England players let down whole nation !!!

Again & again England highly rated players let down their nation .This time they hammered by their bitter rival Germany by 4:1 in World Cup 2010 last 16 match . first half goals from Klose in 12 mins and than Podolski and 2 goals from Mueller in space of 3 mins in 2nd half ends all England hopes . Very disappointing performance from Three Line.

This was a disappointing end to a disappointing World Cup campaign.That was the worst team performance and the worst back-four performance I've seen . Germany well deserve winners .The brief hope of revival offered by victory against Slovenia that saw England advance to the knockout phase was snuffed out emphatically here by their old World Cup adversaries.England had nothing left to offer and their World Cup campaign ended with a whimper - although they will complain bitterly about the moment they will feel had a decisive effect on the outcome of the game.

A moment of Magic Brazil 2-1 North Korea !!

Maicon produced a moment of pure Brazilian magic to set the five-time champions on their way to victory in their opening game against North Korea in Johannesburg.

The Brazilians, ranked number one in the Fifa rankings, were expected to cruise past the team in 105th place in their Group G encounter.

But on a difficult evening they had to wait until the 55th minute to break the deadlock as the North Koreans proved more than capable opponents.

It fell to right-back Maicon to settle Brazil's nerves with a goal of typical beauty.

Latching on to a pass down the right from Elano but at a seemingly impossible angle trapped against the byeline, he produced a swerving screamer that bent in with goalkeeper Ri Myong-guk standing a fraction too far off his post.

The goal composed Dunga's previously erratic side and they doubled the lead with 18 minutes left when Robinho slid a fabulous pass in for Elano to slot home from inside the area.

But North Korea gave them a much harder game than they were expecting and Kim Jong-Hun's side got a goal their endeavour deserved when Ji Yun-nam fired in superbly in the closing stages.

Brazil deserved the victory for their dominance in possession, especially in the second half, but North Korea's previously unknown players can hold their heads high after a display full of passion and no little skill either.

In fact, playing their in their first World Cup since 1966, the Chollima - before they tired after the break - threatened to cause an almighty upset.

With star striker Jong Tae-se - who cried during their national anthem - leading the line magnificently, they were giving Brazil as good as they got in a first half that swung from end to end in hugely entertaining fashion.

Indeed as Elano, Robinho and Michel Bastos all sprayed long-range shots wide from outside the box, it was the little-fancied North Koreans who began to test the Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar as they proved that had not come to the World Cup simply to defend.

Jong was causing the usually unflappable Lucio all kinds of problems with his movement and pace and he turned sharply before firing straight at the Brazilian keeper, before Ri Kwang-chon dragged wide from a good position on the edge of the Brazil box after they had failed to clear a corner.

The Brazilians were lethargic, with their best moments coming down the flanks as Maicon on the right and Michel Bastos - who had a 20-yard sizzler deflected over - got forward time and time again to support their struggling team-mates.

As the game wore on there was a sense that a major upset could be in the offing, but Maicon's devilish drifter put paid to that and soon Brazil were controlling the game in the manner with which their World Cup opponents have become accustomed.

Striker Luis Fabiano, without a goal in his last six internationals, was desperate to get on the scoresheet, but he could only turn and blaze over, before Robinho wonderfully found Elano to make the game safe.

Brazil still had a scare when Ji Yun-nam's brilliant first touch controlled a high ball and took him into space in the Brazil box and he made no mistake with an unerring finish past Julio Cesar.

There was no time for them to conjure the most unlikely of all equalisers, but their heroic display finally brought the World Cup to life and warmed the hearts of the crowd on a freezing night at Ellis Park.

Ivory Coast 0-0 Portugal

Ivory Coast and Portugal contested a goalless draw in a cagey opening game to the World Cup's so-called group of death at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

With Brazil also in Group G, it was obvious that both sides were desperate to avoid defeat and there was an extent to which both teams cancelled each other out.

It was the first competitive fixture of Sven-Goran Eriksson's short spell in charge of the Elephants and he can be pleased with the unity and discipline his side showed, particularly with talismanic striker Didier Drogba missing from the starting line-up.

The Chelsea striker, who broke his arm on 4 June, came on after the break to huge cheers from the far-from-capacity Port Elizabeth crowd, but he had limited chance to make an impact on the game.

Ivory Coast were courageous in defence - Didier Zokora, for example, receiving a kick in his arm after bravely heading a cross that Liedson tried to volley - and showed an organisation and discipline in their play that suggested talk of fractures in their squad are wide of the mark.

Portugal, third in the Fifa rankings but who only made it to South Africa after a play-off victory over Bosnia-Hercegovina, should perhaps have tried to capitalise on Drogba's absence.

They did come closest to scoring when Cristiano Ronaldo struck a post, but there was little to suggest an upsurge from their patchy form during qualifying.

It was a match that desperately needed an early goal to force one team to abandon the tactical caginess that has been a feature of the opening round of fixtures.

It almost arrived when Ronaldo's 25-yard strike after 10 minutes swerved and dipped, easily defeating Boubacar Barry but finding the woodwork an altogether more difficult opponent.

It would have been a stunning end to a precise and swift build-up from the Portuguese - but it proved to be the high watermark in the match.

There were glimpses of real attacking intent from both sides, but all too often defensive and midfield players remained pinned back.

It left little room for the opposition to exploit with swift counter-attacking moves, while Ronaldo soon started to become frustrated with the close attention he received.

The Portuguese captain and Guy Demel were both booked after a brief confrontation, with Ronaldo perhaps a little unfortunate after referee Jorge Larrionda failed to spot a clear foul by the Ivorian moments earlier.

Portugal, who only managed 17 goals in their 10 qualifying games, failed to test Barry again after Ronaldo's early shot until the Elephants keeper stopped a weak header from the largely anonymous Liedson after 57 minutes.

Raul Meireles, industrious in midfield, had a shot deflected wide, while Ronaldo, who has not found the net for Portugal since February 2009, missed the target with a free-kick.

Ivory Coast, who conceded twice in every game during their debut appearance at a World Cup in 2006, had only mustered errant long-range strikes from Siaka Tiene and Ismael Tiote during the opening 45 minutes.

However, they made a more incisive opening to the second half and the impressive Gervinho drilled a strike across the face of goal, while Salomon Kalou was inches away from connecting with a cross from the right and finally forced Eduardo into action with a low shot from the edge of the box.

And it was the Ivorians who finished the game on top, without actually managing to break the deadlock.

Drogba stretched to reach a through ball but his attempted shot ended up being more of a cross even though he was little more than eight yards out.

Algeria 0-1 Slovenia

Robert Koren's late goal gave Slovenia victory over 10-man Algeria in their opening World Cup game in Polokwane to send them top of Group C.

The former West Brom midfielder's dipping 20-yard drive slipped through the grasp of Algeria keeper Faouzi Chaouchi and into the corner of the net to give the European side their first ever World Cup finals win.

The goal came just seven minutes after Desert Foxes substitute Abdelkader Ghezzal had seen red for two bookable offences as what had until then been a truly dire encounter came briefly to life.

In the 72 minutes prior to Ghezzal's dismissal, for a needless handball, two limited sides were only able to fashion a handful of chances between them, the best of which Algeria defender Rafik Halliche headed wide from a corner.

With group favourites England having drawn 1-1 with their perceived closest rivals USA yesterday, Algeria and Slovenia knew a victory here would send them top and raise their hopes of achieving an unexpected place in the last 16.

This tantalising prospect made for two anxious, edgy teams and an error-strewn encounter, characterised by the regular relinquishing of possession by both sides.

At their best Algeria are a capable outfit, as arch-rivals and qualifying play-off victims Egypt will testify, and the Desert Foxes looked arguably the sharper, aiming to exploit the pace and ability of Karim Ziani and Nader Belhadj.

The early signs were promising when Belhadj drew a good save from Slovenian keeper Samir Handanovic with a curling 25-yard free-kick in the third minute but this turned out to be the only effort on goal in the opening quarter of the match.

It was not until the 36th minute that either side fashioned anything further of meaning.

Ziani's well-taken corner was met by Halliche, who had found space amongst a crowd of players in the box, but he failed to make full contact with his header and the ball flew past the far post with Handanovic stranded.

Slovenia's only previous World Cup appearance came in Japan and South Korea in 2002, during which they failed to claim a single point and scored only twice.

Prior to Koren's decisive strike, the closest they came to adding to their tally was a 20 yard shot from Valter Birsa, which drew a fine one-handed save from Chaouchi just before half time, and an Andraz Kirm 10-yard shot from an angle early in the second half which the Algerian keeper also saved.

Algerian substitute Ghezzal's presence on the pitch was short but eventful. In 15 minutes he produced two headers which failed to find the target and picked up two bookings - the first for shirt pulling, the second a needless handball when trying to provide another header on goal - which resulted in his side playing the final 15 minutes of the match with 10 men.

Despite their numerical disadvantage, Algeria were presented with a glorious chance to score minutes later as Handanovic's pass out to defender Marko Suler was intercepted by Ziani but his first touch was too heavy and the keeper was able to gather at his feet.

Slovenia's next attack proved decisive as Chaouchi badly misjudged the flight of Koren's speculative, dipping effort and allowed it to pass him and find the corner of the net.

While not a good game for a neutral, it will make for heartening viewing to England and their fans who will fancy their chances of securing positive results against both these sides.

Its nightmare for England !! England 1 : 1 USA

Goalkeeper Robert Green suffered a World Cup nightmare as England were forced to settle for a disappointing draw in the opening game of their campaign against the United States.

Steven Gerrard gave coach Fabio Capello the perfect start to this South African mission when he slid Emile Heskey's pass beyond Tim Howard after only four minutes.

And while England rarely hit the heights, they were maintaining their advantage in relative comfort until five minutes before half-time when West Ham United's Green suffered the lapse that will haunt him.

Clint Dempsey offered an effort that was little more than pot luck from 25 yards, but Green hopelessly allowed the ball to squeeze through him and roll agonisingly over the line as he tried to recover.

England had opportunities to repair the damage, but Heskey once again illustrated his limitations in front of goal by shooting straight at Howard with only the keeper to beat.

Wayne Rooney, subdued for the most part, shot just wide, while substitute Shaun Wright-Phillips, on for the under-par Milner after only 30 minutes, saw his angled drive saved by Howard.

Capello will also have enjoyed finer nights in his illustrious career as his major decisions backfired. Green got the nod in goal but must now fear for his place against Algeria, while Milner looked far from fit following a virus after his surprise selection.

And Ledley King, whose fitness was the subject of so much debate when Capello named his squad, lasted only 45 minutes after suffering a groin injury.

It exposed a glaring lack of pace in England's central defence, which was almost punished when Jozy Altidore raced past Jamie Carragher with embarrassing ease only for Green to apply some repairs to his shattered reputation by turning his shot on to the post.

England have plenty of time to regroup and progress, but this was an unsatisfactory night for Capello and his players.

Capello, unconvinced about David James' fitness, chose Green ahead of the inexperienced Joe Hart - on the surface a sensible decision but ultimately a costly one.

England's first-half performance was undistinguished, failing to build on Gerrard's fourth minute goal.

Frank Lampard's pass was out of Rooney's reach, but Heskey played in Gerrard to score with the outside of his right foot.

The United States were allowed the luxury of plenty of possession, and England almost paid for their generosity when Landon Donovan's inviting cross was headed tamely wide by Altidore.

Milner, given his chance despite being laid low by illness in midweek, was off the pace and picked up a booking for fouling Steve Cherundolo before being replaced by Wright-Phillips on the half-hour.

England at least looked like holding their lead until the interval, before a moment of complete calamity engulfed Green. Dempsey's left-foot shot from 25 yards barely merited the label of speculative, but every aspect of Green's technique collapsed as he allowed the ball to squirm through his grasp and over the line.

To add to England's troubles, King failed to emerge after the break, being replaced by Carragher as Capello was forced into another change to his initial plans.

Heskey, having done so well to create Gerrard's goal, then demonstrated his lack of confidence in front of goal when he wasted a clear chance to restore England's lead after 52 minutes. Aaron Lennon put the striker through, but he never looked convincing and shot straight at Howard.

England, however, were not looking comfortable and Altidore illustrated the lack of pace at the back to give them a real scare in the 64th minute. He outpaced Carragher in comfort, but Green made some amends for his earlier mistake by turning his angled shot on to the post.

Rooney had been relatively quiet, but almost surprised Howard with a snapshot from long-range that flew just wide. He then set up Wright-Phillips, but his effort was too close to Howard.

England then ran out of ideas as they tired - leaving Bob Bradley's US side to celebrate a

South Korea 2:0 Greece !!

South Korea began their World Cup campaign with a confident victory over Greece in Port Elizabeth.

The 2004 European champions rarely threatened a well-organised and extremely athletic display from South Korea, who impressed with goals in either half from Lee Jung-soo and Park Ji-sung.

Greece produced only two genuine attempts on goal while, in contrast, Huh Jung-moo's team should have won by a larger margin had Monaco striker Park Chu-young been more clinical in front of goal.

The brand new Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth was at best two-thirds full for the opening Group B fixture, although the inevitable drone of the vuvuzelas provided sufficient atmosphere to enliven an intriguing first half dominated by South Korea.

However, it was Greece who had the first genuine goalscoring chance of the match inside two minutes when unmarked left-back Vasileios Torosidis thumped a half-volley from 10 yards just over from Georgios Karagounis's corner.

The missed opportunity was Greece's only significant effort in the half as South Korea took the lead five minutes later.

Ki Sung-yueng's free-kick from close to the right corner flag was inadvertently flicked on by Kostantinos Katsouranis at the near post into the path of onrushing centre-back Lee Jung-soo, who smartly adjusted his body position before volleying in from close range with goalkeeper Alexandros Tzoras nowhere in sight.

The early fillip allowed South Korea to dictate the tempo of the first half, with full-backs Lee Young-pyo and Cha Doo-ri pushing forward at every opportunity, while British-based duo Park Ji-sung and Ki Sung-yueng dominated the experienced Greek pairing of Karagounis and Katsouranis in midfield.

Park Ji-sung was denied an excellent goalscoring opportunity when he was penalised for a foul on Giourkas Seitaridis by New Zealand referee Michael Hester, although replays suggested there was no contact between the two players.

The Manchester United player was once again involved as South Korea spurned a glorious chance to extend their lead in the 28th minute.

Lee-Young-pyo's intervention allowed Park Ji-sung to bisect both Greece centre-backs with a perfectly weighted through ball for Park Chu-young.

The striker displayed impressive acceleration with only Tzoras to beat, but his 12-yard strike deflected off the Panathinaikos keeper's left leg and out for a corner, much to Park Chu-young's frustration.

The end of the first half saw Greece probe Jung Sung-ryong's goal with two promising crosses which just evaded striker Angelos Charisteas.

But Greece manager Otto Rehhagel's frustrations were further compounded within seven minutes of the restart when South Korea doubled their lead courtesy of a horrendous defensive blunder in the 52nd minute by Loukas Vyntra.

The Panathinaikos centre-back received the ball with no apparent danger around him, but an awful first touch allowed the enterprising Park Ji-sung to steal the ball and charge into the box before sliding a well-placed left-footed strike past the onrushing Tzoras.

Rehhagel attempted to inject fresh impetus into his attacking line, replacing the largely redundant Charisteas and Giorgos Samaras with Pantelis Kapetanos and Dimitris Salpingidis.

But neither player could prevent Park Chu-young spurning another great chance to extend South Korea's lead in the 63rd minute when Cho-Doo-ri's perfect right-wing cross found the striker unmarked on eight yards, but his firm header flew over a relieved Tzoras's crossbar.

However, the double substitution had its desired effect as both men pressed forward, pressurising South Korea's defence for the first time in the match.

And goalkeeper Jung Sung-ryong was forced into his first genuine save of the match when he parried Theofanis Gekas's stinging shot on the turn from the edge of the box over the bar for a corner in the 81st minute.

But as Greece pushed forward, South Korea attacked the large areas of vacant space, with Bolton's Lee Chung-yong's 18-yard strike pushed past the left-hand post by Tzoras in the 85th minute.

The goalless defeat further extends Greece's unenviable record of never having scored at the World Cup finals.

Bright start by Maradona Boys !!!

Argentina got their 2010 World Cup campaign off to a winning start and silenced some of their doubters with a dominant performance against Nigeria in Johannesburg.

While not quite the sum of their supremely talented parts, Diego Maradona's side were able to capitalise on the space fatally afforded them by their opponents to register a well-deserved victory, secured through a headed goal from Gabriel Heinze.

Nigeria had their chances, primarily down the left where makeshift Argentine right-back Jonas Gutierrez was often exposed, but forward Chinedu Ogbuke Obasi was wasteful.

A vociferous Ellis Park crowd showed their appreciation for the entertainment on show, particularly that provided by Argentine forward Lionel Messi, who was the standout performer, creating opportunities for others and on a number of occasions drawing superb saves from impressive Super Eagles keeper Vincent Enyeama.

South Korea's comfortable 2-0 win over Greece in Group B's other fixture on Saturday means the winner of next Thursday's match between them and Argentina will be in pole position to qualify for the last 16.

Such an outcome would represent an extremely satisfying stride forward for an Argentina side who have polarised opinion in the build up to this tournament between those who identify them as challengers because of the sheer abundance of talent in their ranks and those who hark back to a turbulent qualifying campaign and the perceived flaws in coach Maradona as reasons to write them off.

While Maradona remained a lively source of fascination on the touchlines, his heir apparent, and the man predicted by many to stamp his authority on this World Cup as his iconic coach did in Mexico in 1986, Barcelona's Fifa World Player of the Year Messi, was a magnetic focal point on the pitch.

Operating in a front three alongside Real Madrid's Gonzalo Higuain and Carlos Tevez of Manchester City - a trio that has scored 105 club goals between them this season - Messi produced a performance befitting of his billing.

Twice in the first 20 minutes Messi ran at the Nigeria defence and provided scoring opportunities for Higuain, but the first the Real Madrid striker put past the near post from three yards out and then saw his angled drive from further out blocked by Enyeama.

Sandwiched between these two chances Argentina took the lead. Tevez's superb curling shot wad tipped over by Enyeama for a corner, from which Juan Sebastian Veron provided the cross for Heinze to dive in unmarked and head home.

The South Americans remained the more likely to score, but they were either wasteful or unable to beat Enyeama, who kept his side as a credible threat in the match with further impressive saves from Higuain and Messi.

Nigeria's preparations for this tournament have been far from ideal, with Swede Lars Lagerback effectively given only three weeks to prepare his squad for the tournament after replacing Shaibu Amodu as coach and star midfielder John Mikel Obi ruled out with a knee injury but they remained committed to the cause throughout.

Had Obasi been better able to capitalise on the poor positional play of Gutierrez with greater accuracy in his shooting in the first half, Taye Taiwo's toe-poke shot been a foot to the left, or had substitute Kala Uche shown greater composure when unmarked to keep his shot under the bar late on the Africans could have salvaged what would have been an undeserved draw.

There was still time in the final few minutes for Messi to slightly blot his copybook by allowing Enyeama to save from six yards when he should have scored but it is harsh to take away from what was a superb display from the forward and an encouraging victory for Maradona's men.