Après Match | Fixtures & Results | In Pictures
Full time Spain 2-1 Chile and Switzerland 0-0 Honduras. So Group H is done and dusted, Spain top the group, Chile in second. Spain will face neighbours Portugal in the second round, while Chile face Brazil. Tasty. Tomorrow, the second round gets underway and it's knockout city from here on in. Uruguay face South Korea at 3pm, while Ghana face USA at 7.30pm. Join us here for full coverage. Good night and good luck.
90+1 mins David Silva has been standing on the sideline, waiting to come on as a sub for about five minutes, but the ball hasn't gone out, it's just being passed from Spanish defender to Spanish defender. No challenges, no energy.
89 mins Walking pace. It's more like chess. Not much walking in chess though. I was in Sarajevo and they had a giant chess board in the main square. There was a crowd watching and offering advice as the two players walked all across the board. Sarajevo is a cool place, you should check it out. Two extra minutes of Spanish passing to come here.
87 mins All petering out in Pretoria folks. Gone are the biting challenges of the first half and the dynamic breaks of Chile as Spain methodically keep possession to wind down the clock.
2115 SWI v HON: Alvarez picks up the ball on the right wing. He cuts back and crosses for Suazo just outside the six yard box.
Diego Benaglio decided to come for it but he then changes his mind, leaving Suazo with an easy header.
The striker nods the ball past the far post. Best chance of the game so far. Two minutes to go in Bloemfontein and still 0-0.
85 mins Five minutes to go and the only way things are going to definitely change is if the Swiss can manage a goal.
82 mins Spain happy to keep it at the back - passing it around, running the clock down. Chile sit back in their own half - it's very difficult to press a team when they're passing it around inside their own half. Maybe both sides happy with the way things are? Both go through as things stand.
80 mins Chile are still going for it - Orellana chips it over the back four and Paredes beats the offside trap - except he doesn't, he's offside. But they're still sniffing and Spain would want to be careful.
77 mins Tidy, composed football by Chile - Orellana receives it on the right and he tries an audacious chip, which drifts wide of the post. I hope Chile make it through to round two - sorry Swiss heads - they play some ace football and they work hellaciously hard. Many teams would have folded in this situation.
75 mins 15 minutes to go - currently Spain top of group H, Chile in second spot and into second round. Switzerland and Honduras going home.
73 mins Xavi Alonso has an ankle problem, it would appear, although nothing too serious as he walks off the field. Javier Martinez enters the fray in his stead.
71 mins Chile haven't given up - they're still working really hard to put the Spanish under pressure and playing good football when they do win possession. But the numerical disadvantage is telling when they push forward.
2055 Chances are now on the menu in the Switzerland v Honduras game - both teams going close to breaking the deadlock there in recent times. Both sides going for it with the Swiss leaving gaps in defence that so far Honduras have not exploited.
68 mins A close-up of the Spanish manager Vincente Del Bosque has inspired a colleague here to recall much-missed British sitcom 'Allo 'Allo, which mined the infinite comedy available in wartime occupied France. Gordon Kaye - aka amorous barman Réné - is something of a doppleganger. From running a bar in 1940's France to running the European champions? Check it out below.
66 mins Alexis Sanches - who, remember, has mad skillz - is subbed off and Orellana comes into the action. Chile need some kind of injection, they're falling out of the game.
65 mins Villa has been played through into the box three times in the last three minutes - last ditch challenges by Isla and Ponce have denied him. He looks mad keen - he should score again in this game if he keeps making these runs.
63 mins Panic in the Chilean box again - Iniesta beats Medel and gets to the byeline. He cuts it back and the balls bobbles around dangerously in the six yard area before finally being cleared.
61 mins Fabregas chips in a clever ball for Villa to run onto in the box - Villa tries to backheel the high ball first time for Iniesta behind him, but messes it up and looks like an eejit. Seconds later, Fabregas wins possession and plays a sharp through ball for Villa - he's clean through, but fails to control the pass.
59 mins Sanchez beats three on the right wing, but gets excited and sends his cross miles over the head Beausejour in the box. Boyz got skillz, though.
56 mins Fabregas straight into it - tidy touches and incisive pass into the box for Iniesta to run onto, but Medel is there to intercede. Spain much more awake now, passing crisp.
54 mins A disappointed Torres is subbed off - a bearded Cesc Fabregas enters the fray. Justified - Torres has been rhubarb.
52 mins Puyol's turn to hit the deck like an extra in a Stallone film. A stray arm catches him in the face and he makes sure the ref notices. He wins a free, but not the card against Millar that he was clearly after.
49 mins Straight away, sluggish Spain caught out again - Isla plays Paredes in past a static defence, but he's too eager and called offside. Switzerland now need to score twice to overtake Chile.
47 mins Chile walk it up to the edge of the Spanish box. Sub Rodrigo Millar picks it up, the defenders stand off him, so he tries a curler - it rebounds horribly off Pique's knee and drops into the net over the wrong-footed Casillas. Chile are back in it!
GOAL FOR CHILE
46 mins Double substitution by Chile - Gonzalez and Valdivia off, Paredes and Millar on. They leave defenders Medel and Ponce - both on yellow - on the pitch. Hmm.
2032 Players back on the pitch in Bloemfontein - the Swiss need to win there. And the Spanish and Chileans are back out as well. Spain will probably score more - Chile just have to hope that Switzerland don't. And to stop getting all their players suspended and sent off.
2030 Trailer on the box for the new 'Predators' movie. Bring it.
2028 The panel are all full of praise for David Villa. Estrada, they say, was asking for his red. John Giles, who, according to Eamon, should know about these things, saw him commit several bad, crazy fouls. Giles: 'You can tell by his face he's a bit of a headbanger.' Dunphy: 'What John doesn't like about this is that he got caught.' Only on RTÉ ladies and gents.
2025 The strain of understanding what Ossie Ardiles is saying is etched all over Bill's face. I gave up a couple of days ago.
2020 As it stands, Spain top the group, with Chile still in second spot - but their position is precarious. Should Switzerland score, they'll leapfrog the South Americans.
2015 SWI v HON: Nkufo wastes a decent chance for Switzerland, chesting a Derdiyok cross straight back to the Honduran goalkeeper. He was in two minds over whether to head or volley. Poor stuff so far, and that's half time.
Half time Spain kept possession there for about five full minutes. Realistically, this game is over already. With Spain's excellent close passing and patience, they can close out this contest in the second period. Chile are getting frustrated, unable to get near the ball and, to be blunt, they are diving all over the place and winning frees. Italy have shown us that anything can happen late in a World Cup game, so we shan't lose hope of late drama, but this is very much Spain's game to lose.
43 mins Spain getting control of the game now, passing it around, keeping possession. Chile are working hard, but they appear to be waiting to attack on the counter, something they are very good at.
41 mins I'm getting pretty vexed by Spain's apparent magnetism towards the floor. They seem to have less control over gravity than the rest of us. Xavi Alonso bumps gently into Vidal, but somehow the Spaniard is sent flying backwards and earns a free. They can play lovely football, but not at all happy with their melodramatic dives.
38 mins Uh-oh. Mountain gets higher straight away for Chile as their dead ball expert Estrada receives a second yellow for tripping Torres during the build-up to the Spanish goal. Replays show that the ref got it wrong - Estrada was running behind Torres, not looking at him and either clipped his heels accidentally or Torres tripped himself up and threw himself on the ground. Either way, Torres was over-dramatic and he's gotten the Chilean midfielder sent off. Boo and hiss.
RED CARD FOR CHILE
37 mins Flowing attacking move by Spain. Villa is sent free down the right, he lays it inside to Iniesta, who passes it into the net first time past the despairing Bravo.
GOAL FOR SPAIN
36 mins Penalty shout for Spain - Torres' Sunday league control continues as he bundles his way into the Chilean box only for Jara to knock him off his feet with a meaty shoulder charge. No dice, says Count Referee.
35 mins Corner for Spain and Pique climbs well, but he can't get over the ball and his header goes over the bar. In the blink of an eye, Chile are on the attack and Beausejour burns Ramos to break into the box, he tries to lift it over Bravo, but Pique gets all the way back to block.
33 mins Beausejour rolls a smart ball across the edge of the area for Isla to strike. It's clean and low, but Pique dives in to block the effort. At the other end, Villa plays Torres in at the right side of the box, but again the Liverpool's first touch is hanging and the chance is gone.
2000 Another update from my colleague Rory Houston, who drew the short straw and is watching Switzerland v Honduras:
Neither side are looking all too clever in the attack in the Switzerland and Honduras game.
Honduras are happy to play on the break but they don’t appear too threatening in the final third.
That Villa goal means that Switzerland need to find the net at least twice, and that doesn’t look like happening with 30 minutes gone.
30 mins Lovely skill by Medel leaves Capdevilla wondering what happened. Isla is hauled down and Chile get a free on the sideline. Estrada whips in a dangerous ball, but it finds Puyol's head and hazard averted.
27 mins Estrada lunges in on Iniesta - very, very little contact and Iniesta throws himself to the ground. Our nocturnal ref decides not to brandish a second yellow at the Chilean, thankfully. Decent shooting chance for Villa from the free, but he skies it.
24 mins AMAZING goal by David Villa! Alonso plays a long ball in for Torres to chase down the channel. Keeper Bravo is way out of his box to intercept, but his clearance goes straight to Villa, who - more than 40 yards out - hits it first time into the unguarded goal. Sensational.
GOAL FOR SPAIN
1950 Update from the other game in the group in Bloemfontein - Switzerland are beginning to take control against Honduras. First chance of the game falls to midfielder Gokhan Inler on the edge of the area but he drags his shot wide
22 mins Estrada booked for Chile - crikey they're racking them up. He went through the back of Busquets, but again he's arching him back and wailing like he needs an exorcism. 30 seconds later, he's up and grand. As Gordon Strachan once said, how do you face up to your mates after acting like that?
19 mins Ponce is now booked and he too would miss a second round game - he gave a petulant little (light) donkey kick to Torres on the touchline. Deserved. At least Torres didn't overreact - that shouldn't be something to praise, it shouldn't be the exception, it should be the norm.
17 mins Valdivia exhibits sweet close control and plays Sanchez in down the right - he crosses in high first time and Beusejour rises with pace to meet it, but he just can't make it. They attack with serious speed, do these Chileans. Largely even so far folks.
15 mins Medel is booked in the middle for Chile and he'll miss their second round game. He lunges in to block a pass by Sergio Busquets and the Barca midfielder reacted from a soft tackle as though he'd been electrocuted - no minced words, that guy is a diving cheat, a trait he regularly displays in La Liga.
13 mins Neither team totally settled yet, despite half-chances at both ends. Spain look keen, but not quite as sharp with their passing as usual so far, whereas Chile are far from overawed by their illustrious opponents - they appear eager and have pace to burn in attack.
11 mins Chance for Chile - Valdivia bursts through into the box on the right side and pulls it back to Gonzalez, who is unmarked in the six yard box. But the pull-back is too far behind the fast-advancing winger and he can't wrap his foot around it. That was close.
9 mins Referee/vampire Marco Rodriguez swoops down on Chilean keeper Bravo to warn him about time-wasting from kick-outs. I'd listen to him, he's quite likely to drink your blood if you argue with him. I'm not exaggerating - the guy looks like he should be teaching kids arithmetic on Sesame Street.
7 mins Another free opportunity for Xavi, too far out to shoot, and his scuffed ball in is rescued by Torres and then Pique flips it up for himself to try a volley on the turn. It's blocked down by the Chilean defence. Ever notice how ace Pique's touch is? On the rare occasions when Barca are in trouble late on, they always bung him forward and he'd be a wicked good striker if he wasn't needed at the back.
5 mins First half-chance - free from Xavi floated in and Torres steals a yard on his marker. He gets under his header and it's a good bit over the bar, but to be fair, it was really difficult - coming from behind him. 30 seconds later, a long clearance by Puyol skips all the way through to the Chile box and Torres - first there - is only denied by keeper Bravo's quick thinking.
3 mins Estrada floats a nice ball over the top for his strikers to chase - they left the Spanish defenders on their heels there - but it skids off the evening dew and onto Casillas.
1 min Spain, in unfamiliar dark tops with white shorts, are on the attack early - fed into Torres, but his touch is poor and it's cleared. Torres has been muck so far - let's see if he can turn it on when it counts tonight.
1930 We're about to kick off folks - remember all four teams can still progress from this final group. Have it! World Cup drama awaits!
1925 That guy in the top right there was my pre-tournament bet for top scorer and after his (hugely impressive) brace against Honduras, he's there or thereabouts. Missed penalty? Already forgotten.
1920 Welcome welcome to Spain v Chile and Switzerland v Honduras as Group H and the first round as a whole comes to a climax. Will European champions follow World champions Italy and fellow European 'powerhouse' France out of the competition at the first hurdle? I say no - Chile are good, but Spain are better.
1900 Switzerland: Benaglio, Lichtsteiner, Von Bergen, Grichting, Ziegler, Barnetta, Huggel, Inler, Fernandes, Derdiyok, Nkufo.
Subs: Wolfli, Magnin, Frei, Padalino, Yakin, Bunjaku, Schwegler, Eggiman, Shaqiri, Leoni.
Honduras: Valladares, Sabillon, Chavez, Bernardez, Figueroa,
Alvarez, Wilson Palacios, Thomas, Nunez, Jerry Palacios, Suazo.
Subs: Canales, Johnny Palacios, Pavon, Welcome, Espinoza,
Garcia, Martinez, Turcios, Guevara, Izaguirre, Mendoza, Escober.
Referee: Hector Baldassi (Argentina)
18.58 Chile: Bravo, Isla, Medel, Ponce, Jara, Vidal, Estrada,
Gonzalez, Sanchez, Valdivia, Beausejour.
Subs: Marin, Fuentes, Contreras, Suazo, Orellana, Fierro, Millar, Tello, Paredes, Pinto.
Spain: Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Pique, Puyol, Capdevila, Xavi,
Busquets, Alonso, Iniesta, Torres, Villa.
Subs: Valdes, Albiol, Marchena, Fabregas, Mata, Arbeloa, Pedro, Llorente, Javi Martinez, Silva, Jesus Navas, Reina.
Referee: Marco Rodriguez (Mexico)
16.58 That's it. Not a great game with limited chances for both sides; however, there were chances to win it for either. It would seem both sides were content to play for the draw and save themselves for the knock-out games to come.
Both teams are dining with each other this evening, so perhaps they wanted things to remain amicable. It's all a bit too cosy isn't it? A shame to see Ivory Coast eliminated, they played some great football and would have represented Africa well in the knock-out phases.
Next-up we have Spain v Chile at 7.30pm, which threatens to be a humdinger - watch that on RTÉ Two or RTÉ.ie.
The other Group H match, Switzerland v Honduras, is live on RTÉ.ie at the same time.
FULL-TIME: PORTUGAL 0-0 BRAZIL
FULL-TIME: NORTH KOREA 0-3 IVORY COAST
90+6 mins The corner is an outswinger from Simao and Grafite heads clear.
90+4 mins Dani almost gets away on the right hand side of the Brazil defence. Cesar rushes from his goal to contest a 50-50 ball between the two players and meets it first. Dani gets clobbered by the big Brazil keeper and the ball runs out for a corner.
90 mins Once more Sven-Goran Eriksson will be trumped by the Portuguese. In Euro 2004 and World Cup 2006 his England team was put out by Portugal. Now his Ivory Coast side will be eliminated by Portugal.
Chance for Brazil. Ramires has a pop from 30 yards and the effort hits a Portugal defender. The deflection loops the ball up and it looks as though it's about to to lob Eduardo, but the Portugal shotstopper leaps like a salmon and tips the ball to the right and wide. Heroic save.
89 mins Portugal look wiped of energy now and can't muster much on the break. Instead they continue to sit deep and are now playing for a draw. It would seem the Europeans are content to settle for second in the group.
88 mins Brazil win their first corner of the second half. Dani Alves fails to deliver anything menacing. It is headed clear and once more floated goalward. It reaches Lucio at the far post. He heads it firmly at the net, but Eduardo is good for the save.
87 mins Once more Brazil pass it around without really threatening the danger area. SUBSTITUTION: Ramires is on for Julio Baptista.
85 mins Nice goal from Kalou, but it's not going to be enough. If Portugal get a point here goal difference is irrelevant. Ivory Coast would still need another six goal swing to win on goal difference.
84 mins NORTH KOREA 0-3 IVORY COAST (Salomon Kalou 82)
83 mins SUBSTITUTION: Baptista is off for Ramires.
81 mins Simao is brought down 25 yards out on the right. Simao will take it himself: He floats it into the box and fails to beat the first defender.
79 mins Once more Portugal sit back and defend. This is the pattern of the game. Brazil will attempt to break down the red shirts and then in turn the red shirts will try to hit the Samba boys on the counter. Brazil have missed Kaka today. They have no spark or creativity in the midfield axis.
77 mins Simao gets away down the left and pings a low ball across goal. Ronaldo is there, but under pressure from Lucio he can't steer it on target. Instead it is high and looping over the bar.
73 mins Brazil are beginning to dominate possession. Portugal are sitting back as they did in the first half, waiting for the Brazilians to attack them. Shame really, Ronaldo and Co were really starting to trouble Brazil. As I say that Portgual break, Ronaldo plays inside to Dani, he lays off to Costa. Costa attempts a delicate pass to the box, but there is too much velocity on the ball and Cesar allows it to drop over the line.
72 mins Both sides are struggling to grab the game by the scruff of the neck. Both midfields are breaking each other down well and there is very little space to start any passing patterns in the centre of the park.
67 mins Ronaldo charges at Brazil again. He passes ahead of himself and runs on to it, Lucio charges into him and Ronaldo wins a free. He takes it himself - again - and, once more, it is caught badly and spins wide.
65 mins Brazil now have a go at Portugal. Bastos takes it down the left and has enough space to deliver a cross, he doesn't deliver well at all though, the pass ended up ten yards over the bar.
64 mins SUBSTITUTION: Pedro Mendes is on for Pepe. This could be a signal that Portugal are going for the win. Mendes is a far more creative player - someone who can provide key attacking passes. The Europeans are by far the better team in the second half.
60 mins Another superb chance for Portgual. Ronaldo is the lone Portugal attacker, he goes down the right flank and takes on Lucio I believe. As he goes round Lucio the centre back sticks out a leg which plays the ball across the centre of goal. With that the ball rolls to Meirelles. From six-yards out he tries to tap it into the corner. Julio Cesar steps two steps towards Meirelles and gets a fingertip to the shot to touch wide - we were so close to an opening goal.
58 mins Corner for Portugal - that is cleared, but it falls to Simao. The sub has a glance at goal, then decides to have a pop. It's not a bad effort but it's a good height for Julio Cesar and he takes it with some ease.
57 mins Dani Alves beats two on the edge of the Portugal area. When he does the space opens up and he delivers a great cross. It reaches Fabiano, but the big number 9 can't keep his header down.
56 mins Bastos has a go for Brazil from 30 yards. It is worse than a Ronaldo effort would be - and that is saying something. It's all gone a bit flat out there right now.
55 mins SUBSTITUTION: Simao is on for Duda.
54 mins Portugal have started the second period the better. Brazil are struggling to pass the ball - most un-Brazilian.
52 mins Ronaldo takes another long-range free. It hits the wall and Pepe flicks it with his heel - it could have gone anywhere, but in the end just looped over the Brazilian goal.
50 mins Simao is warming up for Portugal.
48 mins Portugal have a great chance. Longball to Ronaldo on the right wing - the pass was 40 yards. Ronaldo scampers to the byline. Dani is waiting in the box for the pass, but Ronaldo takes a second too long on the ball and when he tries to find Dani Lucio slides in to intercept. The resulting corner is swung too far and is harmless.
47 mins Dani drives at goal from 20 yards on the right wing. He looks as though he is clipped from behind and goes down, the referee disagrees and waves play on. The replay shows that a free-kick would have been fair.
45 mins We're off.
16.01 The teams are returning to the pitch. Portugal to kick-off this second half.
HALF-TIME: PORTUGAL 0-0 BRAZIL
That's the last action of the half. At the moment Brazil and Portugal go through. We will need a goal avalanche from Ivory Coast against Korea and Brazil to break down a stubborn Portugal defence to change how things stand.
45 mins More distance shooting from Ronaldo. He is on the left wing this time and this time he hammers an effort at goal from 30 yards. It's a bit of a joke shot really, far too far out to trouble a keeper of Julio Cesar's standard. The shot flies wide.
44 mins YELLOW CARD: Coentrao is booked for a tackle from behind on Dani Alves.
43 mins Tactically it is a case of Brazil playing possession football and probing down the flanks. By contrast, Portugal are crowding the midfield, sitting deep in defence and attempting to catch Brazil on the counter-attack and through longballs.
41 mins Ronaldo is fed the ball from a free-kick on halfway. He runs at the defence for 20 yards and shoots. The shot is tame by the Real Madrid star's immensely high standards and lacks the necessary power to trouble Julio Cesar.
39 mins Maicon gets to the byline and directs a cross into the six-yard area. Luis Fabiano meets it and gets good contact on the ball. Too much contact it would appear as he heads downwards and the ball hits the ground and bounces wide.
37 mins Ronaldo cuts a lonely figure up front for Portugal, he is feeding off scraps and long balls.
35 mins A long ball over the top catches Portugal napping. Luis Fabiano is about to control and trap the ball with the under side of his foot, but gets the drop of the ball wrong and misses it. It then bounces sky high and he is closed down.
34 mins The game has more bite and a little bit of fizz now. Baptista is taken down by Pepe as the Brazilians break - it was a body charge by Pepe.
31 mins Portugal make a superb break downfield and the ball reaches Tiago in the centre of the Brazil box. He is coming in on goal and he is clipped on the ankle by Gilberto Silva. As a result Tiago goes down and claims a penalty. The referee looks disgusted by the long-haired Mediterranean's amateur dramatics and books Tiago for diving. YELLOW CARD for Tiago.
29 mins Chance for Brazil. Nilmar is on the end of a cross into the left corner of the six yard box. He smashes it goalwards and Eduardo tips it onto the crossbar. Save of the tournament contender.
28 mins Maicon charges down the right flank once more and slips in for Dani Alves, the cross he delivers his blocked and goes for a corner. That corner comes to nothing as it is cleared by Portugal. Three poor corners from Dani Alves of Barcelona.
26 mins A red card might have been the more just decision for Juan's handball, as he stopped a clear goalscoring opportunity. Ten yards further towards goal and I think the referee would have sent him for an early shower.
24 mins Still all Brazil. Portugal are playing on the counter and looking to soak up pressure. As I speak, Portugal play a long ball and Juan deliberately handballs. Ronaldo was through on goal should that not have happened. YELLOW CARD for Juan and for Duda for telling the ref to send him off. The resulting free-kick is blasted over from 40 yards out.
22 mins It looks like the Ivorians are on the charge. Another great goal, from a shot smashed against the crossbar the ball rebounds out to Romaric who heads home under pressure from ten yards. Well taken header under examination from the Korean defence.
22 mins NORTH KOREA 0-2 IVORY COAST (Ndri Romaric 20)
20 mins Brazil control possession in midfield, with Portugal sitting very deep - ten men behind the ball kind of stuff. The Samba Boys fail to find an unlocking pass and the attack breaks down.
18 mins Toure's goal was very clever. The Ivorians began a move down the left wing which was pulled back to Toure on the edge of the 18-yard area. He had a quick glance at the goal, before placing a curled shot around the defence and keeper into the bottom right-hand corner of the Korean net.
16 mins: NORTH KOREA 0-1 IVORY COAST (Yaya Toure 14)
14 mins Pepe is caught in possession and Nilmar has a chance to shoot from 25 yards, but he dithers over the ball and is engulfed by the red shirts in defence. Portugal break from that attack and reach the Brazil byline. Coentrao beats Lucio for pace to get there and delivers a superb cross, Julio Cesar must fist clear. YELLOW CARD: Then off the ball Fabiano is booked for a clumsy late challenge.
13 mins Tiago has a chance to play in towards Ronaldo, he gets it all wrong and the pass his calmly intercepted and hoofed clear.
11 mins Maicon drives up the right wing, laying off inside to Baptista, he unloads a pass to Felipe Melo who feeds it back to Maicon on the flank. The right back hits it first time towards the backpost. He gets the distance wrong and goes over the endball line.
9 mins Felipe Melo plays a crossfield pass, from right to left, and into the 18-yard box. Superb effort. Nilmar was coming on to it, but he was muscled out by the Portugal defence. It's all Brazil right now. They are probing and look comfortable in possession.
8 mins Dani Alves puts a lineball down the right for Maicon to get on to. Maicon darts after the ball but Alves is well-in to clear to touch.
7 mins Ronaldo is roaming around the pitch looking for the ball. At the minute he is sitting at the centre of a diamond attack for the Europeans.
6 mins Alves has a smashing effort from fully 30 yards. He got hold of it, but his crosshair was slightly misaligned and it went wide of Eduardo's goal.
4 mins Bastos fouls Dani. Free-out for Portugal. The midfield is packed out there as both sides seek to strangle each other in the crucial area of the field.
3 mins Ronaldo gets ahead of steam up on the right wing and tries to find Raul Meireles, his pass is poor and nipped in the bud by the Brazilians in the centre of the park.
2 mins Early corner for Brazil, Dani Alves takes it, but it is poor and headed clear by Portugal. Absolutely jam-packed stadium for this encounter. One of the few times I have seen that so far this tournament.
1min The game is underway with Brazil kicking-off in their yellow kit. Portugal are in red with white shorts today.
14.59pm No Kaka in the Brazil team today. He is suspened for his red card against Ivory Coast.
14.59 Brazil team:
01 Julio Cesar
02 Maicon
03 Lucio Captain04 Juan
06 Michel Bastos
13 Daniel
05 Felipe Melo
08 Silva
19 Julio Baptista
09 Luis Fabiano
21 Nilmar
14.48 Portugal team:
01 Eduardo
02 Alves
06 Carvalho
15 Pepe
21 Costa
23 Coentrao
05 Duda
10 Danny
16 Raul Meireles
19 Tiago
07 Ronaldo (captain)
14.54pm It's anthem time in Moses Mabhida Stadium. The Portugal anthem A Portuguesa is belted out, followed by Brazil's Hino Nacional Brasileiro. Wouldn't a samba number be more appropriate?
14.12 There have been alot of rumours circulating about what highlights North Koreans were shown after the Brazil v North Korea clash. This is a spoof we reckon, but absolutely hilarious:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-O-s1WhYOWs
13.54 Spain are on a bit of a sticky wicket in Group H. If they draw with Chile and Switzerland beat Honduras, then the European champions are out.
If Spain and Switzerland win, then Spain are likely to go through, joined by whoever has better goal difference, Chile or the Swiss.
If Spain lose, God forbid, then, well then they have real trouble on their hands. In that case they would rely on the extremely poor Hondurans beating the Swiss and therefore scraping through on goals scored.
13.44 Group G is first to be decided today. North Korea and Ivory Coast face each other in Nelspruit. Ivory Coast need a goal difference change of ten to have a chance of leaping Portugal and claiming a spot in the second round. Very, very, very unlikely. North Korea would need to collapse even worse than they did against Portugal - that was 7-0 to the Portuguese in the end - for the Ivorians to have a chance. Or, maybe Brazil can embarrass their Portuguese speaking counterparts.
13.35 As we enter the business end of the competition, there are a few more crucial matters yet to be decided. Two questions weigh heavily: 1) Will Portugal or Brazil win Group G and 2) Can Spain survive a battle with Chile to make the second round. Two cracking games lie ahead to settle those matters, between four of the best teams in the competition.
