JOHANNESBURG: Along with Portugal`s Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi`s ball skills are one of the most eagerly awaited sights of this World Cup. Interest in Argentina is equally focused on ever-controversial manager Maradona. The inexperienced and quixotic coach`s questionable decisions were

JOHANNESBURG: Diego Maradona`s Argentina dispelled doubts about their World Cup-winning potential as they put a poor qualifying campaign behind them to beat Nigeria 1-0 with a brilliant performance from Lionel Messi on Saturday. Argentina scored early in the Group B game through defender

RUSTENBURG: England manager Fabio Capello will talk to Robert Green before deciding whether to keep faith with the goalkeeper whose embarrassing gaffe on Saturday handed the United States a 1-1 draw. Green let a simple shot from Clint Dempsey slip through his hands and trickle into the

JOHANNESBURG: Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk`s side face two dangers when they start their World Cup Group E campaign at Ellis Park on Monday -- opponents Denmark and the possibility of being too confident. The Dutch, who sealed a place in the finals after winning all their

JOHANNESBURG: Lionel Messi answered the key question for Argentina with a display full of artistry and guile in Saturday`s 1-0 win over Nigeria, showing even without scoring himself he can carry the team at this World Cup. While his coach Diego Maradona did his utmost to grab the

CAPE TOWN: Holders Italy, written off at home as no-hopers to retain their world title and traditionally slow starters, are in danger of being caught napping by in-form Paraguay in their Group F opener on Monday (7:30 p.m. British time).Coach Marcello Lippi has kept faith with the bulk of

PORT-OF-SPAIN: South Africa took control of the first test against West Indies on Saturday after pacemen Dale Steyn, who reached 200 test wickets, and Morne Morkel had skittled the hosts for 102 on the third day. South Africa, with a first innings lead of 250, declined to enforce the

PORT ELIZABETH: South Korea chalked up the first win of this year`s World Cup finals with a fluent 2-0 victory over a Greece side that paid a heavy price for defensive frailties in their Group B opener on Saturday. The Koreans, who reached the semi-finals in 2002 as co-hosts, scored a

JOHANNESBURG: Spain`s Group H opponents have one simple problem at this World Cup -- how do you score goals if you cannot get the ball off them? An uncannily gifted generation of midfielders can pass the best teams in the world into submission and Switzerland, Chile and Honduras will

BERLIN: World number two Roger Federer closed in on his sixth Halle Open title with a tough 7-6 6-4 win over local favourite Philipp Petzschner in the semi-finals in Germany on Saturday. Federer, knocked off the number one spot by Rafael Nadal this week, will meet Lleyton Hewitt in the

RUSTENBURG: A shocking schoolboy howler from England goalkeeper Robert Green gifted the United States a goal as the two sides tipped to qualify from Group C battled to a 1-1 stalemate at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium on Saturday. Green, 29, winning only his 11th England cap after being

DHAKA: Host South Africa shared points with Mexico in the opening match as the World Cup football 2010 kicked off at Johannesburg Soccer City Stadium Friday amid a pan-African symphony.The match ended with a 1-1 draw.The home team showed a very enthusiastic performance as the 82nd team of

JOHANNESBURG: Argentina`s Lionel Messi, potentially the tournament`s most exciting player, takes the stage for the first time on Saturday after South Africa launched a spectacular opening to the continent`s first World Cup. The globe`s most watched sports event met all expectations on

JOHANNESBURG: Dedicated South African soccer fans braved freezing weather to queue overnight in a last-minute scramble to get tickets for Friday`s opening match in the first World Cup finals to be held on African soil. The queue outside the FIFA ticket office in the upmarket Sandton

CAPE TOWN: France failed to rise to the occasion again on Friday when a lacklustre performance in a tepid 0-0 draw with Uruguay handed the initiative to their lesser-ranked World Cup Group A rivals. After South Africa and Mexico drew 1-1 in the tournament curtain-raiser in Johannesburg,

DURBAN: The great weight of German expectation will slam headlong into a wall of Australian defensive grit and muscle when the spectacular new Moses Mabhida stadium hosts its first World Cup match on Sunday. Germany`s World Cup pedigree -- three titles, four-times losing finalists and

IRENE, South Africa: World champions Italy beat local team the Guateng All Stars 6-0 in a practice match at their Southdowns College training base here on Friday. Coach Marcello Lippi gave his clearest indication yet of what his World Cup starting XI and formation will be as he played

CAPE TOWN: With Brazil massive favourites and North Korea the rank outsiders the pivotal issue in World Cup Group G could be decided in its first game in Port Elizabeth when Ivory Coast take on Portugal. In fact, the entire group order is likely to be heavily influenced by whether

JOHANNESBURG: Brazil kicked off their World Cup rivalry with Argentina on Friday when striker Luis Fabiano said his team oozed happiness and complained others were bitter, aiming his taunt at his country`s neighbours. "Happiness is inside us," Luis Fabiano told reporters. "If they`re not

PRETORIA: Diego Maradona, the greatest footballer of his era, said on Friday he hoped his World Cup ace Lionel Messi would come to be regarded as the best player ever. "I wish with all my heart for Lio to have a superb tournament and be the best of all time definitively," Argentina`s