BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa: A powerful Paraguay side beat toothless Slovakia 2-0 in Bloemfontein on Sunday to leave the South Americans on the brink of qualification for the World Cup knockout phase. A first-half goal from Enrique Vera and a late strike from Cristian Riveros at a

NELSPRUIT, South Africa: New Zealand achieved their greatest footballing result here on Sunday holding on for a stunning 1-1 draw against defending champions Italy in their World Cup Group F match. The All Whites - who lost all three of their matches on their previous appearance in 1982

LONDON: Wimbledon champion Roger Federer will step on to Centre Court on Monday (1200 GMT) to face Colombia`s Alejandro Falla with the prospect of a record-equalling seventh men`s title on his mind. Asked if he had been thinking about Pete Sampras`s modern-era record at the grasscourt

DURBAN: South Korea have targeted the sometimes fragile Nigerian temperament as a route to victory when a tight World Cup Group B reaches a climax on Tuesday with all four teams still in the hunt for a second round spot. Despite a thrashing at the hands of Argentina in their last match,

BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa: A big win against a scandal-hit France side on Tuesday might not be enough for South Africa to meet a nation’s wild expectations but is the only way they might avoid making unwanted history. Victory with plenty of goals could save South Africa from becoming

JOHANNESBURG: Mexico’s attacking flair has been clearly on display at this World Cup so all eyes will be on their tactics against Uruguay on Tuesday when a point will see them into the last 16 and a possible clash with Argentina. The two Latin American sides in Group A are separated on

BASSETERRE: Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Brendan Nash cashed in on a flat pitch to score centuries and lift West Indies to 424 for four on day three of the second test against South Africa in St Kitts on Sunday. The Windies finished 119 runs behind the touring side, who declared their

JOHANNESBURG: Brazil showed their true World Cup colours on Sunday, turning on the turbo to beat Ivory Coast 3-1 in Group G with two goals from Luis Fabiano securing their place in the last 16.   But Brazil`s delight was curtailed when midfielder Kaka was controversially sent off for a

California: Britain`s Graeme McDowell kept his composure in tough scoring conditions to end a 40-year title drought by Europeans at the U.S. Open with a gutsy one-shot victory on Sunday.   Three strokes behind American playing partner Dustin Johnson going into the final round, the

JOHANNESBURG: South African police on Sunday arrested an England fan for trespassing after he walked into the players` dressing room following a goalless World Cup draw with Algeria.   Pavlos Joseph, 32, was taken to the Cape Town Magistrate`s court, where was released on 500 rand (45

KARACHI: Former captain Younus Khan has been left out of Pakistan`s test and one-day squads for the tour of England despite being eligible for international cricket again after having an indefinite ban for ill-discipline overturned. Pakistan selectors have included several new faces in

NELSPRUIT: New Zealand produced one of the great shocks of the World Cup on Sunday by holding Italy to a 1-1 draw, leaving the defending champions with a fight on their hands to make it through to the knock-out stages.   The All Whites took the lead in the seventh minute though Shane

RUSTENBURG, South Africa: England players and management will have a no-holds barred crisis meeting later on Sunday to put their World Cup campaign back on track, central defender John Terry said. England, one of the pre-tournament favourites, need to beat Slovenia in their final Group C

BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa: Paraguay beat a lacklustre Slovakia 2-0 to move top of Group F on Sunday and close in on a World Cup second round place. Enrique Vera put the South Americans ahead after 27 minutes and Cristian Riveros grabbed a second four minutes from time in a game of few

PRETORIA: Cameroon, Africa`s modern World Cup trailblazers, became the first African side eliminated from the continent`s inaugural tournament when they somehow lost 2-1 to Denmark on Saturday. The Indomitable Lions, the country that first alerted the world to the improvement in African

DHAKA: Bangladesh closed its leading engineering university in the capital Dhaka for an indefinite period on Saturday after students who wanted a break to watch World Cup matches went on a protest rampage in the campus. "Male students have already left their dormitories while the females

LONDON: Captain Andrew Strauss hit 61 from 43 balls as England warmed up for next week`s limited-overs series against Australia with a seven-wicket win over Scotland in a one-day international in Edinburgh on Saturday. Strauss and Craig Kieswetter, who struck 69 in 65 deliveries, put on

RUSTENBURG, South Africa: Ghana edged clear at the top of World Cup Group D after an exciting 1-1 draw with ten-man Australia at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium on Saturday. The Ghanaians moved a point above Germany and Serbia after fighting off a determined bid by the Australians, who lost

COLOMBO: India pulled off a thrilling three-wicket win over Pakistan with a ball to spare at the four-nation Asia Cup in Dambulla on Saturday. The victory means India will now meet hosts Sri Lanka in Thursday`s final. Chasing Pakistan`s 267 all out, captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni`s team

LONDON: Kevin Pietersen feared his career might be over when he developed an infection after undergoing Achilles surgery 11 months ago, England`s premier batsman said on Sunday. "It was a pretty dark time," the 29-year-old told the Mail on Sunday newspaper. "The infection was really bad.