Copa America: Champions Chile bury past ghosts

Chile 0
Argentina 0
After extra time. Chile won 4-1 on penalties.

Chile Bravo (c) - Beausejour, Medel, Diaz, Silva, Isla - Vidal, Valdivia (Fernandez 75), Aranguiz - Sanchez, Vargas (Henriquez 95). Booked Silva, Diaz, Medel, Aranguiz
Argentina Romero - Zabaleta, Demichelis, Otamendi, Rojo - Biglia, Mascherano, Pastore (Banega 81) - Messi (c), Aguero (Higuain 74), Di Maria (Lavezzi 29). Booked Rojo, Mascherano, Banega
Attendance 45,693 at the Estadio Nacional, Santiago Referee Wilmar Roldan (Colombia)
Kick-off 9pm BST. Live on Premier Sports.

Penalties 1-0 Fernandez scored 1-1 Messi scored 2-1 Vidal scored 2-1 Higuain missed 3-1 Aranguiz scored 3-1 Banega missed 4-1 Sanchez scored


HOSTS Chile secured their first ever Copa America title after beating neighbours Argentina on penalties at the Estadio Nacional in Santiago.

Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez chipped the decisive kick as La Roja made up for years of heartbreak with a 4-1 shootout victory on home soil.

Prior to the excitement of the penalties, the match had been a disappointment as Argentina - and Gonzalo Higuain in particular - endured an uneasy sense of deja vu.

It is one week short to an exact year since Argentina were beaten in extra time by Germany in the World Cup Final - and then, as in this match, Higuain missed one of very few clear-cut opportunities for either side.

The Napoli forward even compounded his error this time by blazing his penalty over the bar as Chile took control of the shoot-out.

Matias Fernandez and Arturo Vidal had already scored, with Messi replying for Argentina, when Charles Aranguiz stepped up to take Chile's third.

Aranguiz made no mistake - and so, at 3-1 down, Argentine Ever Banega clearly felt the pressure and gave Chile skipper Claudio Bravo a comfortable save.

All that was left to do for Sanchez then was score - and he did, in some style, with a glorious Panenka-style finish.

Sanchez thus added a little sparkle to Chile's success which came with the hosts almost falling over the line having enjoyed a goal-laden group phase.

True, the draw had been kind to the Chileans as they lined up against Ecuador, Bolivia, and perennial guests Mexico who sent a development squad.

And, following a 2-0 win in the tournament opener against Ecuador, Chile twice had to come from behind in a 3-3 draw with the Mexicans as Vidal scored a brace.

But, in their third group match, the hosts turned on the style to thump Bolivia 5-0 and finish the group stage as the top scorers with 10 goals.

In the other two groups, the games were generally cagey affairs - although the powerhouses, Argentina and Brazil, both eventually topped their respective sections.

Holders Uruguay - without Luis Suarez - were a disappointing and generally cynical mess, while Colombia scored just once in four games - though made it count as Jeison Murillo's goal gave them a 1-0 win over Brazil.

Ah, Brazil - formerly the spiritual home of football but, perhaps, now no more. 

Their most talented player Neymar showed his frustration at the end of that bad-tempered match and was sent off after the final whistle along with Colombia's Carlos Bacca amid a huge scuffle. 

Brazil were able to beat Venezuela without Neymar in their final group match but stodgy, defensive tactics were of no help once Dunga's men had lost the lead against an ageing Paraguay team.

Paraguay thus prevailed in their quarter final on penalties - and so Brazil were made to reflect on another poor defeat, almost one year after their humiliation against Germany.

At least the Brazilians avoided another semi final hammering as Lionel Messi and Argentina delivered the most complete performance of any side at the tournament to beat the Paraguayans 6-1. 

Remarkably, Barcelona forward Messi failed to score any of the half-dozen goals - but he played a hand in every single one.

And, though the competition would ultimately finish in more heartbreak for La Albiceleste, Argentina will retain hope of ending their 22-year drought while Messi remains in the team. 

For Chile, party time is now - though their knockout stage wins against Uruguay and Peru were not without their controversies.

Against Uruguay, Gonzalo Jara acted the villain by inserting a digit up the rectum of Edinson Cavani to prompt a reaction from the Paris Saint-Germain forward which led to his sending off. 

Shorn of Suarez and then Cavani, it was no surprise to see the defending champions bow out to the hosts thanks the Mauricio Isla's late goal.

Then, against Peru, the Chileans rode their luck somewhat, benefiting from a controversial red card for Peru’s Carlos Zambrano, the non-award of a card of any colour for Vidal when he shoved Zambrano in the face early on, and an opening goal that was marginally offside.

The impressive Peruvians, for whom Paolo Guerrero scored a hat-trick in the quarter final against Bolivia, at least recovered to take third place against a shell-shocked Paraguay.

Meanwhile, the Chileans' unsteady progress only added to the feeling that the crown was destined to be won by a host nation for the first time since Colombia's victory in 2001.

Of course, it would be churlish not to give Chile huge credit following their first international trophy after a 99-year wait.

La Roja still generally play the game in the right manner with two strikers - and, in Vidal and Sanchez, they have two outstandingly talented players.

Naturally, both they and their team-mates cannot change the grim history of the Estadio Nacional in Santiago. Notoriously, the arena was used as a prison camp and torture facility by military dictator Augusto Pinochet in 1973.

Nevertheless, this team of Chileans has done all that could be asked of it. For the first time ever, Chile are Copa America champions.

FULL COPA AMERICA 2015 RESULTS
GROUP A

12-Jun 00:30	CHILE	2-0	ECUADOR	Santiago
13-Jun 00:30	MEXICO	0-0	BOLIVIA	Vina del Mar
15-Jun 22:00	ECUADOR	2-3	BOLIVIA	Valparaiso
16-Jun 00:30	CHILE	3-3	MEXICO	Santiago
19-Jun 22:00	MEXICO	1-2	ECUADOR	Rancagua
20-Jun 00:30	CHILE	5-0	BOLIVIA	Santiago

GROUP A TABLE	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
(Q) CHILE	2	1	0	10	3	+7	7
(Q) BOLIVIA	1	1	1	3	7	-4	4
Ecuador	1	0	2	4	6	-2	3
Mexico	0	2	1	4	5	-1	2

GROUP B

13-Jun 20:00	URUGUAY	1-0	JAMAICA	Antofagasta
13-Jun 22:30	ARGENTINA	2-2	PARAGUAY	La Serena
16-Jun 20:00	PARAGUAY	1-0	JAMAICA	Antofagasta
17-Jun 00:30	ARGENTINA	1-0	URUGUAY	La Serena
20-Jun 20:00	URUGUAY	1-1	PARAGUAY	La Serena
20-Jun 22:30	ARGENTINA	1-0	JAMAICA	Vina del Mar

GROUP B TABLE	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
(Q) ARGENTINA	2	1	0	4	2	+2	7
(Q) PARAGUAY	1	2	0	4	3	+1	5
(Q) URUGUAY	1	1	1	2	2	0	4
Jamaica	0	0	3	0	3	-3	0

GROUP C

14-Jun 20:00	COLOMBIA	0-1	VENEZUELA	Rancagua
14-Jun 22:30	BRAZIL	2-1	PERU	Temuco
18-Jun 01:00	BRAZIL	0-1	COLOMBIA	Santiago
19-Jun 00:30	PERU	1-0	VENEZUELA	Valparaiso
21-Jun 20:00	COLOMBIA	0-0	PERU	Temuco
21-Jun 22:30	BRAZIL	2-1	VENEZUELA	Santiago

GROUP C TABLE	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
(Q) BRAZIL	2	0	1	4	3	+1	6
(Q) PERU	1	1	1	2	2	0	4
(Q) COLOMBIA	1	1	1	1	1	0	4
Venezuela	1	0	2	2	3	-1	3

QUARTER FINALS

25-Jun 00:30	CHILE	1-0	URUGUAY	Santiago
26-Jun 00:30	BOLIVIA	1-3	PERU	Temuco
27-Jun 00:30	ARGENTINA*	0-0	COLOMBIA	Vina del Mar
27-Jun 22:30	BRAZIL	1-1	PARAGUAY^	Concepcion

*ARGENTINA won 5-4 on penalties    ^PARAGUAY won 4-3 on penalties

SEMI FINALS

30-Jun 00:30	CHILE	2-1	PERU	Santiago
01-Jul 00:30	ARGENTINA	6-1	PARAGUAY	Concepcion

THIRD PLACE PLAYOFF

04-Jul 00:30 PERU

2-0

PARAGUAY

Concepcion

Copa America preview: First title chance for Chile

A FASCINATING 44th edition of the Copa America began in the early hours of yesterday with hosts Chile easing to a 2-0 win over Ecuador in Santiago.

Remarkably, the Chileans - who are hosting the tournament for the first time since 1991 - have never won a single Copa America in its 99-year history.

But home advantage, a strong team by historical standards, and - most of all - a kindly draw have all given La Roja fans hope of finally breaking their duck.

After all, Chile have avoided Argentina and Uruguay - who have been pitted together in Group B - as well as Brazil and Colombia who are in Group C.

Of course, that draw also means there will be two almighty clashes as early as the group stages.

Holders Uruguay are without their talisman Luis Suarez who is still banned from international football after he took a chunk out of Giorgio Chiellini's shoulder at the last World Cup.

By contrast, pre-tournament favourites Argentina can call upon Suarez's Barcelona team-mate, the already-legendary Lionel Messi, as well as Manchester City's Premier League top scorer Sergio Aguero.

Nevertheless, out of the 12 teams competing, the weight of history is likely to rest on the shoulders of the Argentines most heavily - even taking into account Chile's complete lack of success over the years.

For, Argentina have not won the Copa America since 1993, and missed a huge chance of ending this depressing streak when hosting the last edition in 2011.

Instead, La Albiceleste went out to their great rivals from across the Rio de la Plata in the quarter finals on penalties - and, ultimately, the resurgence of Uruguayan football was confirmed by a 3-0 win over Paraguay in the Final.

Notably, the result also took La Celeste back clear of Argentina - with 15 titles to the Argentines' 14 - in the overall record. Brazil trail in third on eight.

Brazil fans will point out, though, that four of those eight titles have come since Argentina last tasted success.

And the Seleção will be eager to make it three wins out of the last four Copas as part of their continued rehabilitation under coach Dunga following the awful end to their home World Cup last year.

Memories of last year's disappointment are unsurprisingly proving hard to shrug off in Brazil - despite an excellent record of 10 wins in a row since then.

Indeed, those memories are likely to come flooding back when Brazil take on Colombia in Group C in a repeat of last summer's World Cup quarter final.

Last July, Brazil prevailed 2-1 from a rough match - but victory came at a cost as they lost their brightest hope Neymar after he was effectively kicked out of the tournament.

Brazil could have few complaints, however - their constant tactical fouling had turned the quarter final into a pitched battle - and so, while this next match will undoubtedly be a spectacle, it will not be a pretty one.

Naturally, there will still be little moments of genius from Neymar - and his counterpart James Rodriguez - but it would be fair to say, one year on, these teams still do not like each other very much.

It is a shame then - given the presence of Messi, Neymar, James, and Arsenal's Chilean Alexis Sanchez, as well as the numerous sub-plots in South American football - that the tournament has been afforded scant coverage in the UK.

Of course, many of the kick-off times - including Argentina v Uruguay (12.30am) and Brazil v Colombia (1am) - are only really suitable for nightowls and insomniacs.
 
But, in being shuffled off to subscription channel Premier Sports, the Copa America sadly somehow gets far less coverage than the weaker biennial African Cup of Nations.

A calendar of the fixtures is provided below (all times BST). Group winners and runners-up qualify for the knockout stages along with the best two third-placed teams.

GROUP A

12-Jun 00:30	CHILE	2-0	ECUADOR	Santiago
13-Jun 00:30	MEXICO	0-0	BOLIVIA	Vina del Mar
15-Jun 22:00	ECUADOR	2-3	BOLIVIA	Valparaiso
16-Jun 00:30	CHILE	3-3	MEXICO	Santiago
19-Jun 22:00	MEXICO	1-2	ECUADOR	Rancagua
20-Jun 00:30	CHILE	5-0	BOLIVIA	Santiago

GROUP A TABLE	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
(Q) CHILE	2	1	0	10	3	+7	7
(Q) BOLIVIA	1	1	1	3	7	-4	4
Ecuador	1	0	2	4	6	-2	3
Mexico	0	2	1	4	5	-1	2

GROUP B

13-Jun 20:00	URUGUAY	1-0	JAMAICA	Antofagasta
13-Jun 22:30	ARGENTINA	2-2	PARAGUAY	La Serena
16-Jun 20:00	PARAGUAY	1-0	JAMAICA	Antofagasta
17-Jun 00:30	ARGENTINA	1-0	URUGUAY	La Serena
20-Jun 20:00	URUGUAY	1-1	PARAGUAY	La Serena
20-Jun 22:30	ARGENTINA	1-0	JAMAICA	Vina del Mar

GROUP B TABLE	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
(Q) ARGENTINA	2	1	0	4	2	+2	7
(Q) PARAGUAY	1	2	0	4	3	+1	5
(Q) URUGUAY	1	1	1	2	2	0	4
Jamaica	0	0	3	0	3	-3	0

GROUP C

14-Jun 20:00	COLOMBIA	0-1	VENEZUELA	Rancagua
14-Jun 22:30	BRAZIL	2-1	PERU	Temuco
18-Jun 01:00	BRAZIL	0-1	COLOMBIA	Santiago
19-Jun 00:30	PERU	1-0	VENEZUELA	Valparaiso
21-Jun 20:00	COLOMBIA	0-0	PERU	Temuco
21-Jun 22:30	BRAZIL	2-1	VENEZUELA	Santiago

GROUP C TABLE	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
(Q) BRAZIL	2	0	1	4	3	+1	6
(Q) PERU	1	1	1	2	2	0	4
(Q) COLOMBIA	1	1	1	1	1	0	4
Venezuela	1	0	2	2	3	-1	3

QUARTER FINALS

25-Jun 00:30	CHILE	1-0	URUGUAY	Santiago
26-Jun 00:30	BOLIVIA	1-3	PERU	Temuco
27-Jun 00:30	ARGENTINA*	0-0	COLOMBIA	Vina del Mar
27-Jun 22:30	BRAZIL	1-1	PARAGUAY^	Concepcion

*ARGENTINA won 5-4 on penalties    ^PARAGUAY won 4-3 on penalties

SEMI FINALS

30-Jun 00:30	CHILE	2-1	PERU	Santiago
01-Jul 00:30	ARGENTINA	6-1	PARAGUAY	Concepcion

THIRD PLACE PLAYOFF

04-Jul 00:30 PERU

v

PARAGUAY

Concepcion

Copa America 2011: Suarez and Forlan fire Uruguay to victory

FINAL
Uruguay 3 (Suarez 11, Forlan 41, 89)
Paraguay 0

Uruguay Muslera - M Pereira, Lugano (c), Coates, M Caceres (Godin 88) - Gonzalez, Perez (Eguren 69), Arevalo, A Pereira (Cavani 63) - Forlan, Suarez. Booked: Caceres, D Perez, M Pereira, Coates.
Paraguay Villar (c) - Piris, Veron, da Silva, Marecos - Vera (H Perez 64), Ortigoza, V Caceres (Estigarribia 64), Riveros - Zeballos (Barrios 76), Valdez. Booked: Vera, V Caceres.
Attendance 52,000 at the Estadio Monumental  Referee Salvio Fagundes (Brazil)


LUIS SUAREZ and Diego Forlan both scored as Uruguay easily beat Paraguay in Buenos Aires to take an overall lead in the total number of Copa Americas.

Liverpool striker and player of the tournament Suarez opened the scoring in the 11th minute with a deflected strike but, even at that early stage, it was a deserved lead against the toothless Paraguayans.

The match was all one-way traffic with Uruguay dominating for the rest of the first half and so it came as no surprise when Oscar Tabarez's men scored their second just before the break.

This time, it was Atletico Madrid man Forlan who struck his first goal of the tournament after Paraguay had cheaply surrendered possession.

For most of the second half, Uruguay relaxed but it was rarely enough to allow Paraguay a sniff of getting back in the game.

Paraguay did hit the bar on 54 minutes when Nelson Valdez struck a spectacular volley but it was actually Uruguay who finished more strongly.

Sebastian Eguren almost scored in the 74th minute but was foiled when the tournament's best goalkeeper Justo Villar stuck out his left arm with the ball heading for the net.

But Villar was finally beaten for a third time in the last minute by Forlan. The 32-year-old equalled the national record of 31 goals held by Hector Scarone in his 82nd cap with a fine strike after collecting a pass from Suarez.

Uruguay had won and confirmed the arrival of a new golden generation after their third place in last year's World Cup finals, their best result in that tournament since 1970.

The Uruguayans now have 15 Copa America titles as compared to Argentina's 14 and Brazil's eight.

Led by an experienced coach in Tabarez, they importantly have a strong spine in their team of goalkeeper Fernando Muslera, captain and centre-back Diego Lugano, and midfielders Diego Perez and Alvaro Pereira.

And then, of course, Uruguay has been blessed with  Forlan and Suarez up front, perhaps the most lethal strike-force currently playing international football.

At the start, though, this was a rather odd tournament. Even eventual winners Uruguay could only take a point from their opening two matches in 1-1 draws against Peru and Chile.

Thankfully for them, Pereira scored early on in the third match against Mexico to ensure progress but only as a runner-up in Group C behind Chile.

Even then, the Chileans had only secured top spot with a last-minute goal over third-placed Peru who qualified as the best third-placed team.

Meanwhile, hosts and pre-tournament favourites Argentina laboured to consecutive opening draws in Group A against Bolivia and Colombia.

Those results for La Albiceleste allowed the Colombians to take control of the group and they duly finished top with three clean sheets after wins against Bolivia and Costa Rica who both went out.

Argentina only confirmed their progression on the final matchday although there were few nerves on display in the routine 3-0 win over the disappointing, if youthful, Costa Ricans.

It should easily have been a more handsome win with Gonzalo Higuain particularly guilty of missing a hatful of easy chances laid-on by Lionel Messi.

But, with Messi pulling the strings behind a front three of Higuain, Angelo di Maria and Sergio Aguero, the Argentines finished the group stages finally looking as if they may justify their favourites tag.

Finally, in Group B, Brazil also began with two draws though they produced contrasting performances in the 0-0 against Venezuela and the 2-2 against Paraguay.

In the first match, Brazil did everything except score against a stout and determined Venezuelan side but, against Paraguay, the Selecao had to come from behind twice.

The second equaliser from Fred came in the last minute of the match and the concession of late goals became a running theme for Paraguay who drew all three of their group games.

Paraguay's tendency to lapse late on reached new levels against Venezuela when they failed to see out the game despite going 3-1 up with five minutes left through a Cristian Riveros strike.

Instead, the impressive Vinotinto scored twice in stoppage time through Nicolas Fedor and Grenddy Perozo to salvage a 3-3 draw.

Both Venezuela and Paraguay made it through but it was Brazil, despite their earlier troubles, who finished top of the section after a fine display in beating Ecuador 4-2.

Alexandre Pato and Neymar both scored twice as the Brazilians proved too strong for Ecuador who had just about stayed in the game for the first hour thanks to two goals from Felipe Caicedo.

And so, despite the tournament threatening otherwise, the big names all made the cut. Bolivia, Ecuador and the two development squads from the invitees Costa Rica and Mexico were the teams which went home.

However, the rumbles of a shock had been present throughout the group phase and, in the Quarter Finals, the rumble erupted as all four favourites lost.

Colombia can consider themselves unlucky having hit the woodwork three times while the previously in-form Radamel Falcao also missed a second-half penalty.

The Peruvians held on until extra time then dealt a double sucker-punch with substitute Carlos Lobaton and captain Juan Manuel Vargas scoring either side of the extra time interval for a 2-0 win.

The drama that evening had only just begun as Argentina and Uruguay responded brilliantly to a raucous atmosphere for the Rio de la Plata in Santa Fe.

There were two goals in the opening 17 minutes with Perez sliding in from close range for the visitors before Higuain got the hosts back on terms with a fine strike.

And it looked to be 'advantage Argentina' when goalscorer Perez stupidly got himself sent off for two bookings just before half time.

But Sergio Batista's men toiled in the second half despite their numerical supremacy and even this advantage was removed when Argentine captain Javier Mascherano repeated Perez's error.

Nevertheless, Argentina were the better side and Uruguay keeper Muslera had to be in the form of his life to deny most notably Higuain with a brilliant reflex save.

It seemed written in the stars that Muslera would play the decisive part in the tie and that became even more apparent when the match went to penalties.

Uruguay were nerveless in the shootout, converting all five of their penalties, whereas anxious Argentina rode their luck throughout the exchange.

Javier Pastore only just managed to squeeze his penalty underneath Muslera and Higuain scored via the underside of the bar.

By then, though, Muslera was already eyeing glory after he saved substitute Carlos Tevez's weak spot-kick. The Manchester City man evident had something else on his mind...

Tevez proved to be the solitary failure once Martin Caceres confirmed Uruguay's place in the semis with the final kick.

Argentina were out of their own tournament and, unsurprisingly, manager Batista has subsequently resigned before the Argentine Football Association (AFA) had a chance to act.

In the third quarter final, Brazil took on Paraguay in a repeat of their group stage clash which Paraguay had come ever so close to winning.

This time, sadly, Paraguay reverted to their shells and only managed their first attack in the last moments of normal time and their first shot on target in the last minute of extra time.

Brazil huffed and puffed but it was to no avail as the match drifted into the extra period.

Midfielders Ramires and Lucas Leiva had seen plenty of the ball but neither produced anything of note and the latter compounded his failures by getting sent off after an on-field brawl with Antolin Alcaraz.

With Paraguay killing the game, the brawl was just about the most interesting aspect of extra time and more Copa penalties became inevitable.

In the shoot-out, Brazil gave a comical performance, missing all four of their kicks as Paraguay went through with a two-out-of-three success rate.

Defenders Thiago Silva and Andre Santos had stepped up for Brazil along with Elano and Fred while Robinho, who had played on the periphery throughout, declined to take one.

Ultimately, Brazil had failed to hold their nerve, and badly.

Just 12 months after their surprise World Cup exit to Netherlands despite holding a 1-0 half-time lead and just 36 months before they host the World Cup themselves, the signs are not looking good for home success in 2014.

Success for Venezuela in 2014 would simply mean qualification for the finals and the continent's only previous whipping boys breached another barrier in this tournament by reaching the semi finals for the first time.

Their 2-1 extra time win in the last eight came against Chile who were much-fancied after their group stage performances.

Once again, though, the underdogs came out on top having ridden their luck.

Venezuela actually started brighter and Ozwaldo Vizcarrondo gave them the lead with a header on 34 minutes.

After the break, though, the Chileans were better and pushed for a winner once Humberto Suazo had equalised with 20 minutes to go.

But the coup de grace came from Venezuela with just nine minutes left when Gabriel Cichero scored from close range to complete an extraordinary couple of days.

Colombia, Argentina, Brazil and Chile had been eliminated. It was becoming ever clearer that this was Uruguay's time again.

First, though, they had to deal with Peru who were appearing in their first semi final at the Copa America since 1997.

The opening half was as tight as to be expected but Suarez removed the shackles in the second period and scored twice in five minutes to kill off the tie with half an hour left.

Suarez struck the first on the rebound after Raul Fernandez could only push out Forlan's stinging long-range effort - and, five minutes later, the tie was over once Suarez had rounded Fernandez after Pereira's ball over the top.

Peru's last hope of a dramatic comeback ended 10 minutes after Suarez's second when captain Vargas was sent off for an elbow borne of frustration.

It was a terribly disappointing end to a fine tournament for Peru who had finished bottom of the 2010 World Cup qualifying group with just 11 goals and 13 points from 18 games.

Hopefully, they can build on a truly unexpected semi final berth and, indeed, a third-placed finish following a 4-1 win over Venezuela in the playoff thanks to Jose Guerrero's hat-trick.

The score was a little harsh on the Venezuelans as two of top scorer Guerrero's goals came in the last few moments against tired legs. Nevertheless, Venezuela can also be proud of their efforts in this tournament.

Indeed, they could have gone further with a bit of a luck, losing out to Paraguay 5-3 on penalties after a 0-0 draw in which they struck the woodwork three times.

That penalty shoot-out ensured Paraguay progressed to the Final without having won a match inside 90 minutes or even 120 minutes.

Five consecutive draws - five goals for, five against in five matches - the beautiful game, this certainly was not. Neither was another brawl which marred the end of the Venezuela-Paraguay tie.

The spectre of Paraguay's anti-football winning the day loomed large over the tournament but Uruguay ended that prospect comprehensively with their new golden generation.


RESULTS AND STATISTICS
GROUP A
Colombia (7 points) and Argentina (5 points) progress to the Quarter Finals. Costa Rica (3 points) and Bolivia (1 point) are eliminated.

Date	Venue
2 July	La Plata	ARGENTINA 1-1 BOLIVIA
2 July	Jujuy	COLOMBIA 1-0 COSTA RICA
7 July	Santa Fe	ARGENTINA 0-0 COLOMBIA
7 July	Jujuy	BOLIVIA 0-2 COSTA RICA
10 July	Santa Fe	COLOMBIA 2-0 BOLIVIA
12 July	Cordoba	ARGENTINA 3-0 COSTA RICA

GROUP B
Brazil (5 points), Venezuela (5 points) and Paraguay (3 points) progress to the Quarter Finals. Ecuador (1 points) are eliminated.

Date	Venue
3 July	La Plata	BRAZIL 0-0 VENEZUELA
3 July	Santa Fe	PARAGUAY 0-0 ECUADOR
9 July	Cordoba	BRAZIL 2-2 PARAGUAY
9 July	Salta	VENEZUELA 1-0 ECUADOR
13 July	Salta	PARAGUAY 3-3 VENEZUELA
14 July	Cordoba	BRAZIL 4-2 ECUADOR

GROUP C
Chile (7 points), Uruguay (5 points) and Peru (4 points) progress to the Quarter Finals. Mexico (0 points) are eliminated.

Date	Venue
4 July	San Juan	URUGUAY 1-1 PERU
5 July	San Juan	CHILE 2-1 MEXICO
8 July	Mendoza	URUGUAY 1-1 CHILE
9 July	Mendoza	PERU 1-0 MEXICO
12 July	Mendoza	CHILE 1-0 PERU
13 July	La Plata	URUGUAY 1-0 MEXICO

QUARTER FINALS

Date	Venue
16 July	Cordoba	COLOMBIA 0-2 PERU aet.
16 July	Santa Fe	ARGENTINA 1-1 URUGUAY aet. URUGUAY won 5-4 on pens.
17 July	La Plata	BRAZIL 0-0 PARAGUAY aet. PARAGUAY won 2-0 on pens.
17 July	San Juan	CHILE 1-2 VENEZUELA

SEMI FINALS

20 July	La Plata	PERU 0-2 URUGUAY
21 July	Mendoza	PARAGUAY 0-0 VENEZUELA aet. PAR won 5-3 on pens.

THIRD PLACE PLAYOFF

23 July

La Plata PERU

4-1 VENEZUELA

FINAL

24 July

Buenos Aires

URUGUAY 3-0 PARAGUAY

SCORERS

5 goals Pablo Guerrero (Peru)

4 Luis Suarez (Uruguay)

3 Sergio Aguero (Argentina)

2 Neymar, Alexandre Pato (Brazil), Radamel Falcao (Colombia), Felipe Caicedo (Venezuela), Diego Forlan, Alvaro Pereira (Uruguay)

1 Angel di Maria, Gonzalo Higuain (Argentina), Edivaldo Rojas (Bolivia), Fred, Jadson (Brazil), Esteban Paredes, Alexis Sanchez, Humberto Suazo, Artuto Vidal (Chile), Adrian Ramos (Colombia), Jose Campbell, Josue Martinez (Costa Rica), Nestor Araujo (Mexico), Antolin Alcaraz, Lucas Barrios, Nelson Haedo Valdez, Cristian Riveros, Roque Santo Cruz (Paraguay), William Chiroque, Carlos Lobaton, Juan Manuel Vargas (Peru), Diego Perez (Uruguay), Juan Arango, Gabriel Cichero, Nicolas Fedor, Cesar Gonzalez, Grenddy Perozo, Salomon Rondon, Oswaldo Vizcarrondo (Venezuela)

1 own goal Andre Carrillo (Peru) for Chile

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS

Most Valuable Player Luis Suarez (Uruguay)

Best Young Player Sebastian Coates (Uruguay)

Best Goalkeeper Justo Villar (Paraguay)

TOTAL COPA AMERICAS WON (most recent victory)

15 Uruguay (2011)

14 Argentina (1993)

8 Brazil (2007)

2 Paraguay (1979), Peru (1975)

1 Colombia (2001), Bolivia (1963)

0 Chile, Ecuador and Venezuela have never won the Copa America, nor have any invitees.

Copa America 2011: Argentina hope home advantage ends 18-year wait

ARGENTINA will attempt to win their first major title for 18 years when they host the Copa America throughout July.

The Argentines still hold the joint overall lead with 14 Copas but the last of these titles came in 1993.

Somewhat surprisingly, it is Uruguay who are the only team to match La Albiceleste's record with Brazil lagging behind in third with eight victories.

Brazil's record actually includes four wins from the last five editions and it is fair to say that the Selecao place much more emphasis on the competition than previously.

In its early days, the Copa America - which predates its European equivalent by 44 years - was seen largely as a spat between the two sides of the Rio de la Plata - namely, Argentina and Uruguay.

But it is now very much part of Brazil's football calendar, and especially so in this particular four-year international cycle.

For, Brazil - as hosts of the World Cup in 2014 - have qualified automatically for it and so the Copa America will provide a rare opportunity for them to play competitive matches.

However, the Brazilians traditionally find it tough in Argentina, having won only two competitive matches there - although the last of these did come as recently as 2009 in the World Cup qualifiers.

Argentina will be looking for revenge for that loss - and also for defeats in the Final of the last two editions of the Copa America in 2004 and 2007.

But the feeling is that, with Lionel Messi pulling the strings from midfield and Gonzalo Higuain up front, the Argentines have a good chance of ending their drought. It will come as little surprise that Argentina's weakness remains their defence.

By contrast, Brazil fans are still wondering where the joga bonito - the 'beautiful game' - has gone. Kaka spent much of last season sidelined by injury while youngster Neymar has shown only fleeting glimpses of his genius.

Overall, the current Brazil team is more closely represented by the likes of Chelsea's Ramires, an uncompromising tackler - and it all feels far too pragmatic to be Brazil.

Indeed, the South American team which, perhaps, excited the most at the last World Cup was Uruguay - and Oscar Tabarez's side went further than both Brazil and Argentina by reaching the semi finals.

Since then, Luis Suarez - unfairly lambasted and yet deservedly punished for his instinctive goal-line save in the quarter final against Ghana - helped Liverpool to recover in the second half of last season.

And the Uruguayan resurgence was further in evidence by the country's most successful club, Penarol, reaching the Final of the Copa Libertadores.

It is the first time since Newell's Old Boys in 1988 that Uruguay has provided a representative in the Final of the South American equivalent of the Champions League.

Penarol - locked at 0-0 with Brazil's Santos after the first leg - are looking for their first Copa Libertadores since 1987.

With the Big Three having dominated the competition throughout its history, the record of the other South American teams is pretty weak.

Peru and Paraguay have just two wins apiece, the last of which came in 1975 and 1979 respectively.

Colombia and Bolivia have won the Copa once but both had home advantage when they did so and, perhaps most surprisingly all of all, Chile have never won it.

Nevertheless, the marathon round-robin World Cup qualifying groups have raised the standard of play across the continent and the invitees also usually provide strong competition.

This time, the invitees - Mexico, for an eighth time, and Costa Rica for a fourth appearance - are both from the CONCACAF region.

Los Ticos were not originally invited but stepped in quickly once Japan withdrew, citing difficulties with European clubs in getting their players released.

The pair should perform creditably having already been in competitive action this summer in the 2011 Gold Cup, and both will fancy being among the eight teams who progress to the quarter finals.

Group winners, runners-up and the best two third-placed teams will contest these final stages.

ESPN will provide live coverage of every match in the UK. Kick-off times below are BST and based upon the 24-hour clock.


GROUP A
Colombia (7 points) and Argentina (5 points) progress to the Quarter Finals. Costa Rica (3 points) and Bolivia (1 point) are eliminated.

Date	Venue
2 July	La Plata	ARGENTINA 1-1 BOLIVIA
2 July	Jujuy	COLOMBIA 1-0 COSTA RICA
7 July	Santa Fe	ARGENTINA 0-0 COLOMBIA
7 July	Jujuy	BOLIVIA 0-2 COSTA RICA
10 July	Santa Fe	COLOMBIA 2-0 BOLIVIA
12 July	Cordoba	ARGENTINA 3-0 COSTA RICA

GROUP B
Brazil (5 points), Venezuela (5 points) and Paraguay (3 points) progress to the Quarter Finals. Ecuador (1 points) are eliminated.

Date	Venue
3 July	La Plata	BRAZIL 0-0 VENEZUELA
3 July	Santa Fe	PARAGUAY 0-0 ECUADOR
9 July	Cordoba	BRAZIL 2-2 PARAGUAY
9 July	Salta	VENEZUELA 1-0 ECUADOR
13 July	Salta	PARAGUAY 3-3 VENEZUELA
14 July	Cordoba	BRAZIL 4-2 ECUADOR

GROUP C
Chile (7 points), Uruguay (5 points) and Peru (4 points) progress to the Quarter Finals. Mexico (0 points) are eliminated.

Date	Venue
4 July	San Juan	URUGUAY 1-1 PERU
5 July	San Juan	CHILE 2-1 MEXICO
8 July	Mendoza	URUGUAY 1-1 CHILE
9 July	Mendoza	PERU 1-0 MEXICO
12 July	Mendoza	CHILE 1-0 PERU
13 July	La Plata	URUGUAY 1-0 MEXICO

QUARTER FINALS

Date	Venue
16 July	Cordoba	COLOMBIA 0-2 PERU aet.
16 July	Santa Fe	ARGENTINA 1-1 URUGUAY aet. URUGUAY won 5-4 on pens.
17 July	La Plata	BRAZIL 0-0 PARAGUAY aet. PARAGUAY won 2-0 on pens.
17 July	San Juan	CHILE 1-2 VENEZUELA

SEMI FINALS

20 July	La Plata	PERU 0-2 URUGUAY
21 July	Mendoza	PARAGUAY 0-0 VENEZUELA aet. PARAGUAY won 5-3 on pens.

THIRD PLACE PLAYOFF

23 July

La Plata PERU

4-1 VENEZUELA

FINAL

24 July

Buenos Aires

URUGUAY 3-0 PARAGUAY - see tournament report here.

World Cup 2010: For the record

CLASSIFICATION + FULL RESULTS + INDIVIDUAL AWARDS + SCORERS + RED CARDS

CLASSIFICATION
1 SPAIN (beat Netherlands 1-0 aet in Final)
2 NETHERLANDS (lost to Spain 0-1 aet in Final)
3 GERMANY (beat Uruguay 3-2 in third/fourth playoff)
4 URUGUAY (lost 3-2 to Germany in third/fourth playoff)
5 GHANA (lost on pens to Uruguay after 1-1 aet draw in QF)
6 BRAZIL (lost 1-2 to Netherlands in QF)
7 PARAGUAY (lost 0-1 to Spain in QF)
8 ARGENTINA (lost 0-4 to Germany in QF)
9 JAPAN (lost on pens to Paraguay after 0-0 draw in R2)
10 UNITED STATES (lose 1-2 to Ghana aet in R2)
11 SOUTH KOREA (lost 1-2 to Uruguay in R2)
12 SLOVAKIA (lost 1-2 to Netherlands in R2)
13 PORTUGAL (lost 0-1 to Spain in R2)
14 MEXICO (lost 1-3 to Argentina in R2)
15 ENGLAND (lost 1-4 to Germany in R2)
16 CHILE (lost 0-3 to Brazil in R2)
17 IVORY COAST (Group Stage: 4 points, +1 GD)
18 SLOVENIA (Group Stage: 4 points, 0 GD, 3 goals)
19 SWITZERLAND (Group Stage: 4 points, 0 GD, 1 goal)
20 SOUTH AFRICA (Group Stage: 4 points -2 GD)
21 AUSTRALIA (Group Stage: 4 points, -3 GD)
22 NEW ZEALAND (Group Stage: 3 points, 0 GD) - only unbeaten team at WC2010
23 SERBIA (Group Stage: 3 points, -1 GD)
24 DENMARK (Group Stage: 3 points, -3 GD, 3 goals)
25 GREECE (Group Stage: 3 points, -3 GD, 2 goals)
26 ITALY (Group Stage: 2 points, -1 GD)
27 NIGERIA (Group Stage: 1 point, -2 GD, 3 goals)
28 ALGERIA (Group Stage: 1 point, -2 GD, 0 goals)
29 FRANCE (Group Stage: 1 point, -3 GD, 1 goal)
30 HONDURAS (Group Stage: 1 points, -3 GD, 0 goals)
31 CAMEROON (Group Stage: 0 points, -3 GD)
32 NORTH KOREA (Group Stage: 0 points, -11 GD)

FULL RESULTS
Final:
Netherlands 0-1 Spain (aet)
Third/Fourth place:
Uruguay 2-3 Germany

Semi Finals:
Uruguay 2-3 Netherlands
Germany 0-1 Spain

Quarter Finals:
Uruguay 1-1 Ghana (aet. Uruguay won 4-2 on pens)
Netherlands 2-1 Brazil
Argentina 0-4 Germany
Spain 1-0 Paraguay

Last 16:
Uruguay 2-1 South Korea
United States 1-2 Ghana (aet)
Germany 4-1 England
Argentina 3-1 Mexico
Netherlands 2-1 Slovakia
Brazil 3-0 Chile
Paraguay 0-0 Japan (aet. Paraguay won 5-3 on pens)
Spain 1-0 Portugal

Group Stage:
First matches + Second matches + Third matches
GROUP A
11/06 South Africa 1-1 Mexico
11/06 Uruguay 0-0 France
16/06 South Africa 0-3 Uruguay
17/06 Mexico 2-0 France
22/06 Mexico 0-1 Uruguay
22/06 France 1-2 South Africa

	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
URUGUAY	2	1	0	4	0	7
MEXICO	1	1	1	3	2	4
SOUTH AFRICA	1	1	1	3	5	4
FRANCE	0	1	2	1	4	1

GROUP B
12/06 South Korea 2-0 Greece
12/06 Argentina 1-0 Nigeria
17/06 Argentina 4-1 South Korea
17/06 Greece 2-1 Nigeria
22/06 Nigeria 2-2 South Korea
22/06 Greece 0-2 Argentina

	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
ARGENTINA	3	0	0	7	1	9
SOUTH KOREA	1	1	1	5	6	4
GREECE	1	0	2	2	5	3
NIGERIA	0	1	2	3	5	1

GROUP C
12/06 England 1-1 United States
13/06 Algeria 0-1 Slovenia
18/06 Slovenia 2-2 United States
18/06 England 0-0 Algeria
23/06 Slovenia 0-1 England
23/06 United States 1-0 Algeria

	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
UNITED STATES	1	2	0	4	3	5
ENGLAND	1	2	0	2	1	5
SLOVENIA	1	1	1	3	3	4
ALGERIA	0	1	2	0	2	1

GROUP D
13/06 Serbia 0-1 Ghana
13/06 Germany 4-0 Australia
18/06 Germany 0-1 Serbia
19/06 Ghana 1-1 Australia
23/06 Ghana 0-1 Germany
23/06 Australia 2-1 Serbia

	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
GERMANY	2	0	1	5	1	6
GHANA	1	1	1	2	2	4
AUSTRALIA	1	1	1	3	6	4
SERBIA	1	0	2	2	3	3

GROUP E
14/06 Netherlands 2-0 Denmark
14/06 Japan 1-0 Cameroon
19/06 Netherlands 1-0 Japan
19/06 Cameroon 1-2 Denmark
24/06 Denmark 1-3 Japan
24/06 Cameroon 1-2 Netherlands

	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
NETHERLANDS	3	0	0	5	1	9
JAPAN	2	0	1	4	2	6
DENMARK	1	0	2	3	6	3
CAMEROON	0	0	3	2	5	0

GROUP F
14/06 Italy 1-1 Paraguay
15/06 New Zealand 1-1 Slovakia
20/06 Slovakia 0-2 Paraguay
20/06 Italy 1-1 New Zealand
24/06 Slovakia 3-2 Italy
24/06 Paraguay 0-0 New Zealand

	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
PARAGUAY	1	2	0	3	1	5
SLOVAKIA	1	1	1	4	5	4
NEW ZEALAND	0	3	0	2	2	3
ITALY	0	2	1	4	5	2

GROUP G
15/06 Ivory Coast 0-0 Portugal
15/06 Brazil 2-1 North Korea
20/06 Brazil 3-1 Ivory Coast
21/06 Portugal 7-0 North Korea
25/06 Portugal 0-0 Brazil
25/06 North Korea 0-3 Ivory Coast

	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
BRAZIL	2	1	0	5	2	7
PORTUGAL	1	2	0	7	0	5
IVORY COAST	1	1	1	4	3	4
NORTH KOREA	0	0	3	1	12	0

GROUP H
16/06 Honduras 0-1 Chile
16/06 Spain 0-1 Switzerland
21/06 Chile 1-0 Switzerland
21/06 Spain 2-0 Honduras
25/06 Chile 1-2 Spain
25/06 Switzerland 0-0 Honduras

	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
SPAIN	2	0	1	4	2	6
CHILE	2	0	1	3	2	6
SWITZERLAND	1	1	1	1	1	4
HONDURAS	0	1	2	0	3	1

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
Golden Boot Thomas Mueller (Germany) - 5 goals, 3 assists
Golden Ball Diego Forlan (Uruguay)
Golden Glove Iker Casillas (Spain)
Best Young Player Thomas Mueller (Germany)

SCORERS
145 goals in 64 matches. Average: 2.27 per match
5 Thomas Mueller (Germany), David Villa (Spain), Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands), Diego Forlan (Uruguay)
4 Gonzalo Higuain (Argentina), Robert Vittek (Slovakia), Miroslav Klose (Germany)
3 Luis Suarez (Uruguay), Landon Donovan (United States), Luis Fabiano (Brazil), Asamoah Gyan (Ghana)
2 Andres Iniesta (Spain), Lukas Podolski (Germany), Elano (Brazil), Arjen Robben (Netherlands), Tiago (Portugal), Robinho (Brazil), Keisuke Honda (Japan), Brett Holman (Australia), Javier Hernandez (Mexico), Kalu Uche (Nigeria), Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon), Carlos Tevez (Argentina), Lee Chung-Yong (South Korea), Lee Jung-Soo (South Korea)
1 Martin Demichelis, Gabriel Heinze, Martin Palermo (Argentina); Tim Cahill (Australia); Juan, Maicon (Brazil); Jean Beausejour, Mark Gonzalez, Rodrigo Millar (Chile); Nicklas Bendtner, Dennis Rommedahl, Jon Dahl Tomasson (Denmark); Steven Gerrard, Jermain Defoe, Matthew Upson (England); Florent Malouda (France); Cacau, Arne Friedrich, Marcell Jansen, Sami Khedira, Mesut Oezil (Germany); Kevin-Prince Boateng, Sulley Muntari (Ghana); Dimitris Salpigidis, Vasilis Torosidis (Greece); Daniele De Rossi, Antonio Di Natale, Vincenzo Iaquinta, Fabio Quagliarella (Italy); Didier Drogba, Salomon Kalou, Koffi Ndri Romaric, Yaya Toure (Ivory Coast); Yasuhito Endo, Shinji Okazaki (Japan); Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Rafael Marquez (Mexico); Klass-Jan Huntelaar, Dirk Kuyt, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Robin van Persie (Netherlands); Winston Reid, Shane Smeltz (New Zealand); Yakubu Aiyegbeni (Nigeria); Ji Yun-Nam (North Korea), Antolin Alcaraz, Cristian Riveros, Enrique Vela (Paraguay); Hugo Almeida, Liedson, Raul Meireles, Cristiano Ronaldo, Simao (Portugal); Milan Jovanovic, Marko Pantelic (Serbia); Kamil Kopunek (Slovakia); Valter Birsa, Robert Koren, Zlatan Ljubijankic (Slovenia); Bongani Khumalo, Katlego Mphela, Siphiwe Tshabalala (South Africa); Park Chu-Young, Park Ji-Sung (South Korea); Carles Puyol (Spain); Gelson Fernandes (Switzerland); Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey (United States); Edinson Cavani, Alvaro Pereira, Maxi Pereira (Uruguay)
2 own goals Daniel Agger (Denmark, for Netherlands), Park Chu-Young (South Korea, for Argentina)

RED CARDS
17 red cards and 260 yellow cards in 64 matches.
Nicolas Lodeiro (Uruguay) v France
Abdelkader Ghezzal (Algeria) v Slovenia
Aleksandar Lukovic (Serbia) v Ghana
Tim Cahill (Australia) v Germany
Itumeleng Khune (South Africa) v Uruguay
Sani Kaita (Nigeria) v Greece
Miroslav Klose (Germany) v Serbia
Harry Kewell (Australia) v Ghana
Kaka (Brazil) v Ivory Coast
Valon Behrami (Switzerland) v Chile
Yoann Gourcuff (France) v South Africa
Antar Yahia (Algeria) v United States
Marco Estrada (Chile) v Spain
Ricardo Costa (Portugal) v Spain
Felipe Melo (Brazil) v Netherlands
Luis Suarez (Uruguay) v Ghana
Johnny Heitinga (Netherlands) v Spain

World Cup 2010: Dutch spring a surprise on fallible Brazil while Germany storm through

QUARTER FINALS
02/07 Netherlands 2-1 Brazil
02/07 Uruguay 1-1 Ghana (aet. Uruguay won 4-2 on pens)
Semi Final: Netherlands v Uruguay [Tue 6 July, 7:30pm]

NETHERLANDS produced a stunning second half comeback to send ten-man Brazil crashing out of the World Cup at the Quarter Finals for the second time in a row.

Brazil coach Dunga paid for the failure with his job, sacked along with the rest of his staff before he even had the chance to tender his resignation to Ricardo Teixeira, the Brazilian Federation chief.

Set pieces proved the Brazilians' undoing as a Felipe Melo own goal and a Wesley Sneijder header turned the tie on its head as the Dutch reached their first World Cup Semi Final since 1998.

A win for the Dutch never looked likely after a first period which was completely dominated by five-time champions Brazil.

Even before Robinho slotted home an inch-perfect pass from Melo to make it 1-0 on 10 minutes, the former Manchester City man had already had a goal ruled out for Dani Alves' offside.

After the goal, the pressure continued as Juan blazed over and Maarten Stekelenburg was forced to produce a top-drawer save from Kaka's curling effort.

The second half began in much the same style as the first until Arjen Robben, who was until that point having a frustrating game, pushed the ball past Michel Bastos on the right.

Bastos somehow avoided a second booking but Brazil were punished from Sneijder's delivery which caused confusion between goalkeeper Julio Cesar and Melo, flicking the defender's head and ending up in the corner of the net.

The goal, which came on 53 minutes, completely changed the feeling of the match. The Dutch were more energetic and the Brazilians were now much shakier at the back.

That was clear when Juan conceded a needless corner in the 68th minute. Robben curled it in and Dirk Kuyt flicked it perfectly for Sneijder to head his third goal of the World Cup finals.

Brazil were now on the back foot, behind for the first time in the tournament, and Dunga's men did not cope well.

They has already lost all semblance of organisation at the back when Melo then completely lost his discipline, giving Japanese ref Yuichi Nishimura no option but to send him off.

After fouling Robben who went to ground, Melo thought it justified to stamp on the flying Dutchman.

Brazil's task had just got harder and they were simply not up to it, resorting eventually to long-balls which were easily dealt with by Andre Ooijer and Johnny Heitinga.

Meanwhile, the Dutch had started playing on the break and Klass van Huntelaar and Kuyt both missed chances to seal the win.

But it did not matter - the Dutch survived a few nervy corners and one Kaka shot that went just wide to record a ninth successive win and extend their unbeaten run to 24 matches.

With a winning streak like that, it is no surprise that Bert van Marwijk's men are favourites in their Semi Final against Uruguay, now the only remaining South American team.

Uruguay killed off any hope of an African success at the first World Cup in Africa, knocking out Ghana in controversial circumstances on an emotional night in Johannesburg.

The Ghanaians looked set to become the first ever African team in the World Cup Semi Finals when they were awarded a last-minute penalty after Luis Suarez prevented a goal with handball on the line.

Poor Asamoah Gyan stepped up and, with the last kick of the game, hit his penalty hard enough but it was just too high, clipping the top of the bar and going over.

It meant Suarez, who was sent off meaning he misses the Semi Final, had effectively kept his team in the tournament though his improvised goal-tending looked more instinctive than anything.

But, certainly, the Black Stars entered the penalty shootout with a negative mindset after Gyan's dramatic miss.

Not that it seemed to effect the super-cool Gyan who showed real guts to strike Ghana's first penalty in the shootout into the top corner. If only...

Still, Uruguay also had the advantage of taking first and, at 3-2 ahead, it looked as if it had paid off.

Sunderland man John Mensah took no run-up before rolling a pathetically soft penalty into the hands of Uruguayan keeper Fernando Muslera.

But then Maxi Pereira put Ghana back in the game by blazing over meaning young Dominic Adiyah had the chance to level the scores back up.

The pressure told on the 20-year-old striker, though at least he forced Muslera into a save worthy of its name.

Substitute Sebastian Abreu applied the coup de grace sending Uruguay through to their first Semi Final since 1970 with an audacious chip down the middle.

Oscar Tabarez's men had started the match better as Suarez and Diego Forlan both drawing early saves from Richard Kingson in the Ghana goal.

But, after a nervy start, the Black Stars got more and more of a foothold in the game, building up a real head of a steam before half-time.

Isaac Vorsah put a header wide when he really should have scored before Gyan also went just wide after good work by Kevin-Prince Boateng down the right.

The breakthrough eventually came in first-half stoppage time. Nothing really looked on when Sulley Muntari picked the ball up 35 yards from goal and so he smashed the ball towards goal.

The early whipped shot caught Muslera off guard, finishing neatly in the bottom corner after moving in the air.

Unfortunately for Ghana, and all the home South Africans supporting them, their joy was to be short-lived in the second half.

Former Manchester United forward Forlan had wasted numerous set plays in the first period but none had been so ideally placed as the one from which he scored on 55 minutes.

John Pantsil had brought down Jorge Fucile on the left-hand edge of the penalty area and Forlan did the honours, curling an exquisite up-and-over the wall shot to the left of Kingson.

That left the game up for grabs but the players also seemed to realise this and, after an open first hour of the match, tiredness meant chances were at a premium.

Uruguay looked slightly more likely and Suarez glanced a header just past the post but as the match moved into its final 10 minutes, both sides seemed to cease hostilities momentarily.

Extra time was also a scrappy affair as Ghana's tired legs - they also played an extra 30 minutes in the Second Round against United States - held off Uruguay's attacks.

But this game deserved a dramatic finsh and Ghana, with some help from Suarez, gave it one.

Boateng swung in a corner, Adiyah had his shot blocked legally on the line by Suarez's legs before Adiyah's next attempt - a header - was saved by the Uruguayan forward.

Suarez left the field in tears but he was soon doing cartwheels down the tunnel after watching Gyan miss from the sidelines.

It was a cruel moment for Gyan who has impressed throughout this tournament and, despite him overcoming his own demons straightaway in the shootout, it became even crueller.


QUARTER FINALS
03/07 Argentina 0-4 Germany
03/07 Spain 1-0 Paraguay
Semi Final: Germany v Spain [Wed 7 July, 7:30pm]

GERMANY turned on the style again to thrash Argentina 4-0 and reach their third World Cup semi final in a row.

Miroslav Klose scored twice on his 100th cap to join his compatriot Gerd Mueller on 14 World Cup finals goals, one behind Ronaldo on the all-time scorers' list.

Thomas Mueller and Arne Friedrich got the other goals as Germany hit four for a second successive match and the third time in the tournament.

Joachim Loew's men got a perfect start when Mueller got ahead of all the Argentine defence to head Bastian Schweinsteiger's free kick into the net off goalkeeper Sergio Romero inside three minutes.

It was the quickest goal in a match at World Cup 2010 and it put Germany in control for the whole of the first spell of the game with the Argentine full backs Nicolas Otamendi and Gabriel Heinze run ragged.

On 24 minutes, the contest should have been over - Mueller beat Heinze down the right and pulled the ball back at the perfect angle for Klose.

For once, the German striker lacked composure and blazed his shot over the bar, and it looked for a while that it could be a costly miss.

Argentina belatedly started to get some joy and Lionel Messi began to play further upfield, winning a couple of free kicks on the edge of the box.

From the rebound off the wall of one of these free kicks, Argentina worked the ball wide and put it in the net but no fewer than four forwards in the middle were offside.

But, as half-time approached, Argentina's defence remained hopelessly outclassed as Phillipp Lahm burst past Heinze again, only for Mueller's effort to be deflected wide.

Early in the second half, the Argentine forwards did their best to get their team back on level terms but Germany showed their other quality in addition to their fast attacking breaks: fully committed defending.

This was no more in evidence than when Per Mertesacher blocked Carlos Tevez's volley full in the face as Angel di Maria began to make inroads down the right.

Further shots from Tevez and Gonzalo Higuain meant Manuel Neuer was definitely working the harder of the two goalkeepers and the second goal was the very definition of a sucker punch.

With 67 minutes on the clock, Mueller spread the ball to Lukas Podolski on the left. He beat Otamendi all too easily before rolling the ball along the six-yard line for Klose to walk into the net.

Just seven minutes later, the Argentine defence collapsed again. This time, Schweinsteiger reached the byline against little resistance before pulling the ball back for Friedrich to score his first ever goal for Germany.

The Germans, who had started the match so brightly before riding out the Argentina storm, finished in full control, able to pick their runners on the break at will.

The fourth goal came in the death throes of the game as Podolski found Mesut Oezil and his cross was volleyed home with a great sense of finality by Klose.

At full-time, Diego Maradona left the pitch with much to consider about his future after Argentina's worst World Cup finals defeat since 1958.

Meanwhile, the Germans juggernaut continues to flatten all before them but next up is Spain in a repeat of the Euro 2008 Final which the Spaniards won 1-0.

But Joachim Loew's men come into the match on much better form after Spain laboured past Paraguay 1-0 in their Quarter Final.

While Germany have scored 13 goals in five matches, Spain have managed just six - and five of those have come from David Villa who saved them once again with a late winner.

With the match heading towards extra time, Andres Iniesta found Pedrito who hit the post before the rebound fell kindly for Villa who put his shot in off both posts.

Earlier in the second half, the match had exploded into life as both sides missed a penalty within two minutes of each other.

Paraguay got their chance from 12 yards first after Gerard Pique blatantly brought down Oscar Cardozo at a corner. Cardozo took the kick himself but Iker Casillas guessed correctly and saved well to his left.

Spain responded almost straightaway and Villa won a soft penalty after jinking past Antolin Alcaraz.

Former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso stepped up and put the ball in the net but Guatemalan referee Carlos Batres disallowed it for encroachment.

Alonso's next attempt was saved by Justo Villar but the miss only served to liven up the Spanish attacks, culminating in Villa's goal.

Until the penalties just before the hour mark, the match had been a cagey affair. Paraguay had never got this far in a World Cup while Spain were looking to breach the Quarter Finals for the first time.

The Paraguayans opened the better of the two sides and, though Spain improved as the first half went on, there was barely anything to test either goalkeeper.

Nelson Valdez could have done just that but the Paraguay forward blazed the final effort of the first half over moments after having been harshly flagged for offside from the best move of the first period.

Meanwhile, Spain were persisting with the ailing Fernando Torres up front and their short quick passes were really struggling to break down the Paraguay defence.

Matters were little improved at the start of the second half and it was perhaps typical of Torres' World Cup so far that the action only began after his withdrawal on 56 minutes.

But Paraguay will rue their penalty miss a minute later as, although Spain followed suite just two minutes after that, Vincente del Bosque's men belatedly started getting the game by the scruff.

Iniesta and Xavi went close but it was inevitable that it would be Villa to save the match from an extra 30 minutes.

With such little time left, Paraguay had time for just one last chance but Casillas made an excellent double save from Lucas Barrios and Roque Santa Cruz.

After a bit of keep-ball from the European champions, the full time whistle was blown. Spain had finally beaten their Quarter Final hoodoo - but not all convincingly.

World Cup 2010: Bloemfontein thrashing ends England's hopes

ENGLAND suffered the worst defeat in their World Cup finals history, losing 4-1 to old rivals Germany to go out in the Second Round in Bloemfontein.

The Three Lions' back four - Ashley Cole, John Terry, Matthew Upson and Glen Johnson - were pulled apart by the pacy German forwards with Mehut Ozil pulling the strings.

On 20 minutes, Miroslav Klose helped himself to his 50th international goal - more than any Englishman in history - when he stole in ahead of Terry and Upson from an innocous goal kick.

And it was deservedly 2-0 shortly afterwards when a neat passing move ended with Lukas Podolski in space in the England right-back area.

Podolski took a poor touch but he had so much time that he was able to adjust his position and fire through goalkeeper David James' legs.

But, if this was to be a bad day for England, it would also be a disastrous one for governing body FIFA and its president Sepp Blatter.

Blatter has repeatedly rejected calls for goal-line technology to be introduced, arguing ludicrously that it would be too expensive for the world's richest sport.

England had somehow got back into the match at 2-1 on 40 minutes when Upson went briefly from zero to hero by heading in a short corner.

Then, a minute later, Frank Lampard crashed a shot off the underside of the bar which went well over the goal-line for what should have been 2-2.

Unfortunately for Blatter, the Uruguayan referee and his myopic linesman compatriot failed to see the clear goal, leaving the England players understandably incensed.

But, for Germany, this was sweet revenge for England's disputed third goal in the 1966 Final.

And, despite feeling that they should have been level at the interval, England had been second best for much of the opening period.

The gulf between an ageing England squad and a vibrant Germany team showed again in the second half.

Lampard hit the bar again in a brief rally after half-time but, when Thomas Mueller beat the woeful Gareth Barry for pace to score twice in three minutes on the counter, it was time to take down the bunting.

Unsurprisingly, the highly-paid England coach Fabio Capello blamed the defeat on that disgraceful refereeing call but the Italian and his 23 man squad could do with looking closer to home first.

This World Cup as a whole was an awful effort from England. Poor in the 1-1 draw against the United States, Capello's men somehow got even worse in the 0-0 stalemate with Algeria.

England gained a reprieve by qualifying for the last 16 with a 1-0 against Slovenia, a country with 2m people.

But a failure to get a second goal against the Slovenians meant England finished second behind United States in Group C.

It was likely that the Three Lions would have had to beat Germany, Argentina, Spain and Brazil to win the tournament.

Exposed in defence and useless in attack, it was sadly not a surprise that England failed to clear the first of these hurdles.

Their neandethal style of play with the long-ball constantly pumped towards Emile Heskey deserved nothing more.

Wayne Rooney was a peripheral figure throughout and he has now failed to score a single goal at a major tournament finals since 2004.

On the other hand, aided by a generous defence, Germany scored more goals in Bloemfontein than England managed all the way through the tournament.

The wheat has been sorted from the chaff. The real World Cup starts here.

SECOND ROUND RESULTS
26/06 Uruguay 2-1 South Korea
26/06 United States 1-2 Ghana (after extra time)
27/06 Germany 4-1 England
27/06 Argentina 3-1 Mexico
28/06 Netherlands 2-1 Slovakia
28/06 Brazil 3-0 Chile
29/06 Paraguay 0-0 Japan (Paraguay won 5-3 on pens)
29/06 Spain 1-0 Portugal
Quarter Finals: Uruguay v Ghana, Germany v Argentina, Netherlands v Brazil, Paraguay v Spain

SOUTH AMERICAN teams have dominated the first World Cup on African soil so far with four of the five teams progressing to the last eight.

Six-time winners Brazil produced their best performance of the tournament so far to dispose of Chile, the only South Americans to fail to make it to the Quarter Finals.

It was a cruel case of history repeating itself for the Chileans who went down to a third defeat to Brazil in the World Cup finals.

La Roja had previously lost to Brazil 4-1 in the Second Round in 1998 and 4-2 in the Semi Finals in 1962.

Brazil had also won 3-0 and 4-2 in the two qualifiers for World Cup 2010, and Chile could provide no answer once again to another inspired performance in Johannesburg.

Nevertheless, the first goal was preventable - it was utter simplicity as Juan headed in a corner on 34 minutes to give Dunga's men the lead.

But, from then, Brazil relaxed and were soon 2-0 up when Luis Fabiano scored his fourth goal of the finals at the end of a neat passing move.

Robinho added a third after the break with a strike from the edge of the box as Brazil began to justify their favourites tag. They are now as short as 5/2 with most bookmakers.

Despite that, Argentina have probably been the best team to watch at the World Cup so far. La Albiceleste have had the most shots in the tournament and have scored the most goals.

Argentina beat Mexico 3-1 in a repeat of their Second Round fixture from four years ago to set up another repeat fixture from World Cup 2006 - against Germany in the Quarter Finals.

Germany won that match on penalties having scored a late equaliser in normal time but the Argentines look well-placed for revenge after Carlos Tevez's double in Johannesburg.

Nevertheless, Tevez's first goal on 25 minutes should not have been allowed, the Manchester City man having prodded home Lionel Messi's through-ball from a clear offside position.

It was an unbelievable missed call from the linesman as Tevez was ahead of every Mexican player when Messi threaded the ball.

The mistake came just hours after England had been denied a clear goal against Germany, and it completed a terrible day for FIFA and Sepp Blatter.

Mexico were shaken by the opener and, perhaps unsurprisingly, were 2-0 just minutes later when Gonzalo Higuain hit his fourth of the tournament after a defensive error.

And the contest was over just seven minutes into the second half when Tevez hit a glorious strike to make it 3-0.

New Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez pulled a goal back with 20 minutes left but it was nothing more than mere consolation and El Tri have now gone out of each of the last five World Cup finals in the last 16.

Uruguay and Paraguay are the other South Americans still in the hunt after their Second Round wins over Asian pair South Korea and Japan.

Luis Suarez scored on eight minutes and 80 minutes as Uruguay beat South Korea 2-1 to reach their first World Cup Quarter Final since 1970.

It was a heart-breaking defeat for the Koreans who spent much of the game chasing after Suarez's early strike.

The pressure from 2002 semi finalists finally seemed to have paid off when Bolton Wanderers' Lee Chung-Yong headed in a free-kick from close range on 68 minutes.

But a belting strike from Suarez left little time for another South Korean response and ensured two-time winners Uruguay could turn back the clock.

By contrast, Paraguay have a modest World Cup history and have reached the Quarter Finals for the first time ever after beating Japan on penalties.

The Japanese had never gone beyond the Second Round stage either and so this was a tense tie with few chances which finished 0-0.

With Paraguay taking first, all five penalties had been converted when Yuichi Komano stepped up but he fired his spot-kick over the bar.

Nelson Valdez made it 4-2 to the Paraguayans before Keisuke Honda kept Japan hopes alive. Oscar Cardozo ensured it was a brief stay of execution and Paraguay progress to meet Spain.

The Spanish will have seen little to worry them from their South American opponents having produced their best performance of the World Cup to beat neighbours Portugal 1-0.

David Villa scored the only goal of the match on 63 minutes but it was the least the Euro 2008 winners deserved.

Portugal had set out to contain Spain but relied on goalkeeper Eduardo to save brilliantly from Fernando Llorente, Sergio Ramos and Villa before the breakthrough.

The best Portuguese chances fell to Hugo Almeida either side of half-time. First, Almeida put an easy header wide before he was considerably less fortunate to see a looping effort spin past the post.

However, that was all Portugal had to offer and, while Fernando Torres' troubles continued - he was withdrawn on the hour for Llorente - Spain march on...

... And so do Ghana as the African continent's last representative at the first African World Cup after a 2-1 win over United States in extra time.

The Black Stars became only the third African country to reach the last eight after Cameroon in 1990 and Senegal in 2002 with that win over the Americans.

And victory over Uruguay would mean they would be the first ever team from Africa to reach the Semi Finals.

Ghana started well against USA and Kevin-Prince Boateng's early goal led to a succession of chances in the first half.

The Ghanaians failed to extend their advantage and looked set to pay for their profligacy when the Americans produced a much-improved second half performance.

Bob Bradley's men got a deserved equaliser when Landon Donovan scored from the spot after Jonathan Mensah's clumsy tackle on Clint Dempsey but neither team could find a winner in 90 minutes.

Just three minutes into extra time, Ghana struck another early blow as Asamoah Gyan showed great composure to control a long-ball before producing a sweet strike for his third goal of the finals.

The goal left the Americans shell-shocked and they were unable to raise much of a response until late on but Ghana survived without too much panic.

Netherlands beat Slovakia 2-1 after goals from Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder gave them a fourth World Cup finals win out of four.

The victory was more comfortable than the score suggests with the Oranje able to control the match and hold Slovakia off at arm's length after Robben's 18th-minute low strike from outside the box.

Miroslav Stoch and Robert Vittek had chances early in the second half to equalise but Maarten Stekelenburg produced two top-drawer saves and the match swung back in the Dutch's favour.

A quick free-kick played in Dirk Kuyt on the left and he beat the advancing Slovakian keeper Jan Mucha to set up Wesley Sneijder for the easiest of goals with six minutes left.

Despite a lack of time left in the game, the Dutch could have extended their lead further before Vittek scored a penalty with literally the last kick of the game after Stekelenburg's foul on him.