Mexico down Cameroon 1-0 as officials flop again

Natal: Mexico beat Cameroon 1-0 at a rain-drenched Natal on Friday in a World Cup Group A match scarred by more refereeing blunders.

Oribe Peralta grabbed the only goal after 61 minutes but Mexico will consider themselves unlucky not to have been more comfortable winners after Giovani Dos Santos had two goals ruled out for dubious offside decisions in the first half.

On both occasions, it was former Tottenham striker Giovani Dos Santos who was the victim.

In the 11th minute, the Villarreal player found the target with a sweet, stabbed volley from a cross by Porto`s Hector Herrara but his effort was ruled out by Colombian referee Wilmar Roldan

On the 30-minute mark, a Dos Santos header from a corner by Miguel Layun was also not allowed to stand.

In between, Cameroon skipper Samuel Eto`o had a goal chalked off for offside although this time the referee made the right decision.

The blunders came just a day after Japanese referee Yuichi Nishimura controversially awarded a penalty which set Brazil on their way to a 3-1 win over Croatia.

Eto`o had Cameroon`s best chance of the first half after 21 minutes but narrowly went wide of the post.

Early in the second period, Mexico had a golden opportunity when Peralta was clean through on goal, but he fired the ball straight at Charles Itandje in the Cameroon goal.

Peralta deservedly put Mexico in front just after the hour mark. Dos Santos`s shot was parried into his path and the Club Santos Laguna striker slotted in from close range.

Cameroon`s Benjamin Moukandjo had a chance to rescue a point in injury time but his header was well-saved by Guillermo Ochoa.

Mexico next face Brazil in Fortaleza on Tuesday with Cameroon taking on Croatia the following day.

Chile too hot for Aussies in Cuiaba

Cuiaba, Brazil: Chile got the victory they needed if they are to have any chance of progressing from a daunting Group B when they held off a strong Australian fightback to emerge 3-1 winners in another open and entertaining World Cup clash on Friday.

Alexis Sanchez put Chile ahead from close range after 12 minutes and two minutes later Jorge Valdivia made it 2-0 with a well-struck shot as the South Americans looked in control.

Australia fought back strongly, though, and Tim Cahill replied with a header after 35 minutes and thought he had equalised with another early in the second half only to have it ruled offside by an excellent linesman`s decision.

Both sides went close in an end-to-end second half before Jean Beausejour grabbed a third for Chile in stoppage time, and they will now have to try to get something from games against Spain or the Netherlands, who thrashed the holders 5-1 earlier in the day.

Spain dismantled by rampant Netherlands

Spain 1-5 Netherlands
The Oranje came from a goal behind to humble the world champions, Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben both scoring twice.

The Netherlands threw a spanner in the works of Spain's world title defence with a breathtaking comeback in Salvador.

Trailing to Xabi Alonso's penalty, Louis van Gaal's men levelled before the break through Robin van Persie then put their opponents to the sword after the interval to banish memories of their 1-0 reverse against Spain in the final four years ago. Arjen Robben made it 2-1, Stefan de Vrij tapped in number three, Van Persie robbed Iker Casillas to make it four and Robben wrapped up a stunning victory.

The 2010 final started in cagey fashion but this time around the contest was more open. Eight minutes had elapsed when Robben slid Wesley Sneijder clean through on goal but his effort across Iker Casillas was at a good height for the Spain No1 to repel. 

A typically fluent move laid the foundations for Spain's opener. Xavi Hernández's measured pass released Diego Costa and, as the striker turned inside the area, De Vrij caught his back leg. Alonso made no mistake with a fierce low spot kick.

Another sensational pass through the middle soon bisected the Dutch defence again. This time it was a reverse ball from Andrés Iniesta that released David Silva, whose attempted clip over Jasper Cillessen was just tipped wide by the custodian. Within moments the Dutch were level. Daley Blind floated a sumptuous long pass over the Spain rearguard which Van Persie met with a deft looping headed that left Casillas stranded.

Eight minutes after the break the contest was turned on its head when Blind lofted another perfect ball behind the Spain defence, Robben cut inside Gerard Piqué and drilled in. The Oranje nearly put the game to bed when Van Persie crashed a drive against the bar but the third was not long in coming, Sneijder's deep free-kick touched over the line by De Vrij.

Spain's misery was completed by two further ruthless finishes. Van Persie embarrassed Casillas for number four before Robben accelerated away, sidestepped the goalkeeper, and rifled a fifth past two helpless defenders on the line. It was a fitting end to a simply stunning display from the Netherlands.

Courtesy: http://www.uefa.com/

Match Schedule & Results : FIFA 2014 World Cup

FIFA 2014 World Cup Complete Match Schedule in IST

First Round, Group Stage Match Schedule in Indian Time

No :	Date - Time (IST)	Match	Result
01	13th - 01:30 AM	Brazil v/s Croatia	3 - 1 (Winner : Brazil)
02	13th - 09:30 PM	Mexico v/s Cameroon	1 - 0 (Winner : Mexico)
03	14th - 12:30 AM	Spain v/s Netherlands	1 - 5 (Winner : Netherlands)
04	14th - 03:30 AM	Chile v/s Australia	3 - 1 (Winner : Chile)
05	14th - 09:30 PM	Colombia v/s Greece	3 - 0 (Winner : Colombia)
06	15th - 06:30 AM	Ivory Coast v/s Japan	2 - 1 (Winner : Ivory Coast)
07	15th - 12:30 AM	Uruguay v/s Costa Rica	1 - 3 (Winner : Costa Rica)
08	15th - 03:30 AM	England vs  Italy	1 - 2 (Winner : Italy)
09	15th - 09:30 PM	Switzerland vs Ecuador	2 - 1 (Winner : Switzerland)
10	16th - 12:30 AM	France vs Honduras	3 - 0 (Winner : France)
11	16th - 03:30 AM	Argentina vs Bosnia Herzegovina	2 - 1 (Winner : Argentina)
12	16th - 09:30 PM	Germany vs Portugal	--
13	17th - 12:30 AM	Iran vs Nigeria	--
14	17th - 03:30 AM	Ghana vs United States	--
15	17th - 09:30 PM	Belgium vs Algeria	--
16	18th - 03:30 AM	Russia v/s South Korea	--
17	18th - 12:30 AM	Brazil v/s Mexico	--
18	19th - 03:30 AM	Cameroon v/s Croatia	--
19	19th - 12:30 AM	Spain v/s Chile	--
20	18th - 09:30 PM	Australia vs Netherlands	--
21	19th - 09:30 PM	Colombia vs Ivory Coast	--
22	20th - 03:30 AM	Japan vs  Greece	--
23	20th - 12:30 AM	Uruguay vs England	--
24	20th - 09:30 PM	Italy vs Costa Rica	--
25	21st - 12:30 AM	Switzerland + France	--
26	21st - 03:30 AM	Honduras + Ecuador	--
27	21st - 09:30 PM	Argentina + Iran	--
28	22nd - 03:30 AM	Nigeria + Bosnia Herzegovina	--
29	22nd - 12:30 AM	Germany + Ghana	--
30	23rd - 03:30 AM	United States + Portugal	--
31	22nd - 09:30 PM	Belgium + Russia	--
32	23rd - 12:30 AM	South Korea + Algeria	--
33	24th - 01:30 AM	Cameroon + Brazil	--
34	24th - 01:30 AM	Croatia + Mexico	--
35	23rd - 09:30 PM	Australia + Spain	--
36	23rd - 09:30 PM	Netherlands + Chile	--
37	25th - 12:30 AM	Japan + Colombia	--
38	25th - 01:30 AM	Greece + Ivory Coast	--
39	24th - 09:30 PM	Italy + Uruguay	--
40	24th - 09:30 PM	Costa Rica + England	--
41	26th - 12:30 AM	Honduras + Switzerland	--
42	26th - 01:30 AM	Ecuador v/s France	--
43	25th - 09:30 PM	Nigeria v/s Argentina	--
44	25th - 09:30 PM	Bosnia Herzegovina v/s Iran	--
45	26th - 09:30 PM	United States v/s Germany	--
46	26th - 09:30 PM	Portugal v/s Ghana	--
47	27th - 01:30 AM	South Korea v/s Belgium	--
48	27th - 01:30 AM	Algeria v/s Russia	--

Round of 16 Match at FIFA World Cup 2014 Schedule in Indian Time

No :	Date - Time (IST)	Match	Result
49	28th - 09:30 PM	A1 -- B2	--
50	29th - 01:30 AM	C1 -- D2	--
51	29th - 09:30 PM	B1 -- A2	--
52	30th - 01:30 AM	D1 -- C2	--
53	30th - 09:30 PM	E1 -- F2	--
54	01st - 01:30 AM	G1 -- H2	--
55	01st - 09:30 PM	F1 -- E2	--
56	02nd - 01:30 AM	H1 -- G2	--

Quarter Final Match Schedule of FIFA World Cup 2014 in Indian Time

No :	Date - Time (IST)	Match	Result
57 Q1	05th - 01:30 AM	Winner 49 -- Winner 50	--
58 Q2	04th - 09:30 PM	Winner 53 -- Winner 54	--
59 Q3	06th - 01:30 AM	Winner 51 -- Winner 52	--
60 Q4	05th  - 09:30 PM	Winner 55 -- Winner 56	--

Semi Final Match of FIFA World Cup 2014 Schedule in Indian Time

No :	Date - Time (IST)	Match	Result
61 S1	09th - 01:30 AM	Winner Q1 -- Winner Q2	--
62 S2	10th - 01:30 AM	Winner Q3 -- Winner Q4	--

Losers Final Match of FIFA World Cup 2014 Schedule in Indian Standard Time

No :	Date - Time (IST)	Match	Result
63	13th - 01:30 AM	Looser S1 --Looser S2	--

Final Match of FIFA World Cup 2014 Schedule in Indian Standard Time

No :	Date - Time (IST)	Match	Result
64	14th - 12:30 AM	Winner S1 -- Winner S2	--

Niko Kovac slams 'ridiculous' penalty

Brazil were awarded a penalty after Fred went down in the box.

Croatia coach Niko Kovac said his players "better give it up now and go home" after Brazil were awarded what looked to be a soft, and crucial, penalty in their3-1 win in the World Cup opening game.

With the match tied at 1-1 in the second half, Japanese official Yuichi Nishimura awarded Brazil a contentious spot-kick when striker Fred went down after a light touch from Croatia centre-back Dejan Lovren.

Kovac called the penalty "ridiculous" and said Nishimura was not at the level to be a referee on the sport's biggest stage.

"If that was a penalty, we should be playing basketball," Kovac said. "Those kinds of fouls are penalised there.

"That is shameful, this is not a World Cup referee. He had one kind of criteria for them and another for us. The rules were not the same."

Even the home fans didn't think the incident deserved to be a penalty, according to Kovac.

"I don't think anybody, anywhere in the stadium, saw this as a penalty," he said. "If you continue like this you will have 100 penalties. I think 2.5 billion people watching on TV saw this was not a penalty.

"This was ridiculous and if we continue in this way we will have a circus.

"Fred is an 85-kilogram [187-pound] man and I don't believe he can be brought to the ground in such a manner."

Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari disagreed with Kovac's viewpoint.

"Millions didn't see the penalty? The referee did and he said it was a penalty and they are the ones that must decide, Scolari said. "We also think it was a penalty. I have seen it 10 times and I think it is a penalty."

Kovac said he did not feel confident about his side's chances to advance if Nishimura's officiating becomes a pattern.

"We better give it up now and go home," he said. "We talk about respect, Croatia didn't get any."

Peter Walton, the general manager of the Professional Referee Organization, which provides officials for Major League Soccer, told ESPN the contact was not enough to warrant a penalty.

"While we can see the slightest of contact between the two players, I would deem the contact to be incidental and this is not enough in my opinion to warrant a free kick or in the instance a PK . I would be disappointed if one if my PRO referees awarded a PK on a similar play."

In more tempered tones, Croatia winger Luka Modric also said he disagreed with the decision, and added that he felt his side deserved a draw against Brazil

"It's difficult. I don't know what to say. I think we played really good. At least we should get a point from this game," he said. "I think we didn't deserve to lose this game but it's how it is. We can't do anything. It's finished now. We need to look forward to next game and try to win next game.

"I don't like to talk about referees. You cannot do anything, it's his decision. I don't agree with the decision. I don't think it was [a] penalty. For sure it was not [a] penalty. But he saw differently and that's what mattered in the end."

Courtesy : http://www.espnfc.us/

FIFA World Cup 2014 Opening Ceremony, Sao Paulo, Brazil

Jennifer Lopez and Pitbull dazzled in the 2014 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony at Sao Paulo. Follow highlights here:

© AFP

00:06 (IST): Jennifer Lopez and Pitbull make up for a great show and sing the official soundtrack of the FIFA World Cup, "We are One" together. Everybody's dancing! It's time for football and the biggest show on earth! As it all ends, we get ready for the first match between Brazil and Croatia now! 

00:04 (IST): Some boys dressed as referees are now on the field. The giant flower at the centre of the stadium has now opened to Brazilian colours! It's breathtaking! And it's time for the official song for the 2014 FIFA World Cup! The drummers have combined and all the dancers have combined too!

© AFP

23:54 (IST): Waiting for some Samba? It is yet to arrive though on the field. The dancers make up for a great view. We now have some men and women dressed in Brazilian colours who have collaborated for a nice romantic gig. It's time for some ballet then! Men dressed in hats and women dressed in beautiful white gowns liven it up further! Not enough! We now have women in orange jumping to the beat along with cowboy-styled men!

23:51 (IST): There is a trampoline on the Sao Paulo ground and we are filled with a fresh breath of Brazilian music. Brazil is a country known for its great scenery and nature, and that is being perfectly depicted here.

© AFP

23:47 (IST): Men wrapped with a wonderful dress of leaves, women dressed in purple with lotus leaves and a wide array of characters projecting the rich Amazon heritage of Brazil enter the stadium with a zig-zag type of formation. There are about 500 dancers on the field right now. The crowd is going mad with excitement.

Pop superstar Jennifer Lopez, hundreds of dancers, drummers and gymnasts, and a paraplegic who will kick a football in a robotic suit will deliver a pre-match extravaganza Thursday to open the World Cup.

Jennifer Lopez performing in the USA during an event.

© AFP

After the delays that have hampered Brazil's preparations, organizers had one overriding message for fans ahead of the 3:15 pm (1815 GMT) opening ceremony: Don't arrive late.

"Please, get there early," pleaded Brazilian singer Claudia Leitte. She will perform the official World Cup song, "We Are One," along with Lopez, rapper Pitbull and Brazilian drumming collective Olodum in the ceremony's grand finale.

There were last-minute doubts over whether Lopez, who media reports say recently broke up with backup dancer and boyfriend Casper Smart, would attend. FIFA said Sunday the singer had pulled out of the ceremony over "production issues."

But with two days to go, the world football body said she would perform after all. "We Are One" has been viewed more than 75 million times on YouTube, though some critics have panned it as a disappointing follow-up to World Cup classics like Ricky Martin's "Cup of Life" in 1998 and Shakira's "Waka Waka" in 2010.

More than 60,000 fans will be in Sao Paulo's Corinthians Arena, including 12 heads of state and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and around one billion people are expected to watch the opening ceremony and match on TV.  The 25-minute ceremony will feature more than 600 artists, including acrobatic gymnasts, trampolinists, marshal arts-style capoeira performers and stilt walkers. (Read more)

Differently Abled Person to Kick off FIFA World Cup in Brazil

During the opening of the FIFA 2014 World Cup in Brazil Thursday, a differently abled person wearing a brain-controlled robotic exoskeleton is expected to make the first kick of the championship.

Part of the "Walk Again Project", an international collaboration of more than 100 scientists, eight Brazilian patients who are paralysed from the waist down have been training for months to use the exoskeleton, researchers said. (Read more)

Last-Minute Touches at Brazil's Opening Venue

A top FIFA official on Wednesday said workers were still planting trees and flowers and attending to other "details" at Sao Paulo's Corinthians Arena, less than 24 hours before the FIFA World Cup 2014 kicks off. (Brazil Races Towards Kick-Off)

A view of the Corinthians Arena stadium which will host the opening match of FIFA World Cup 2014.

© AFP

Secretary general Jerome Valcke said staff had been working round the clock at venues including Corinthians Arena, which will host tournament opener Brazil v Croatia at 5:00 pm (2000 GMT) Thursday. (Seen the new Google Doodle?)

FIFA World Cup 2014 Live Streaming

Watch FIFA World Cup 2014 live actions from the Brazil directly.