World Cup Corner

Australia - Uruguay 1:0 (4:2 after penalties)

Guus Hiddink did it again. Australia beat Uruguay and will travel to FIFA World Cup 2006 finals in Germany. After 4:2 on penalties the long wait for Australia was over.

Uruguay coach Jorge Fossati said after the game:

I feel great pain. I am at the lowest moment of my sporting life today. I am sorry to the Uruguayan public for failing at the last hurdle. I am at peace with myself. The players gave it their all. All of my players tonight fought like lions till the end.

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There were a loot of friendly matches played on St. Martin’s wine feast weekend. For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about: St. Martin was Europe’s first great wine making monk.

November 11, 2005:
Tunisia - Congo 2:2 (Suspended)
Paraguay - Togo 4:2
Iran - Rep. of Macedonia 1:2

November 12, 2005:
Netherlands - Italy 1:3
South Korea - Sweden 2:2
Argentina - England 2:3
Scotland - USA 1:1
France - Germany 0:0
Portugal - Croatia 2:0
U.A.E. - Brazil 0:8
Romania - Ivory Coast 1:2
Liechtenstein - Rep. of Macedonia 1:2

November 13, 2005:
China - Serbia & Montenegro 0:2
Iran - Togo 2:0
Paraguay - Rep. of Macedonia 1:0
Ecuador - Poland 0:3

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The Czech Republic, Switzerland and Spain are all well-placed to qualify at the halfway stage of the European play-offs for next summer’s FIFA World Cup finals.

FIFA World Cup 2006 play-off (first matches):
Spain - Slovakia 5:1
Switzerland - Turkey 2:0
Norway - Czech Republic 0:1
Trinidad and Tobago - Bahrain 1:1
Uruguay - Australia 1:0

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Norway, Slovakia and Switzerland must play against statistics in the last three European play-off matches for the FIFA World Cup 2006. The statistics, based on the previous encounters between Norway v Czech Republic, Spain v Slovakia and Switzerland v Turkey is favoring Czechs, Spain and Turkey.

Norway v Czech Republic

• Czechoslovakia won 3:2 on November 4, 1988 in Bratislava (friendly)
• Czechoslovakia won 3-2 on September 25, 1991 in Oslo (friendly)
• Draw 1:1 on August 16, 1995 in Oslo (UEFA European Championship qualifying)
• Czech Republic won 2:0 on September 6, 1995 in Prague (European Championship qualifying)

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The England squad have reached agreement in principle with the Football Association over their bonuses for the World Cup finals. Each player could net up to £300,000 if England win the trophy. The meeting included FA officials along with England captain David Beckham, vice-captain Michael Owen, Gary Neville and Sol Campbell.

FA director of communications Adrian Bevington said:

“It was a very constructive meeting, the first on the subject of World Cup issues including team bonus payments, and we are delighted that agreement has been reached in principle after the first discussions.”

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Found via Nik Titanik’s Mad Theatre.

Update, November 10: Nicolas Anelka returned with style. He scored the first goal as France came from two goals down to beat Costa Rica 3-2 in Martinique.

Fenerbahce striker Nicolas Anelka will start for France international squad in friendly against Costa Rica after his surprise call-up to the team. The match, a warm-up for next year’s World Cup finals, has been arranged in Martinique in memory of the 152 people from the French-administered Caribbean island who died in a plane crash in Venezuela in August.

Anelka, whose parents are from Martinique, has not played for France since April 2002 when they drew 0-0 against Russia at the Stade de France. The controversial forward snubbed a late call-up for a friendly against Yugoslavia in November 2002 and has not been selected since.

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Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari named the following 20-man squad for friendlies against Croatia on November 12 in Coimbra, Portugal, and Northern Ireland in Belfast three days later.

Portugal will use the game as build-up for next summer’s World Cup finals.

Goalkeepers:
Ricardo Pereira (Sporting), Paulo Santos (Braga)

Defenders:
Paulo Ferreira and Ricardo Carvalho (both Chelsea), Jorge Andrade (Deportivo Coruna), Marco Caneira (Valencia), Jorge Ribeiro (Dynamo Moscow), Miguel Monteiro (Valencia), Nuno Frechaut (Dynamo Moscow), Fernando Meira (VfB Stuttgart)

Midfielders:
Costinha (Dynamo Moscow), Armando Petit (Benfica), Joao Alves (Sporting), Tiago Mendes (Olympique Lyon)

Forwards:
Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United), Luis Boa Morte (Fulham), Simao Sabrosa (Benfica), Helder Postiga (Porto), Pauleta (Paris St Germain), Nuno Gomes (Benfica).

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Update, November 8: Uruguay have included striker Diego Forlan in their squad for the two-leg World Cup playoff against Australia, even though his Spanish club Villareal said last week that it was unlikely he could play.

Reuters reported that Uruguay striker Diego Forlan is likely to miss his country’s World Cup 2006 play-off tie against Australia after tests revealed he had torn a muscle in the left leg, his club Villarreal said. Forlan sustained the injury during his side’s 1-0 victory over Benfica in the Champions League on Wednesday and Villarreal medical staff said he could be sidelined for up to three weeks.

Forlan will travel to Uruguay to see if there was a possibility that he might be able to play in the tie which takes place over two legs on November 12 and 16.

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