[World Cup] Costa Rica stuns Uruguay 3-1 at World Cup

Costa Rica came from behind to stun Uruguay 3-1 Saturday at the World Cup, opening the tough Group D with a major upset. Uruguay left star striker Luis Suarez on the bench but went ahead when Edinson Cavani scored a penalty in the 24th minute. The Central Americans fought back after the break and lone striker Joel Campbell drive in a ball headed down by Celso Borges in the 54th  to beat goalkeeper Fernando Muslera. Oscar Duarte dived past the outstretched foot of Uruguay's Cristian Stuani to hea

June 15, 2014

[World Cup] Balotelli goal gives Italy 2-1 win over England

Mario Balotelli scored with a second-half header Saturday to give Italy a 2-1 win over England at the World Cup.The Italy striker was left free by his marker Gary Cahill and nodded a cross from Antonio Candreva past goalkeeper Joe Hart in the 50th minute.Claudio Marchisio scored first for Italy, sending a long shot through a crowded area and past a diving Hart in the 35th. Daniel Sturridge equalized for England two minutes later, tapping in a cross from Wayne Rooney. (AFP-Yonhap)The win puts Ita

June 15, 2014

[World Cup] Netherlands thrashes Spain 5-1 in World Cup opener

SALVADOR, Brazil (AP) – Louis van Gaal, one of the game's greatest coaches, was criticized before the World Cup for being too defensive for a nation that loves attacking play.His decision to field five defenders against Spainthough, proved a masterstroke.His team thrashed the defending world champions 5-1 Friday with a clinical display of counterattacking football that had Spain chasing shadows at the end as Dutch fans roared “Ole!” each time their team passed the ball.“If you see how he prepare

June 14, 2014

[World Cup] The beautiful game kicks off

From pubs in England and public squares in Korea to living rooms in the U.S. and bairros (neighborhoods) in Brazil, half the world’s population is expected to tune in to the World Cup over the next month, as fans hope to see today’s heroes, including Argentina’s Messi, Portugal’s Ronaldo and Brazil’s Neymar, lead their countries to victory. Already the most expensive and with an unprecedented 2.96 million spectator tickets sold, this year’s World Cup is widely touted to be the best one yet. Lion

June 13, 2014

[World Cup] Korea’s path fraught with challenges

As in any sport, the road to victory in football lies just inches away from failure. The elusive victory cigar usually finds its way to someone willing to “fight for that inch,” as Al Pacino put it in “Any Given Sunday,” a sports classic in which he plays a football coach.But that slim difference between glory and disgrace appeared to have widened to miles, not inches, for the South Korean team on Monday. They were thumped 4-0 by Ghana in Miami, Florida, in their last friendly before the 2014 FI

June 13, 2014

[World Cup] Brazil, Italy face tough road from 16-country stage

Football pundits and gamblers aren’t hesitating to pick Brazil, the host of the 2014 World Cup, as the favorite for the World Cup Trophy on July 13.However, the 16-team knockout phase, which is scheduled to start on June 29 after the two-week group stage, may pose a tough test for the “eternal favorite.”If the Brazilian team advances to the round of 16, as is widely expected, it is likely to face Spain or the Netherlands from Group B.Reigning champion Spain is the No. 1 team in the FIFA rankings

June 13, 2014

[World Cup] Cup fever needs to boost Korean soccer

Every four years, 32 national football teams clash for the World Cup trophy, the top honor in the sport, sparking a worldwide fever. And the time has come again with the Brazil World Cup 2014 kicking off on Friday. Koreans have been no exception to the craze, whether Korea qualifies for the championship or not. Every time Korea advances to the 32-team contest, Koreans have turned their eyes to football, rooting for their team ardently.However, the World Cup craze doesn’t seem to last long in Kor

June 13, 2014

[World Cup] Korean firms gear up for World Cup marketing

The 2014 FIFA World Cup is expected to spur domestic sales and help companies withstand dampened demand in the wake of the Sewol ferry sinking.The global sports event is a good opportunity for consumer electronics companies to increase TV sales. Sales in World Cup years are usually 30 percent higher than the previous year. Though Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics are not official sponsors of the 2014 tournament, they expect to reap similar benefits, and step up related marketing to make the

June 13, 2014

[World Cup] Neymar rescues Brazil in World Cup opener

Brazil's Neymar celebrates his second goal on a penalty kick during the group A World Cup soccer match between Brazil and Croatia, the opening game of the tournament, in the Itaquerao Stadium in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Thursday, June 12, 2014. (AP-Yonhap)Neymar hit two goals including a bitterly contested penalty to guide Brazil to a 3-1 victory over Croatia in the opening match of the World Cup on Thursday.Violent protests in Sao Paulo were quickly pushed to one side as drama switched to the footbal

June 13, 2014

[World Cup] Forward Lee Keun-ho embraces role as backup

South Korean forward Lee Keun-ho is no slouch by any stretch of the imagination. The 29-year-old was named the 2012 Asian player of the year by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) after helping his South Korean club, Ulsan Hyundai, to the AFC Champions League title that year.  On the current 23-man World Cup squad for South Korea, Lee is tied with forward Park Chu-young for most caps with 63 and is second behind Park with 18 goals.Despite his solid credentials, Lee is expected to serve as a r

June 13, 2014

[World Cup] World Cup kicks off as host Brazil takes on Croatia

The opening ceremony is under way in Sao Paulo on Thursday. (AFP-Yonhap)The 2014 FIFA World Cup kicked off in Brazil on Thursday as the host country took on Croatia in the opening Group A contest, under the cloud of protests and mounting criticism over the South American nation's readiness to stage football's grandest event.Brazil is hosting the World Cup for the second time. The all-time leader with five World Cup trophies, Brazil will be looking to add to that total on home soil.Brazil has dra

June 13, 2014

[Newsmaker] Despite loss, Korea gets sets for World Cup

FOZ DO IGUACU, Brazil (Yonhap) ― Players on the South Korean national football team have put their recent big loss to Ghana behind them as they get ready for a more crucial task ahead.On Wednesday, head coach Hong Myung-bo and his 23-man team arrived in Foz do Iguacu, their base camp during the FIFA World Cup in Brazil, after wrapping up an earlier camp in Miami.South Korea has struggled mightily in its preparation for the tournament. It lost to Tunisia 1-0 in Seoul on May 28 and fell to Ghana 4

June 12, 2014

Defender Hong tries to get over mental hump

FOZ DO IGUACU, Brazil (Yonhap) ― South Korean defensive back Hong Jeong-ho, who recently came down with a bruised foot, has been cleared by team doctors to play and is doing relatively well physically.It’s the mental block that needs to be cleared, the 24-year-old said Wednesday.“When I try to make quick turns, I become conscious of the pain, and I can’t make plays I normally do because of that,” Hong said after he and his teammates held their first practice at their World Cup base camp in Foz d

June 12, 2014

[World Cup] Injured defender Hong trying to get over mental hump

South Korean defensive back Hong Jeong-ho, who recently came down with a bruised foot, has been cleared by team doctors to play and is doing relatively well physically.It's the mental block that needs to be cleared, the 24-year-old said Wednesday."When I try to make quick turns, I become conscious of pain, and I can't make plays I normally do because of that," Hong said, after he and his teammates held their first practice at their World Cup base camp in Foz do Iguacu in southern Brazil. (Yonhap

June 12, 2014