.

Luis Suarez's men did not look back after taking an eight-minute lead through Tenorio's header. Delgado doubled the advantage with a fine near-post finish on 54 minutes and Ivan Kaviedes volleyed the third goal two minutes into added time.

The match:
8': After a nervy opening, Ecuador drew first blood with a fine bit of interplay. Some positive approach work up the right from Luis Valencia ended with an inch-perfect cross for Tenorio, who headed his second goal of the finals from close range. (1-0)

26': Some positive running and productive ball work from Korea/Japan 2002 veteran Ronald Gomez nearly set up Paulo Wanchope but the leggy striker was just unable to stretch enough to reach the ball and it trickled out for a goal kick.

29': Costa Rica coach Alexandre Guimaraes, keen to jump start an ailing attack, withdrew Danny Fonseca in favour of a third striker, Alvaro Saborio, in an early tactical change.

35': Edison Mendez had a decent chance to increase Ecuador's lead, but his viciously-struck free-kick from distance sailed over the bar without worrying goalkeeper Jose Porras too much.




40': The Central Americans were nearly caught out once more near the end of the half, but a deflected cross-cum-shot was pawed away by the sprawling Porras just before crossing the line.
Ecuador pull away:
50': Costa Rica came out trumpeting their intentions of dragging themselves back into the match. Gomez took a slipped pass from Wanchope and slammed a shot towards goal from about 25 yards. Although it had Cristian Mora scrambling across his goal, the effort went wide.

53': Not to be outdone, the Ecuadorians marched up the other way and nearly got a goal of their own. However, Delgado's acrobatic volley was gathered well by Porras.

54': The second Ecuador goal was not long in coming, however, as they made their class in attack pay off. From a throw-in, Mendez collected the ball near the right-hand corner of the penalty area and slipped a pass in to Delgado, who chested the ball down and hammered it past Porras at the near post from a tough angle. (2-0).

59': Mauricio Solis tried to hit back for the Ticos. Racing through up the right channel, his shot had to be scrambled away by Mora.

70': Ecuador's second-half substitute Kaviedes had the ball in the net after collecting a nice through-ball, but the flag was up for offside.




87': Costa Rica came close to pulling a goal back as Alvaro Saborio's shot rattled the crossbar.
90 +2 Instead, a third goal came at the other end as Mendez crossed brilliantly from the right for Kaviedes, who struck with a superb volley at the back post. He then celebrated by donning a yellow mask stashed in his sock. (3-0)

In conclusion:
The victory sees Ecuador and Germany become the first two teams assured of spots in the second round of these finals. It is a historic moment for the Ecuadorians on only their second appearance on the world stage.

[AjraiL]

ENGLAND 2-0 TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO




England secured their place in the Round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup™ with a 2-0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago but they left it late before striking through Peter Crouch and Steven Gerrard on Thursday, 15 June 2006.
Crouch broke the deadlock in Nuremberg with a headed goal in the 83rd minute and his Liverpool team-mate Gerrard added a superb second in the 91st minute. England, who welcomed back Wayne Rooney as a second-half substitute, have taken six points from their two Group B matches while Trinidad and Tobago remain on one point.

The match:
2': The unlikely figure of Jamie Carragher, in at right-back for the injured Gary Neville, had the first shot on target for England. He struck it with his less favoured left foot, but it was easily saved by Shaka Hislop.

6': Crouch laid the ball off for Frank Lampard via David Beckham's cute dummy and the Chelsea midfielder fired a shot at Hislop. The goalkeeper failed to hold it but Michael Owen stumbled as he tried to latch onto the rebound and Trinidad and Tobago escaped.

16': Joe Cole's cross reached the long legs of Crouch, stretching to meet it close to the goal-line and Hislop had to palm the ball away for a corner.

23': Trinidad and Tobago skipper Dwight Yorke got to the by-line and pulled a good ball across the box and Paul Robinson had to dive at full stretch to catch it.

28': A painful moment for Yorke as he blocked a thundering shot by Steven Gerrard on the edge of the area with his midriff and had to leave the field briefly for treatment.

36': Robinson came out for a corner by Yorke and missed the cross completely, but Stern John could not quite get on the end of it at the far post.

41': Joe Cole clipped the ball to Lampard in a great position, but his side-footed volley went over the bar.

43': Beckham crossed to an unmarked Crouch eight metres out, but he volleyed well wide of the mark and the England fans started calling for Rooney's introduction.

45': A heart-stopping moment for both sets of fans as Robinson came out and missed another cross and Terry had to hook the ball off the line after John's header looked to be going in.
England struggle
54': England still could not find any rhythm and Chris Birchall almost played in Kenwyne Jones at the other end, but Terry did enough to put him off his stride.

56': A fantastic free-kick by Beckham made its way to an unmarked Owen but he guided his header wide with his last contribution of the match.

58': A double substitution by Eriksson brought the England supporters to their feet. Carragher came off for Aaron Lennon and Owen made way for the man everybody in an England shirt wanted to see in action: Rooney.

61': England noticeably upped the tempo, with Lennon already looking lively and Beckham set up Lampard, though his flying volley attempt did not trouble Hislop.

71': Leo Beenhakker made a bold substitution of his own, throwing another striker on in the form of Cornell Glenn, who replaced Jones.

77': Rooney linked up well with Crouch, who freed Lampard but his shot went straight at Hislop. Lampard had yet another strike 60 seconds later, this one fizzing right across the face of goal and wide.

83': As T&T looked set to be hanging on for another famous draw, Beckham crossed for Crouch who headed in the opener. No robotic celebration from Crouch this time and England’s enormous relief was evident (1-0).
91': Gerrard, on his weaker left foot, blasted an unstoppable drive into the top corner to secure the victory (2-0).

92': John put the ball in the net for Trinidad and Tobago, but the offside flag was raised.

In conclusion:
England took their time to see off Trinidad and Tobago, but two late goals mean that, as against Paraguay, they did what they had to do. As for T&T, they emerged with huge credit, if no points, for giving Eriksson's side such a scare.

[AjraiL]

SWEDEN 1-0 PARAGUAY

Freddie Ljungberg's 88th-minute header earned Sweden a 1-0 victory over Paraguay in Berlin on Thursday, 15 June 2006.
Ljungberg's strike leaves the Scandinavians strongly positioned to take second place in Group B, three points above Trinidad and Tobago going into their game against leaders England. For Paraguay, however, the late goal spelt heartbreak, ending their hopes of progressing to the second round.

The match:
1'Following a goalless draw against Trinidad and Tobago in their opening game, Sweden coach Lars Lagerback knew this was a match he could not afford not to win and the Scandinavians began the match immediately on the attack.

9': Kim Kallstrom, in for Anders Svensson, unleashed a stunning shot from 25 yards that Aldo Bobadilla did brilliantly to turn around the post. From the resulting corner, Zlatan Ibrahimovic climbed highest six yards out but his glancing header landed wide of goal.

13': Kallstrom was again in the thick of things four minutes later. The Lyon-bound midfielder fed Ibrahimovic who combined with Henrik Larsson to tee up Christian Wilhelmsson for a shot from distance that whistled wide.

33': Just as they did against England, Paraguay seemed content to sit back, soak up the pressure and rely on the counterattack. In one of their more dangerous ventures beyond the half-way line, Nelson Valdez blasted well over from edge of the box after Roque Santa Cruz's astute knock-down.

34': Spurred into a reply, Larsson almost pounced on a poor clearance but the 34-year-old's header fell kindly into the arms of Bobadilla.

41': With Sweden throwing men forward, left-back Jorge Nunez found plenty of space to exploit as Paraguay broke only for his angled cross-shot to fall harmlessly wide. Straight from the goal-kick, Ibrahimovic broke clear at the other end but his precise finish lacked strength and Bobadilla dived to save comfortably.

More positive:
46': Facing the prospect of being eliminated before their third group match, Paraguay came out for the second half in more aggressive fashion. Moving intelligently along the backline, Valdez ran onto a pass inside the area and cut the ball back onto his right foot before shooting into the side-netting.

51':From a similar position, the striker, who plays his football in Germany for Werder Bremen, this time turned onto his left foot but the end result remained the same with the effort missing the near post.

54': The Swedes hit back and after Ljungberg was tripped on the edge of the box, Larsson's fiercely struck free-kick had Bobadilla throwing himself to his left to fist clear.

58'espite the lack of goals, the game was brewing nicely now. At the other end, Roberto Acuna, always one for the dramatic, forced Andreas Isaksson into a save with a skidding left-foot strike from fully 30 yards.

59':But it was Sweden who should have taken the lead. Substitute Marcus Allback, on for Ibrahimovic, broke the offside trap but failed to connect properly with his lob over the onrushing Bobadilla allowing Denis Caniza to make a spectacular goal-line clearance.

79':Lagerback's team again were beginning to dominate possession albeit without really creating a clear scoring chance. Wandering forward, Nunez tried his luck from 40 yards out and the ball only just cleared the bar as Isaksson quickly backpeddled.

80': Allback had another wonderful chance to break the deadlock. Larsson nodded the ball down but the Copenhagen forward, with his back to goal six yards out, could only manage to hook it into Bobadilla’s arms.

83': Paraguay were being restricted to long shots although substitute Edgar Barreto's 30-yarder needed to be tipped over by Isaksson.

88': Just as it seemed the game would end goalless, Sweden snatched the winner. Allback headed the ball across goal and Ljungberg, running in from the right, directed his header back across goal and inside the far post to kick off wild celebrations on the bench and in the crowd.

90+1':The Arsenal player almost grabbed a second goal but Bobadilla pulled off a fine save to turn his curling effort around the post.

In conclusion: After a performance not dissimilar to that in their opening game, Sweden conjured up their first goal at these finals to secure their first win. While they are now clear favourites to join England in the second round, Paraguay, who again defended bravely without really looking threatening in attack, will make an early exit after their final match against Trinidad and Tobago.

[IbLIsH]

Awesome Argentina
Argentina 6 Serbia & Mont 0

Argentina's Maxi Rodriguez (L) spreads his arms for joy after he opened the goalgate against Serbia and Montenegro in their World Cup Group C encounter on Friday.



Argentina gave a fearsome show of attacking strength as they swept aside Group C rivals Serbia and Montenegro 6-0 in Gelsenkirchen on Friday, 16 June 2006.
Jose Pekerman's team equalled their record FIFA World Cup™ win against Peru from 1978 against opponents they had, coincidentally, dismantled by the same score at the 2004 Olympic Football Tournament. More importantly, the victory took them a big step closer to the second round, while leaving Serbia and Montenegro’s hopes hanging by a thread.
The flow of goals began in the sixth minute with Maxi Rodriguez and after Esteban Cambiasso had doubled the lead in the 31st minute, Rodriguez struck again to make it 3-0 ten minutes later. There was no respite for Serbia and Montenegro after the break as, following the dismissal of Mateja Kezman, Hernan Crespo hit Argentina's fourth in the 78th minute. Substitutes Carlos Tevez (84') and Lionel Messi (88') completed the scoring in the final ten minutes.
The match:
2' Argentina showed their intent from the off, putting the Serbia and Montenegro defence under early pressure with a series of corners.
6' Serbia and Montenegro's defence went 649 minutes without conceding in qualifying but it took Argentina just six minutes to find the net here, following some fine interplay between Rodriguez, Juan Pablo Sorin and Javier Saviola. Rodriguez applied the final touch as he collected a Saviola pass and slipped the ball past Dragoslav Jevric. (1-0)
10' Predrag Djordjevic had the first sight of the Argentine goal at the other end but his volleyed attempted lacked power and direction.
17' Luis Gonzalez left the field with an apparent injury to the adductor muscle in his left leg, Cambiasso coming on in his place.
23' A spell of Serbia and Montenegro possession proved short-lived and Argentina soon had the Balkan team under pressure again, Juan Roman Riquelme testing their backline with a couple of set-pieces.
28' Riquelme worked his way into a shooting position but blazed the ball over the crossbar.
31' A glorious move produced Argentina's second goal. The ball was swept crossfield from one navy shirt to another before arriving at the feet of Cambiasso. He fed Crespo with his back to goal in the box, and was on hand to meet the striker's back-heeled return and shoot high into the net. (2-0)
35' Crespo raced onto Saviola's through-ball and finished past Jevric but the linesman's flag was already raised for offside.
41'
The third goal arrived thanks to the persistence of Saviola. After stealing the ball from Mladen Krstajic by the corner flag, he glided past another white shirt before launching a low shot at goal. Jevric got a hand to the ball, pushing it towards the far post where Rodriguez turned it into the net, via a post. (3-0)
More of the same:
46' Roberto Abbondanzieri was finally called into action, to turn behind a low drive from Savo Milosevic.
51' Crespo, seeking a goal of his own, powered in a shot on goal but straight at Jevric. Sorin then engineered another opportunity in the box with an eye-catching flick of his heel but Saviola was flagged offside.
55' A clear scoring chance went begging for Serbia and Montenegro, following some fine work by substitute Danijel Ljuboja. After surging down the right, he sidestepped a defender and launched a cross to the far post to Kezman. The No.8 volleyed the ball back across goal but, with a free header, Milosevic – on his 100th international appearance - failed to even make contact with the ball.
65' The Serbo-Montenegrins' day went from bad to worse with Kezman dismissed for a two-footed challenge on Javier Mascherano.
74' Riquelme nearly conjured a goal for Crespo with a gorgeous flick but the No.9 went down under pressure from an opponent and the opportunity was gone.
78' Just three minutes after taking the field for his first FIFA World Cup appearance, Messi became the architect of Argentina's fourth goal. Breaking into the left-hand side of the penalty box, he looked up and sent a low cross to the far post where Crespo did the rest. (4-0)

Argentina's Carlos Tevez, right, is congratulated by teammate Lionel Messi after he scored for their team during the Germany 2006 Soccer World Cup, Group C, soccer match between Argentina and Serbia and Montenegro at Gelsenkirchen stadium,Germany, Friday, June 16, 2006. Argentina beat Serbia and Montenegro 6-0.




84' Tevez, another substititute, was one of six Argentina players who played in the victory over Serbia and Montenegro in Patras two years ago. He scored twice then and found the net here with a fine effort. After leaving two defenders for dead he placed the ball low past Jevric for another memorable Argentina goal. (5-0)
88' Now Tevez turned provider, picking out Messi's surge into the box and the teenager did the rest with a confident finish inside the near post. (6-0)
In conclusion:
If anyone doubted Argentina's credentials, they can doubt no more. As for Serbia and Montenegro, this ‘nightmare group’ has become just that.

[IbLIsH]

NETHERLANDS 2-1 CÔTE D'IVOIRE

The Netherlands booked their place in the Round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup™ as goals from Robin van Persie and Ruud van Nistelrooij earned a hard-fought 2-1 win over Côte d'Ivoire in Stuttgart on Friday, 16 June 2006.
Their second win in Group C means the Dutch advanced with a game to spare, along with Argentina who also have six points after beating Serbia and Montenegro 6-0 earlier in the day. Côte d'Ivoire, like the Serbo-Montenegrins, can go no further in this tournament but they certainly pushed the Dutch all the way.

After Van Persie's 23rd-minute free-kick opener, Van Nistelrooij doubled the Dutch lead four minutes later but the Ivorians hit back through a spectacular Bakary Kone effort and threatened an equaliser on more than one occasion.


The match:
1': Before a sea of orange, it was the Netherlands who began the match the brighter. With three points to their name already and two wingers just itching to do something creative, their fans were in full voice as they poured forward.

17': Côte d'Ivoire appeared to settle down and Yaya Toure slipped the ball through to Arouna Kone in the inside-right channel but the striker, who plays his club football in the Netherlands for PSV Eindhoven, allowed the ball to get away from him and his effort from an increasingly tight angle missed the near post.

23': Van Persie ran the ball at the heart of the Ivorian defence before being upended by Arsenal team-mate Kolo Toure. Van Persie picked himself up and thrashed the free-kick past the fingertips of Tizie and into the top corner to give the Dutch the lead. (1-0)

27': Four minutes later and the Oranje were 2-0 up as the Africans paid the penalty for not keeping a tight defensive line. Robben, who was having the better of things against Emmanuel Eboue, tore at the defence from the other wing. He eventually slipped the ball to Van Nistelrooij who, just onside, made no mistake with his right-foot finish. (2-0)

33': Half an hour gone and, as against Argentina, Côte d'Ivoire were again two goals down. They so nearly pulled one back when Didier Zokora, 25 yards out, cut inside onto his right foot and sent a stunning strike crashing against the bar.

38': Henri Michel's disappointed look from the bench had told its own tale up to this point but now the Ivorians did pull one back with a fine goal. The pint-sized Bakary Kone picked up possession midway inside the Dutch half, accelerated past two defenders and unleashed an unstoppable shot into the top corner. (2-1)
42': Minutes later, Didier Drogba stole the ball but could only hit Giovanni van Bronckhorst with the pass with Kone unmarked to his right.

45 +1': Kone, swivelling on the edge of the box, fired over with the last chance of the half.

Holding on:
47' The African side began the second half in the ascendancy with Kolo Toure firing a long-range free-kick into the hands of Edwin van der Sar.

51': With Van Nistelrooij's confidence boosted by the goal the Elephants had to be wary at the back. The Manchester United striker tried his luck from outside the box with a sharp strike that Tizie could only hold at the second attempt.

54': At the other end, the ball fell kindly to Eboue inside the box and for a moment it looked for all the world like the equaliser would arrive but the Arsenal player's goal-bound shot was blocked.

58': Côte d'Ivoire drove forward but a fine four-man move ended with Arouna Kone firing wastefully over from 20 yards.

70': The Netherlands appeared to have weathered the storm and went in search of a third. Robben's pace and skill gave him another shooting chance which Tizie failed to hold and Van Nistelrooij's follow-up was blocked.
77': Switching ends, Drogba nodded a deep corner dangerously back into the goalmouth but there were no Ivorian strikers on hand to apply the finishing touch and Van Persie, positioned on the post, chested clear.

80': Substitute Giles Yapi Yapo cut in well from the left flank only to shoot straight at Van der Sar. Defending resolutely, Marco van Basten's side had chances to make the match safe as the Elephants finally ran out of steam.

In conclusion:
With this second win by the narrowest of margins, the Netherlands advance to the last 16 alongside Argentina. Debutants Côte d'Ivoire put on another fine show but when they travel home after their final match against Serbia and Montenegro they will reflect on the costly goals conceded early in their first two games.

[IbLIsH]

MEXICO 0-0 ANGOLA

Angola goalie Joao Ricardo (1) makes a save in front of teammate Akwa in the first half of the Mexico vs Angola, Group D, World Cup 2006, soccer match



Angola saw them hold Mexico to a goalless draw in their Group D meeting in Hanover on Friday, 16 June 2006.
Angola, who lie 53 places below El Tri in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking, frustrated the Mexicans due to a combination of some resolute defending and some superb goalkeeping from Joao Ricardo.

The Palancas Negras' task was made even harder when they had Andre sent off in the 79th minute, but the African side held firm to register their first ever point in the FIFA World Cup™ finals.

The match:
3' It was another nervy start by Angola and, as against Portugal, they almost conceded an early goal. The North Americans were intent on stamping their authority on the game and Carlos Salcido, foraging forward, saw a 25-yard shot land on the top of the net.

11': Finding it difficult to retain possession, the Africans conceded a series of free-kicks around the edge of their box. From one, Pavel Pardo fired straight into the arms of Joao Ricardo.

14': From another, three minutes later, captain Rafael Marquez struck the base of the post with a low skidding effort.

23': Angola began to settle and started to dominate possession. Figueiredo found space to shoot 25 yards out, lifting his strike a yard over.

24': Then Mateus snatched at a decent chance from the edge of the area with his effort rising high over the bar.

26': From a free-kick, Mendonca cracked another shot wide of the post as the Tricolor fans became restless.

45': After creating little for much of the half, Mexico almost snatched the lead on the stroke of half-time. Guillermo Franco used all his strength to withstand an aerial challenge inside the box but could not quite prod the bouncing ball home and Ricardo came out quickly to block.
A handsome display:
46' The second half began with no noticeable increase in the tempo. Mexico slowly began to push forward but Ricardo was proving equal to anything thrown his way.

55': Angola were now playing exclusively on the break and shooting as soon as they could see the whites of the posts. Having watched a number of efforts sail high and wide, Oswaldo Sanchez had to be alert to save another Mendonca effort from distance.

56': Franco was finding little room to manoeuvre but the Argentine-born striker had a great chance to break the deadlock after Mexico’s best move of the match. The Villarreal forward flicked on a long pass to Salcido and ran onto the return pass but his lob over the advancing Ricardo lacked conviction and the keeper clawed the ball away. Jesus Arellano hit the follow-up goalwards but the ball was hacked off the line.

66':It was Omar Bravo's turn to squander a golden chance next. The Guadalajara striker, who struck twice in the opening game against Iran, found space inside the box but could only shoot timidly at the keeper when presented with a clear-cut chance in front of goal.

79':Angola were reduced to ten men with a little over ten minutes to go when Andre was shown his second yellow card for handball.

82':Pouring forward, Fonseca miscued his volley from a deep cross and the ball whistled wide.
88':Then Marquez picked up the ball 30 yards out but the Barcelona player's strike was brilliantly tipped away by Ricardo. From the resulting corner only the goalpost saved the keeper's blushes with a stretching Bravo unable to take advantage of a rare misjudgement.

In conclusion:
Angola collected their first ever FIFA World Cup point with a courageous display and still have a chance of making the second round. Despite creating few clear chances, Mexico, on four points, are nevertheless well positioned to qualify with the fixture against Portugal still to play.

[Teddy]

Nice cover IbLIsH mamu

[IbLIsH]

Originally Posted by b3d_0f_raz0rs

Nice cover IbLIsH mamu

Keep it Up

[IbLIsH]

PORTUGAL 2-0 IRAN

Portugal became the sixth team assured a place in the Round of 16 at Germany 2006 after second-half goals from Deco and Cristiano Ronaldo secured a 2-0 win against Iran on Saturday, 17 June 2006.
While Portugal were celebrating a second straight win in Group D - and coach Luiz Felipe Scolari's ninth in succession overall in FIFA World Cups™ - Iran were left to reflect on what went wrong after their second defeat confirmed their elimination. After a goalless first half in Frankfurt, Deco broke the deadlock with a long-distance strike in the 63rd minute and Ronaldo sealed the victory from the penalty spot with ten minutes remaining.

The match:
13': After making the early running, Portugal created the first significant chance when Deco controlled the ball brilliantly inside the area and fired a wicked half-volley on goal. Fortunately for the well-supported Iranians, Ebrahim Mirzapour managed to slap it away for a corner.

16': From a Luis Figo corner, Maniche's vicious volley was deflected over the crossbar as pressure began to mount on the Iran goal.

31': Andranik Teymourian broke in behind the Portuguese defence, only to see his shot strike the post. However, the assistant referee's flag was raised already for offside.

34': Another dangerous corner-kick from Figo picked out Cristiano Ronaldo some six yards from goal, but the Manchester United starlet could only watch as his well-directed header was chested off the line by Hossein Kaabi.

36': Kaabi was in the thick of things again. Just moments after Ronaldo had gone close with a fine strike from a tough angle, the raised boot of the Iran defender caught Figo in the face in an accidental collision.

44': Just on the stroke of half-time, Valencia full-back Miguel roared in and fired a shot from close range. But his effort off the keeper and wide of the post.
Portugal too powerful:
63': After a frenetic, end-to-end start to the second period, Barcelona’s midfield jewel Deco put the favourites out in front. After collecting a fine slipped pass from Figo, he broke the impressive Iranian resistance with a screaming arrow to the top corner from 23 yards out. (1-0)

69': Fighting against early elimination from the finals, Iran's second-half substitute Rasoul Khatibi nearly put his team back onto level terms. But his good attempt, after collecting a long ball from the back, slipped just wide of Ricardo’s goal.

78': Mehdi Mahdavikia had a great chance to equalise but his header from close range was well saved by Ricardo.

80': The game switched immediately to the other end where Iran captain Yahya Golmohammadi took down Figo with a sliding challenge and referee Eric Poulat of France did not hesitate in pointing to the spot. Ronaldo, cool as you like, fired home to ensure three more points for Portugal. (2-0)
90': Pauleta had a clear chance to increase the lead, only to fluff his lines on a counterattack.

In conclusion:
Despite battling bravely all the way and showing much to be proud of, Iran's hopes are crushed with one group game still to go. Portugal, while sure of a spot in the Round of 16, are not yet guaranteed first place in the group with a tough final test against second-placed Mexico still to come. Only pride will be at stake for Iran in their final match against Angola.

[IbLIsH]

CZECH REPUBLIC 0-2 GHANA

Ghana's Sulley Ali Muntari, third from left,, celebrates with teammates after scoring his side's second goal during the World Cup, Group E soccer matc


Finally one of the newcomers at this FIFA World Cup™ were able to celebrate a victory as Ghana made history by beating the Czech Republic 2-0 in Cologne on Saturday, 17 June 2006.
Asamoah Gyan and Sulley Muntari scored the goals that gave Ghana their first win on the world stage at the expense of a Czech side who played the closing stages with ten men after Tomas Ujfalusi's dismissal.

Ghana's triumph is the first for any of the debutants at Germany 2006 and also the first for any of the five African finalists. Their victory margin might have been greater had Gyan not struck a penalty against the post in the second half.

Gyan had earlier opened the scoring in the second minute before Sulley Muntari confirmed their success seven minutes from time. However, bookings here mean both scorers, together with Tomas Lokvenc and the dismissed Ujfalusi from the Czech team, will be suspended for their next matches.

The match:
2': Ghana got off to a fantastic start, scoring the earliest goal so far at Germany 2006. With just 70 seconds played a fine ball from captain Stephen Appiah picked out Gyan who took it under control beautifully on his chest and cracked home a low shot from just inside the penalty area.

3' Back came the Black Stars hungry for more and Matthew Amoah struck an effort wide from the edge of the penalty area after capitalising on slack marking in the Czech defence.

4': The Czechs sought a swift response but defender Marek Jankulovski, up supporting the attack, sent a low shot well off target from the edge of the box.

14': Far from overawed by playing a side ranked 46 places above them in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking, Ghana went looking for a second and Appiah was close with a drive from 22 yards.

26': Ghana were continuing to cause problems for the Czechs and from a free-kick into his own penalty area, David Rozehnal sliced the ball over his own crossbar when attempting to clear.

29': Karel Poborsky – the only home-based player in the Czech team – had a clear chance to shoot inside the box but pulled a low effort wide of Richard Kingson's right-hand post.

34': There was a rare moment of concern for the Ghanaians as the ball fell to Tomas Rosicky, but his low shot was quickly charged down.

39': The game was being played at a fierce pace and Ghana created another chance with Appiah inches away with a low drive from the edge of the penalty area.

Ghana keep going:
46': In the opening seconds of the second half the Czechs thought they had found a way back into the game when Nedved headed in, but both he and Vratislav Lokvenc were offside the ball came in.
51': From a low goal-kick by Kingson, Gyan took control and ran straight at the heart of the defence, bringing a full-length save from Chelsea keeper Petr Cech – a clear sign that Ghana intended to carry on taking the game to their opponents.

56': A sweeping move brought the Czechs a chance of an equaliser, but Jaroslav Plasil shot well over from a narrowing angle when picked out deep inside the Ghana box.

65': Ghana swept forward into the Czech box where Amoah was brought down by Ujfalusi at the price of a penalty. Gyan stepped up to stroke the ball home, but referee Horacio Elizondo was busy showing the red card to the defender. He subsequently showed a yellow card to Gyan for taking the kick prematurely.

67': Gyan finally took the penalty but struck it against Cech's left-hand post.

73': Another great chance fell the way of Ghana, but Michael Essien delayed his shot a fraction and hit Cech with a low drive.

74': There was still a healthy pace to a really open game and Ghana were forced to defend, but not for long as they swept forward and twice in less than a minute Essien failed to covert eminently scoreable chances.

82‘: Finally a second goal did arrive as Gyan linked well with Muntari who blasted an unstoppable left-footed drive past Cech from 12 yards.
90': Two fine saves from Kingson deep in injury time prevented Libor Sionko and Jan Polak from scoring and set off wonderful celebrations in Cologne.

In conclusion:
Ghana's historic win gives them genuine hope of qualifying for the second round. In their final group game they will play the USA, while the Czechs – disappointing today without strikers Jan Koller and Milan Baros – will hope for better in their showdown with Italy in Hamburg.