D8 GROUP E
Netherlands grinds out win against Japan, leads its group
The Netherlands is showing it doesn’t have to
be flashy to win. Wesley Sneijder scored the only goal Saturday and the Netherlands beat Japan, 1-0, its second straight World Cup win and the second time the Dutch couldn’t produce the kind of offensive show they were expected to bring to South Africa. Sneijder’s 53rd-minute strike finally broke through a Japanese defense that had stifled Oran- je creativity in front of 62,010 fans at Moses Mab- hida Stadium in Durban. “Why do we focus on good soccer instead of winning?” Netherlands Coach Bert van Marwijk said. “Let me assure you that we really, really want to win and if we can do that in style, then great. But you have to be able to win ugly games.” Despite scoring just twice themselves so far in the tournament — the Dutch got an own goal in their 2-0 win over Denmark — they will advance to the knockout phase of the tournament thanks to Denmark’s defeat of Cameroon. Striker Robin van Persie missed chances for the Dutch before finally setting up Sneijder’s goal. He laid the ball back and the Inter Milan midfielder fired a powerful right-footed shot that goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima could only deflect into his net. “We pressed in the second half and got a goal,”
Sneijder said. “This is the kind of game [when] we maybe could have got two or three goals, but we won it and that’s great.”
GROUP E Denmark eliminates Cameroon
Dennis Rommedahl scored one goal and set up another as Denmark beat Cameroon, 2-1, and eliminated the Indomitable Lions from the World Cup after just two matches. Rommedahl charged down the right wing and spun around Cameroon defender Jean Makoun before curling a well-aimed shot past goalkeeper Hamidou Souleymanou in the 61st minute. Rommedahl assisted on the equalizer after Samuel Eto’o put Cameroon ahead in the 10th minute following a mix-up in the Danish defense. Nicklas Bendtner tied it in the 33rd after re- ceiving a probing feed from Rommedahl, who coolly collected a superb long pass by Simon Kjaer before delivering the assist. Cameroon is the first team eliminated, al- though it has to play the Netherlands Thursday.
GROUP D Australia earns tie with 10 men
Australia didn’t wilt after an early ejection of one of its veterans. The Socceroos held on for a 1-1 draw in Rusten- berg despite Ghana’s man advantage for more than 66 minutes, further tightening Group D. Australia forward Brett Holman scored in the
11th minute after goalkeeper Richard Kingson bobbled a free kick from Mark Bresciano right into his path. Holman put the rebound past the keeper. Harry Kewell led the Australian attack against Ghana as one of four changes to the team beaten by Germany. But he was given a red card in the 24th minute after he blocked a shot from Ghana defender Jonathan Mensah with his upper arm while standing on the goal line . “It’s devastating for me,” Kewell said. “There was no intent. The referee has killed my World Cup.” Kewell said he had to watch the rest of the match in the dressing room with a security guard. Asamoah Gyan converted the penalty kick in
the 25th minute for his second goal of the tourna- ment, both from the penalty spot. The Black Stars lead Group D with four points, followed by Serbia and Germany with three each, and Australia with one. Ghana plays Germany Wednesday.
— Associated Press THEY SAID IT
“The referee has killed my World Cup.” — Australia
midfielder Harry Kewell, who was assessed a red card for an intentional hand ball in the box against Ghana on Saturday. Asamoah Gyan converted the resulting penalty kick for Ghana.
S
KLMNO World Cup 2010 NOTEBOOK England faces critics in and out of the locker room
What was to have been England’s orderly march to the 2010 World Cup’s knockout round has run chaotically off the rails.
Despite a roster gaudy with talent, the Three Lions have been exposed as toothless through their first two matches — managing two draws and just one goal against their supposedly inferior Group C rivals, the United States and Algeria. The squad’s listless and occasionally hapless per- formance has put England at risk of getting booted in the first round. And it has resulted in a daily, if not hourly, cycle of blame and recrimination, with Coach Fabio Capello saying “pressure” is the prob- lem, star playerWayne Rooney taking a sarcastic jab at fans for booing following Friday’s scoreless draw with Algeria in Cape Town, and England’s news- papers shrieking with outrage. “Cape Clowns” brayed the headline in the Daily
Mirror. “Raging Fool” said the Daily Mail’s caption of a photo of Rooney. On Saturday, Rooney apologized for any offense through a statement posted on the England Football Association’s Web site, saying he had spoken “in the heat of the moment.” Then came news that a random England fan, pre- sumably irate over the squad’s performance against Algeria, breached security in the bowels of Cape
washingtonpost.com/soccer
Soccer Insider Get all the latest updates from Washington Post reporters.
washingtonpost.com/soccerinsider
World Cup explorer Interactive map with news, schedules, rosters and standings for all 32 teams.
Historical database Searchable World Cup historical database dating back to 1930.
U.S. Team Biographical and professional background of all 23 U.S. team members, with photos and video interviews.
Scores For final score updates from every game, text “SOCCER” to 98999.
Town’s Green Point Stadium, strode into England’s locker room, had a word with former captain David Beckham and is now on the loose, having been es- corted out of the venue — rather than charged with a crime — by a stunningly forgiving FIFA official. FIFA and local organizers on Saturday fingered each oth- er for the lapse, while local police searched for the fan, who entered the locker room shortly after Eng-
land’s Prince William and Prince Harry had visited. — Liz Clarke
French kick player off team French star Nicolas Anelka has been thrown off
his nation’s World Cup team after getting into a heated exchange with Coach Raymond Domenech and refusing to apologize. The Chelsea forward re- portedly made obscene comments to Domenech at halftime of France’s 2-0 loss to Mexico on Thursday. He was asked to make amends by Jean-Pierre Esca- lettes, president of the French soccer federation. “Faced by the refusal of the player to publicly apologize, [Escalettes] took the decision . . . to ex- clude Nicolas Anelka from the squad,” the feder- ation said in a statement. “He will leave the French team camp this evening.” “I indeed had a heated conversation with the coach, but it happened within the confines of the changing rooms, between the coach and me, in front of my teammates and the staff,” Anelka told the Web site of France Soir newspaper. “That should never have come out of the changing rooms.” The episode is another blow to a French team that made the World Cup finals in 2006 but is on the verge of being eliminated from the 2010 tournament. — Associated Press
SUNDAY, JUNE 20, 2010
WASHINGTONPOST.COM/SOCCER Steven Goff and Liz Clarke keep tabs on all the goings-on in South Africa as the World Cup group stages wind down.
PHOTOS BY DAVID GRAY/REUTERS
“You can speculate all you want about which guy [was called for the foul],” Coach Bob Bradley said. “I think it’s a waste of time. There was nothing there.” GROUP C
Mysterious call lingers over U.S. team
With no clarification on Edu’s disallowed goal, Americans seek to move forward
by Steven Goff
irene, south africa — To the thousands of U.S. supporters at Ellis Park and the millions back home watching Friday’s World Cup match between the United States and Slovenia, a clear injustice had been perpetrated. With no explanation as to why referee Koman Coulibaly had nullified Maurice Edu’s apparent go-ahead goal against Slovenia, rage rang out like a vuvuzela blaring inside a tollbooth. Like everyone else, the U.S. team was incredulous and incensed. However, in the murky culture of soc- cer, where officiating decisions are rarely clarified during or after a match, Coach Bob Bradley took the mysterious call almost in stride. “We’re all accustomed to the fact that, if it is an NFL playoff game and there is a call of some ques- tion, there will be a statement by the league from the referees. But FIFA operates differently,” Bradley, a New Jersey native, said of the sport’s international governing body on Saturday. “Soccer is a different game. There are some as-
TODAY ON TV 7:30 a.m.
10 a.m. 2:30 p.m.
Slovakia vs. Paraguay » ESPN, ESPN Deportes, Univision, WXTR (730 AM)
Italy vs. New Zealand » ESPN, ESPN Deportes, Univision, WXTR (730 AM)
Brazil vs. Ivory Coast » WJLA (Channel 7), WMAR (Channel 2), Univision, WXTR (730 AM)
on
washingtonpost.com/gog
Where to watch. Take a look at Going Out Guide’s full rundown of the best places in the
area to catch all the World Cup action.
washingtonpost.com/gog
GROUP A WD L GFGA Pt
Uruguay 1 1 0 3 0 4 Mexico 1 1 0 3 1 4 France 0 1 1 0 2 1 So. Africa 0 1 1 1 4 1
GROUP B WD L GFGA Pt
Argentina 2 0 0 5 1 6 So. Korea 1 0 1 3 4 3 Greece 1 0 1 2 3 3 Nigeria 0 0 2 1 3 0
TODAY’S CAN’T-MISS MATCHUP
Brazil vs. Ivory Coast, 2:30 p.m., WJLA-7, WMAR-2: Ivory Coast kept Portugal scoreless, and Brazil Coach Dunga said he expects the same defensive intensity. Striker Didier Drogba is likely to start for Ivory Coast despite a broken forearm.
pects of it that are not made 100 percent clear, that seem to add to the discussion about the games. On our end, we get used to that. That’s just how it is sometimes, and then you move on and you get ready for the next game.” Make no mistake: The U.S. delegation was grum-
bling after the final whistle of the 2-2 drawand, like many fans around the world, watched replays of the sequence dozens of times in search of answers. But because Coulibaly made a judgment call, FIFA guidelines do not offer a process to formally protest rulings made on the field. As such, the Americans (0-0-2) have tried to put
the matter behind them and focus on the congested race for Group C’s two round-of-16 berths. A victory in Wednesday’s finale against Algeria (0-1-1) in Pre-
GROUP C WD L GFGA Pt
Slovenia 1 1 0 3 2 4 U.S. 0 2 0 3 3 2 England 0 2 0 1 1 2 Algeria 0 0 2 1 3 0
GROUP D WD L GFGA Pt
Ghana 1 1 0 2 1 4 Germany 1 0 1 4 1 3 Serbia 1 0 1 1 1 3 Australia 0 1 1 1 5 1
kick reached the penalty area]; I think it’s a waste of time. There was nothing there. It’s a good goal, and that’s that.” FIFA does not allow game officials to be inter-
viewed after a match. However, in an event ar- ranged prior to the U.S. dust-up, most of the World Cup referees will be available for comment Monday at their training site near Pretoria. Coulibaly is ex- pected to attend; whether he will discuss the call against the United States is another matter. Meantime, the Americans have turned their at- tention to solving early-match problems. For the second consecutive game, they conceded an early goal: England scored in the fourth minute, Slovenia in the 13th. In the final round of World Cup qualifying, the
After the unexplained call by referee Koman Coulibaly, Michael Bradley, right, and the U.S. team are preparing for a matchup with Algeria.
toria would secure passage, while a tie might be enough. Slovenia (1-0-1) will face England (0-0-2) in the other group match on Wednesday. One day after the controversy, Bradley reiterated his belief that Edu’s goal should have stood and sug- gested that Coulibaly might have been compensat- ing for an earlier call. “This isn’t something that referees would talk about a lot, but there are times when a referee, for whatever reason, blows a foul and now thinks he ei- ther didn’t make the correct call on the foul from a previous play, and then literally as soon as the free kick is taken, he blows his whistle,” Bradley said. “So you can speculate all you want about which guy [was called for a foul as Landon Donovan’s free
GROUP E WD L GFGA Pt
N’lands 2 0 0 3 0 6 Japan 1 0 1 1 1 3 Denmark 1 0 1 2 3 3 Cameroon 0 0 2 1 3 0
GROUP F WD L GFGA Pt
Paraguay 0 1 0 1 1 1 Italy 0 1 0 1 1 1 N. Zealand 0 1 0 1 1 1 Slovakia 0 1 0 1 1 1
Today’s matches
Paraguay vs. Slovakia, 7:30 a.m.
Italy vs. New Zealand, 10 a.m.
United States yielded a goal in the first 19 minutes in five of its 10 matches. “We have certainly shown a great ability to re- spond when we have needed to push things,” Brad- ley said. “Without a doubt, we are frustrated at the fact that we have fallen behind too often. It’s not al- ways easy to put together that kind of comeback.” On Wednesday, Bradley will be without forward Robbie Findley (yellow-card suspension), who might not have started anyway after exhibiting a faulty touch against Slovenia. In his absence, Clint Dempsey, who started in midfield both matches and moved to the front line in the second half Friday, is an option, as are Edson Buddle and Herculez Go- mez. Bradley also seems likely to drop midfielder Jose
Torres from the lineup and insert Edu, Ricardo Clark or Benny Feilhaber. Algeria has yet to score in the tournament but has allowed just one goal. On Friday, the Desert Foxes kept alive their hopes of advancement by holding England to a scoreless draw. “This group has proved that there isn’t an easy
game,” U.S. defender Jay DeMerit said. “There isn’t anyone that you can take for granted. There isn’t anyone that says, ‘Well, they have Algeria in the final game, they have a better chance.’ It’s going to be an interesting last day.”
goffs@washpost.com
GROUP G WD L GFGA Pt
Brazil 1 0 0 2 1 3 Iv. Coast 0 1 0 0 0 1 Portugal 0 1 0 0 0 1 No. Korea 001 1 2 0
Today’s match
Brazil vs. Ivory Coast, 2:30 p.m.
GROUP H WD L GFGA Pt
Chile 1 0 0 1 0 3 Swit’land 1 0 0 1 0 3 Spain 0 0 1 0 1 0 Honduras 0 0 1 0 1 0
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170