World Cup English 

If you are one of the billions of people around the globe who have been watching the World Cup matches on television, this has been a wonderful chance for you to have some fun and learn a lot of English at the same time. First you have been able to see what actually happened and then you have been able to read about what you have just seen. And if you haven't seen the action, you can get the official game highlights right here on the Internet.

If you want some background before you begin the lesson material below, check out World Cup English which we featured on this website last month. There you will find much of the basic vocabulary that you will see in this year's press coverage of the event. You'll also learn about the types of stories you will see. Everything has been recorded as mp3 soundfiles, so you can listen as you read.

Zidane speaks (July 13)

See Zidane to break his silence, front secion, back page

Although the World Cup is now over, there is still intense interest in what provoked French star Zinedine Zidane to headbutt Italian defender Marco Materazzi before billions of people watching on television. Last night it was Zidane's chance to tell his side of the story.

The Bangkok Post's story this morning was written before he went on television.  Fortunately, we can turn to the Bangkok Post's website to see what he ended up saying. Let's first look at the opening section of the paper edition's story because it contains some useful language and content.

First notice that the story refers to the future by using the present tense — a very common way of doing so. As for content,when the story was written, we already knew that Materazzi had admitted to insulting the French star, but we weren't sure exactly what he said. There were plenty of rumours, however. What was one of them? What did the Italian defender say in response to that rumour?

Zidane is to break his silence (Bangkok Post paper edition)

Now let's find out what Zidane said on television last night. Did he confirm what Materazzi had said or did he imply that the rumoured version was the true one? Did Zidane admit that he had made a mistake or did he defiantly refuse to accept that he had done anything wrong? Zidane made an interesting observation on current rules about giving out red cards. What was it? Do you agree with him?

Zidane regrets, defends headbutt (Bangkok Post Internet edition)

Paris (dpa) - Retiring French football star Zinedine Zidane said he was sorry for head-butting Italian defender Marco Materazzi in the World Cup final, but did not regret the act, which caused him to be tossed out of the match.

Zidane, who was named best player of the tournament, said he had reacted after being insulted by Materazzi with "very hard words."

"I apologise to all the children who saw that. It was not the thing to do," Zidane told Canal Plus television.

But he added that he did not regret what he did.

"To regret what I did would be to say that he was right for saying what he said, and he was not right," Zidane said.

Although he did not repeat what Materazzi had said to him, Zidane said it had to do with his sister and his mother.

"These were very personal things," Zidane said. "They had to do with my mother, my sister. He said words that were very hard, and he repeated them several times. You listen once, and you try to go away. That's what I did. You hear it a second time, and then a third time."

He said he regretted doing what he did before "billions of spectators and millions of children," but also criticised the rules of football for sanctioning the players who react but not those who provoke the reactions.

"If there is no provocation, then there is no reaction," Zidane said. "What I did was unforgivable, but the real guilty one must be punished and that is the one who provokes."

Zidane was tossed out of the match, which Italy won in a penalty shoot-out, after he head-butted Materazzi in the chest in the 110th minute of the match.

Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 11:44 AM

World Cup Review

As we have seen throughout the World Cup tournament, some of the best writing in the newspaper is found on the sports pages. There is much there even a non-sports fan can enjoy. This story is a good example. I think you will find it interesting. It is full of praise for hosts Germany, but it is quite negative when it comes to the football that was played. Read it and see if you agree with its conclusions.

You can hear the first part of this story by clicking here.

Great World Cup, (it's a) shame about the football

Berlin (Reuters) — Italy’s penalty shootout victory over France in a dramatic finish to the World Cup in Germany ended a great tournament, marred only by the action on the pitch.

The World Cup was almost flawlessly organised, attracted great crowds and inspired a carnival atmosphere which turned Germany into one big party zone.

The Germans even got to grips with soccer’s persistent problem with hooliganism, handling the large visiting supporter groups, especially those from England, with great aplomb and allowing everyone to enjoy themselves without fear of violence.

For once, the fans actually behaved far better than the players.

On the pitch, there were too few goals, too few great matches, too few great players, too few upsets and too little goalmouth action.

There were too many fouls and too much blatant cheating by players — in particular diving and feigning injury to earn unfair free kicks all

You can hear the second part of this story by clicking here.

On average the tournament produced fewer goals per game than any other of the 17 previous finals, except for 1990 in Italy, a tournament widely regarded as oneof the dullest ever.

As in Italy — and also in England in 1966, another tournament with a reputation for relatively insipid play — one problem was the premature exit of the Brazilians.Brazil traditionally bring flair and flamboyance

This time they did not. Their big name players all failed to sparkle and, as a team, they completely failed to provide even half their usual quota of entertainment. Most disappointing of all was Ronaldinho, who came with the reputation of being the world’s best player but was almost anonymous in Brazil’s five matches.
 
Equally anonymous was England midfielder Frank Lampard, a player who has gained huge plaudits over the past two years and who did nothing to justify it in Germany.

You can hear the final part of this story by clicking here.

Few young players emerged to take their place at the summit of world football.

In the final, Italy’s youngest player lining up at the start was Andrea Pirlo, who is already 27. France had only one player under 26, midfielder Franck Ribery, at 23 one of the few revelations of the tournament.

Of the much-vaunted youthful talents of Argentina’s Lionel Messi and England’s Wayne Rooney, there was little to see — though both had suffered serious injuries before the finals.

Argentina graced the finals early on with some scintillating soccer but paid the price for lack of adventure against Germany and went out on penalties at the quarter-final stage.

Italy and France arrived in the final deservedly and Italy played some of the best football of the entire month when they beat Germany 2-0 after extra time in the semi-finals.

But the final itself was a mirror of the tournament, starting with great promise but ending in disappointment. It was a sad farewell for Zinedine Zidane, one of the few players ever to attain genius level, who was ending his glorious career on the greatest stage of all. He graced it by scoring an audacious penalty off the crossbar and then finished in disgrace, butting Italy’s goalscorer Marco Materazzi in extra time and getting sent off.

On the bright side, Germany turned out to be splendid hosts who did their best to make their guests from all round the world welcome.

Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 10:52 AM

Day 31: Italy wins the World Cup

Italy crowned world champions after penalty win over France

Hero to zero

coming out of last night's World Cup final surrounds the inexplicable behaviour of French superstar Zinedine Zindane. In case you don't know what happened, here is the report from the Bangkok Post's website:

You can hear this story here.

Zidane's career ends in a fit of madness

Zinedine Zidane's career ended in high drama in the World Cup final on Sunday, the French legend scoring a penalty and then losing his temper and getting a red card for assaulting Italy defender Marco Materazzi.

After flashes of brilliance on his 108th and last cap the master midfielder had, not for the first time, a complete loss of control in the 19th minute of extra time, headbutting Materazzi 

viciously in the chest after the Italian defender appeared to insult him.

Referee Horacio Elizondo originally missed the incident but had no hesitation in pulling out a red card after consultation with his linesman to bring a sour and dramatic end to Zizou's glorious career.

Without their talismanic skipper France went on to lose 5-3 on penalties after the match had ended 1-1.

Zidane, whose petulance already saw him suspended for France's last group game against Togo, trudged off to the dressing room, hurling his sweat band down in frustration as he became the fourth player ever to be redcarded in the final.

You can hear this story here.

Zidane must have been provoked says Beckenbauer

Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 12:37 PM

Day 30: On to Berlin

You can see from the latest issue of the Bangkok Post where Thailand's attention is placed today. Both the front and the back page pages have a single focus: the World Cup final. Unfortunately, the match doesn't begin until about 1:00 a.m. local time, so there will be a lot of very tired people in the workplace tomorrow. 

Below is today's main story in the sports section. As you will see, weather is still a concern, but this time it's not the heat that has troubled the players for most of the tournament. 

You will also find out about the physical condition of both of the teams as well as the mood of the people in France and Italy as match-time approaches. 

You can hear the first part of the story here.

Cup finalists head for rainy Berlin

Berlin (AFP)—Torrential rain in Berlin yesterday hampered preparations for tonight’s World Cupfinal with the French and Italian players to arrive during the day from their respective training camps.

You can hear the first part of the story here.

You can hear the first part of the story here.

Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 10:59 AM

Day 28: France joins Italy

I missed a day yesterday, but due to the time difference between Germany and Thailand, the Bangkok Post report on the France - Portugal match is in today's edition. I have reproduced it for you below.

You can hear the first part of the story here.

Time to believe

Munich (Reuters) — A Zinedine Zidane penalty gave France victory in their World Cup showdown with Portugal on Wednesday and set up a final with Italy which will be the gifted playmaker's last game before retirement.

The 34-year-old took just two steps, then coolly fired his penalty into the bottom left-hand corner to score the winner in the 33rd minute and ensure he goes out right at the top.

The 1-0 semi-final victory prompted jubilation among the blue-clad French fans in Munich's futuristic Allianz Arena and across France, where fans have come to believe in a second World cup triumph to go with their first in Paris eight years ago.

Zindane's penalty came after Portugal's Ricardo Carvalho caught France striker Thierry Henry's ankle inside the box.

Italy had claimed their place in the final with two goals late in extra time on Tuesday against hosts Germany, whose attacking football and unexpected run to the last four prompted an outpouring of German patriotism unknown in the post-war era.

The hosts were still digesting their exit from the tournament as France and Portugal met on Wednesday — with one group of fans in the crowd holding up home-made letters thanking the Germany team for their efforts.

You can hear the second part of the story here.

Portugal started brightly, with Maniche and Christiano Ronaldo firing in strong early shots. But France often appeared to have just a touch more class, typified by the skills of Zidane who also inspired them to their 1998 triumph.

The midfielder, three times World Footballer of the Year, was at the heart of almost every French move, spending time on the wings and in the centre of the field, peppering his game with short and long passes and running at the Portuguese.

France also relied on a formidable defence, which has conceded only two goals in six games at this World Cup.

Domenech's side held firm under an intense bout of Portuguese pressure in stoppage time helped by their superb central defender Lilian Thuram, who was name man of the match.

The French had made a sluggish start to the month-long tournament, prompting criticism they relied too much on ageing players past their best and reviving painful memories of the last World Cup when as holders they went out in the group stage.

But their form improved dramatically in the knockout stage, transforming the mood among fans from gloom to exuberance.

We are going to win this World Cup, that's for sure," said Yohan Haouzi, a 22-year-old Parisian brandishing the national flag of red, white and blue in the French capital.

Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 11:32 AM

Day 26: Italy goes into the finals

Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 11:32 AM

Day 24: Masterly Zizou

You can hear this part by clicking here.

Zizou — the eternal genius

Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 12:18 PM

Day 23: Red card

Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 11:47 AM

Day 22: Catching the atmosphere

The thrilling match between Germany and Argentina is getting the most attention this morning. Once again, we are seeing a lot of variety in the reporting on the match. In some cases, it is just a simple match report, but in others, the writer tries to give us a sense of the emotional atmosphere surrounding the competition. Let's look at excerpts from three different stories. Click on the headphone symbol to hear the mp3 soundfile for each excerpt.

First, here is a basic match report that gives us the essential facts about the match:

Deutsche Welle

The first World Cup quarter-final of 2006 between Germany and Argentina went to the wire and a penalty shoot-out after the two sides played out a 1-1 draw after extra-time. Germany won the shoot-out 4-2.
Goalkeeper Jens Lehmann was the toast of Germany as the hosts progressed into the semi-finals of the World Cup with a sensational 4-2 penalty shootout win over Argentina in Berlin on Friday.
 
With the game unsettled at 1-1 after extra-time Arsenal goalkeeper Lehmann stepped up to save spot-kicks from Roberto Ayala and Esteban Cambiasso to ensure celebration parties across Germany.
 
A rare goal from 33-year-old defender Ayala four minutes after the interval put Argentina ahead and they held the lead until the 80th minute.
 
But with the majority of the 72,000 fans driving them on Germany equalised with Miroslav Klose heading in his fifth goal of the finals.
 
Extra-time failed to separate the teams and penalties were needed to decide the tie.

In the next excerpt, the writer describes just how difficult and tiring match it was :

AP

Lehmann the hero in shootout

BERLIN  — Racked with exhaustion, its leader hobbled by cramps and fatigue, Germany summoned its last ounces of energy.

Showing there's no end to their resourcefulness and tenacity at this World Cup, the hosts beat Argentina 4-2 in a shootout Friday after a grueling 1-1 draw. Moments after he sat on the pitch at the end of a scoreless extra time, captain Michael Ballack made a penalty kick to help dispatch an old rival — and one of the tournament's fellow glamour teams.

While Germany took advantage of Argentina backup keeper Leonardo Franco with one penalty kick after another, veteran Jens Lehmann stopped two, putting Germany in the semifinals of the World Cup.

"It's a thriller like a Hitchcock movie," Germany coach Juergen Klinsmann said. "Obviously you're the happiest person in the world if you win it, and the saddest if you lose."

The party heads to Dortmund for the semifinal Tuesday against the Italy-Ukraine quarterfinal winner, where Germany is riding a feeling of near-invincibility. The Germans, looking like world beaters after their toughest test, seek their fourth world title.

Argentina heads home exhausted, despite controlling the ball for most of the match.

Steven Goff
Washington Post Staff Writer

Germany Is Safe at Home

BERLIN, June 30 — Nobody wanted to leave.

Not the 72,000 spectators at Olympic Stadium who had witnessed a badly flawed but dramatic World Cup quarterfinal.

Not the exhausted German players who had tied the game late in regulation and eventually won in a penalty kick tiebreaker to continue their charmed run toward a fourth championship.

Not the heartbroken Argentines, whose cautious tactics had mired the match but very nearly propelled them to victory.

So they all stayed inside the historic arena for a little bit longer on this gray day on the western edge of this capital city, the fans singing in full voice, the Germans doing a happy dance and several Argentines sobbing uncontrollably at the emotional end to their promising tournament.

Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 12:34 PM

Day 20: The age angle

Sports writers like to have "an angle" in or a theme in their stories. One of the angles many of them have used in writing about the French team is the relatively advanced age of many of its players. Notice how  advanced age is again the theme of the excerpt of the match report below, but it is now a postive, not a negative.

You can hear the excerpt by clicking here.

Les Bleus march on

Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 11:41 AM

Day 19: Ronaldo's historic goal

I only have time for a short one today, so let's look at a description of Ronaldo's fifteenth World Cup goal that came in Brazil's 3 - 0 victory over Ghana yesterday. That put the Brazilian striker one ahead of Germany's Gerd Mueller as the all-time top World Cup scorer.

You can hear the goal description here.

Ronaldo scored the historic goal with a spectacular solo effort in the fifth minute, racing past Ghana's defence for a pass from Kaka that set him up alone against Ghana goalkeeper Richard Kingson.

The 29-year-old Real Madrid forward faked right then used his trademark stepover move to switch left, leaving the goalkeeper sprawled behind him as he flicked the ball into the net ahead of defender John Pantsil.—AFP

Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 01:56 PM

Day 18: The view from Australia

By now I think I have seen the foul that led to Francesco Totti's winning penalty kick against Australia at least ten times and I'm sure you have to0. Some people think the referee's decision against Soceroo defender Lucas Neill was reasonable; others think it was awful. Let's take a look at what three major Australian newspapers wrote this morning. You can probably guess what they are say.

Click on the headphone symbol to hear each part.

The Age

The Socceroos are out because of a woeful refereeing decision, but they are not the only team to claim that. Cantalejo, the same man who adjudicated the play-off against Uruguay in Sydney, was sucked in by a piece of amateur theatrics from Italian fullback Fabio Grosso in the 92nd minute. Lucas Neill, one of Australia's best, got in a tangle at the byline, but there was only minimal contact. Cantalejo saw what no one else did, and pointed to the spot. Substitute Francesco Totti took the burden, and delivered the penalty to decide the match. There wasn't even time for a kick-off.

Sydney Morning Herald

It was the cruellest way to exit what had been an heroic ride for the Socceroos.

It took a dubious penalty in the 94th minute - when Australia's Lucas Neill was adjudged to have taken down Italy's Fabio Grosso — right in front of the goal mouth.

With seconds remaining in the game, Francesco Totti coolly slotted home the penalty as the Australian players protested to the referee and rubbed their hands in disbelief.

This is how our World Cup adventure ended just before 3am, Sydney time, today.

dubious – creating doubt and uncertainty; not completely reliable


The Australian

How could it end like this? In tears. The Socceroos were on their way to a World Cup quarter-final overnight after dominating three-time world champion Italy when a controversial decision by Spanish referee Luis Medina Cantalejo cruelly decimated the hopes of a nation.

With one minute to go and Italy — down to 10 men — on the ropes, Cantalejo ruled that Lucas Neill, who played one of the greatest games in Socceroos history, had brought down Italy's Fabio Grosso in the box.

The Australians protested that Neill merely slid in front of Grosso, who then dived.

But with the last kick of the game, fading star Francesco Totti — who was left out of Italy's starting team — stepped up to put Italy, some would say undeservedly, into the last eight.

Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 02:23 PM

Day 17: Beckham scores for England

I think it is safe to say that most Thais are supporting England, a product of the huge television coverage the English Premiership gets here. I would also imagine that most local fans are happy this morning, but also a bit worried. They are happy because England is safely into the quarter-final round after last night's victory over Ecuador, but they are also worried because of less-than-impressive way it was done.

I watched the match last night myself and I came away with these impressions:

1. England looked very disorganised on the attack and had great difficulty getting the ball to Wayne Rooney. He, however, played very well.

2. England was very lucky not be be a goal down in the first half when Carlos Tenorio was late in taking a opportunity in front of England's goal. That allowed Ashley Cole to deflect the ball onto the bar.

3. England weakened noticeably after Beckham's goal, probably as a result of the heat and humidity. If Ecuador had scored, I think England would have been in deep trouble.

Below is the AFP story published by the Bangkok Post this morning. Did the writer have similar observations?

You can hear the part of the story by clicking here.

Beckham bends it

Stuttgart (AFP) — England captain David Beckham fired his team into the World Cup quarter-finals, scoring the only goal in a 1-0 victory over Ecuador here yesterday.

Beckham curled in a trademark freekick on 60 minutes to become the first Englishman to score goals in three World Cups and set up a last eight showdown with Portugal next Saturday.

But the Real Madrid star's first international goal for 13 matches could not mask another lacklustre display from England, who again looked vulnerable at set-pieces and struggle to click in hot, humid conditions at the Gottlieb-Daimler Stadion.

Manager Sven-Goran Eriksson's decision to unveil yet another new-look line-up fell some way short of being a resounding success, with Tottenham midfielder Michael Carrick unconvincing in the midfield hold role.

England also looked desperately bereft of penetration in attack, where too often Wayne Rooney was forced to chase lost causes in his unfamiliar role as the lone striker in a 4-1-4-1 formation.

On the odd occasions where England did threaten, poor finishing let them down, with out-of-form Frank Lampard missing a golden opportunity to kill the game on 73 minutes when he blazed over after a superb cut-back from Rooney.

You can hear the part of the story by clicking here.

Beckham said he was delighted to have silenced his critics.

"I have been struggling in training and Wazza (Wayne Rooney) said to me before the match, "You have been terrible for the past two days so you are going to get one tonight'.

"And I got a text message from (Real Madrid teammate) Roberto Carlos saying 'score me a freekick'. It brought me good luck," Beckham said.

He said he believed England would improve as the tournament went on.

"We're in the quarter-finals and we haven't performed as well as we can do. It will come."

Beckham admitted he had been physically sick shortly after scoring the crucial goal.

"I did not feel well before the game but then I was fine in the first half. In the second half it just came out."

Eriksson said he was happy with his tactics.

"I think it worked. We should have scored more goals but I'm rather happy we're in the quarter-finals again and I hope we have a different result than last time" when England lost to eventual winners Brazil.

A lifeless opening 45 minutes say England fail to create a single meaningful attempt on goal, two tame shots by Lampard and Rooney both easily saved by Ecuador goalkeeper Cristian Mora.

Better finishing from Ecuador striker Carlos Tenorio should have seen the South Americans take the lead on 11 minutes after a dreadful defensive blunder by England centre-half John Terry.

Terry slipped and mis-hit a backheader to Tenorio, who raced clear with only Paul Robinson to beat.

But with the England keeper at his mercy Tenorio took just a fraction too long and his shot was deflected onto the bar courtesy of a superb sliding cover tackle from left back Ashley Cole.

Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 01:22 PM

Day 16: Wonder goal

It took about two weeks for the first teams to be eliminated from the tournament, but now they will be leaving just about every day. This is the knockout stage and if you lose, you're out. Yesterday, it was Mexico's turn to leave thanks to a "wonder goal" from Argentina's Maxi Rodriguez in extra time that gave his team a 2 - 1 victory. If you haven't seen it, check out the official game highlights above and then read below to see how that goal has been described by various sports journalists. 

Let's first breakdown the goal into its parts:

(1) Juan Pablo Sorin sent in a cross to Rodriguez

(2) Rodriguez controlled the pass with his chest

(3) He kicked the ball with his left foot before it hit the ground.

(4) The goal went about 20 metres past the goalkeeper and into the top corner of the net. 

Watch to see the various ways the writers described each part.

You can hear the following by clicking here.

Reuters

Rodriguez struck eight minutes into extra time, controlling a cross-field pass with his chest and then hammering a superb, diagonal left-foot volley past Mexican goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez from 20 metres.

BBC

Rodriguez brilliantly teed himself up by chesting a Sorin cross-field pass and then unleashed a left-foot volley past Sanchez's despairing dive and into the top corner. 

The Sun

Rodriguez lit up the Zentralstadion with an absolute corker eight minutes into extra-time.

He chested down Juan Pablo Sorin's cross and volleyed a first-time left-footed effort beyond Oswaldo Sanchez into the far corner.

Amy Lawrence, The Observer

Juan Pablo Sorin's lofted cross found Rodriguez on the right edge of the area. Taming the ball with his chest, he arced a dramatically dipping volley into the top corner of the Mexico net that had been guarded with admirable authority.

Steven Goff, Washington Post

At first the situation appeared innocuous, but Rodriguez calmly absorbed a cross-field pass with his chest and let the ball drop into his path, rocketing an angled 22-yard shot over leaping goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez and into the far upper corner for his third goal of the tournament.

"It could have gone into the stands just as easily as it could have gone into the net, but it just happened to go into the net," said Rodriguez, a 25-year-old midfielder for Atletico Madrid. "That's the way it is."

Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 12:21 PM

Day 15: France goes through

It wasn't easy, but France has made it through into the next round, the knock-out round where a loss means elimination from the tournament. The French-Togo match took place late last night our time after the paper went to press, so we'll have to rely on an Internet report from the World Cup section on the Bangkok Post's main website. 

You can hear the following by clicking here.

France in last 16, beat Togo 2-0

France will play Spain in the last 16 after qualifying as runners up in Group G Friday with a 2-0 win over Togo in Cologne thanks to goals from Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry (photo).

Togo go home without a point, while France came second to Switzerland.
France midfielder Frank Ribery made up for two outright howlers of his own when his run into the area and pass set up Vieira's 55th minute opener, taken with some style on the turn.

Vieira then headed down on a Willy Sagnol cross to set up Henry for the 61st minute goal that made it the 2-0 France needed to qualify for the second round regardless of the score in the other Group G tie, where the Swiss beat South Korea 2-0.    

You can hear the following by clicking here.

Just the beginning says Vieira

France's man-of-the-match Patrick Vieira (see photo) said after setting up a last-16 tie with Spain Friday with a goal and an assist on his 30th birthday that there was more to come from 'Les Blues'.

"It was long and difficult after we drew our opening two matches but we had some cards in our hand and knew if we got the two goals we would be through, fulfilling our first objective," Vieira said.

"This team has a lot of potential," he added.

Vieira's night ended painfully when he came off after a nasty elbow to the face, but the reception he received and the knowledge that France now have a second round date with the Spanish in Hanover on Tuesday will have eased his evident discomfort.    

Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 10:18 AM

Day 14: Short match summaries

Every day there are dozens of reports on the same World Cup matches. Some are long and detailed and are obviously written for the main sports pages in newspapers. Others are short match summaries designed for radio, television or Internet websites. Let's look at the match summary for yesterday's Group F matches that appears in the World Cup section on the Bangkok Post's main website. Notice how much information is packed into so little space. 

You can hear the following by clicking here.

Ronaldo, Australia and red card villain all make history

Brazil won Group F as a Ronaldo brace in a 4-1 win over Japan put him level top with Gerd Muller as the competition's all time top scorer, while Australia made a bit of their own history emerging from an epic battle with Croatia with the point they needed to make the last 16 too.

Brazil play Ghana and Australia will play Italy in the last 16. And for the record Croatia's Josip Simunic also made history, albeit of an infamous kind, after picking up three yellows and a red card in the same match.

English referee Graham Poll booked Simunic in the 62nd minute and then again in the 90th minute, but forgot to send him off in the highly charged match. However, Simunic did not learn from that as he then was booked again in the fourth minute of injury-time and Poll this time brandished the yellow and the red.

Poll also missed two clear penalties for Australia, one a virtual rugby tackle on Mark Viduka and a second when Croatia's Stepjan Tomas punched a ball in the area.

Harry Kewell was Australia's hero on the night when he thumped the goal that made it 2-2 to earn the point Australia needed after they had fallen behind twice in a match where they needed one point to qualify.

Ronaldo's first goal was a rare header that levelled the scooes at 1-1 after Japan had taken a shock lead, but his fourth was a pin-point thunderbolt, executed on the turn, a strike from the very top draw marking a return to form of the under-fire master.

Juninho and Gilberto were also on target for the champions as they simply swept Japan away.

Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 02:53 PM

Day 13: Group E teams prepare

Everyone in Group E still has a chance of qualifying for the final 16 tonight, so there is a lot of interest in the matches. Italy is most worried about one player on the opposing Czech Republic team. Read to find out who he is. The US, on the other hand, seems a bit frightened of their African opponents Ghana. Find out why. For the complete stories and much more, see today's sports section of the Bangkok Post or visit it here on the Internet. 

You can hear this excerpt by clicking here. 

Italians wary of Nedved threat

Hamburg (AFP) — Italy believe Czech Republic midfielder Pavel Nedved poses the biggest threat to their hopes of reaching the last 16 of the World Cup.

The Italians will come face to face with the 2003 European Footballer of the Year here in Thursday's crunch Group E clash that has all the makings of a classic.

Italy need a draw to advance to the knockout stages, while the Czechs must win to guarantee qualification. In fact, all four teams in a group which also includes Ghana and the United States, still have a chance of making the next round.

Nedved knows all about Italian football having played in Serie A since 1996, and Fabio Cannavaro has identified his Juventus team-mate as the man most likely to cause the Azzurri defensive headaches.

''He is an annoying player to play against,'' the Italy captain said. ''He has a great spirit and an innner strength that is an example to others. He's a real professional, a player to fear.''

You can hear the next excerpt by clicking here. 

Ghana 'miracle' win puts fright into US

Nuremberg (AFP) — Ghana's shock World Cup upset of the Czechs has put a bit of a fright into the US team. That's music to the ears of the Africans' 60-year-old coach, who wants the Americans to suffer today.

Ghana, which stunned the second-ranked Czech Republic 2-0 after losing to Italy, will reach the round of 16 with a victory here in a Group E match. The US team comes off a 1-1 draw with Italy and must win for any hope to advance.

''Ghana was miraculous in the way they turned their game around. That in itself is frightening,'' US coach Bruce Arena said. ''They have momentum and confidence.''

Something else the Black Stars boast is quickness. Sparked by dynamic Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien and captain Stephen Appiah, World Cup debutante Ghana could send the 2002 quarter-finalist squad flying home.

''Hopefully we can deal with their team speed. That's my biggest concern,'' Arena said. ''One thing we don't want to do is have a foot race with Ghana for 90 minutes. If we do, we're going to lose a lot of those races.''

Ghana coach Ratomir Dujkovic, a Serbian who calls this the most important match of his life, said Arena is right to be concerned.

''They have to worry. The USA will suffer because we are strong and we are not afraid of anyone,'' Dujkovic said. ''Ghana is young and tough. We won't play for a draw. We always play offensive football and we play to win.'' 

Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 02:14 PM

Day 12: It is not all football

Not all World Cup-related stories are match reports. Everyday, there are several human-interest type stories about the players or their fans that give us a feeling for what the World Cup atmosphere is really like.

Today, there is a very interesting story in the Bangkok Post related to  tomorrow's Australian - Croatia football match that should add to your enjoyment while watching the match. As you will find out, the two teams have some very close ties (relationships). This is particularly true of Aussie captain Mark Viduka who is the main subject of the story. Below is an extended excerpt from the story.

You can hear this excerpt by clicking here.

Viduka swears allegiance

Stuttgart (AFP) 

Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 11:53 AM

Day 10: As expected, Brazil goes through

It is no surprise that Brazil has already qualified for the second round of the World Cup. It hasn't been easy though and yesterday's game with Australia was particularly tough. Here is the opening section of today's Bangkok Post report on the match. For the full story, of course, see today's issue of the Bangkok Post or go to the sports section of the main website.

You can hear this excerpt by clicking here. 

Brazil made to fight

Five-time champions Brazil advanced to the second round of the World Cup with a hard-earned 2-0 Group F win over Australia yesterday.

It took a 49th-minute goal from Adriano (see photo) to unlock the stout Australian defence but the champions were given a big fright as Australia threw everything at them.

Substitute Fred had a simple tap in for Brazil's second on fulltime to wrap up the victory after Robinho shot struck the post.

''I am delighted that I was able to come on and score,'' said Fred.

''The team is still finding its feet,'' added the 22-year-old Lyon star striker, referring to another listless performance by Brazil.

Coach Guus Hiddink again went for all-out attack to save the match as he did in the last-gasp win over Japan last weekend.

Brazil's win extended their record of successive wins at World Cup finals to nine and has them poised to top the group with next Thursday's final match with Japan.

Brazil broke the deadlock four minutes after halftime when Ronaldo cleverly held on to the ball from two defenders and laid across goal to Adriano who evaded Scott Chipperfield and fired home for his first goal of the tournament.

But the Australians earned admirers in the way they pushed the Brazilians all the way with German referee Markus Merk not giving them much with his decisions.

Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 12:57 PM

Day 8: A rout and a challenge

A rout is a victory by a very large margin. Argentina's 6-0 drubbing of Serbia Montenegro last night certainly qualifies as a rout. On the other hand, Holland's 2 - 1 win over the Ivory Coast was a very different matter. Today, we'll look at parts of the Bangkok Post's coverage of both games. For full coverage, of course, see today's issue of the Bangkok Post or go to the sports section of the main website. 

    Let's begin with Argentina's massive win. What was most impressive about this match is the quality of the goals. They were wonderful examples of teamwork. Three of them are described below.

Gelsenkirchen (AFP) — Argentina underlined their World Cup threat yesterday with a 6-0 drubbing of Serbia-Montenegro, propelling them to near certain qualification from the "Group of Death".

Fuelled by an altogether more offensive display than against Ivory Coast, the Argentinians ripped the beleaguered Serbs to shreds after responding to coach Jose Pekerman's call for more control of the game.

After pressing the Serbia-Montenegro goal from the start, the Albicelestes took the lead in the sixth minute on just their third attempt on goal following two corners.

A flicked back heel by Juan Pablo Sorin on the left wing split open the Serb defence and found Saviola.

Running into space, the Seville striker slotted through a diagonal pass to an unchallened mid-fielder Rodriguez, who blasted the ball past the hapless Dragoslave Jevric.

In the 31st minute, Saviola and Juan Riquelme combined in a fluid cross-field movement from the left that found Cambiasso (see photo) on the edge of the penalty area.

The midfielder completed the move after a glorious one-two with Crespo, who fed Cambiasso with a back-heeled pass that the Inter Milan player volleyed into goal with his left foot.

Rodriguez made it three just before half time, after Saviola poached the ball from a Serb player near the cornerpost and ran around the defence to feed Hernan Crespo with a low cross.

The Chelsea striker was deprived by a gaggle of Serb defenders and goalkeeper but the ball ran across to Rodriguez who side-footed his shot off the post for Argentina's third.

No coasting for Holland

The Netherlands booked a place in the last 16 of the World Cup with a thrilling 2-1 win over a spirited Ivory Coast in a Group C match here Friday. The result spelled heartbreak for the African Nations Cup runners-up, however, with Argentina's 6-0 trouncing of Serbia and Montenegro earlier yesterday assuring the South Americans of the other qualifying spot.

The Dutch took the lead with two goals midway through the first-half but Ivory Coast hit back with a goal before the interval and gave the Oranje a real run for their money throughout a pulsating match.

Robin van Persie, (see photo) who cut a solitary figure in the Netherlands' opening 1-0 win over Serbia and Montenegro on Sunday, was a constant thorn in the Africans' side and it was no surprise when one of many jinking runs ended with a free-kick on the edge of the area in the 23rd minute.

The Arsenal winger stepped up and blasted in a curling left-footed free-kick just over the head of the diminutive Arthur Boka, the last man in the Ivory Coast wall, and beyond the reach of diving goalkeeper Jean-Jacques Tizie.

The Dutch lead was doubled four minutes later, a deft through ball by Arjen Robben falling into the path of the advancing Ruud van Nistlerooy.

The out-of-favour Manchester United striker, whom Dutch coach Marco van Basten kept faith with despite the admission he was out of form, calmly stroked home past the stranded Tizie for his first World Cup goal.

But Ivory Coast pulled one back in the 38th minute through Nice striker Bakary Kone who drilled an excellent shot high beyond Dutch goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar.

That crowned a period of good possession for the Africans, who had come within inches of scoring five minutes earlier through Didier Zokora, whose cracking 25-yard shot beat van der Sar only to come back off the woodwork.

Didier Drogba, (see photo) who was booked for fouling van der Sar and will miss the last match against the Serbs, missed the chance to draw the Ivory Coast level in the 42nd minute, making a hash of a two-on-one with fellow striker Aruna Kone unmarked and the goalline begging.

Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 12:07 PM