The U-23 football event kicked off five days prior to the actual opening of the games. The Group ‘F’ encounter between Pakistan and Thailand saw the latter on constant attack from the word go (Pakistan got one shot at the goal while Thailand 16) while a few good initial saves on Pakistan’s goalkeeper and captain Jafar Khan’s part proved to be futile in the end.
Pakistan were 0-3 at interval with Thailand’s captain Datsakorn Thonglao leading from the front to get them their first and third goals in the 15th and 29th minutes with Teerasil Dangda scoring in 16th minute in between.
The thrashing of the green jerseys continued in the second half, too, with three more coming from the Thai boys sporting royal blue kits in the 59th (Kirati Keawsombut), 65th (Anawin Jujeen) and 73rd (Teerasil Danga again) minutes.
Although they scored no goals, Pakistan did, however, earn three yellow cards when Haider Ali, Mohammad Ahmed and Aurangzeb Baloch were cautioned by referee Sabbagh Ali.
AFP adds: In the other matches of the day, Qatar opened their account with a 0-0 draw against Singapore while the United Arab Emirates were held to a 1-1 draw by Hong Kong.
But Kuwait, Oman and Uzbekistan got their tournament off to winning starts with comfortable opening victories.
Kuwait, recently crowned champions of the West Asian football tournament in Jordan, proved too good for India in Group ‘D’, winning 2-0 with an early strike from Mohammad Alrashedi setting them on their way.
Alazemi Khaled ensured the three points with a fine finish in the 53rd minute. Uzbekistan cruised past Bangladesh 3-0 in Group ‘E’, with first-half goals from Kenja Turaev and Odil Ahmedov putting them firmly in charge before Ivan Nagaev added a late third. In another Group F clash, Oman beat the Maldives 3-0.
JOHANNESBURG: Lionel Messi conjured a spellbinding opening to the World Cup, highlighting Argentina’s 1-0 win over Nigeria in their Group B match at Ellis Park Stadium here on Saturday.
The world’s best player was in irresistible form as the two-time world champions dominated Nigeria, but only had Gabriel Heinze’s sixth-minute goal to show for their superiority in an exhilarating spectacle before 55,686 noisy fans.
Messi taunted the Africans with his mesmerising skill and virtuosity and was denied his first goal at South Africa 2010 only by the acrobatic saves of Nigerian goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama.
With coach Diego Maradona prowling his sideline technical area for the whole match, Argentina could not find the second killer goal as the uninhibited Nigerians came close several times in the second half to grabbing an equaliser.
It was a rasping Messi volley tipped over the bar by Enyeama that indirectly led to the only goal in the opening minutes.
Sebastian Veron’s corner picked up unmarked Heinze hurtling in late and the Marseille defender headed powerfully past Enyeama to send the large contingent of Argentine fans wild.
Argentina had numerous scoring chances, none more so than Messi’s charge on goal nine minutes from time.
Yet again he was thwarted by Enyeama’s blocking feet to keep the Nigerians in the game.
On another occasion Carlos Tevez triggered a counter-attack from deep inside his own half in the 65th minute and set up Messi only for him to shoot agonisingly past the post with Enyeama beaten.
Left-back Taye Taiwo came closest for Nigeria in the second half with his thumping volley just fizzing past the far post on 71 minutes.
But the Nigerians made the openings only to spoil their chances with errant finishing with Hoffenheim’s left winger Chinedu Ogbuke Obasi going close on a couple of occasions in the first half.
Argentina’s Newcastle United defensive midfielder Jonas Gutierrez and Nigeria midfielder Lukman Haruna picked up yellow cards in the match.
Argentina have won all three of their matches with Nigeria at the World Cup after winning 2-1 at the 1994 tournament in the USA - Maradona’s last international appearance as he was then sent home in disgrace for failing a drugs test - and 1-0 at the 2002 Korea/Japan edition.
Nigeria’s last victory at the World Cup was back in 1998 when they beat Bulgaria 1-0 and since then the Super Eagles have lost five games and drawn one.
Former champions France failed to set the World Cup alight on Friday as they struggled to a 0-0 draw against 10-man Uruguay in an uninspiring start to their campaign.Rarely can a team have arrived at a World Cup with more baggage than France, unsettled by rumoured internal strife and criticised at home for poor form.They did little to appease their detractors against the South Americans, with neither side able to take the early initiative in Group A after South Africa and Mexico drew 1-1 in the opening match of the tournament. France coach Raymond Domenech raised a few more eyebrows by leaving not just Thierry Henry on the bench but also Chelsea's Florent Malouda. Nicolas Anelka was tasked with the main goalscoring duties and Arsenal's Abou Diaby drafted in for Malouda. But they looked far from convincing at a packed Green Point Stadium. Both sides started lively enough with France having a great opportunity to take an early lead on six minutes when the dangerous Franck Ribery gave his defender the slip down the left. The Bayern Munich star sent a low cross into the box with Sidney Govou's outstretched foot sending the ball just past the post, a chance he should have buried. France came into the match under huge pressure after a string of average performances and they looked like they wanted to prove a point, with Diaby keeping the momentum going with a long range drive soon after. Uruguay were struggling to find their groove until Diego Forlan found space just outside the penalty area and curled in a shot that forced a fine save from Hugo Lloris. The game began opening up and minutes later Yoann Gourcuff tested the Uruguay keeper with a swinging free-kick that Fernando Muslera did well to punch away. But just as suddenly the match got bogged down in midfield and the chances dried up, with the teams going to the break all-square. The second half started as the first finished and it was becoming a turgid affair.Forlan showed glimpses of the form that bagged him so many goals last season, effortlessly bringing down a ball on his chest before blasting wide early in the second period.But the goalkeepers were hardly troubled with Anelka all at sea as France's lone striker. He paid the price with Henry replacing him for his 121st cap with 19 minutes left.Malouda also came on for Gourcuff as Domenech threw his last dice, but to no avail with France failing to capitalise when substitute Nicolas Lodeiro was shown a red card for a wild challenge on Bakary Sagna with eight minutes left.
South Africa had looked to be on course for a surprise win thanks to Siphiwe Tshabalala’s superb 55th minute strike but it was cancelled out by Marquez.
The hosts, though, went agonisingly close to regaining the lead in the Group A clash and taking the three points right at the death when striker Katlego Mphela hit the post after outpacing two defenders.
After a nervy opening half in front of 84,490 fans at Soccer City, South Africa finally found their rhythm to take the lead as Mexico failed to make their first-half domination count.
The Bafana Bafana were lucky to go into the half-time break at 0-0 after Mexico dominated the opening 45 minutes, but Carlos Vela’s 38th minute effort was ruled offside.
South Africa had a let off after just four minutes when Mexico captain Gerardo Torrado whipped in a cross which goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune fumbled into the path of Giovani Dos Santos, but his shot was blocked.
Galatasaray’s Dos Santos was a constant threat in the opening stages as the Mexicans attacked relentlessly.
Mexican midfielder Efrain Juarez was shown the tournament’s first yellow card on 18 minutes, but South African play-maker Steven Pienaar sent the free-kick sailing over the crossbar.
Bafana Bafana midfielder Kagisho Dikgacoi was then shown a yellow card for the hosts after fouling Dos Santos on 27 minutes, but Marquez fired the free-kick high.
After the break, a perfectly-timed through ball from Pienaar split the Mexican defence and put Tshabalala into acres of space for the Kaizer Chiefs’
star to slam home his shot giving Mexican goalkeeper Oscar Perez no chance.
With 20 minutes left, Mexico coach Javier Aguirre made some changes to push his side forward and they were rewarded with Marquez’s goal.
Marquez was left unmarked at the far post and he wasted no time in drilling his shot past Khune.
South Africa now face Uruguay in Pretoria on June 16, while Mexico take on France in Polokwane on June 17.
France and Uruguay meet each other later on Friday in Cape Town.
Ecstasy spreads throughout Africa. People around the globe welcome the World Cup. It is not a mere soccer game. It is a symbol. A symbol that Africa has risen to a higher level. For the first time in soccer history, the quadrennial event will be staged on the Africa continent.
For South Africans, the jubilation is similar, or even greater, than when their Rainbow Warriors won the 1995 Rugby World Cup in Johannesburg. The then president Nelson Mandela used rugby as a tool of soft diplomacy to get rid of apartheid practices. Fifteen years ago, people saw it as Mandela’s miracle, a political redemption to erase the discrimination between the whites and the coloreds. Today, people see the World Cup as an economic redemption.
South Africa has hopes the event will bring robust economic benefits not only from the staging of the event itself but from other related industries, such as tourism, airlines and more. In the wake of the global economic crisis, and when the world has yet to fully recover from the shock, no wonder South Africa hopes the World Cup will become their parachute to escape from the crisis.
The presence of world soccer stars — Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal, Steven Gerrard of England, Didier Drogba of Ivory Coast, Kaka of Brazil, Lionel Messi of Argentina — requires tight security for the safety of these footballers. That casts doubt upon whether South Africa can guarantee safety and security in the month-long event starting today. High crime rates and recent supporter brawls have made people question FIFA’s decision to name South Africa the host.Questions linger about what will happen once the final is over and the guests return to their countries.
What will happen to the 'white elephants'?
Despite doubts and questions, the world should warmly welcome the decision to embrace South Africa as a host nation for the prestigious and second biggest sporting event in the world.
Soccer fans around the world have prepared themselves to enjoy the euphoria. They only have one goal: happiness. They are happy to see their favourite teams play, let alone win. They are happy to be part of the jubilation.
Soccer has long been the favourite sport in most countries, including Indonesia. Soccer is no longer a mere sport. It has become an industry in itself. Matches of the world’s favourite leagues, namely the English Premier League, Italy’s Seria A and Spain’s La Liga, have collected big bucks for clubs and broadcast right holders.
Merchandise, sponsorship and endorsement have reached unbelievable digits.
And after the World Cup, when we all find out who will bring home the coveted trophy and who will be named the best footballer, then we will know whose pockets are getting filled.
Doubts about South Africa’s ability to successfully host the World Cup should not be in question. The world should support the country and the continent to be on the same level as others in terms of soccer.
World Cup fever has spread everywhere. Indonesia is no exception. Let’s join the celebration.
Winter in South Africa isn't quite like the typical UK winter but it is still winter in the southern hemisphere - so what will the weather be like for the World Cup?
The opening game is in Johannesburg, it has two stadiums Soccer City and Ellis park stadium.
The city is in the north of the country in the middle of the Veld and weather there should be dry, with sunny days but fairly chilly nights and temperatures here have been known to drop to below freezing at night.
Also on the veld sit the stadiums in Rustenburg, Polokwane, Pretoria and Nelspruit with similar weather patterns at this time of year.
Further south is Bloemfontein which being on the edge of the veld tends to be a bit cooler and wetter than the others.
On the east coast, Durban is the closest to a tropical climate with more rain in summer than winter and tends to be wetter than the veld.
Last but by no means least, Cape Town has a climate similar to the Mediterranean with dry summers and wetter, windier winters.
With this in mind the roof of the newly-built Cape Town Stadium has around 9 thousand 16 millimetre thick panels of glass to cover and protect spectators from strong winds and rain.
Blatter said FIFA regretted Sunday’s incident at the World Cup warmup between Nigeria and North Korea, which left 16 people injured outside Makhulong Stadium in the township of Tembisa near Johannesburg.
“I am sure, and you are sure, that this is like an alarm clock and this will not happen at any match at the World Cup,” Blatter said after a two-day meeting of FIFA’s executive committee.
“The security is always a matter for the state where the sport event is played. The FIFA organization, with all its ramifications, we have no police force. We cannot even take out a spectator from a stadium. We cannot do that. It is not possible.”
About 10,000 tickets were given away free for the match, where police saw a crowd twice force open the gates to the stadium.
“In terms of organization, please be sure that the level of organization we have at the World Cup is definitely higher than the one we have seen there,” said FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke, who was sitting alongside Blatter at the media briefing.
“We have to make sure that the police working around the World Cup stadiums will do better than what we have seen yesterday.”
Taiwo Ogunjobi, the Nigerian federation’s technical committee chairman, told website kickoff.com they had no alternatives other than Makhulong stadium, an outdated venue which has no turnstiles for fans.
“We had no choice,” Ogunjobi said. “That was the only venue available to us. FIFA had taken control of all the stadia we could have used, and we had to settle for this one because we needed to play this match.”
But Valcke denied FIFA had control of all other possible venues.
FIFA said Sunday in a statement that the match had “no relation whatsoever with the operational organization of the 2010 FIFA World Cup,” and Nigeria media officer Idah Peterside said the match “was organized by the two FAs.”
Blatter also said it was a “good idea” that Brazil recently played a match in Zimbabwe despite players like Kaka and Robinho shaking hands with President Robert Mugabe, who has been accused of running a campaign of political violence in his country.
“We have seen the enthusiasm of the people and how football connected people and that’s all,” Blatter said of the visit by the five-time World Cup winners. “I think it was a good idea to go there.”
The 47-year-old replaced Chilean Manuel Pellegrini to become Real's 11th coach in the past seven years.
"I like to give myself a challenge and this is a big one," said Mourinho.
"I have a lot of confidence in myself and my ability as a coach."Sporting director Jorge Valdano said: "It's an honour to have one of the most prestigious coaches in the world."
Valdano added: "We are delighted to have him here with us. The best thing for our club right now is to have Mourinho with us."
Mourinho, once on the coaching staff at Barcelona, has moved to Spain after Real and his former club Inter Milan agreed a compensation package.
But Mourinho explained that he felt the lure of coaching Real was too strong to resist.
"I don't know if I was born to coach Real Madrid but I was born to be a football coach," he added.
"I am Jose Mourinho and I don't change. I arrive with all my qualities and my defects.
"My attraction to Real Madrid is due to its history, its frustrations in recent years and its expectations to win.
"It's a unique club and I believe that not to coach Real leaves a void in a coach's career.
"Luckily, I've had a beautiful career and it makes me proud to have come here."
"I am very enthusiastic and I want my players to think that way," said the Portuguese.
"The beauty is not so much to train or play at Real, but to win at Real Madrid.
"I have a lot of confidence in my players, I have the hope that my new players have confidence in me."
Mourinho's Portuguese compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo joined Real from Manchester United for £80m last summer.
And the new boss hinted that the 25-year-old will have to fit into his disciplined style of play if he is to flourish next season.
"I understand that Ronaldo is an important player for Real and for the world of football," said the new boss.
"But my players must understand that the most important thing is the club.
"Cristiano likes to win, so if he likes to win it is not difficult to persuade him the most important thing is not the coach or the players but the club.
"If we all work as a group we will get results."
Mourinho started his managerial career with Benfica in his native Portugal in 2000 and has since picked up major honours at Porto, Chelsea and Inter.
He won the Portuguese league twice with Porto, in addition to the Uefa Cup and Champions League.
The self-appointed Special One moved to Chelsea in 2004 and ended the club's 50-year wait for a top-flight title in his first season in charge at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea retained the title in the 2005/06 season and also won the Carling Cup twice and the FA Cup before Mourinho left in September 2007 after a widely reported series of disagreements with owner Roman Abramovich.
Mourinho took over at Inter in June 2008 but endured a difficult relationship with the Italian press.
And following the news that Mourinho was moving to Spain, an Inter statement read: "President Massimo Moratti and FC Internazionale thank Jose Mourinho and his coaching staff for the work done during two successful seasons on the domestic and European fronts."
Pellegrini's free-scoring Real side finished runners-up in the Spanish League this season, netting 102 goals in 38 games, with 60 of those strikes coming at home.
But the 56-year-old Chilean was dismissed for failing to land any silverware, despite the Spanish giants having signed Ronaldo, Kaka, Karim Benzema and Xabi Alonso for a combined fee in excess of £196m in the summer of 2009.
"The sacking of Pellegrini doesn't make me happy. I am never happy when a coach is sacked, but football is like that," said Mourinho.
"I am a coach that has a lot of self-esteem and confidence and I don't think about the possibility of being sacked.
"I think four years of contract is enough to win, to build a strong team for the present and the future."
Mourinho will reportedly have full control of transfer policy at Madrid, with Perez taking a backseat after two successive seasons without a trophy since the start of his second spell as president.
Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard and Chelsea duo Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole have been linked with Real over the last few days.
The victory might also signal Mourinho's exit from Inter and move to Real Madrid, where Saturday's final was played before 80,000 people at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium. Within minutes of winning his second Champions League with two different clubs, he said it was more probable that he will go than stay.
''This makes me feel really sad,'' Mourinho said. ''I've become part of Inter's history and I don't want to talk about anything else. If I talk about it I'll cry and I don't want to do that.''
The Argentina striker Milito scored in the 35th and 70th minutes at the Bernabeu to add the title to Inter's triumphs back in 1964 and '65.
The merited victory _ Inter dominated the game _ meant that Mourinho completed the triple triumphs of the Champions League and domestic league and cup successes and became only the third coach to win the title with two different clubs.
Mourinho, who won the cup with FC Porto in 2004, out-thought van Gaal, the man he worked for while they were at Barcelona. This time the pupil was the master as Mourinho relied on his solid defense to snuff out the threat of Bayern's Arjen Robben and expertly won the game on the counter-attack.
Milito's two goals were taken with style and he had great support from attacking midfielder Wesley Sneijder and defensive midfielders Esteban Cambiasso and Javier Zanetti, the Inter captain who collected the trophy in his 700th appearance for the club.
''This is really emotional. The team played a perfect game. It's unbelievable for me to be able to relive the emotions I experienced so many years ago,'' said Inter president Massimo Moratti, whose father Angelo ran the club when it won the titles in the 1960s.
The loss meant that Bayern missed out on the treble, having also won the domestic league and cups.
''We were not good enough to impose our game,'' Van Gaal said. ''Inter only reacted but they still won deservedly. The timing of the goals was decisive. The players learned today that it comes down to small details.
''I still have the feeling that we could have won. There was no great difference. We attacked, Inter defended, but you have to be in great shape to beat Inter and we were not today. I still think Inter merited the win.''
Franz Beckenbauer, honorary president of Bayern, said Inter deserved its victory. ''Bayern did not have its day. We had a few moments at the start of the second half but that was not enough,'' he said. ''They made fewer mistakes.''
After the final whistle, Mourinho walked onto the field and was congratulated by his players in a low key celebration by his standards. In the past he has been known to race across the pitch to celebrate some of his most famous victories, infuriating opposing supporters.
Before the medal ceremony, he left his Inter players and walked over to the Bayern camp, hugging van Gaal as he had promised at the news conference on the eve of the final.
Although Bayern had chances early in the second half, Inter's defense was rock solid as it has been all through the competition, especially when it knocked defending champion Barcelona out in the semifinal.
The first half was a tale of the contrasting fortunes of two Dutchmen.
Bayern's Arjen Robben, left rolling on the ground after three solid tackles by Inter defenders in the first 13 minutes, earned himself three shooting chances but couldn't recreate the accurate strikes that eliminated Fiorentina and Manchester United.
Inter's Wesley Sneijder, by contrast, forced Bayern 'keeper Joerg Butt into a punching save and set up the first half strike by Milito.
From a huge kick upfield by Inter goalkeeper Julio Cesar, Milito headed the ball on to Sneijder who returned it immediately with an accurate pass through the Bayern defense. Milito held off a defender before firing past the 'keeper from 12 meters, sparking wild celebrations among the Inter fans at the other end of the stadium.
It should have been 2-0 just before halftime when Sneijder and Milito combined again. This time the Argentina striker put the Dutchman clear but his shot was blocked by Butt.
In a fast-moving sequence in the opning minute of the second half, Bayern opened up the Inter defense and Hamit Altintop presented Thomas Mueller with a clear shooting chance only for the 20-year-old striker to see his shot bounce off the 'keeper's legs.
''Not the better but the more effective team won,'' said Bayern captain Marc van Bommel. ''Had Mueller scored, it may have been different. These are decisive moments. But no reproaches, Mueller has scored so many goals this season.''
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