..::Football III::..

[Wolverine GTR]

England 1-0 Denmark: Sturridge heads late winner

Daniel Sturridge's late header gave England a 1-0 win over Denmark after Kasper Schmeichel looked to have denied them victory at Wembley.


The Liverpool striker headed home Adam Lallana's inviting cross eight minutes from time to ensure England secured victory in their final game before Roy Hodgson names his provisional 30-man squad for the Fifa World Cup in Brazil.

Defeat was harsh on Leicester City goalkeeper Schmeichel, who produced a string of outstanding saves to keep the hosts out until Sturridge, who has 18 Premier League goals to his name this season, popped up with the winner.

Losses against Chile and Germany had put Hodgson at risk of becoming the only England boss to lose three consecutive home internationals, but the home side were not to be denied.

Denmark had their chances, but were ultimately unable to stretch their unbeaten run to six matches.

Glen Johnson won his 50th cap and was one of five Liverpool players in the England starting line-up, with captain Steven Gerrard, Raheem Sterling, Sturridge and Jordan Henderson making up the Anfield quintet.

Denmark were without key midfielder Christian Eriksen for their first game since long-serving coach Morten Olsen signed a new two-year contract.

Jack Wilshere's involvement looked like it may only last 13 minutes after he went down following a challenge from Denmark captain Daniel Agger, but the Arsenal midfielder was able to continue.

Casper Sloth was shown a yellow card four minutes later after he upended Gerrard as the midfielder charged towards the penalty area and the resulting free-kick was fired over by Wayne Rooney.

The lively Sturridge produced some lovely trickery before firing the ball across the face of the goal 32 minutes in as England continued to ask questions of the Denmark defence.

The visitors almost caught them out six minutes later, though, when Jakob Poulsen raced into the area and beat Joe Hart but Gary Cahill was on hand to clear.

Sterling somehow failed to convert the marauding Ashley Cole's inviting cross from point-blank range and then Schmeichel produced an outstanding save with his feet to deny Sturridge as Denmark weathered the storm late in the first half.

Teenage left-back Luke Shaw made his England debut as a half-time substitute to replace Cole, while Olsen brought on Kasper Kusk and Jesper Juelsgard at the break with Emil Larsen and Lars Jacobsen making way.

Juelsgard wasted no time in getting into the thick of the action as he whipped in a dangerous cross but Cahill was alert to the danger.

Gerrard had a shot deflected narrowly wide after 59 minutes, but it was not quite happening for England.

And they were indebted to Hart when the keeper raced out to narrow the angle and thwart Morten Rasmussen just three minutes after the striker had come on.

Danny Welbeck then brought another fine reflex save out of Schmeichel, who got down well to keep out a right-foot strike that looked bound for the net and the keeper denied the same player with a fine stop shortly after.

But Sturridge had the last laugh as he nodded home Lallana's fine left-footed cross to end England's five-month wait for a goal.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Ireland 1-2 Serbia: O'Neill suffers first defeat

Martin O'Neill tasted defeat for the first time in charge of the Republic of Ireland as they were beaten 2-1 by Serbia.

Shane Long gave Ireland a dream start by capitalising on an error from Branislav Ivanovic, but Serbia, 38 places higher than their opponents in the world rankings, showed their class in the second half to turn the friendly in Dublin on its head.
James McCarthy's own goal ended a superb incisive move after 48 minutes and Filip Djordjevic's close-range effort on the hour mark completed the turnaround.

The game was the first in which Ireland have conceded under O'Neill in his three games in charge, but he will take encouragement from the first half in particular, when his side would have had more than one goal but for a poor offside decision and wayward finishing from Long.

Ireland should have had an early lead when Glenn Whelan, captain in the absence of John O'Shea, saw his volley touched in by Wes Hoolahan, but the flag went up for offside.Replays showed the Norwich City midfielder was unfortunate, but O'Neill's men did get in front after eight minutes when Serbia captain Ivanovic woefully underhit a backpass, leaving Long to coolly lift in his 11th international goal.

Serbia - led for the first time by acting coach Ljubinko Drulovic - could have been level soon after when Milan Bisevac was left unmarked for a corner, but he headed straight at David Forde.

The visitors started to impose themselves and Ivanovic would have atoned for his error after 20 minutes, but McCarthy cleared his powerful header off the line.
It was Ireland's turn to threaten from a corner soon after as Marc Wilson met a deep corner before heading wide.

And Ireland should have added a second after 29 minutes. Hoolahan released Long following a quick break, but with just the goalkeeper to beat, he shot straight at Vladimir Stojkovic, who was also in the way of the rebound.

Twente's Dusan Tadic almost caught Forde out just before half-time with a stunning curling effort when a cross was more likely, but the goalkeeper got back to palm behind.

Ireland conceded their first goal of the O'Neill era just after half-time through a sweeping move that saw Tadic find Aleksandar Kolarov, whose square ball came off the unfortunate McCarthy before trickling in.In response, Hoolahan again put Long in the clear with a superb pass but the Hull City striker elected to shoot early and put the ball wide.

The turnaround was complete on the hour mark when Seamus Coleman's sloppy pass allowed Nemanja Matic to feed Tadic on the left. Zoran Tosic could not make a proper connection with the cross, but Djordjevic calmly controlled and slotted in from close range.Substitute David Meyler had a great chance to equaliser from a corner, but thumped his header over.

Kolarov would have made the scoreline more flattering with a thunderous low strike from long range, but Forde capped an impressive individual performance by palming away.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Wales 3-1 Iceland: Bale stars in rare Welsh win

Gareth Bale played a part in all three goals as Wales triumphed 3-1 over Iceland in their international friendly on Wednesday.

The Real Madrid winger was in unstoppable form and provided the assist as James Collins gave the hosts an early lead at the Cardiff City Stadium.

Ashley Williams inadvertently put the ball in his own net following a Johann Gudmundsson shot before the break, but Sam Vokes headed Wales back in front on 64 minutes after Bale had forced Kari Arnason to clear off the line.

And the 24-year-old rounded off his superb display by netting a fine solo effort 20 minutes from time to get Wales' preparations for the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign off to the best possible start.

Chris Coleman handed a Wales debut to Manchester City youngster Emyr Huws, currently on loan at Birmingham City, while Bale started on the right, fresh from a thrilling Madrid derby at the weekend.

And the former Tottenham man was instrumental as Wales broke the deadlock in the 12th minute, whipping in a sublime free kick for Collins to head home his third international goal.

Iceland have risen 50 ranking places in the last 12 months and only missed out on a trip to the World Cup at the play-off stage, but they struggled to put Wales goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey under any pressure in the early stages.

Bale's threat, meanwhile, was constant and he stung the palms of Hannes Halldorsson with a dipping strike from distance 18 minutes in before Joe Allen scooped an effort over the crossbar.

But the hosts' lead was cancelled out in the 26th minute, when a tame Gudmundsson strike was deflected beyond Hennessey by the outstretched boot of captain Williams amid suspicions of offside against the visitors in the build-up.

Lars Lagerback's men dominated possession for the remainder of the half, but were lucky not to concede a penalty 10 minutes from the break when Vokes was brought down by a combination of Icelandic defenders.

Hal Robson-Kanu's mazy run nine minutes into the second half looked set to unlock the Iceland defence, but an eventual prod with the outside of the boot sent the ball wide of the right-hand post from the edge of the penalty area.

Hennessey recklessly rushed off his line and failed to gather the ball shortly after the hour mark, but was spared his blushes by a Danny Gabbidon clearance.

And Wales restored their lead moments later – Vokes heading into the back of the net after Arnason had done well to clear off the line from a Bale strike.

Bale's performance was complete in 70th minute when he embarked on a run that started in his own half, surged forward and stroked the ball beyond Halldorsson from just inside the box.

Robson-Kanu tried his luck from distance as Wales continued to threaten, but his fizzing effort was punched clear.

Birkir Bjarnason saw a drilled effort drift wide of the right-hand upright in stoppage time as Iceland feel to a third consecutive defeat.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Poland 0-1 Scotland: Strachan’s men unbeaten in five after Brown winner

A captain's goal from Scott Brown gave Scotland a psychological edge in their dress rehearsal for the Euro 2016 qualifier with Poland.

Despite absorbing most of the pressure and showing little attacking threat, a resolute performance from Gordon Strachan's men saw them stretch their unbeaten record to five games as Brown scored the only goal of the game with 13 minutes left.

The Celtic man had retained the captaincy as Darren Fletcher made his long-awaited return following illness but only to the bench, and he provided the decisive contribution on Wednesday.

Leeds United's Ross McCormack spearheaded the attack with Steven Fletcher for Scotland, while Norwich's Russell Martin returned to his unaccustomed role in the centre of defence.

For Poland, as expected, Borussia Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski was missing and his club colleague Lukasz Piszczek took on the captaincy.

A patient but spirited opening saw both sides play some neat football, with Scotland's David Marshall forced into the first save of the match after 11 minutes when he tipped a curling left-footed effort from Werder Bremen midfielder Ludovic Obraniak over the crossbar from 25 yards.

Poland continued to force the pace and in the 28th minute another long-range effort from Arkadiusz Milik was pushed wide low to his left by Marshall.

A midfield clash between Brown and Poland's Slawomir Peszko shortly before half-time prompted a head-to-head confrontation between the pair, with the referee taking a lenient approach in only booking both players.

That was almost the last incident of note in an open first half as Poland were kept at arm's length, but Scotland offered their first attempt on goal in injury time when a neat passing move ended with right back Alan Hutton hitting low at Wojciech Szczesny's legs.

Strachan made two changes for the Scots at the break, bringing Darren Fletcher on for his international return, and Steven Naismith also replaced Steven Fletcher up front.

It was Poland who continued to press however, and they should have taken the lead in the 58th minute when a free-kick on the left from Obraniak was met by the unmarked Kamil Glik, who headed downwards but wide with the goal at his mercy.

A neat flick from Obraniak then released Milik again in the 65th minute, but he lifted the ball over Marshall and the crossbar from the edge of the six-yard box.

Against the run of play Scotland took the lead in the 77th minute with a brilliant goal from Brown.

A cross was only partially cleared by the Polish defence and it fell to the 28-year-old, who emphatically rifled the ball passed the stationary Szczesny from 25 yards.

With time running out Poland pushed for an equaliser and Marshall was forced to punch a long-range effort away, but Strachan's men held on.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Germany 1-0 Chile: Gotze strike makes difference for Die Mannschaft

Mario Gotze grabbed the only goal as Germany stepped up their World Cup preparations by beating Chile 1-0 on Wednesday.



Joachim Low's side are one of the favourites for the showpiece in Brazil later this year, having eased to nine wins and a draw in an unbeaten qualifying campaign.

Yet, in an era when they have been rightly lauded for their new-found attacking style, Germany were forced to rely on the methods of their predecessors when sneaking the spoils against a Chile side who lent further weight to the theory that they will be a match for anybody when the tournament starts in June.

On a night when much of the focus centred on whether Miroslav Klose could grab the one goal required to become Germany's most prolific marksman of all time, it was Gotze who earned the victory.The fact that Klose, who was withdrawn at half-time, remains level with the legendary Gerd Muller on 68 goals will not detract from an impressive win for Low's men.

Indeed, a contest between two free-flowing teams lived up to its billing as both sides showed glimpses of their prowess.

It was the South American side, who impressed in coming through the tough qualifying group to reach the World Cup, that started the brighter.Germany seemed particularly confused by the visitors' 3-3-1-3 formation as Chile's fluidity repeatedly caught their opponents out.

One of their counter-attacks almost led to an opener as Gonzalo Jara's excellent diagonal ball found Mauricio Isla, whose cross was intercepted by Jerome Boateng with Barcelona's Alexis Sanchez lurking for a simple tap-in.

Philipp Lahm had to be on high alert too a few moments later when clearing off the line after Arturo Vidal had met the resulting corner with a bullet header.Soon afterwards, though, Germany took the lead against the run of play.

Mesut Ozil played a fine one-two with Bastian Schweinsteiger on the edge of the box before sliding across to Gotze, who controlled quickly with his right foot and lifted the ball into the top corner with his left.

Chile should have levelled in the 26th minute but Vidal struck straight at the goalkeeper from close range after a rare Schweinsteiger error.

The famous goal that man-of-the-moment Klose craved almost came, albeit in fortuitous fashion, as the striker mis-controlled Kevin Grosskreutz's powerful effort towards goal to force a solid, diving stop from Johnny Herrera.Germany came even closer to doubling their tally when Gotze found space in the area, yet he curled narrowly wide.

Much like the opening period, Chile came out of the blocks quickly after half-time and created a series of half-chances.Their best opening fell to Sanchez, only for the Barcelona forward to hit the woodwork as the visitors continued to be frustrated.

Manuel Neuer's goal was under siege for the remainder of the half but a resolute defence was on hand to produce a series of last-ditch blocks as Germany sealed the win.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Ukraine 2-0 USA: Klinsmann's men slump to dismal defeat

Goals from Andriy Yarmolenko and Marko Devic saw Ukraine inflict a 2-0 defeat on the USA on Wednesday evening.

The Dynamo Kiev winger opened the scoring early on with a tap-in after some poor defending from the visitors, before Devic made sure of the win in the second half.

The match took place at a near-empty Antonis Papadopoulos Stadium in Larnaca, Cyprus, after a last-minute change of venue away from a crisis-hit Ukraine.

The USA's backline was torn apart as Ukraine opened the scoring on 12 minutes. Denis Garmash made a run through the midfield and was played onside by Brooks, who failed to step up in time.

In one-on-one with Tim Howard, Garmash saw his shot saved, but set up Andriy Yarmolenko for an easy tap-in with the rebound.

Yarmolenko then had a great chance to double his tally when he was played in behind a leaky U.S. defence, but he took his run wide and screwed a right-footed shot wide of the far post.

The half-time whistle couldn't come soon enough for the Americans after an entirely underwhelming first half showing.

Jurgen Klinsmann's side started the second half in a more positive fashion though, and Altidore should have done better with his header when Cameron sent in a good cross in the 51st minute.

But that start proved to be a false dawn, as Ukraine struck again to double their lead with the American defence again badly exposed.

Substitute Marko Devic was played right through the centre of defence and just like the first goal, Howard made a great initial stop, only for the rebound to fall straight to Devic, who fired home.

Substitute Aron Johannsson came close to scoring a consolation for the visitors with just minutes to play, but his left-foot volley from a corner kick was cleared off the line.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Romania 0-0 Argentina: Albiceleste play out goalless encounter with Tricolori

Argentina had a bizarre refereeing decision to thank for avoiding defeat with a 0-0 stalemate in Romania on Wednesday.

Despite their embarrassment of attacking riches, Alejandro Sabella's side struggled to create clear-cut chances against a dogged Romanian defence in Bucharest and the hosts were unfortunate to see Alexandru Maxim's first-half goal disallowed.



Maxim fired home at the back post after collecting a superb cross from Alexandru Matel 10 minutes before half-time, only for referee Gianluca Rocchi to rule the effort out after his assistant inexplicably flagged for an infringement.

As an out-of-sorts Lionel Messi, who appeared to vomit on the pitch shortly after kick-off, toiled, Sergio Aguero offered Argentina's main threat but the Manchester City star was foiled by stoic defending on three occasions before being withdrawn early in the second-half.

Messi had the first effort on goal with a 25-yard free-kick which was deflected wide after four minutes, but Romania grew in confidence as the visitors' captain and talisman struggled to exert his usual influence.

After Gonzalo Higuain had a shot smothered by Ciprian Tatarusanu, the hosts began to carve out chances, with skipper Ciprian Marica forcing Sergio Romero to tip his looping header over the bar on 21 minutes.

Romania were served a reminder of the firepower at Sabella's disposal when Aguero's effort from Higuain's cut-back was blocked, although it was the hosts who spurned the best chance of the first-half in the 33rd minute.Matel's superb delivery from the right was met with a thumping header from Maxim, which was somehow kept out by Romero from point-blank range.

That same duo combined again shortly after for the game's main talking point, as the assistant referee decided that Maxim's well-taken left-footed shot should not stand.

Aguero provided a moment of real quality six minutes before the interval, as the forward surged past three defenders only to see his effort from 10 yards well saved by Tatarusanu.

City striker Aguero again went close almost immediately after the restart as he raced onto Javier Mascherano's throughball and rounded club-mate Costel Pantilimon, who replaced Tatarusanu at the break, only to see his shot from an acute angle blocked by Florin Gardos.

Sabella elected to withdraw Aguero for Rodrigo Palacio just before the hour, and with him went much of Argentina's attacking threat.However, it was Palacio who missed Argentina's best chance of the match shortly after when he side-footed wide form close range, before Angel di Maria looped a shot over after latching on to another splendid Mascherano pass.

Pantilimon was again called into action in the closing stages as he produced an incredible stop to divert substitute Ezequiel Lavezzi's half-volley over the bar, but Sabella was left to reflect on a below-par performance in Argentina's final friendly before he names his World Cup squad.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Montenegro 1-0 Ghana: Damjanovic penalty clinches victory

An early penalty from Dejan Damjanovic was enough to give Montenegro a 1-0 victory over Ghana in Podgorica on Wednesday.

Damjanovic converted the only goal of the game in Podgorica after the hosts were awarded a spot kick for a foul by David Addy on Filip Kasalica after just 15 seconds.

Ghana settled into the game well after that early blow, but they wasted a host of chances to draw level, with Christian Atsu guilty of missing three alone in the first half.

The 2010 World Cup quarter-finalists continued to push for an equaliser in the second half, but even the introduction of Kevin-Prince Boateng and Asamoah Gyan could not get them back into the game.

With the World Cup only 99 days away, the African nation made the worst possible start as Addy gifted the hosts a penalty in the opening seconds with a rash challenge on Kasalica.Damjanovic made no mistake from the spot as he calmly sent Adam Kwarasey the wrong way.

After their poor start, Ghana slowly took control of the game and as they dominated possession the chances started to come - both Atsu and Michael Essien going close, although neither were able to beat Mladen Bozovic.

With the half coming to a close, Montenegro had two chances to double their lead but, after they had a penalty shout for handball waved away, Damjanovic wasted a one-on-one as Kwarasey turned his shot around the post.Abdul Waris wasted Ghana's first sight of goal in the second half, the forward heading a cross from Albert Adomah wide without testing the goalkeeper.

Wakaso Mubarak also went close for the visitors after a neat link-up with Atsu, while Montenegro's threat came from mostly from set-pieces and counter-attacks with Kwarasey was rarely tested again after the break as they hung on for victory.
Boateng had one final chance in the closing stages as Montenegro struggled to clear a dangerous Ghana cross, but the Schalke midfielder saw his low effort well saved by Bozovic.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

South Africa 0-5 Brazil: Neymar nets hat-trick as Selecao stroll

Brazil stepped up their preparations for this summer's World Cup by beating South Africa 5-0 in Johannesburg.

Oscar got the ball rolling for the Selecao by scoring after just 10 minutes, before Neymar made it 3-0 with goals either side of half-time. Fernandinho made it four late on before Neymar completed his hat-trick in stoppage time.

Brazil largely dictated the tempo in the early stages and were duly rewarded with the opening goal after 10 minutes.

Hulk collected the ball on the right-hand side and his wonderful well-weighted pass behind the South Africa defence found Oscar, who sprung the offside trap and calmly dinked over Williams.

South Africa responded with Bernard Parker's flash shot from the edge of the area that went wide of the far post before the hosts were dealt a further blow when centre-back Bongani Khumalo was taken off the pitch on a stretcher following a collision with Marcelo.Shortly before the half-hour mark, Brazil wasted a great chance to make it 2-0.

Neymar pounced on a misplaced pass in midfield and surged towards Williams, but the goalkeeper stood up well to deny the Barcelona forward's chipped finish.
Neymar was proving a constant menace, however, and he finally got his name on the scoresheet five minutes before the break.The 22-year-old drove at the South Africa defence before feinting left and drilling under Williams' legs from the left of the box.

And it took just 22 second-half seconds for Neymar to grab his second of the game, when he latched on to Fred's flicked pass and finished with a superb lob over Williams.

Willian - who had replaced Hulk at half-time - came close to a third soon after, the Chelsea man curling wide from the left-edge of the area.South Africa replaced Parker with Ayanda Patosi shortly after the hour mark and he almost had an immediate impact with a close-range strike that forced Julio Cesar into a fine reaction save.

Fernandinho added further gloss to the scoreline with a fierce 30-yard effort that nestled in the top corner. And Neymar grabbed his third in the closing stages when he swept home Jo's knock down.

Brazil have now lost just once in 19 games and will play further friendlies with Panama and Serbia before the World Cup.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Japan 4-2 New Zealand: Kagawa on target in six-goal thriller

A flurry of early goals, amid some questionable defending, helped Japan to a 4-2 friendly win over New Zealand in Tokyo on Wednesday.The visitors were in action for the first time since missing out on a place in the World Cup and subsequently seeing coach Ricki Herbert depart from his role.

However, caretaker coach Neil Emblen saw his side collapse under early pressure from the hosts as Japan moved four goals ahead inside 17 minutes. Shinji Okazaki opened the scoring after just four minutes, Shinji Kagawa doubled the lead from the penalty spot and Masato Morishige got in on the act with his first goal for Japan.

Okazaki then completed his double, but New Zealand demonstrated character in responding through Chris Wood, who struck late in each half to at least reduce the margin of his side's defeat.

Following their 9-3 loss over two legs to Mexico in November, New Zealand's hopes of beginning 2014 with a win were almost immediately dented when Okazaki took advantage of a lack of communication in the New Zealand backline to prod home.

Kagawa, who provided the assist for the opener, then converted a spot-kick after being felled in the area, before Keisuke Honda's free-kick from the right was headed home by Morishige.

A shellshocked New Zealand looked to reorganise but were hit with another hammer blow as Honda backheeled Kagawa's pass into the path of Okazaki, who finished well - although visiting goalkeeper Glen Moss will feel he could have done better.

The one bright spot for Emblen will be the spirit his side showed to pull two goals back - Leicester City striker Wood first threatening with a shot that hit the side-netting before curling a finish past Eiji Kawashima from a tight angle six minutes before the break.

Wood's second - a volley from inside the area 10 minutes from time - mattered little as Japan's preparations for the World Cup in Brazil got off to a positive start.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

France 2-0 Netherlands: Deschamps' side outclass Oranje

France recorded their first win over the Netherlands since 1997 courtesy of goals from Karim Benzema and Blaise Matuidi on Wednesday.


After failing to convert earlier openings at the Stade de France, Benzema opened the scoring just after the half-hour mark with a clinical half-volley from 15 yards.

And Matuidi's first international goal made it 2-0 before the break, with the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder capping off a fine flowing move with a sumptuous finish.
France were by far the better side throughout the contest and would have further enhanced the scoreline had Raphael Varane not wasted a good opportunity in the second-half.

The Netherlands, who saw Kevin Strootman taken off with an injury in the first period, struggled to create any chances of note, much to the frustration of coach Louis van Gaal.A cautious start to the game saw 19 minutes go by before the first shot on target was recorded, but Benzema was unlucky not to open the scoring when it finally arrived.

Mathieu Valbuena's cross from the right found debutant Antoine Griezmann at the back post, with the Real Sociedad man cushioning a volley to Benzema only for his header from six yards to be blocked by Ron Vlaar.

Just before the half-hour mark, Hugo Lloris was called into action for the first time as Robin van Persie controlled a right-wing corner at the back post and lashed a shot towards goal that the Tottenham keeper parried before Vlaar scooped the loose ball over the crossbar.Having wasted his first chance, Benzema then made no mistake with a superb finish on 32 minutes.

The Real Madrid striker outpaced Bruno Martins Indi to latch on to a throughball from Paul Pogba and fired the ball across Cillessen into the far corner without breaking stride.

And France doubled their lead four minutes before the break, with a flowing move resulting in Matuidi's maiden goal for his country.Benzema released Valbuena on the right, before the Marseille forward chipped his cross into the penalty area for Matuidi to acrobatically volley past Cillessen.

Varane should have followed his club-mate Benzema onto the scoresheet on 59 minutes as he wriggled free in the penalty area to meet a Valbuena cross.The defender got ahead of his marker but his off-target header failed to test Cillessen.

Second-half changes saw the game lose some of its momentum, and while France continued to pose the greater threat, genuine chances were few and far between.
Substitute Franck Ribery nearly capped off an impressive performance from Didier Deschamps' men with a late goal, but the Bayern Munich forward saw his low drive from the edge of the penalty area smothered by Cillessen.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Spain 1-0 Italy: La Roja beat Azzurri in close encounter

Pedro scored the only goal as World Cup holders Spain laid down a marker ahead of their trophy defence with a 1-0 victory over Italy.

The Barcelona man was at the heart of the majority of Spain's best attacks at the Vicente Calderon, and he was rewarded for a fine performance when he swept home the winner from close-range in the second-half.



Italy played their part in an entertaining encounter, but Vicente del Bosque's men were good value for a win that is sure to provide a timely confidence boost as they continue their preparations towards the start of the global showpiece in Brazil.

Spain enjoyed the majority of possession in the first-half, though Italy went closest to breaking the deadlock when Alessio Cerci's cross-cum-shot deceived Iker Casillas and hit the post.

David Silva was introduced after the break for the hosts and he was instrumental in several Spain attacks, but it was Pedro who settled the match with his close-range effort on 64 minutes.

Del Bosque handed a long-awaited debut to Diego Costa after the Atletico Madrid man declared his allegiance to the Spanish from the country of his birth, Brazil.Meanwhile, Cesare Prandelli handed an international debut to Parma centre-back Gabriel Paletta.

In an end-to-end opening, Italy went closest to breaking the deadlock in fortuitous circumstances on four minutes when Cerci's mis-hit cross from the right-hand side of the box looped over Casillas and rebounded off the far post.

Spain responded in kind when Pedro's low drive from 25 yards was well parried by Gianluigi Buffon.Pedro was involved again in the 20th minute, the Barcelona forward cutting in from the left before sliding in Costa, whose first-time shot was well blocked by Paletta.

Italian opportunities were proving few and far between, but Pablo Daniel Osvaldo should have done better on the half-hour mark when he collected Claudio Marchisio's neat flick before advancing towards goal and curling a left-footed shot wide.

Spain introduced Xabi Alonso and Silva for the second-half, and the duo linked up for the first opportunity after the break on 50 minutes, the former finding the latter on the edge of the box as he in turn slipped the ball to Thiago Alcantara, but the Bayern Munich midfielder was thwarted by Buffon.

Manchester City winger Silva was proving a constant menace to the Italy defence and his through ball found Pedro soon afterwards. His cut-back in turn found Costa, but he could only shoot wide from eight yards.

Spain's relentless second-half pressure finally told just after the hour mark when Silva's attempted one-two with Andres Iniesta fell kindly for Pedro, who squeezed his shot under Buffon, although the Italian may feel he could have done better in keeping the shot out.With 10 minutes remaining Costa turned in the penalty area, only to see his shot sail wide.

Pedro then departed to a warm reception, with his replacement Santi Cazorla driving a shot narrowly over the crossbar in the closing stages.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Congratulations Spain!!!

Spain Niyamai!

Congratulations Spain

VAMOS ESPANA

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Diego Costa: I can do much more for Spain

Diego Costa insists he can do a lot more for Spain after a fruitless first display for his adopted nation.

All attention was on the Brazilian-born striker as he lined up for Vicente Del Bosque's side for the first time, but the limelight was stolen by his Barcelona rival Pedro, who netted the only goal of the game to beat Cesare Prandelli's men.

Costa, though, said he was delighted to have represented la Roja and insists this is only the beginning of his journey with the national side.

"I am very happy to have made my debut with the team and to have won the game," said the 25-year-old. "I'll keep doing my job at Atletico to have chances to be in the team. I know the first game isn't easy. I'm happy, but I know I can give much more."

Del Bosque was full of praise for the Atletico Madrid man and insisted he did well on his first outing with the squad.

"We are pleased with Diego. He has integrated into the team very well, we are happy with his debut."

Spain have two more friendlies against Bolivia and El Salvador before their opening World Cup match against Netherlands.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Benzema ‘beaming’ with delight, says Deschamps

France head coach Didier Deschamps has praised striker Karim Benzema for his contribution during Wednesday evening’s 2-0 victory over Netherlands.

Benzema opened the scoring midway through the first half with a thunderous strike from inside the box and contributed heavily as the home side recorded a comfortable success.

“When he shows this form, it’s obvious he's very interesting for us,” the coach told the press after the fixture. “He brings much accuracy, a good deal of intelligence and today he also brings a good deal of intensity in his running.

“You can see it in his face, he is beaming.”

Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud was sacrificed to the bench as a result of Benzema’s selection in the No.9 role in Paris, but Deschamps is happy to have the former Montpellier man as another option.

“I have two centre forwards with different qualities,” he explained. “Karim lost his confidence for a while and Karim showed his qualities. Now the situation is changing.

“Today, the form of Karim is very interesting for us, but Olivier also did some good things when he came on.”

France’s next friendly comes at the end of the season, when they will face Norway at Stade de France as they continue their preparations for the World Cup.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Van Gaal: Netherlands lost the plot against France

Netherlands "lost the plot" during their 2-0 defeat to France on Wednesday, according to coach Louis van Gaal.

A lacklustre performance in Paris saw Netherlands suffer their first defeat in 18 matches, a run that stretches all the way back to August 2012.

The 2010 World Cup runners-up only forced Hugo Lloris into one save in the whole 90 minutes, with Robin van Persie often looking isolated in attack.

Karim Benzema and Blaise Matuidi scored the all-important goals, but the Real Madrid striker had two other chances to score in a first-half dominated by the hosts.

And Van Gaal knows his side have to improve quickly ahead of the World Cup in Brazil this summer. "For 25 minutes we were the better team, but after the goal we lost the plot," Van Gaal said after the game.

"France have a very good team, but I don't think we should have lost. We lost the ball too many times in midfield."It was not the most experienced team, and it was a better second-half with more tactical discipline.

"In the second-half we still created a few chances, at least more than in the first-half, but by then it was already too late."We have to show something else in Brazil."

Netherlands have two friendlies remaining, against Ecuador and Wales, before the side's World Cup opener against Spain on June 13 in a repeat of the 2010 final.

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Messi plays down vomiting fears

Lionel Messi played down fears of illness after vomiting on the pitch as Argentina played out a dour goalless draw with Romania on Wednesday.

The Barcelona superstar threw up just eight minutes into the contest in Bucharest but insisted afterwards there was no need for alarm.

“It's something that always happens, it happened to me several times at my club so there's nothing to worry about,” Messi told TyC Sports.

Messi famously vomited in the Spanish Supercopa against Real Madrid in 2011 and Thursday’s repeat may go some way to explaining a below-par display from the four-time Ballon d'Or winner in a low-key encounter.

Indeed, the visitors could even have lost the game had Alexandru Maxim’s first-half goal been allowed to stand.

Maxim fired home at the back post after collecting a superb cross from Alexandru Matel 10 minutes before half-time, only for referee Gianluca Rocchi to rule the effort out after his assistant inexplicably flagged for an infringement.

“I don't like putting up excuses but the pitch conditions didn't help,” added Messi.

“The truth is that it was hard to stop the ball in less than two or three touches, we did what we could.

“In the second half we played better than in the first. Now, we still have two games to prepare and keep on growing to make it in a perfect condition to Brazil.”

Messi played down any concerns the Albiceleste fans may have about Alejandro Sabella's star-studded squad.

“It was a long time since we last saw each other,” explained Messi.

“The truth is that the group is phenomenal as always. We're everyday more united, with our heads in the future, in the World Cup.

“We're fine, it's a pity we can't take too many conclusions from today's game.”

 

[Wolverine GTR]

Kagawa: I didn't feel as strong in the second half

Manchester United midfielder Shinji Kagawa has admitted that lack of game time at club level has affected his performances for Japan.

The 24-year-old has struggled to nail down a starting place at Old Trafford under David Moyes, making just 18 appearances for the Red Devils this season, starting 14 games.

Nevertheless, he featured from the beginning for Japan in their 4-2 friendly victory over New Zealand at Tokyo National Stadium on Wednesday before being substituted after 79 minutes.

And, despite contributing a goal from the penalty spot as well as an assist, the former Borussia Dortmund star said that he felt weaker in the second half.

"It really had been a while," Kagawa told reporters when asked about playing from the beginning. "But I still had to play well and earn a good result whether I started or came off the bench.

"I didn't feel as strong in the second half so that's something I have to consider."

Kagawa supplied the pass for Shinji Okazaki's opener early in the game before winning a penalty minutes later, which he duly dispatched, to help his team to victory.

The midfielder said that he was "happy" with his contribution but warned that Japan must improve if they are to make an impact at the World Cup in Brazil.

"We were able to get an early goal so that helped me get into the game. I'm happy I was able to earn the penalty and convert it," he said.

"We all had tight schedules before the match but we'd talked about getting into the game and building our momentum quickly. [New Zealand] weren't able to get into the match quickly so it's great that we were able to score so early.

"We have to consider that we still gave up goals, and the goals we scored were thanks to our opponent's mistakes, so it's no question that our games at the World Cup will be much closer.

"In that sense we have a lot to improve on."

 

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Spain 1-0 Italy: La Roja beat Azzurri in close encounter

South Africa 0-5 Brazil: Neymar nets hat-trick as Selecao stroll

 

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Germany 1-0 Chile: Gotze strike makes difference for Die Mannschaft