Johannesburg, June 27
A quick look at the form book might have Chile wondering if it is worth turning up for their World Cup second round game against Brazil on Monday. Chile have suffered an extraordinarily bad run against the Brazilians in the last five years, losing seven matches in a row and shipping 26 goals in the process.

They have also lost their only two World Cup meetings against Brazil - 4-2 in the semifinals at the 1962 World Cup - which they hosted, and 4-1 in the second round at France in 1998.

Coach Marcelo Bielsa has revolutionised the team in his three years in charge, transforming them from one of the worst on the continent into one of the best, but even he knows they face a huge task against the five-times world champions.

“The things that Brazil have done in the past exempts them from any sort of comment,” said the eccentric and enigmatic Argentine.

Chile’s losing sequence began with a 1-0 defeat in a Copa America group match in 2004 followed by a 5-0 loss in a World Cup qualifier the following year.

Two years later, Chile were beaten 4-0 in a friendly and were thrashed twice at the Copa America, 3-0 in a group match and 6-1 in the quarterfinals.

The latter humiliation caused the downfall of coach Nelson Acosta who was replaced by Bielsa.

Although he orchestrated a spectacular improvement in fortunes, he was unable to inspire his team to a win over Brazil and they lost both World Cup qualifiers, 3-0 at home and 4-2 away.

A fast, attacking but somewhat lightweight team, Chile tend to be easy prey for the physically powerful Brazilians and, in their enthusiasm to pour forward, leave gaps at the back which are usually ruthlessly exploited by Brazil’s forwards.

If that is not worrying enough, Chile will be without their two regular defenders with Gary Medel and Waldo Ponce suspended.

Bielsa has to decide whether to field Humberto Suazo, who is struggling for match fitness, up front or stick with Jorge Valdivia, who played as a forward in the 2-1 defeat by Spain.

Felipe Melo is doubtful for Brazil but that is unlikely to be a problem for Dunga’s team, whose squad is overflowing with midfield spoilers.

Elano is fit to return on the right of midfield after missing the last group match against Portugal with an ankle injury.

Former World Player of the Year Kaka will also be back after suspension and Robinho, rested for Friday’s match with Portugal, should play, adding much-needed creativity to a generally lacklustre Brazilian team.

Brazil regularly complain that opponents shut up shop against them but Chile's former Argentina boss Bielsa is a bold coach and it is in his nature to send his teams onto the attack, whoever they are facing.

He will, however, need to have a real surprise up his sleeve if his side are going to upset the five-times champions. — Reuters

London, June 27
Rafael Nadal tamed his fury after a rare warning for coaching on Saturday to come through another five-set test at Wimbledon while Andy Murray made more clinical progress towards their possible semifinal showdown. Not a lot gets to the ice-cool Nadal but Philipp Petzschner’s crisp hitting, audacious net forays and an extraordinary call from chair umpire Cedric Mourier had the Mallorcan hot under the collar in a gripping third-round clash.

After battling through a five-set third round marathon against German Philipp Petzschner, the 2008 champion admitted he was “a little bit scared” about his knees but rejected claims that calling for a medical timeout had been gamesmanship. Nadal was furious when umpire Cedric Mourier issued the warning to Nadal for coaching by his uncle and coach Toni. The Spaniard was really fired up, wagging his finger in rage. “Toni wasn’t giving me any tips. He was only supporting me.”

Nadal levelled an admonishing finger at Mourier when he was called at 2-2 in the deciding set for a little too much chatter with coach Toni Nadal in his clash on Centre Court, and later pledged to discuss the ruling with the tournament supervisor.

But the 2008 champion, who needed several visits from the trainer for a niggling pain in his right knee, kept his focus and ousted the German 6-4 4-6, 6-7, 6-2, 6-3 after three hours and 45 minutes of gripping counter-punching.

Briton Murray delighted the Centre Court crowd as the sun set over south west London with a measured dismantling of former top 10 player Gilles Simon.

The 23-year-old Scot, who seems little affected by annually carrying a nation’s hopes of ending a men’s singles drought dating back to Fred Perry’s 1936 triumph, gave Simon a lesson in relentless hitting from the back of the court.

He has not lost a set yet, seems utterly unfazed by the burden of expectation and next faces big-hitting Sam Querrey, the American winner of the Queen's Club grasscourt tune-up tournament, for a place in the quarters.

Chardy and Simon's defeats made for a contrasting day for France with 10th seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga leading the charge alongside Mathieu and Julien Benneteau who also won on Saturday.

Valencia (Spain), June 27
Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel won the European Grand Prix on Sunday while McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton doubled his championship lead by finishing runner-up for the third year in a row.

McLaren Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton tries to overtake Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel at the Valencia Street circuit on Sunday during the Formula One Grand Prix of Europe. — AFP

Formula One world champion Jenson Button finished third for McLaren after an afternoon full of incident, controversy and uncertainty at a street circuit that has offered few thrills in the past.

Hamilton now has 127 points to Button’s 121 after nine races with Vettel on 115 after chalking up his second win of the season.

Vettel’s teammate Mark Webber provided the day’s big drama when he walked away unscathed from a massive crash.

The Australian’s car was launched vertically into the air after slamming into the back of Heikki Kovalainen's Lotus, the Red Bull twisting in the air and landing upside down on the nose and roll bar.

The safety car was deployed for four laps after Webber’s accident, triggering a drive-through penalty for Hamilton, who was judged to have illegally overtaken as it exited the pit lane.

To the fury of Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, who was immediately behind and found himself held up by the safety car, Hamilton had built up a sufficient margin that he was able to take his penalty and still retain position.

The drive-through, on the 27th of 57 laps, still took the sting out of what might have been an enthralling battle at the front as Hamilton chased his third win in a row.

Alonso, who finished ninth in front of his home crowd, could still end up having the last laugh, with nine drivers - including Button - taking the chequered flag under investigation by stewards for driving too quickly when the safety car was on track.

Brazilian Rubens Barrichello, last year's winner for champions Brawn GP, finished fourth for Williams with Poland’s Robert Kubica fifth in a Renault.

Germany’s Adrian Sutil was sixth for Force India ahead of Sauber rookie Kamui Kobayashi who completed all but the last four laps on one set of tyres and was running as high as third. The Japanese passed Alonso on the last lap and then Sebastien Buemi's Toro Rosso into the final corner.

Spaniard Pedro de la Rosa made it a double points finish for Sauber in 10th place. Germany’s seven-times champion Michael Schumacher finished 16th for Mercedes. — Reuters

Durban, June 27
Netherlands striker Dirk Kuyt believes any complacency towards their surprise World Cup second round opponents Slovakia will be kept in check by their fiercest critics - themselves.

Slovakia’s stunning 3-2 upset of holders Italy on Thursday would have been a warning enough to the Dutch that their return to the Moses Mabhida Stadium on Monday will not be as easy as the two teams’ pedigrees would suggest.

Although Netherlands and Argentina were the only sides to win all three group matches, the Dutch have yet to dazzle anyone and are determined to keep their feet on the ground.

“This squad is filled with self-criticism as it always can be better and has to be better,” Kuyt told reporters this week.

“We only do things step-by-step and when we have a lesser day, we turn to our organisation and then we can also survive.”

Flying winger Arjen Robben made an immediate impact on his return from injury with a substitute appearance in the last group match against Cameroon in which he set up the winner.

That gives coach Bert van Marwijk a full squad to choose from to face the Slovakians, although Robben is again likely to start on the bench.

Gregory van der Wiel should return at right back after being replaced by Khalid Boulahrouz for the Cameroon match to avoid the risk of a second booking.

At stake in sunny Durban is a quarter-final against Brazil or Chile and Slovakia know they will have to produce another huge performance to claim a place in the last eight.

“We haven’t got anything to lose in this match. The Netherlands are the big favourites. We just want to do the same as we did against Italy,” defender Peter Pekarik told Reuters.

Coach Vladimir Weiss is not surprisingly likely to keep faith with the players that beat the world champions including Miroslav Stoch and Juraj Kucka, who transformed a team that had managed just one shot on target in the 2-0 defeat by Paraguay.

Weiss will have to make at least one change with Zdeno Strba suspended and Kamil Kopunek is likely to replace him in the defensive midfield role.

Having produced his country’s finest footballing moment in their first major tournament as an independent nation with attacking endeavour, Weiss suggested he would again encourage his team to take the game to the Dutch.

“Now we are heroes. There is euphoria in Slovakia, it’s unbelievable. We are so happy,” he told reporters. “Maybe we will play more offensively against Holland.” — Reuters

The vuvuzela has caught the world’s attention. A study in South Africa actually believes that the ‘popularity’ of the vuvuzela is adding to this World Cup’s overall ratings. But in this vuvuzela-obsessed atmosphere, the world has been overlooking the makarapa, another South African special, being dished out to the world on the mother-of-all sporting platters.

The Makarapa is another interesting piece of football paraphernalia - basically a decorated miner’s helmet. Soccer fans adorn their makarapas with the colours and logo of their team. While there is no clear account of how the concept came into being, it is often attributed to Alfred Baloyi.

In 1979, Baloyi attended a match at Orlando Stadium with Orlando Pirates playing the Kaizer Chiefs. The two have had a history of intense rivalry and the fervor was expected to ‘hit’ the stands as well. And soon it happened as well with missiles being hurled from one end to the other. One of Baloyi’s friends, probably knowing the history and tempers involved with the game, had given him a miner’s hat for protection.

Baloyi felt his hard hat could do with some colour. He transformed it into a celebration of his team colours and logo. It didn’t take too long for his creation, the makarapa, to be noticed. People could hardly get their eyes of it and the die-hard loyalists could not let go the chance of showing their support in an unseen way.

Strangers offered to buy it from Baloyi and that is when the man realised that he had hit upon a business opportunity. He soon quit his day job and made a living from his passion, vis-à-vis supplying a steady stream of customers with his unique creation.