DURBAN: 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

MADRID: 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

BERLIN: It won`t come as much of a consolation to heartbroken German fans, but at least Paul, Germany`s now world-famous "Octopus oracle", has maintained his perfect record.The "psychic" creature has correctly predicted all six of Germany`s World Cup games and, amid excruciating drama

MADRID: While Spaniards were ecstatic over their defeat of Germany, one corner of the country was in despair, as tens of thousands of German tourists in a Majorcan beach resort were left with broken hearts.Cries of "Nein!" (No!) erupted throughout Playa de Palma, a traditionally German

DURBAN: Carles Puyol scored the only goal of the game to send Spain into the World Cup final against Holland following a 1-0 victory against Germany on Wednesday.The Barcelona centre-back powered home a header from 10 yards from Xavi`s corner 17 minutes from time to send the reigning

NOTTINGHAM: Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza is confident his side will provide more of a challenge to England in their upcoming three one-dayers than they did in last month`s Test series.The Tigers face England in the first one-day international at Trent Bridge here on Thursday having

NOTTINGHAM: England captain Andrew Strauss is adamant there is no danger of his side taking Bangladesh lightly in the first of three one-day internationals at Trent Bridge here on Thursday.The Tigers have never beaten England in any match, across all formats.England come into these

BUENOS AIRES: An Argentine lawmaker on Wednesday suggested erecting a statue to football coach Diego Maradona in the capital Buenos Aires as he sponsored a bill to honour one of the country`s most famous sons.Maradona, who will be 50 later this year, still has great public cachet in his

PALMA DE MAJORCA: A German man suspected of shooting two Italians in a pub in Hanover after a row about the World Cup has surrendered to authorities on the Spanish island of Majorca, police said Wednesday.A police spokeswoman said the man, a 42-year-old identified only as Holger B., had

DURBAN: Spain headed into their World Cup semi-final with Germany here on Wednesday having been warned they would have to overcome a much stronger side than the one they beat in the Euro 2008 final.German striker Lukas Podolski has spoken of his desire to avenge the defeat by the

LONDON: Germany`s time has come to win the World Cup for the fourth time claimed injured captain Michael Ballack in his column for The Times on Wednesday.The 33-year-old - who was ruled out of the World Cup after suffering an ankle injury in Chelsea`s 1-0 FA Cup final win over Portsmouth

DURBAN: Spain headed into their World Cup semi-final with Germany here on Wednesday having been warned they would have to overcome a much stronger side than the one they beat in the Euro 2008 final.German striker Lukas Podolski has spoken of his desire to avenge the defeat by the

POLOKWANE: The stadium in Polokwane, inspired by Africa`s ancient baobab trees, stands idle after its last World Cup match nearly two weeks ago. Now this and other cities wonder: What`s next? At Polokwane`s 1.3-billion-rand (168-million-dollar, 134-million-euro) Peter Mokaba Stadium, a

CAPE TOWN: 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

CAPE TOWN, July 6, 2010 (AFP) - Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez praised his players on Tuesday, saying their narrow World Cup semi-final defeat to the Netherlands proved they could can mix it with football`s powerhouses.The tiny South American nation, sandwiched between Brazil and Argentina,

BIRMINGHAM: Australia`s Michael Clarke paid tribute to Muttiah Muralitharan after the prolific bowler announced on Tuesday his intention to retire from Test cricket, saying the Sri Lanka off-spinner was an "amazing player".A Sri Lanka Cricket statement issued earlier Tuesday said the

BIRMINGHAM, July 6, 2010 (AFP) - Teenage quick Mohammad Aamer took three wickets as Pakistan beat Australia by 11 runs in the second Twenty20 international at Edgbaston here on Tuesday to complete a 2-0 series win.Australia, chasing 163 to win, were dismissed for 151 with 18-year-old

JOHANNESBURG: Despite still searching for top form, the Netherlands booked a place in their first World Cup final since 1978 by edging Uruguay 3-2 in their semi-final in Cape Town on Tuesday.They can now make history by lifting football`s ultimate prize for the first time if they beat

AMSTERDAM: Around 50,000 Dutch fans erupted in a single joyful roar Tuesday as they watched their team qualify for the World Cup final on what was claimed to be Europe`s largest loose-standing TV screen.As the final whistle blew in Cape Town, supporters jumped for joy, punched the air and

CAPE TOWN: Uruguay`s 60-year wait for another World Cup final appearance will continue for at least another four years after they lost 3-2 to the Dutch in Tuesday`s semi-final.Having won both the 1930 and 1950 World Cup finals, Uruguay were carrying the flag for South America alone after