Uruguay v Ghana









Uruguay face Ghana in Johannesburg for the right to play the Dutch in the World Cup semi-finals.

Uruguay 1-1 Ghana
Uruguay win 4-2 on penalties


19:32 KICK-OFF Uruguay v Ghana

Newspapers across this great country of South Africa have been screaming their support for BaGhana BaGhana (see what they've done there) today, and now is their moment of truth. In the first African World Cup, can a team from the continent reach the semi-finals and create history? We are under way in Johannesburg.



45 mins GOAL Uruguay 0-1 Ghana

Wow. I'm reeling again. Sulley Muntari picks the ball up in the Uruguay half and there's no-one anywhere near him so he takes a touch, moves into space and from about 35 yards he hits a sweet left-foot shot that curls away from a badly-positioned Fernando Muslera and flies into the corner. Africa goes wild.


20:20 HALF-TIME Uruguay 0-1 Ghana

That was the last kick of the half. And what a kick.


55 mins GOAL Uruguay 1-1 Ghana

Stand up and applaud one of the best players in the world. Diego Forlan gets the ball up and over the wall and when Richard Kingson moves an inch to his right it's a fatal mistake - the ball sears past his left hand and settles in the back of the net. Not great keeping, but wonderful from Forlan.


21:23 FULL-TIME Uruguay 1-1 Ghana

Olegario Benquerenca blows his whistle and for their second successive game Ghana are taken to extra-time as they are Uruguay are locked at 1-1.


21:28 EXTRA-TIME Uruguay 1-1 Ghana

We are back under way at the magnificent Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg. Where's your cash going?



21:44 HALF-TIME Uruguay 1-1 Ghana

Half-time in extra-time. If there isn't a winner in the next 15 minutes, I'm going to need a drumroll and something to calm my nerves. Preferably strong.

120 mins RED CARD Luis Suarez (Uruguay)


120 mins PENALTY GHANA MISSED PENALTY

Unbelievable scenes. One of the most extraordinary ends to a game you could imagine. A Ghana corner is glanced on and Fernando Muslera cannot punch properly clear - Dominic Adiyiah has one shot from six yards blocked on the line by Luis Suarez, before Adiyiah's next effort, a header, is punched off the line by Suarez. The striker is sent off and Asamoah Gyan steps up to take the penalty, but he can only smash it against the crossbar. More penalties coming up.


22:02 FULL-TIME Uruguay 1-1 Ghana

Incredible scenes at Soccer City. One penalty wasn't enough to separate the sides, so we're going to have a shootout. I wonder if Asamoah Gyan will take one.


22:08 PENALTIES

Yep, it's shootout o'clock. Richard Kingson and Fernando Muslera, here's to you boys.

Uruguay 1-0 Ghana

FORLAN SCORES

Uruguay 1-1 Ghana

GYAN SCORES
Top corner - that took guts. Top-class.

Uruguay 2-1 Ghana

VICTORINO SCORES

Uruguay 2-2 Ghana

APPIAH SCORES

Uruguay 3-2 Ghana

SCOTTI SCORES

Uruguay 3-2 Ghana

MENSAH SAVED
No run-up, Fernando Muslera saves it. The crowd falls silent.

Uruguay 3-2 Ghana

MAXI PEREIRA MISSES
Blazes over. The stadium erupts.

Uruguay 3-2 Ghana

ADIYIAH SAVED
Brilliant save one-handed from Fernando Muslera, low down to his right.

Uruguay 4-2 Ghana

ABREU SCORES
Genius. He's just broken Africa's hearts by chipping it down the middle. Ghana are out.



22:15 Commentary

URUGUAY ARE THROUGH TO THE SEMI-FINALS OF THE WORLD CUP

Uruguay end Ghana's World Cup dream





Uruguay beat Ghana 4-2 on penalties after a dramatic game in Johannesburg finishes 1-1, ending Africa's hopes of a home victory.

Uruguay will play the Netherlands in the World Cup semi-finals after beating Ghana 4-2 on penalties.

Sulley Muntari gave the Black Stars the lead with a shot from 40 yards before Diego Forlan's free-kick made it 1-1.

Asamoah Gyan then missed a penalty at the end of extra-time after Luis Suarez saw red for handling on the line.

But Uruguay's Sebastian Abreu was the hero as he chipped in the winning spot-kick after John Mensah and Dominic Adiyiah had missed for the Black Stars.

Ghana were hoping to become the first African team to make the World Cup semi-finals.

Breaking News:

Uruguay 4 Ghana 2: The story is so much bigger than just penalties:

Friday, 02 July 2010 22:21

If your name is Asamoah Gyan we salute you. We salute you because you are going to need it. Every single day, for the rest of your life, you are going to think about what just happened and one day you are going to start beating yourself up over it.

If you don't know what I am talking about, read on. The match report will come tomorrow - this is really just to say Uruguay won.

Basically, it is 1-1 in the quarter final of the World Cup and we are already in the first minute of added on time in the second half of extra time.

Uruguay have just had their biggest goal threat sent off for deliberately hand balling on the line.

There is no time left but the referee awards a penalty. This will be the last kick of the game and when you score it, you will be making history.

Not history like the first time your child walked, but real footballing history that will go down in the record books and mean your face is published on the back page of every single newspaper on the planet the next day.

You step up and you miss it and for the next few seconds, that probably feel like hours for you, you try to put things into context and you fail, again.

But you don't have days, weeks or the rest of your life to get over this - you walk straight up to the coach and you put your name down and after Forlan scores the first for Uruguay - you fire yours into the top corner to make things all square.

Unfortunately, two of your team mates miss and you are out and you can blame the penalties, but you and I both know you will think about that penalty every single day for the rest of your life and you will, maybe not straight away, but one day, start waking up in the middle of the night, thinking about what life would be like had you scored it.

If your name is Asamoah Gyan we salute you and while the miss of the tournament is still with Yakubu, we will come up with an award for what just happened to you and we will let you know one day.

Uruguay meet the Dutch - one of these teams will be playing in the World Cup final. We fancy the Dutch - but you already knew that.

Who will win the World Cup in 2010?

Holland 9/4

Spain 51/20

Argentina 43/10

Germany 6/1

Saturday's World Cup round-up

Spain coach Vicente del Bosque said Brazil's quarter-final defeat by the Netherlands was not a surprise to him.

"I don't think it's a lesson knowing the reality of football," said the Spaniard following the favourites' World Cup exit. "We know that every match can be complicated. We start off on an equal footing and the nature of sport is that anything can happen."

Argentina forward Lionel Messi has admitted he was surprised by England's performances at the World Cup in South Africa.

"I expected England to do well, so I am surprised they had a very poor tournament," he said. "They seemed to freeze. If [Wayne] Rooney, [Steven] Gerrard and [Frank] Lampard are not at their best, the team is bound to suffer. Defensively, England were poor."

Germany coach Joachim Loew has admitted that he is in awe of Diego Maradona because he feels the Argentine coach won the World Cup on his own, back in 1986.

"He galvanised the whole football world with his skills," said Loew as his side prepare to face Argentina in Saturday's quarter-final match.

"He was simply magic. The culmination of his career was 1986. He virtually decided that World Cup on his own. He left a mark on football like no other player has ever done."

World Cup 2010: Ghana boss Rajevac proud despite defeat


Milovan Rajevac hailed the efforts of World Cup quarter-finalists Ghana

There was pride in defeat for Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac after his side's World Cup dream was shattered by Uruguay in a penalty shoot-out.

The winning spot-kick was converted in audacious style by Uruguay's Sebastian Abreu after Diego Forlan had cancelled out Sulley Muntari's first-half opener.

"The whole of Africa supported us," said Rajevac. "We didn't deserve to lose this way.

"It's difficult, but we're proud of what we achieved".

Ghana were bearing the hopes of a continent and the weight of a history showing that no African side has ever made it beyond the last eight of the World Cup.

Yet they twice looked poised to eclipse the achievements of Cameroon in 1990 and Senegal in 2002.

Ghana's first glimpse of glory, which came when Muntari fired in from 35 yards in first-half injury time, was snuffed out by Forlan's 55th-minute equaliser.

Their second came in the dying moments of extra time, when Luis Suarez handled on the line and the referee, Olegario Benquerenca awarded Ghana a penalty.

As Africa held its collective breath, Asamoah Gyan stepped up, but could only skim the crossbar with his spot-kick.

"I think we had more opportunities than our opponents, but that's football," added Rajevac, the wily Serbian who has sought to add European pragmatism to Ghana's natural flair.

"We really had good support and it would have been a fairytale, but I would like to congratulate Uruguay. I'm very proud."

Gyan atoned for his mistake almost immediately, driving home Ghana's first penalty to make it 1-1 after Forlan had converted Uruguay's opening spot-kick.

John Mensah, the Ghana captain, subsequently missed to leave Uruguay with a 3-2 cushion, but Uruguay defender Maximiliano Pereira followed suit to raise African hopes once more.

Dominic Adiyiah's penalty was then saved by goalkeeper Fernando Muslera, however, and Ghana's hopes were once again left hanging by a thread - one which was promptly severed by Abreu, triggering scenes of heartbreak.

"It has been a very difficult moment," stated Kwesi Nyantakyi, the president of the Ghana Football Association, in a television interview. "Our boys played very well, beautiful football.

"If it was meant for us, less than a second to go, we would have won the match. It has been a terrible moment for the entire continent, not just for our nation."

Argentina v Germany









Saturday's quarter-final action sees Argentina take on Germany in Cape Town at 1500 BST, before Spain face Paraguay in Johannesburg at 1930 BST.

Breaking News:

Maradona was simply magic - Joachim Loew:

Saturday, 03 July 2010 12:26

German coach Joachim Loew has admitted to feeling in awe of Diego Maradona because he feels the Argentine coach won the World Cup on his own in 1986 as a player.

"He galvanised the whole football world with his skills," said Loew.

"He was simply magic. The culmination of his career was 1986. He virtually decided that World Cup on his own. He left a mark on football like no other player has ever done."

These are nice words ahead of the match this afternoon and we think that Maradona might just be doing the same thing all over again. Put you money on Argentina today.

Another good match to watch in a bit mmmm not sure who I want to win.....(*_*)

Woops most admit well done to Germany by beating Argentinia!

Argentina 0-4 Germany


15:00 IT'S SUNNY Argentina v Germany

At the magnificent Cape Town Stadium in South Africa, the World Cup quarter-final between Argentina and Germany gets under way. I'm so excited I cannot stop smiling inanely. Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!


3 mins GOAL Argentina 0-1 Germany

In a tournament of rubbish goalkeeping, we can add another to the list. Bastian Schweinsteiger curls over a wickedly inswinging free-kick from the left and after Thomas Mueller glances it towards goal, Sergio Romero is in no-man's land and the ball hits his right leg before flying into the net. First blood to Germany.


15:47 HALF-TIME Argentina 0-1 Germany

Diego Maradona looks annoyed as Lionel Messi skips past Bastian Schweinsteiger only to blaze over from 20 yards. It's the last action of the half, and Maradona has a big 15 minutes coming up.


68 mins GOAL Argentina 0-2 Germany

That might be the end of Argentina. From his position on the floor just outside the area, Thomas Mueller somehow finds a pass to Lukas Podolski on the left and his perfect pass along the six-yard box is tapped in by a gleeful Miroslav Klose, his 13th goal in World Cup finals.


74 mins GOAL Argentina 0-3 Germany

I don't think anyone can believe what they are seeing. Bastian Schweinsteiger, who has ran the game from start until finish, jinks past a couple of half-hearted tackles down the Germany left and when he gets to the byeline his finds the perfect pass for Arne Friedrich to bundle in his first goal for his country.


89 mins GOAL Argentina 0-4 Germany

We might just be watching the emergence of one of the great teams. Germany break with pace as Lukas Podolski sends Mesut Ozil away down the left and his floated cross lands perfectly for Miroslav Klose to volley into the corner past Sergio Romero. Klose now has 14 goals in World Cups, one behind the great Ronaldo. One. Good grief.


16:48 FULL-TIME Argentina 0-4 Germany

That is one of the most stunningly one-sided World Cup quarter-finals you could ever imagine seeing. Diego Maradona trudges on to the pitch to shake hands and commiserate with his players.

Argentina thrashed by ruthless Germany



Miroslav Klose scores twice to move second on the all-time World Cup goalscoring list as ruthless Germany thrash Diego Maradona's Argentina 4-0 in their World Cup 2010 quarter-final.

Breaking News:

Argentina 0 Germany 4: A performance of pure genius:

Saturday, 03 July 2010 16:47

While I am surprised by the final score, I'm not really surprised by the result, even though I did think Argentina would win today.

Germany are always solid and always efficient and today they demonstrated why they could win the World Cup next week, if they beat the winner of Spain and Paraguay that kicks off this evening and based on that performance, you would have to be Spanish to bet against them.

It was the perfect start for Germany when they got their first goal in the third minute. Bastian Schweinsteiger takes a free kick from the left and put it exactly where he has a thousand times in training and Thomas Mueller gets in front of his man to head toward goal.

It goes in off the leg of Sergio Romero who had moved to far back, clearly not thinking anyone would get on it. 1-0 and time for the Argentine onslaught.

For the rest of the half it was pretty much all Argentina however Germany also had chances, but the half ended 1-0 and you just knew how Germany were going to come out for the second half and we were not disappointed.

The second goal took 23 minutes to come but when it did, you saw heads all around the stadium drop. All the heads were wearing blue and white striped shirts.

Thomas Mueller, from his position on the floor manages to pass to Lukas Podolski on the left and he waits and waits until he can play the perfect pass to Miroslav Klose who only has to tap it in. He doesn't miss those. 2-0 and you could say game over if you wanted too.

But Germany wanted to make sure and wanted to put the game to bed and six minutes later, they did. Bastian Schweinsteiger, who has controlled this game from the first minute, gets the ball on the left, dances past two or three Argentinian defenders, crosses to Arne Friedrich who puts the ball in the net. That really was game over and I think I saw some supporters start crying - for both sides!

Just for fun, Klose added a second for himself, his fourteenth in World Cup football with a minute to go. That performance from Germany was world class, pure genius.

Paraguay v Spain





Paraguay take on Spain in the last World Cup quarter-final with the winner due to face Germany in the semi-finals.

Paraguay 0-1 Spain


19:30 KICK-OFF Paraguay v Spain

We are under way at Ellis Park in the last of the four 2010 World Cup quarter-finals.


20:16 HALF-TIME Paraguay 0-0 Spain

It might happen again, you know.


57 mins PENALTY To Paraguay - MISSED

Paraguay have their first corner and from it, Gerard Pique blatantly brings down Oscar Cardozo - he is booked and it's a penalty. Cardozo takes it himself, firing it to Iker Casillas' left, but he dives across and makes the save.


59 mins PENALTY To Spain - MISSED

This is just ridiculous. David Villa gets into the Paraguay box and goes down under a challenge from Antolin Alcaraz. It's a bit soft, but the ref points to the spot again. Xabi Alonso steps up and fires the penalty in, BUT THE REF'S DISALLOWED IT FOR ENCROACHING and he's got to take it again. And JUSTO VILLAR'S DIVED TO HIS LEFT AND MADE THE SAVE! It's too much.


82 mins GOAL Paraguay 0-1 Spain

Good grief, that won't help anyone's heart palpitations. Spain fashion a chance as their best player on the night Andres Iniesta drifts past two players and tees up Pedro and after his shot crashes back off the post, it comes back to David Villa and - via both posts - his right-foot curler eventually finds the net.


21:21 FULL-TIME Paraguay 0-1 Spain

David Villa grabs the badge on his shirt, smiles a beaming smile and punches the air. The striker's goal has earned Spain their first place in a World Cup semi-final.

Villa goal sends Spain into semis





Spain reach their first World Cup semi-final as David Villa's fifth goal of the tournament is enough to earn a 1-0 win over Paraguay.

Breaking News:

Paraguay 0 Spain 1: Unconvincing but a win is a win:

Saturday, 03 July 2010 21:23

It wasn't the best match today or the best match of the quarter-finals but it did get better in the second half and the team that was supposed to win, won.

Paraguay offered little and if we look deep, we are not really going to be that surprised. They were always going to lose.

The thing is, we did expect something from Spain and they didn't deliver. They won and the performance was fairly solid, but it was nothing special.

You could argue that the team they were playing were not special enough, and that stands up - you can only beat the team in front of you and they did - but the overall performance will fill German fans with confidence.

Who will win the World Cup in 2010?

Germany 2/1

Holland 9/4

Spain 29/10

Uruguay 25/2

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World Cup 2010: Sad Maradona considers quitting


Maradona, now 49, cut a dejected figure at the post-match news conference

Diego Maradona has admitted he is considering his future as Argentina coach after his side were brutally dumped out of the World Cup by Germany.

"I may leave tomorrow," he said after their 4-0 quarter-final defeat.

"I'll have to think carefully about it, and talk with my family and the players. There are many issues here."

Maradona, who led Argentina to World Cup glory in 1986 as a player, said that "whoever comes after me" must follow the team's attacking style.

But that commitment to going forward was easily nullified by Germany as the Europeans defended with complete commitment before breaking forward swiftly and effectively on the counter-attack.

Argentina striker Carlos Tevez admitted as much, and offered no excuses after a disjointed performance in Cape Town in which Fifa's world player of the year Lionel Messi was frequently reduced to collecting the ball from his centre-backs.

"There's nothing we can say about their win," said Tevez after Argentina suffered their worst World Cup defeat in 52 years.

"To lose like that is very painful. We played badly and sometimes when you make mistakes you go home."

The Manchester City striker added: "We knew it would be complicated and that they wouldn't let us attack.

"They did what we knew they were capable of doing. We knew they could be dangerous on set-pieces and on the counter-attack."

Maradona was derided in Argentina before the tournament for leading the team by instinct and emotion rather than paying attention to a tactical plan, or the opposition's strengths.

Much of that criticism was washed away with four straight wins in South Africa, but it may now rear its head after Germany easily exposed the individual rather than collective nature of his side's play.

"I'm as disappointed as all Argentines," he said. "To see my country lose a football match is very hard for someone who has worn the shirt."

When asked whether he was satisfied with the team's performance against Germany, Maradona added: "Are you joking?

"This is a country where you live and breathe football. I don't think that anybody will be happy when the team loses 4-0."

World Cup 2010: Van Persie fit for Netherlands


Van Persie was in agony after suffering the injury against Brazil

Netherlands striker Robin van Persie has been cleared to play in Tuesday's semi-final against Uruguay after a scan on his elbow showed no serious damage.

Van Persie injured his elbow during his side's 2-1 win over Brazil in the World Cup quarter-final on Friday.

Defender Joris Mathijsen has also been given the all clear, having suffered a knee injury during the warm-up.

"Neither scan on Van Persie or Mathijsen showed any serious damage," said a statement from the Dutch FA.

But Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk will definitely be without midfielder Nigel De Jong and full-back Gregory van der Wiel, who are both suspended.

Mathijsen had been named in the Dutch starting line-up for Friday's match, but his place was taken by Ajax's former Blackburn Rovers centre-back Andre Oojer.

Arsenal star Van Persie played on after picking up his injury, before eventually being substituted with five minutes remaining.

Netherlands won the game after coming back from a goal down and face a Uruguay side that beat Ghana 4-2 on penalties after the game finished 1-1.

World Cup 2010: Team talk inspired us - Sneijder

Dutch match-winner Wesley Sneijder said a rousing half-time team talk inspired the Netherlands to knock out Brazil at the last-eight stage of the World Cup.

The Dutch came from behind to beat 10-man Brazil 2-1 as a Felipe Melo own goal cancelled out Robinho's opener, before Sneijder headed in the winner.

"In the changing room at half-time, everyone said to each other 'let's give everything'," said Sneijder.

"We pressured their defence and to score twice was fantastic."

Sneijder's header from a corner gave the Netherlands the lead on 68 minutes, but matters were made easier for them five minutes later when Melo received a red card for stamping on winger Arjen Robben.

The conclusion of the quarter-final was in contrast to the beginning where Brazil started at a furious pace, going close through Kaka and they had several other chances to add to their 10th-minute lead.

But Melo's header into his own net from a free-kick and then Sneijder's close-range finish from a Dirk Kuyt flick-on, put the Dutch in the driving seat and it was a lead they successfully held on to.

"We could have lost it in the first 15 minutes," Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk said.

"At half-time, I made it very clear to the players. I told them time and time again, 'You have to play your own game. You have to have patience against Brazil.'

"When the [own goal] was scored, we just got better and better."

The victory for the Dutch was their first against Brazil since the 1974 World Cup when Johan Cruyff led them to a 2-0 win in the second round.

And Sneijder, 26, said: "It was an amazing game. I think we showed the whole world how we can play. Finally we won, we beat Brazil.

"This was my first header here, I don't think it will happen again, but it was great. The ball slipped on my bald head and went into the net, a great feeling.

"If you can eliminate Brazil, one of the best teams in this championship the first feeling is relief, we always believed in it.

"Brazil have a strong defence but nonetheless we scored two goals. We did a great job - just so happy going on to the semis, it's a moment to savour - from tomorrow we will concentrate on the semi-final."


Sneijder (number 10) scored the winner from a corner

Spain must improve, admits coach

Coach Vicente Del Bosque admitted that Spain struggled to find their usual rhythm after sneaking past Paraguay to reach a first World Cup semi-final.

Spain needed a late winner from David Villa to win 1-0 and book a Wednesday clash against Germany, who earlier on Saturday thrashed Argentina 4-0.

"We weren't as at ease in possession as in other games and it's important to be comfortable," said the 59-year-old.

Del Bosque also conceded that Germany are "the best team at the moment."

Spain were pushed right to the brink by a committed Paraguay side who could have taken the lead had Iker Casillas not saved Oscar Cordoba's 59th-minute penalty.

Del Bosque's side missed their own chance from the spot just minutes later when Xabi Alonso had his second attempt saved, although they continued to probe Paraguay and Villa - who is now the tournament's top scorer with five goals - eventually came to the rescue.

"We're in the last four in the world," said Del Bosque. "It's a good moment for Spanish football.

"We didn't play well mainly because we didn't get enough of the ball."

Spain deservedly beat Germany to take the 2008 European Championship title, but Joachim Loew's side are now being hailed as the most impressive team in South Africa - a point not lost on Del Bosque's players as they still try to find their best collective form.

"Quite apart from their results, the Germans are playing brilliantly, so they must be tremendously motivated," said Spain and Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta.

"It will be a game between two rivals who enjoy having the ball and I think it will be a beautiful battle."

Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas, who came on as a second-half substitute for the still-struggling Liverpool striker Fernando Torres, was keen to stress that Spain are yet to peak despite making history.

"It feels good but nothing is done yet," he told the BBC. "The semi-final is nothing if we don't reach the final. We are happy, it was a difficult game but we want to improve and get into the final."

Fabregas, who will now seek a doctor's advice after falling badly on his shoulder, added: "We watched the [Germany] game this afternoon, they played really well.

"We know it will be a difficult game, they are one of the best teams here. We have to be positive and do our best to beat them."