SAO PAULO, Brazil -- Belgium may be sitting comfortably atop Group H, but the team’s quest for points ahead of the round of 16 means it will play as hard in its match against South Korea as in any other game, coach Marc Wilmots said Wednesday.After victories over Algeria and Russia, Belgium has sealed its entry to the knockout stages even before its final group match against a struggling South Korea, which is on the brink of elimination.(Yonhap)But Wilmots said the team nonetheless has prepared

June 26, 2014

SAO PAULO, Brazil -- South Korean football coach Hong Myung-bo does not have a religion, and if his squad won the unlikely victory against the widely favored Belgium on Thursday in their final Brazil World Cup group match, he would not call it a miracle, he said at a press conference in Sao Paulo on the eve of the big game. Instead, he said he simply wanted his players to do their best and to play for the Korean people.“Right now, for us to go to the round of 16, of course the conditions are not

June 26, 2014

SAO PAULO, Brazil -- South Korean football coach Hong Myung-bo said Wednesday that his squad’s balance was thanks to forward Park Chu-young, whose contentious inclusion on the World Cup squad had yet to pay off with a goal.Hong defended the Arsenal striker-turned-free agent’s performance in Korea’s 1-1 draw with Russia and 4-2 loss to Algeria, saying the team was not able to create chances for him. In each match Park went scoreless, fumbled passes and was brought off before the hour mark, which

June 26, 2014

Honduras lost all three of its matches at the World Cup, and then lost its coach.Luis Fernando Suarez, a Colombian who led Ecuador to the second round of the 2006 World Cup, quit his job Wednesday following a third straight loss in Brazil.“I'm sorry I didn't manage more,” said Suarez, who has been Honduras coach since March 2011. “I'm sad because I had a dream about this World Cup.”Honduras` head coach Luis Suarez instructs his players from the sideline during the group E World Cup soccer match

June 26, 2014

Bosnia-Herzegovina ended Iran's hopes of advancing to the knockout stages with a 3-1 victory in Group F on Wednesday, registering its first World Cup win in the process.The Bosnians, who were already relegated from the tournament,  took a commanding 2-0 lead with goals from Edin Dzeko in the 23rd  and Miralem Pjanic in the 53rd before Iran hit back in a desperate late bid to qualify for the second round. Bosnia's Avdija Vrsajevic (2) celebrates with teammate Vedad Ibisevic after scoring his team

June 26, 2014

Xherdan Shaqiri's hat trick put Switzerland into the second round of the World Cup, and kept coach Ottmar Hitzfeld gainfully employed for at least a few more days.Shaqiri scored a pair of first-half goals and added another in the second Wednesday to give Switzerland a 3-0 victory over Honduras, a result that put the Swiss in second place in Group E behind France.“We knew that we were going to show great football today, said Shaqiri, a Bayern Munich winger. “For us, this has been really a dream t

June 26, 2014

Lionel Messi scored at the start and end of the first half as Argentina beat Nigeria 3-2 in a thriller on Wednesday to top World Cup Group F and the already-eliminated Bosnia recorded a pride-salvaging 3-1 win over Iran that meant both teams are heading home.The battle for the World Cup's golden boot heated up between Barcelona teammates as Messi latched onto a rebound in just the third minute and then curled in a freekick shortly before halftime to match Neymar's tally of four in three games fo

June 26, 2014

BRASILIA (AP) ― Brazil heads into the knockout stage of the World Cup with added confidence after finally coming up with a convincing win at its home tournament.The host played well in a 4-1 win over Cameroon on Monday to secure a spot in the Round of 16 and regain the trust of fans after two mediocre games.Players said that more important than the victory was the team’s performance, which showed that Brazil remains on track to contend for the World Cup title.Brazil’s forward Neymar (AFP-Yonhap)

June 25, 2014

Greece’s Giorgos Samaras (left) celebrates his goal against Ivory Coast in Fortaleza, Brazil, Tuesday. (AP-Yonhap)Underscoring a power shift away from Europe, Uruguay fought ― and apparently even bit ― its way to a 1-0 victory over Italy Tuesday to move to the World Cup’s next round with Costa Rica, which sent England home without a single victory after a goalless draw.South America’s strength was further highlighted when Colombia capped its perfect record in Group C with a 4-1 win over Japan. E

June 25, 2014

SAO PAULO ― In one painful outing, Korea’s hopes of passing the group stages for the second straight World Cup were all but wiped out.Korea seemed to have left behind the poor form it showed in the run-up to the World Cup with a solid 1-1 opener against Russia. But the concerns about its crucial defensive weaknesses returned with Sunday’s 4-2 loss. “I don’t think I’ve ever played such a terrible match in my football career,” confessed a disheveled and emotional Han Kook-young the day after Alger

June 25, 2014

Greece doesn't score often at the World Cup, but its goals certainly come at the right time. Greece doubled its total scoring tally at World Cup tournaments by netting twice against the Ivory Coast on Tuesday _ the second coming through an injury-time penalty that secured a 2-1 victory and a spot in the knockout rounds. Greece`s Giorgos Samaras celebrates scoring his side`s second goal during the group C World Cup soccer match between Greece and Ivory Coast at the Arena Castelao in Fortaleza, Br

June 25, 2014

The beach ball being thrown around the stand by bored, cheering fans captured just how serene Costa Rica's progress has been at the World Cup.It should never have been this easy for the only team in Group D which isn't a past World Cup winner and doesn't feature in the top 10 of the FIFA rankings. But history and status proved no hindrance for the central American minnows, who turned the group on its head by progressing as winners. Costa Rica`s Celso Borges, right, controls the ball past England

June 25, 2014

Underscoring a power shift away from Europe, Uruguay fought _ and apparently even bit _ its way to a 1-0 victory over Italy Tuesday to move to the World Cup's next round with Costa Rica, which sent England home without a single victory after a goalless draw.South America's strength was further highlighted when Colombia capped its perfect record in Group C with a 4-1 win over Japan. Europe did get one team through when Greece converted an injury time penalty for a 2-1 victory over Ivory Coast whi

June 25, 2014

Luis Suarez shocked the World Cup with a new biting storm Tuesday as Uruguay sensationally dumped ten-man Italy out of the tournament with a dramatic 1-0 victory.Uruguay captain Diego Godin hit an 81st-minute winner in the gritty Group D battle that saw Italy knocked out in the first round for the second straight World Cup.But Italy's stunning exit was overshadowed by an incredible incident involving Suarez -- already banned twice before for biting opponents -- just moments before Godin's winner

June 25, 2014

(AP-Yonhap)Jackson Martinez scored twice as Colombia beat Japan 4-1 to end World Cup Group C with three straight wins and send the Asian champions packing from the tournament with just a single point.The match made World Cup history when Farid Mondragan beat Roger Milla's record as the oldest player at any finals tournament. The goalkeeper came on as a substitute for the last six minutes at the age of 43 years and three days.Colombia already had the game sealed.Disaster struck for Japan after 15

June 25, 2014

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) ― First came boos and whistles. And then, a Brazilian taunt cascaded down the stands of the Maracana stadium ― “Little team, your place is in the second division.”The Belgians had felt honored to play at the famous stadium but the local fans didn’t exactly return the love during Belgium’s struggling 1-0 win over Russia at the World Cup.One day later, the Belgium squad was cherishing the two victories that have ensured their passage to knockout phase. But after much pre-tourna

June 24, 2014

Brazil relied on its star Neymar for two early goals to beat Cameroon 4-1 Monday and reach the World Cup’s knockout stage for a South American showdown against Chile. (AP-Yonhap)

June 24, 2014

FOZ DO IGUACU, Brazil (Yonhap) ― The young South Korean squad at this year’s FIFA World Cup in Brazil may be lacking leadership, but the players shouldn’t make an excuse out of their plight, one of the team’s stars said Monday.South Korea lost to Algeria 4-2 on Sunday in Group H, a loss that left the Asian side in last place among four teams with one point with the final group match versus Belgium set for Thursday.Back at the South Korean base camp of Foz do Iguacu, winger Son Heung-min said the

June 24, 2014

FOZ DO IGUACU, Brazil (Yonhap) ― After securing just one point in its first two Group H matches at the ongoing FIFA World Cup in Brazil, South Korea faces a must-win situation against the heavy favorite Belgium in Sao Paulo on Thursday.The match between No. 57 South Korea and the 11th-ranked Belgium will kick off at 5 p.m. Thursday (5 a.m. Friday in Seoul) at Arena Corinthians.The South Koreans have their backs against the wall after getting picked apart by the ruthless Algerian offense in their

June 24, 2014