JOHANNESBURG: Chile scored their first World Cup victory for nearly half a century on Wednesday but millions of soccer fans are likely to see more excitement when favourites Spain open their campaign against Switzerland. Chile beat Honduras 1-0 through a lucky goal from Juan Beausejour

JOHANNESBURG: Argentina`s quixotic coach Diego Maradona is to relive an old rivalry when the stylish South Americans take on a South Korea side led by the man who tried to stop him during their 1986 World Cup encounter. In Thursday`s other two games, France need their misfiring strikers

JOHANNESBURG: Argentina coach Diego Maradona will see a familiar foe in the opposing dugout when his side face South Korea in their second Group B match at Soccer City Thursday.South Korea coach Huh Jung-moo was the man assigned to stop Maradona when the countries met in their opening

PORT ELIZABETH: Ivory Coast 0 Portugal 0 World Cup Group G result:At Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. TeamsIvory Coast: 1-Boubacar Barry; 21-Emmanuel Eboue (13-Ndri Romaric 89), 4-Kolo Toure, 20-Guy Demel, 17-Siaka Tiene; 10-Gervais Kouassi (18-Abdelkader Keita 82), 5-Didier Zokora, 19-Yaya

JOHANNESBURG: Bookies` favourites Spain finally begin their World Cup campaign with an easy-looking match against Switzerland on Wednesday when the vuvuzela decibel levels will soar again for hosts South Africa`s second game.The local Bafana Bafana (Boys) team face a stubborn Uruguay in

DURBAN (Reuters) - Striker Fernando Torres and influential attacking midfielder Andres Iniesta are fit to play against Switzerland in Spain`s opening World Cup match, coach Vicente Del Bosque said on Tuesday. However, Iniesta and Torres, whose goal secured Spain`s Euro 2004 triumph,

BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa: Nigeria are keeping everyone guessing about their plans for the World Cup Group B match with Greece on Thursday, training in seclusion on the Indian Ocean coast since their defeat by Argentina.Both sides desperately need points from the clash in Bloemfontein`s

PORT ELIZABETH: Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz hinted on Tuesday that Ivory Coast star Didier Drogba had benefited from special treatment which allowed him to play with a protective cast on his broken arm. Drogba fractured his right arm on June 4 but was given permission to come on as a

DAMBULLA, Sri Lanka: Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi narrowly failed to take his team to victory over Sri Lanka with an heroic century in the opening match of the Asia Cup Tuesday. After scoring 242 for nine, Sri Lanka reduced Pakistan to 32 for four before Afridi launched his

NEW YORK: World 100 metres silver medallist Tyson Gay did not mince his words as he strolled the streets of New York in near anonymity. "It is time for Tyson Gay to put up or shut up," the American sprinter told Reuters. Casually dressed in a white-and-blue shirt and light-coloured

POLOKWANE, South Africa: After ruining South Africa`s opening party plans, Mexico take on an unsteady France side Thursday eager to highlight their growing reputation as World Cup gatecrashers. France`s household names hold no fears for a side who upset champions Italy 2-1 in a warm-up

ERASMIA: Germany striker Lukas Podolski`s return to scoring form in the 4-0 win over Australia on Sunday was more a result of the national team`s attacking style than his own improvement, he said on Tuesday. Podolski had to endure months of heavy criticism after scoring just two goals

RUSTENBURG, South Africa: New Zealand defender Winston Reid headed an equaliser in the dying seconds to earn a 1-1 draw with Slovakia and secure his country`s first ever World Cup point in their Group F opener on Tuesday. Fullback Reid popped up to glance a header past Jan Mucha that

KNYSNA, South Africa: Florent Malouda has had problems with Raymond Domenech in the past but said on Tuesday that reports he had fallen out with the France coach again since the start of the World Cup were not true. Malouda was left out of the starting lineup for France`s opening 0-0

JOHANNESBURG: South Africa claim they have shrugged off opening day World Cup jitters and will be much more enterprising against Uruguay Wednesday. The players admitted in the wake of their 1-1 draw with Mexico in Friday`s first game of the tournament they were very nervous and fortunate

BLOEMFONTEIN: Japan ended a dismal run of results to record their first World Cup victory on foreign soil on Monday with surprise 1-0 Group E victory over one of Africa`s brightest hopes Cameroon at the Free State stadium. Makeshift striker Keisuke Honda`s 39th minute goal ended a dismal

CAPE TOWN: Shot-shy Italy needed a scrambled second-half equaliser by Daniele De Rossi to snatch a 1-1 draw with Paraguay after the South Americans had looked like pulling off a shock victory in their World Cup opener Monday. Antolin Alcaraz thumped in a header after 39 minutes after the

NELSPRUIT: Chile face Honduras in their opening Group H match on Wednesday on the 48th anniversary of their last World Cup victory with a golden opportunity to rid themselves of an unwanted record. It was on June 16, 1962, that the hosts beat Yugoslavia in the third-place playoff in

JOHANNESBURG: Secretive North Korea make a first return to the World Cup since 1966 on Tuesday but could hardly face a bigger challenge than five-times champions Brazil. Hoping to recapture the form that famously took them to the quarter-finals in England back then, the ultra-defensive

POLOKWANE, South Africa: Slovenia are growing in confidence at the World Cup having beaten Algeria and seen England and the United States take points off each other in the opening round of Group C matches. Their 1-0 win over the Algerians on Sunday was their young nation`s first World