Samba! Samba! Ronaldo double does it
BRAZIL won a record fifth World Cup yesterday when Ronaldo erased the memory of his 1998 final nightmare by scoring both goals in a 2-0 victory over Germany. [ details ]

S Korea's Cup run ends - Ballack's loan goal takes Germany to Final
GERMANY'S RECOVERY from the lowest moment in their soccer history was completed in style yesterday when they ended South Korea's dream run with a 1-0 semi-final win to reach their seventh World Cup finals [ details ]

'Prendy' denies apology claims
JAMAICAN REFEREE Peter Prendergast yesterday dismissed claims by former Belgian captain Marc Wilmots that he had apologised for an error made in a second round match in which Brazil defeated Belgium 2-0. [ details ]

S. Korea oust Italy
SOUTH KOREA pulled off yet another stunning result in a World Cup already overflowing with shocks, eliminating three-time champions Italy in extra time yesterday and advancing to the quarter-finals with a 2-1 win [ details ]

Leave the 'little' refs alone
ONE OF the great things about sport is that it is a level playing field - an arena in which all men and women are equal regardless of race, colour or creed, status or influence, the size or the economy of one's country. [ details ]

Brazil burn Belgium
A SPECTACULAR Rivaldo goal and a late Ronaldo effort sent Brazil into the quarter-finals of the World Cup after a 2-0 victory over underdogs Belgium yesterday. [ details ]

Coaches defend 'Prendy'
JAMAICAN REFEREE Peter Prendergast has been given high marks by two local coaches for his performance in yesterday's World Cup second round game between Brazil and Belgium in Kobe, Japan. [ details ]

Argentina sent packing
ANOTHER DAY, another favourite sent packing. Two-time champions Argentina followed in France's footsteps yesterday, falling out of the World Cup after a 1-1 tie with Sweden in Group F, a result that sent the Swedes to the second round. [ details ]

Denmark KO France
DENMARK CELEBRATED at the expense of France as the defending champions crashed out of the World Cup, failing to score a single goal in three games and finishing last in their group. [ details ]

Senegal hold on to advance
:FIRST-TIME WORLD Cup finalists Senegal held on for a 3-3 draw against Uruguay yesterday in Group A to reach the last 16 with two first-half goals from Papa Bouba Diop and another from Khalilou Fadiga on a penalty in the 20th. [ details ]

Favourites fighting for survival
By Tony Becca - On The Boundary
WHEN the World Cup of football kicked off on May 31, France, Argentina, Italy, Portugal, Germany, and England were numbered among the favourites and one of them could still win the Cup. [ details ]

Big win for Japan
JUNICHI Inamoto couldn't have come up with a better time or place to raise the level of his game.[ details ]

Mexico turn back Ecuador
GERARDO Torrado scored the game-winning goal in the 57th minute yesterday as Mexico rallied from a one-goal deficit to defeat Ecuador 2-1 in Group G of the World Cup..[ details ]

Rapaic goal rocks Italy
HE SMOKES like a chimney, sleeps as soundly as a hibernating bear and rarely comes on time for anything. Not bad for a man who handed soccer giant Italy their first regular-time World Cup loss in eight years. [ details ]

Senegal march on
SENEGAL'S ENCORE to their shocking upset of defending champion France on World Cup debut was a 1-1 tie with Denmark yesterday. [ details ]

French hopes slowly fading
IT WAS a match the French team had said it was going to win, to silence critics and prove its World Cup hopes were back on track. [ details ]

South Korea humble Poland
SOUTH KOREA scored their first ever win at a World Cup finals with a 2-0 upset yesterday over Poland that sparked an outpouring of euphoria mixed with relief. [ details ]

Costa Rica make bold start
CHINA'S HOPE of a strong start in their World Cup debut collapsed yesterday when Costa Rica thrashed them 2-0 with second half goals by Ronald Gomes and Mauricio Wright. [ details ]

Ronaldo, Rivaldo show
RIVALDO drilled in a penalty kick in the waning minutes and teamed up with Ronaldo to lead Brazil in a come-from-behind 2-1 thriller over Turkey yesterday. [ details ]

Italy serve warning
Muscalar Italian striker Christian Vieri bullied his way into Ecuador's penalty area, scoring two first-half goals to give three-time champion Italy an impressive 2-0 victory over Ecuador yesterday in the opening World Cup match for both teams. [ details ]

Prendergast stars on June 5
JAMAICA'S TOP referee, Peter Prendergast, will take to the field at the World Cup on June 5 when he referees the Group H match between Russia and Tunisia in Kobe, Japan.

His assistant referees will be Michael Ragoonath of Trinidad and Tobago and New Zealand's Paul Smith