Win, Côte d'Ivoire failed to quaify

There were no miracles for Ivory Coast in Nelspruit as the west Africans were knocked out of the World Cup despite comfortably beating a defensively-frail North Korea.

The Elephants' hopes of progressing to the second round in South Africa always appeared slim as they needed to not only emphatically beat their opponents to make up an enormous goal deficit, but also hope that Portugal lost to Brazil in the other fixture in Group G.
Ivory Coast coach Sven-Goran Eriksson's men scored two early goals through Yaya Toure and Romaric but the eight-goal deluge that was most likely needed did not materialise, even though North Korea were more than obliging in defence - just as they had been during their 7-0 demolition by Portugal.

Salomon Kalou came off the bench to add a third goal but in the end the scoreline did not matter a jot as it was Portugal who progressed in second spot thanks to a goalless draw with group winners Brazil.
North Korea coach Kim Jong-hun had regarded this game as an opportunity for his team to restore some pride, but his players still seemed shell-shocked after conceding six goals in the second half against Portugal on Monday.
The Koreans granted Ivory Coast the freedom to surge forward at will and, in truth, Eriksson's men should have led by more than two goals at the break.
The Elephants started with intent as Toure's beautiful pass set the surging Kader Keita free in the box only for goalkeeper Ri-Myong-Guk's outstretched legs to prevent a goal in the opening minute.
Didier Drogba then had a header ruled out for offside, the Chelsea striker wagged his finger in protest but replays proved referee Alberto Undiano Mallenco was correct.
More chances were wasted - Gervinho being the prime culprit - before Toure finally gave Ivory Coast a deserved lead with a well-placed side-footed effort into the corner from the edge of the box.
A mere six minutes later and the Elephants doubled their advantage as the alert Romaric headed home Drogba's fierce volley, which had kindly rebounded off the crossbar.
The Elephants continued to trample over their opponents after the break but they also seemed determined to squander goalscoring opportunities.
Drogba, Ivory Coast's standard-bearer and all-time leading scorer, was the prime culprit as he headed wide from six yards and then failed to make contact with a perfect cross from Arthur Boka on the left. Gervinho and substitute Kalou were just as culpable.
North Korea defended a little more stoically in the second half and could have halved the deficit when Jong Tae-Se had the best opportunity of the match with Toure's brother Kolo blocking his goalbound effort.
Almost immediately, the Elephants whizzed up the field and the impressive Boka produced another fine cross from the left which Kalou side-footed in from six yards.
Substitute Aruna Dindane had an effort ruled out for offside in the closing stages but by then, as far as Ivory Coast's World Cup hopes were concerned, it was all a little irrelevant.

Korea DPR	0-3	Côte d'Ivoire	FT
	(HT 0-2)	Yaya Toure, 14 Romaric, 20 Kalou, 82
Team
Korea DPR 01 Myong-Guk Ri 02 Cha Jong-Hyok 03 Ri Jun-Il 05 Ri Kwang-Chon 13 Pak Chol-Jin 04 Pak Nam-Chol 08 Ji Yun-Nam 11 Mun In-Guk (12 Choe Kum-Chol Choe, 67) 17 Ahn Yong-Hak 09 Jong Tae-Se 10 Hong Yong-Jo		Côte d'Ivoire 01 Boubacar Copa 03 Boka 04 Kolo Toure 21 Eboue 05 Zokora 09 Tiote 13 Romaric (07 Doumbia, 79) 19 Yaya Toure 10 Gervinho (08 Kalou, 64) 11 Drogba 18 Keita (15 Dindane, 64)
18 Kim Myong-Gil, 20 Kim Myong-Won, 14 Pak Nam-Chol, 16 Nam Song-Chol, 21 Ri Kwang-Hyok, 06 K-I Kim, 15 Kim Yong-Jun, 19 Ri Chol-Myong, 22 Kim Kyong-Il, 23 Pak Sung-hyok, 07 An Chol-Hyok, 12 Choe Kum-Chol Choe		Substitutes: 16 Zogbo, 23 Yeboah, 02 Benjamin, 06 Gohouri, 17 Tiene, 22 Bamba, 12 Gosso, 14 Kone, 07 Doumbia, 08 Kalou, 15 Dindane
Venue: Mbombela Stadium Referee: A Undiano Mallenco Attendance: 34,634

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the long-awaited goal the last two years by Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo ended his two-year wait for an international goal as his side ripped North Korea apart to claim their first win of this World Cup in style.

The two sides were only separated by Raul Meireles' goal at half-time, but Portugal produced a scintillating attacking display after the break to score six goals and spark their tournament into life.

Simao, Hugo Almeida and Tiago found the net in the space of seven minutes to end any hopes of a North Korean comeback, before Liedson, Ronaldo and a second from Tiago completed a similar quick-fire salvo at the end of the game.

This was a re-run of one of the most famous matches in World Cup history, 44 years on from the memorable day when North Korea led 3-0 before being overhauled by a four-goal Eusebio blast.

Despite a lively start by North Korea, Portugal did not have to mount any sort of comeback to win this time, but they will savour the victory just the same, especially as their much-improved goal-difference makes them favourites to follow Brazil in qualifying out of Group G.

With Brazil to play in their final group game, Carlos Queiroz's side badly needed all three points and, from the start, they came forward with far more intent than during their opening draw with Ivory Coast.

Ricardo Carvalho came closest to making an early breakthrough when Korean goalkeeper Ri Myong-Guk got nowhere near a corner and he headed against the frame of the unguarded goal.

But North Korea were also looking far more adventurous than they had in their first match and, while they were a lot less secure at the back, they gave Portugal a few scares at the other end too.

Cha Jong-Hyok saw his powerful shot swerve wide after neat build-up, while Mun In-Guk headed the follow-up over after Eduardo parried Hong Yong-Jo's cross-shot from the right.

To their credit, Portugal kept their composure and although, at this stage, Ronaldo was only an occasional menace down the left flank rather than the unstoppable force he would later become, they continued to look the more dangerous side, especially on the break.

Their first goal, when it arrived after 29 minutes, was one of beauty - with Tiago slipping a precise through-ball into the path of Meireles, who tucked a low shot past Ri Myong-Guk

While North Korea did not crumble instantly, their defensive disorganisation meant they were lucky not to concede further goals before the break, only to completely collapse after it.

Simao opened the floodgates when he finished off a neat move between Meireles and Hugo Almeida, and Almeida quickly made it 3-0 when he headed home Fabio Coentrao's cross.

By now Ronaldo had woken up too, and he set up Tiago to slot home his first goal from the edge of the area before almost making number five with a perfectly weighted cross that Almeida could not quite convert.

The £80m Real Madrid winger seemed determined to get on the scoresheet himself and smashed a rasping shot against the bar before Liedson did make it 5-0 with a thumping finish after Ri Kwang-Chan's mistake.

Then came the moment most of the Portuguese fans in Cape Town had been waiting for, when Ronaldo latched on to a ball over the top, skipped past Ri Myong-Guk and, after bringing the ball down using his neck, turned it home.

Tiago's late header from Miguel Veloso's cross added a seventh goal and gave the final score an even more emphatic appearance, and one that reflected Portugal's total dominance.

Portugal	7-0	Korea DPR	FT
Raul Meireles, 29 Simao, 53 Almeida, 56 Tiago, 60, 89 Liedson, 81 Ronaldo, 87	(HT 1-0)
Team
Portugal 01 Eduardo 02 Alves 06 Carvalho 13 Miguel 23 Coentrao 08 Mendes 16 Raul Meireles (14 Veloso, 70) 19 Tiago 07 Ronaldo 11 Simao (05 Duda, 74) 18 Almeida (09 Liedson, 77)		Korea DPR 01 Myong-Guk Ri 02 Cha Jong-Hyok (16 Nam Song-Chol, 75) 03 Ri Jun-Il 05 Ri Kwang-Chon 13 Pak Chol-Jin 04 Pak Nam-Chol (06 K-I Kim, 58) 08 Ji Yun-Nam 11 Mun In-Guk (15 Kim Yong-Jun, 58) 17 Ahn Yong-Hak 09 Jong Tae-Se 10 Hong Yong-Jo
12 Beto, 22 Fernandes, 03 Ferreira, 04 Rolando, 15 Pepe, 21 Costa, 05 Duda, 10 Danny, 14 Veloso, 17 Ruben Amorim, 20 Deco, 09 Liedson		Substitutes: 18 Kim Myong-Gil, 20 Kim Myong-Won, 14 Pak Nam-Chol, 16 Nam Song-Chol, 21 Ri Kwang-Hyok, 06 K-I Kim, 15 Kim Yong-Jun, 19 Ri Chol-Myong, 22 Kim Kyong-Il, 23 Pak Sung-hyok, 07 An Chol-Hyok, 12 Choe Kum-Chol Choe
Venue: Green Point Stadium Referee: P Pozo Attendance: 63,644

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Wonderful Goal from Maicon

Maicon produced a moment of pure Brazilian magic to set the five-time champions on their way to victory in their opening game against North Korea in Johannesburg.

The Brazilians, ranked number one in the Fifa rankings, were expected to cruise past the team in 105th place in their Group G encounter.

But on a difficult evening they had to wait until the 55th minute to break the deadlock as the North Koreans proved more than capable opponents.

It fell to right-back Maicon to settle Brazil's nerves with a goal of typical beauty.

Latching on to a pass down the right from Elano but at a seemingly impossible angle trapped against the byeline, he produced a swerving screamer that bent in with goalkeeper Ri Myong-guk standing a fraction too far off his post.

The goal composed Dunga's previously erratic side and they doubled the lead with 18 minutes left when Robinho slid a fabulous pass in for Elano to slot home from inside the area.

But North Korea gave them a much harder game than they were expecting and Kim Jong-Hun's side got a goal their endeavour deserved when Ji Yun-nam fired in superbly in the closing stages.

Brazil deserved the victory for their dominance in possession, especially in the second half, but North Korea's previously unknown players can hold their heads high after a display full of passion and no little skill either.

In fact, playing their in their first World Cup since 1966, the Chollima - before they tired after the break - threatened to cause an almighty upset.

With star striker Jong Tae-se - who cried during their national anthem - leading the line magnificently, they were giving Brazil as good as they got in a first half that swung from end to end in hugely entertaining fashion.

Indeed as Elano, Robinho and Michel Bastos all sprayed long-range shots wide from outside the box, it was the little-fancied North Koreans who began to test the Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar as they proved that had not come to the World Cup simply to defend.

Jong was causing the usually unflappable Lucio all kinds of problems with his movement and pace and he turned sharply before firing straight at the Brazilian keeper, before Ri Kwang-chon dragged wide from a good position on the edge of the Brazil box after they had failed to clear a corner.

The Brazilians were lethargic, with their best moments coming down the flanks as Maicon on the right and Michel Bastos - who had a 20-yard sizzler deflected over - got forward time and time again to support their struggling team-mates.

As the game wore on there was a sense that a major upset could be in the offing, but Maicon's devilish drifter put paid to that and soon Brazil were controlling the game in the manner with which their World Cup opponents have become accustomed.

Striker Luis Fabiano, without a goal in his last six internationals, was desperate to get on the scoresheet, but he could only turn and blaze over, before Robinho wonderfully found Elano to make the game safe.

Brazil still had a scare when Ji Yun-nam's brilliant first touch controlled a high ball and took him into space in the Brazil box and he made no mistake with an unerring finish past Julio Cesar.

There was no time for them to conjure the most unlikely of all equalisers, but their heroic display finally brought the World Cup to life and warmed the hearts of the crowd on a freezing night at Ellis Park.

Brazil	2-1	Korea DPR	FT
Maicon, 55 Elano, 72	(HT 0-0)	Yun-Nam Ji , 89
Team
Brazil 01 Julio Cesar 02 Maicon 03 Lucio 04 Juan 06 Michel Bastos 05 Felipe Melo (Ramires, 84 ) 07 Elano (Daniel, 73) 08 Silva 10 Kaka (Nilmar, 78) 09 Luis Fabiano 11 Robinho		Korea DPR 01 Myong-Guk Ri 02 Jong-Hyok Cha 03 Jun-Il Ri 05 Kwang-Chon Ri 13 Chol-Jin Pak 04 Nam-C Pak 08 Yun-Nam Ji 11 In-Guk Mun (K-I Kim, 80) 17 Yong-Hak Ahn 09 Tae-Se Jong 10 Yong-Jo Hong
Substitutes: 12 Gomes, 22 Doni, 13 Daniel, 14 Luisao, 15 Thiago Silva, 16 Gilberto, 17 Josue, 18 Ramires, 19 Julio Baptista, 20 Jose Kleberson, 21 Nilmar, 23 Grafite		Substitutes: 18 Myong-Gil Kim, 20 Myong-Won Kim, 14 Nam-Chol Pak, 16 Song-Chol Nam, 21 Kwang-Hyok Ri, 06 K-I Kim, 15 Yong-Jun Kim, 19 Chol-Myong Ri, 22 Kyong-Il Kim, 23 Sung Hyok Pak , 07 Chol-Hyok An , 12 Kum-Chol Choe
Venue: Ellis Park Referee: V Kassai Attendance: 54,331

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