JOHANNESBURG: Goals by centre-back Juan and strikers Luis Fabiano and Robinho propelled Brazil to a 3-0 win over Chile on Monday and into a World Cup quarter-final with Holland. After a tepid opening Juan headed in powerfully on 34 minutes to settle Brazilian nerves. Four minutes later

DURBAN: Arjen Robben and Wesley Sniejder fired the Dutch team to a 2-1 victory over Slovakia here on Monday to set up a World Cup quarter-final against either Brazil or Chile. Robben made a 20-minute appearance against Cameroon in the Netherlands` final group game after recovering from a

LONDON: The English flag hoisted over British Prime Minister David Cameron`s Downing Street office for the World Cup was lowered Monday, hours after the nation`s crushing 4-1 defeat by Germany."It`s been replaced by the Union flag," a Downing Street spokeswoman said, referring to the red,

HONG KONG: Hong Kong police said Monday they have smashed a record 170 million Hong Kong dollar (22 million US dollar) gambling ring that took illegal bets on World Cup football games and horse racing. Authorities arrested four men linked to Hong Kong`s notorious triad gangs and seized

JOHANNESBURG: Argentina booked a World Cup quarter-final with Germany on Sunday after seeing off Mexico 3-1 in the last 16, Carlos Tevez netting a brace and Gonzalo Higuain also on target prior to Javier Hernandez`s consolation.After Mexico had made a bright start, Manchester City`s Tevez

JOHANNESBURG: Diego Maradona shrugged off the latest World Cup referee blunder on Sunday to demand more protection for Lionel Messi, Argentina`s prize asset and key to the country`s title hopes. Argentina saw off Mexico 3-1 to book a quarter-final clash against Germany but the Mexicans

LONDON: English commentators launched scathing attacks Monday on their football team`s dire performance against Germany which ended the country`s World Cup hopes, as calls mounted for Fabio Capello to quit. Newspapers saved some of their criticism for the referee in the game who

WASHINGTON: Two men were shot to death by a gunman at a party in Texas after a heated argument over an upcoming World Cup soccer match, the online edition of The Dallas Morning News said Sunday. Four men were apparently involved in the early morning altercation at a house in Dallas,

BLOEMFONTEIN: Humiliated England fans let rip at their team, manager and the referee after being dumped out of the World Cup Sunday as Germans savoured their rivals` pain over a disallowed goal after nursing a 44-year grudge. Many of the fans who had paid a small fortune to travel to

BLOEMFONTEIN: Germany inflicted England`s record World Cup finals defeat on Sunday after a 4-1 victory in their Last 16 match that was overshadowed by one of the worst refereeing mistakes in the tournament`s history. Germany`s superior movement and ruthless finishing made them worthy

LONDON: Frank Lampard`s `goal` against Germany in their World Cup last 16 match on Sunday may have been mistakenly ruled as not having crossed the line, but England`s bookmakers have decided to pay out on it in any case. Ladbrokes will pay out on their popular `Geoff Hurst special

BRIDGETOWN: Ottis Gibson felt let down again by the way West Indies batted on the opening day of the third and final Test against South Africa on Saturday. The West Indies coach bemoaned the uncommitted approach of the batsmen, which resulted in his side being bowled out for a modest 231

JOHANNESBURG: FIFA lavished praise on South Africa for its hosting of the World Cup as the second round kicked off Saturday, saying the country was on track for a "perfect" tournament. Despite some initial problems, especially transportation on the opening day when traffic jams caused

CAPE TOWN: Halfway through the World Cup, tourism officials say football fans have already brought an economic windfall that looks set to keep rolling as a raft of big countries play in the second round. Business is booming with foreign fans at bars and restaurants, which are also

CAPE TOWN: South Korea reinforced its reputation as a credible football force with battling qualities at the World Cup, but Park Ji-Sung admits their defence let them down having conceded eight goals. They came into the tournament among an elite group of just six nations to have

SEOUL: South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak hopes former colonial ruler Japan will fly the footballing flag for Asia after his own country was eliminated from the World Cup. "I hope that Japan, on behalf of Asia, will advance to the quarter-finals with the eight strongest teams by

JOHANNESBURG: Chile will be out to derail Brazil`s drive towards a sixth World Cup title here on Monday when the South American teams meet in their Round of 16 showdown. The Chileans are at the World Cup finals for the first time since France 1998 and their negotitiation of the group

DURBAN: When your national press labels your progression from group stage to knock-out phase of the World Cup as a "miracle", it sums up the notion of a being a rank outsider in world football. Slovakia go into Monday`s second-round game against the Netherlands, on a run of seven wins

CAPE TOWN: Halfway through the World Cup, tourism officials say football fans have already brought an economic windfall that looks set to keep rolling as a raft of big countries play in the second round. Business is booming with foreign fans at bars and restaurants, which are also

LONDON (AFP) – French Open champion Rafael Nadal narrowly avoided an embarrassing exit at Wimbledon as he dug deep to beat Germany`s Philipp Petzschner 6-4, 4-6, 6-7 (5/7), 6-2, 6-3 in the third round on Saturday. Nadal, the 2008 winner here, had been pushed to five sets by unheralded