POLOKWANE: Lionel Messi, who turns 23 on Thursday, captained his country for the first time on Tuesday and gave another virtuoso performance as Argentina beat Greece 2-0 to reach the second round of the World Cup. While his team mates may give him presents on Thursday, Messi presented

JOHANNESBURG: World champions Italy need a win against Slovakia on Thursday to ensure they stumble into the World Cup second round and all eyes will be on captain Fabio Cannavaro after mistakes in the first two matches led to goals. The fall from grace of the 2006 world player of the

RUSTENBURG: Denmark coach Morten Olsen is hoping for some traditional `Danish dynamite` from his team`s attack in Thursday`s decisive Group E clash with Japan. Olsen, who captained Denmark when they made their impressive `dynamic` debut at the World Cup finals in 1986, acknowledged Japan

POLOKWANE (Reuters) - Diego Maradona asked where was fair play at the World Cup after Lionel Messi was treated to systematic fouling by Greece in Argentina`s 2-0 win on Tuesday. "The famous fair play doesn`t exist (here), let`s make it effective once and for all," Maradona said.

CAPE TOWN: Already-qualified Netherlands will be at full strength against out-of-contention Cameroon in their final Group E match on Thursday in a bid to avoid a hat-trick of early knockout exits after fielding weakened teams. In the 2006 World Cup and at Euro 2008 the Dutch qualified

JOHANNESBURG: Paraguay will look to a trio of sharpshooters to see them into the World Cup second round while New Zealand, surprise contenders for a place in the last 16, are hoping luck favours them at last. The South Americans seemed the better team for much of their opening 1-1 draw

LONDON (Reuters) - Serena Williams does not care much for first-round dramas, especially at Wimbledon. Since debuting in 1998, the American has only lost one set at the first hurdle and the 28-year-old defending champion was at it again on Tuesday as temperatures soared into the high 70s

RUSTENBURG, South Africa: Uruguay secured a place in the second round of the World Cup finals for the first time since 1990 when they beat Latin American rivals Mexico 1-0 on Tuesday. The result meant Uruguay topped Group A and Mexico also went through on goal difference over hosts South

JOHANNESBURG: South African President Jacob Zuma said on Tuesday he was confident the Soccer World Cup, hosted for the first time in Africa, will boost job creation and economic growth in his country. "The event itself has created such an opportunity that our economy is notgoing to be of

BLOEMFONTEIN: South Africa overcame a dispirited France team, who were reduced to 10 men for more than a hour, to win 2-1 in their last World Cup Group A match on Tuesday but it was not enough to reach the second round. Uruguay, who beat Mexico 1-0, finished top of the group with seven

LONDON:  French Open champion Rafael Nadal was back in the old routine at Wimbledon as he moved into the second round with a 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Japan`s Kei Nishikori on Tuesday. Nadal was in action at the All England Club for the first time since his thrilling victory over Roger

JOHANNESBURG: Kaka has been hampered by injury and a drop in form over the last two seasons but probably the last thing the squeaky-clean Brazilian expected at the World Cup was for his revival to be halted by a red card. Just as he seemed to be returning to something near his peak, Kaka

JOHANNESBURG: A South African court has dropped a case against two Dutch women accused of an illegal promotion stunt by a brewer at a World Cup match last week, the National Prosecuting Authority said on Tuesday. "FIFA was not interested in proceeding with the matter. There was a

BASSETERRE: The second test was meandering towards a draw when South Africa reached 23 for nought at the end of the fourth day in St Kitts on Monday, a lead of 20 over West Indies. Captain Graeme Smith was unbeaten on 13 at the close while Alviro Petersen was eight not out. Earlier,

LONDON: Andy Murray will carry the weight of a nation on his shoulders as he bids to end 74 years of disappointment and become Britain`s first men`s Wimbledon champion since 1936 when he kicks off his campaign on Tuesday. Murray, who fell at the semi-final stage to eventual runner-up

COLOMBO: Indian opener Virender Sehwag will miss the Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka with a hamstring injury. Team manager Ranjib Biswal said Sehwag suffered the injury during India`s three-wicket win over Pakistan at Dambulla on Saturday and has been ordered to rest. Sehwag will

BLOEMFONTEIN: Some of the France team may not want to play against South Africa in their final Group A game on Tuesday following a row over the expulsion of striker Nicolas Anelka, beleaguered coach Raymond Domenech said. Domenech told a Monday news conference that he backed the French

CAPE TOWN: A World Cup fan charged with trespassing after he entered the England team`s locker-room and lectured the squad following a lacklustre 0-0 draw with Algeria will go on trial on Friday. Briton Pavlos Joseph says he wandered by accident into the dressing room while looking for a

COLOMBO: Captain Shahid Afridi blasted 124 off 60 balls to lead Pakistan to their highest one-day international score of 385 and a 139-run consolation victory over Bangladesh in the Asia Cup at Dambulla on Monday. Afridi stole the show, flaying the hapless Bangladesh bowlers all over the

MELBOURNE: Uncapped New South Wales batsman Usman Khawaja was named on Tuesday in Australia`s 14-man squad on Tuesday for next month`s two-test series against Pakistan in Britain. The 23-year-old Khawaja, who was born in Pakistan but moved to Australia as a youngster, was named in the