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England's goalkeeper

The English goalkeeper failed to stop the ball in a disappointing shot( draw 1-1). Read about it here:

A howler by goalkeeper Robert Green gifted the United States an equalizer as England struggled to a disappointing 1-1 draw in their opening Group C game at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium yesterday.
England keeper Robert Green

England keeper Robert Green allowing the U.S. goal that evened the score 1-1.


The 29-year-old goalkeeper failed to stop a routine shot by Clint Dempsey after 40 minutes and the ball slipped from his grasp and dribbled across the line after captain Steven Gerrard had put England ahead in the fourth minute.

England made a dream start and took the lead after only four minutes when, from a Glen Johnson throw on the right, Frank Lampard switched the ball infield to Emile Heskey whose angled pass found Gerrard running into space.

A low steered shot with the outside of his right foot from 10 meters gave Tim Howard no chance and Gerrard his 17th goal for England on his debut as their World Cup captain.

Instead of taking control, England drifted into a spell of unconvincing play and the Americans, sparked by the lively Dempsey and Landon Donovan, enjoyed most possession.

A low shot by Donovan was saved uneasily by Green before the goalkeeper gifted the Americans' an equalizer after 40 minutes.

Capello reacted by replacing King, who has a chronic knee injury, with Jamie Carragher for the second half, which opened with Heskey wasting a good chance by firing straight at Howard.

Carragher, after only 14 minutes on the field, and then Gerrard were booked for fouls as England battled to resist the Americans before a rising left-foot drive by Lampard was saved as the game opened out into a thrilling end-to-end contest.

World player of the year Lionel Messi lived up to his billing yesterday afternoon with a wonderful performance in Argentina's 1-0 win over Nigeria, confirming the South Americans' status as one of the World Cup favorites.

Though he did not score, Messi peppered the goal with shots, drawing a string of finger-tip saves, and tormented the Africans' defense with ceaseless dribbling and incisive passes.

Agitated and shouting on the touchline throughout at Johannesburg's Ellis Park, the bearded and besuited coach Diego Maradona hugged and lifted Messi off the ground in jubilation at the end of arguably the highest quality match of the tournament so far.

In the day's first game, South Korea, who were unbeaten in qualifying, took that confidence straight into the Group B opener at Port Elizabeth. They played a slick and fast passing game to beat the Greeks 2-0, thanks to goals from Lee Jung-soo and Park Ji-sung.

For Greece, unable to capture the form of their shock Euro 2004 triumph or make their aerial superiority count, it was business as usual at the World Cup. Their only previous appearance, in 1994, brought three defeats without a goal.

France managed to keep a clean sheet in their opening World Cup match on Friday, but will only escape another frustrating campaign if they can address a glaring shortage of fire-power up front.

After having conceded a goal in each of their three warm-up games, the 1998 world champions looked tighter at the back in a 0-0 draw against Uruguay in Cape Town, but failed to translate superior possession into scoring chances.

Spain profile

Read about Spain team profile. Learn vocabulary about sports, football etc... Very useful for your oral exams!!!

Taken from: Fifa.com

Profile

On a scale of one to ten, Spain's performance in qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ can only be given top marks. On top of wins in each of their ten games, La Roja were the European Zone's second top scorers with 28 goals while conceding a miserly five at the other end. Maturity, resilience and the ability to overcome adversity were all in evidence during their campaign, and few national teams in world football are blessed with squads of such depth and sheer talent. The Iberians have not rested on the laurels of their UEFA EURO 2008 victory, consistently bringing in new faces without renouncing their commitment to attractive short-passing football.

The road to South Africa
The title of European champions inevitably meant that Spain's opponents redoubled their efforts to claim what would be a notable scalp. Their narrow 1-0 win against Bosnia-Herzegovina - courtesy of a solitary strike from David Villa - was typical of the kind of gritty resistance they have had to overcome since Austria/Switzerland. And though Armenia and Estonia were dispatched relatively comfortably, an away clash in Belgium and a double-header against EURO 2008 semi-finalists Turkey forced the Spaniards to dig deep for nine valuable points.

Following a 2-1 win in Brussels, when they fought back to clinch victory via an 88th-minute Villa strike, came a 1-0 success over Turkey in Madrid, the goal coming from Gerard Pique. The return in Istanbul marked another 2-1 comeback triumph courtesy of goals from Xabi Alonso and then Liverpool team-mate Albert Riera. Belgium were subsequently dispatched 5-0 in La Coruna and a ticket to South Africa 2010 was assured with two rounds to spare after a comfortable 3-0 home win over Estonia. Far from taking their foot off the pedal, La Selección capped a flawless campaign with victory in Armenia and a 5-2 away thrashing of closest challengers Bosnia-Herzegovina.

The star players
The team's success has been based on quality and balance throughout the side. In captain Iker Casillas Spain have one of the world's finest keepers, a man who can be relied upon to bring his superhuman reflexes to the rescue when most needed. Midfield string-puller Xavi Hernandez's inch-perfect passing and vision is vital to the Spaniards' fluid style, while at the sharp end of the attack there can be few if any better finishers than David Villa and Fernando 'El Niño' Torres.

The coach
Vicente del Bosque took over where Luis Aragones left off after the EURO 2008 triumph, keeping the same footballing philosophy and core of players which dazzled the continent that summer. The experienced supremo has also hit the heights at club level with Real Madrid, winning two UEFA Champions Leagues (2000, 2002), two La Ligas (2001, 2003), a Spanish Super Cup (2001) a UEFA European Super Cup (2002) and the Toyota Intercontinental Cup (2002).

Del Bosque continued Aragones' faith in the one-touch style that has traditionally characterised Spain's play and which relies upon midfielders of the highest quality. As a recult, the Spaniards have won every game but one since the former Los Blancos boss took charge, the exception being a semi-final reverse against USA at the FIFA Confederations Cup 2009.

Previous FIFA World Cups
- Spain have taken part in the finals of 12 FIFA World Cups and have not missed a single edition since failing to reach Germany 1974.
- La Roja's best performance at the global showpiece was a fourth-placed finish at Brazil 1950.
- At senior international level, Spain have two major titles to their name: the 1964 and 2008 European Championships.

Records
- Spain recorded ten wins from ten South Africa 2010 qualifiers.
- La Selección were the European Zone's second-highest scorers, firing 28 goals to end the campaign just six strikes short of the Fabio Capello's England.

The words
"We've got good players and a well-oiled team, but there are some very strong sides out there. Our aim is to challenge for the next World Cup but we know how difficult it is. We're not the favourites but we are among the hopefuls." Vicente del Bosque, Spain coach.

Iniesta's injury

Injury scare for Spain's Iniesta

(AFP) Wednesday 9 June 2010

AFP

European champions Spain were the latest 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ contenders hit by an injury scare on Wednesday.

Spain, among the pre-tournament favourites, have an anxious wait to see if star midfielder Andres Iniesta will be forced to miss their opening Group H clash against Switzerland on Wednesday.

The Barcelona playmaker's leg was badly bruised as the Spaniards trounced Poland 6-0 in a final warm-up for the month-long tournament which kicks off Friday with a match between hosts South Africa and Mexico in Johannesburg.

We have finished our preparations and we can go to South Africa in good spirits.

Spain coach Vicente del Bosque

The Spanish Football Federation said Iniesta faces a week out of action after he underwent a scan, but it did not rule him out of the clash in Durban.

There was happier news for the Spaniards as they bid to win the tournament for the first time, when striker Fernando Torres scored in the match in Murcia after two months out following knee surgery in April.

Coach Vicente Del Bosque admitted he was delighted by the return to form of the player who netted the winner in the UEFA EURO 2008 final against Germany. "We have finished our preparations and we can go to South Africa in good spirits," he said.

Spanish football supporters

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News about Spain in English

Read about what happens in Spain, but in English!!! Interesting vocabulary and current affairs about your country!!!!
Taken from:
http://www.typicallyspanish.com/

wordreference

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WORDREFERENCE