Bloemfontein, June 14
Keisuke Honda carried Japan to their first World Cup finals victory on foreign soil when he scored the goal which beat Cameroon 1-0 in a Group E match on Monday. Paul Le Guen's Cameroon had been expected to ease to victory against an out-of-form Japan in what on paper appeared their easiest group fixture.

Takeshi Okada's Japan had other ideas and bustled their way to a deserved win to join the Netherlands as the day's Group E winners after the Dutch beat Denmark 2-0 in the early match. A dour first half was briefly illuminated by Honda's 39th minute goal. Daisuke Matsui was allowed time and space on the right wing to float in a cross that evaded everyone but Honda at the far post, who finished neatly.

Cameroon had registered the game's first shot on goal shortly before Honda's strike but the Indomitable Lions failed on too many occasions to feed the ball to their front three.

They improved after the break with captain Samuel Eto'o beating four players down the right wing before setting up Eric Choupo Moting, who curled his shot wide of the far post. Cameroon's Stephane Mbia hit the bar late on with a rasping 30 metre drive but the African side, who left normal first-choice midfielder Alexandre Song on the bench, did not threaten enough as Japan left Honda up front while the rest defended their lead. — Reuters

Port Elizabeth, June 14
Ivory Coast's Elephants face a challenge of jumbo proportions against Portugal in Group G on Tuesday in a game where the points may hinge on the fitness of their talismanic striker Didier Drogba. The match in Port Elizabeth could dictate who advances from a tough section that also features five-times World Cup winners Brazil and the tournament's most mysterious side North Korea. Portugal have a lot to prove after a patchy journey to the finals and doubts remain over whether the influential Pepe is ready to start after a lengthy injury layoff.

There are also question marks about Cristiano Ronaldo's ability to replicate his potent performances with Real Madrid at the World Cup after mediocre displays in the qualifiers. Although the Ivorians have plenty of talent, the absence of the inspirational Drogba, who scored an eye-popping 37 goals for Chelsea in all competitions last season, could complicate their chances of reaching the second round for the first time.

With no easy matches in the group, the key question facing their Swedish coach Sven-Goran Eriksson is whether the Elephants can afford to hold Drogba back for later games.

The striker has resumed training after having surgery on a broken arm sustained on June 4 but Eriksson might have to draw on his contingency plans if his leading marksman is not fit. Kolo Toure, who will captain the team if Drogba does not play, believes younger players like Salomon Kalou and Seydou Doumbia have the ability to step into the void.

"The Ivorian squad is made up of some world class players but football remains a team game," Toure said. "Since he has taken over the squad, the coach has been trying to build a proper team and we are on track." Eriksson knows Portugal only too well after they eliminated his England side in penalty shootouts at the quarterfinal stage of Euro 2004 and the last World Cup in Germany. Portugal are braced for a fierce campaign and a tricky opener against an Ivory Coast side that even without Drogba can boast top class talent like Kolo and his brother Yaya Toure as well as Kalou, Didier Zokora and Emmanuel Eboue. Portugal's 30-year-old winger Simao Sabrosa is desperate to start and eager to dispel doubts about his pace after a draining season with Atletico Madrid. — Reuters

Johannesburg, June 14
Dunga’s Brazil have often looked at a loss when trying to break down packed defences and facing the mystery men from North Korea in their opening Group G game at Ellis Park on Tuesday could be their worst nightmare.

Brazil were held 0-0 at home by Bolivia, Colombia and Venezuela in the World Cup qualifiers, each time struggling against ultra-defensive teams, and they are set to face more of the same against North Korea, the lowest ranked of the 32 finalists.

Few teams can have prepared so long for a game as the side from the hermit state, who have spent more than four months together in a training marathon which has taken them to Sri Lanka, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Mexico and Venezuela.

The latter included a bizarre friendly with the Venezuelans which lasted only 80 minutes after kicking off two hours late, the Koreans saying it was too hot at the original start time. Their luggage was mislaid so they had to borrow Venezuela's all-white second strip.

With all but three of their players based at home, Korean coach Kim Jong-Hun has been free to organise his team's preparations without the hindrance of club commitments. The North Koreans, playing their first World Cup match since losing 5-3 to Portugal in the 1966 quarterfinal, are tenacious, fit and defence-oriented, say coaches who have studied them.

Brazil have enjoyed some stunning results under coach Dunga, including three wins over Argentina and a 4-0 demolition of Uruguay in Montevideo, but have always looked more comfortable playing on the counter-attack.

"Playing against defensive opponents always causes difficulty, and because it is the first game, the anxiety is very great," said midfielder Gilberto Silva. — Reuters

Kuala Lumpur: The sale of condoms in South Korea has risen five-fold after fans celebrated their football team winning in the opening World Cup game against Greece. The game on June 12 saw about a million red-shirted fans nationwide, including 200,000 in Seoul, crowd boulevards, stadiums and parks to cheer the side's 2-0 win over Euro 2004 champions Greece, reports the New Strait Times.

According to the JoongAng Daily, convenience stores and fried chicken outlets were doing brisk business, and the Bokwang Family Mart chain stores saw a near doubling of sales as fans took to the streets. Stores in residential areas also did well, as those tuning in at home bought three times the beer and more than twice the number of snacks.

It also said after the game, fans in celebratory mood bought five times more condoms than during the team's lacklustre 2006 World Cup performance. — ANI

Dambulla, June 14
India have a chance to make amends for recent debacles, climb up the ODI rankings and break a 15-year jinx in the Asia Cup which takes off tomorrow with home favourites Sri Lanka facing the ever-so-unpredictable Pakistan in the opening match here.

Four-time champions India, who come here after twin debacles in the Twenty20 World Cup and the recent tri-series in Zimbabwe, last won the title 15 years ago in the United Arab Emirates and will open their campaign on June 16 against Bangladesh.

Before that, with a hat-trick of titles in sight, Sri Lanka will look to exploit home conditions against Pakistan at the Rangiri Dambulla ground tomorrow.

Considering the fact that Sri Lanka won the title in the previous two editions, the hosts are slight favourites over the others in the four-nation tournament.

The tournament opener between Sri Lanka and Pakistan holds promise as on paper both teams are equally matched in terms of potential, though the buoyant hosts have more experienced players, who have a reputation of being devastating in their own backyard.

The inclusion of wily off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, who recovered from an injury sustained during the Twenty20 World Cup, has strengthened the Kumar Sangakkara-led Lankan side.

Even though both Sri Lanka and Pakistan made it to the semifinals of the T20 World Cup in the West Indies, the hosts will draw confidence from their recent tri-series victory in Zimbabwe.

Like India, Sri Lanka too had fielded a second string team in Zimbabwe, but the Lankan young guns rose to the occasion to come out triumphant in the tri-series.

What would be a morale-booster for Sri Lanka is dashing Tillakratne Dilshan's return to form.

Leading a young side in the tri-series, Dilshan made a rollicking return to form with a delectable century in the title clash against hosts Zimbabwe.To add to it, Sri Lanka would be bolstered by the return of regular skipper Sangakkara and senior batsman Mahela Jayawardene, who has been in sublime form this season.

What might work wonders for the Lankans in the tournament is the presence of a three-pronged varied spin attack in Muralitharan, Suraj Randiv and Rangana Herath on the bowler-friendly Dambulla wicket.

Pakistan, on the other hand, have this uncanny knack of coming back stronger from every controversy they stumble upon.

However, what remains to be seen is the chemistry between newly-appointed captain Shahid Afridi and coach Waqar Younis.

It will be a test of character for Afridi to unite the team which has a history of dressing room problems and the return of former captain Shoaib Malik, seen as a trouble maker, will only make his job difficult.

The tournament is also seen as a last-gasp chance for veteran Shoaib Akhtar to revive his chequered career after the maverick fast bowler was included in the squad along with controversial pace colleague Mohammad Asif. — PTI

Rustenburg, June 14
New Zealand coach Ricki Herbert leads his team into their opening Group F match against Slovakia on Tuesday hoping to spring a surprise and erase painful memories of the 1982 tournament in Spain.

As a 21-year-old defender in New Zealand’s only previous World Cup appearance, he burst into tears on the bus en route to their opener when he was left out of the side to face Scotland.

They lost that match 5-2 and were also thrashed by the Soviet Union and Brazil, but Herbert will never forget sitting on the bench for his country’s first-ever World Cup match.

It was the biggest disappointment of his playing career and it will be a spur to him and his 'All Whites' players if they belie a world ranking of 78 by upsetting 38th-ranked Slovakia.

"I understand why we are the underdogs but we don't fear anyone," he said. "Anything can happen in a cup competition. If Senegal can beat France (in 2002), we can beat Italy!"

Herbert's confidence may be one of New Zealand’s best weapons as he tries to inspire a team, well beaten three times in South Africa during the 2009 Confederations Cup, to rise to their biggest soccer challenge in three decades.

Their mixed form in warm-up games - beating Serbia and then losing to Chile - has given little indication of what to expect against an equally unsung Slovakia, making their first appearance in the finals as an independent nation.

The Slovaks proved their potential when they beat Czech Republic 2-1 away in the qualifiers and in Stanislav Sestak, who scored in both games against their local rivals, they have a striker who gives a cutting edge to their 3-4-3 or 5-2-3 system.

Slovakia coach Vladimir Weiss shares Herbert’s rare distinction of playing and coaching at the World Cup, having appeared in midfield for the Czechoslovakia team that reached the quarterfinals in Italy in 1990.— Reuters

Montreal, June 14
Lewis Hamilton drove a superb tactical race to hold off his McLaren team mate Jenson Button and win Sunday's Canadian Grand Prix and jump to the top of the Formula One drivers' championship.

McLaren Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton

In a repeat of the last round in Turkey, Hamilton crossed the line 2.2 seconds ahead of fellow-Briton to leapfrog Australian Mark Webber and world champion Button at the top of the standings.

Spain's Fernando Alonso finished third for Ferrari to join the two McLaren men on the Montreal podium while Germany's Sebastian Vettel was fourth and his Red Bull team mate Webber fifth after a thrilling race.

Hamilton's second win in a row took him from third to first place in the championship with a total of 109 points. Button remained second on 106 while Webber dropped to third on 103 ahead of Alonso (94) and Vettel (90).

While there were no major crashes during the 70-lap event, which was back on the calendar after being left off last year, there was no shortage of drama.

With tyres falling apart on a demanding street circuit that featured long straights and slow, tight corners, all the teams were forced into a high-speed game of chess. — Reuters