On the eve of his World Cup showdown against South Korea, Russia head coach Fabio Capello said Monday he has "great expectations" for his side. "We've done everything in our power to come to this beginning in top form," Capello said through an interpreter at the pre-match press conference held at Arena Pantanal in Cuiaba, the site of the Group H match between South Korea and Russia at 6 p.m. on ...

Thomas Mueller picked up where he left off at the World Cup, scoring a hat trick in Germany's 4-0 victory over 10-man Portugal in the Group G opener on Monday. Mueller scored five goals at the 2010 World Cup, along with three other players, but he also had three assists and that gave the Bayern Munich forward the honor of top scorer in South Africa. ``To score three goals in the World Cup opene...

CUIABA, Brazil ― As Korea heads into its first World Cup match, it has just one focus: defense. The squad arrived in Cuiaba on Sunday morning from its Foz do Igaucu training camp, two days ahead of its premiere showdown at Arena Pantanal on Tuesday (7 a.m. Wednesday, Korean time) against Russia for the final opener in Brazil. Come kickoff, the team will be entirely committed to supporting the d...

BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil (AP) ― Belgium returns to its first World Cup in 12 years brimming with confidence and determination before the Group H opener against Algeria. Belgium’s best cluster of players in a generation is in fierce competition for a starting place Tuesday at Estadio Mineirao. It’s so fierce that a couple of players have picked up knocks in aggressive training sessions. Coach Marc...

Switzerland beats Ecuador 2-1 BRASILIA (AP) ― Switzerland grabbed a winner with virtually the final kick to earn a 2-1 victory over Ecuador in the World Cup on Sunday, extending a run of come-from-behind wins that are becoming a theme of the tournament. With just seconds left in the third and final minute of stoppage time, substitute Haris Seferovic finished off a length-of-the-field move by sl...

CUIABA, Brazil (Yonhap) ― South Korea will have to dig deep and stay mentally strong when it opens its 2014 FIFA World Cup campaign against Russia, a South Korean defender said Sunday. South Korea, coached by Hong Myung-bo, on Sunday arrived in Cuiaba in the central-west region of Brazil, the site of its first Group H match against Russia. The match will kick off at 6 p.m. at Arena Pantanal. Ah...

The increasingly clandestine South Korea trained behind closed doors for the third straight day on Sunday, with the ever-important opening group match against Russia just round the corner. South Korea on Sunday arrived in Cuiaba, the site of its Group H contest against Russia two days later. The Asian representative trained at the Federal University of Mato Grosso in the central-west city, and h...

Lionel Messi scored a trademark individual goal as Argentina opened their World Cup campaign with a narrow 2-1 win over Bosnia-Hercegovina at Rio de Janeiro's renovated Maracana on Sunday. The Barcelona superstar created the third-minute own goal by Sead Kolasinac with which Argentina went ahead, but it took a mid-match tactical shift for him to really start influencing proceedings. In the 65th...

Haris Seferovic scored in the last minute of injury time to grab Switzerland a dramatic 2-1 win over Ecuador in their Group E game at the World Cup finals in Brasilia on Sunday. Seferovic's winner capped a remarkable comeback by the top seeds in the group as fellow substitute Admer Mehmidi had taken just 121 seconds to make his mark as he levelled the game in the 48th minute. Enner Valencia had...

Karim Benzema scored twice and created a third that was confirmed by goal-line technology as France beat Honduras 3-0 Sunday in its first World Cup match. The dominant win was a relief for France, whose team of highly paid players failed to win in South Africa and was sent home in a disgrace after going on a training strike. ``Winning 3-0 at a World Cup isn't easy,'' France coach Didier Descham...

FOZ DO IGUACU, Brazil (Yonhap) ― The objective of soccer is rather simple: Score more than the opposition. Things haven’t been quite so simple for South Korea, however, in its preparations for the FIFA World Cup in Brazil. In 16 games coached by Hong Myung-bo, who took the reins last summer, South Korea has found the back of the net just 15 times, an inflated total given that four of the goals ...

As the Korean team readies for its first match in the World Cup in Brazil later this week, heroes of the unforgettable 2002 event are back, sharpening their soccer instincts. Their battle, however, isn’t on the field. It’s on TV screens. From striker Ahn Jung-hwan and mid-fielder Park Ji-sung to defender Lee Young-pyo, a total of six players of the 2002 squad which advanced to the semi-finals h...

Ivory Coast scored two goals in two minutes to beat Asian giants Japan 2-1 in their World Cup Group C battle on Saturday. Japan's AC Milan star Keisuke Honda knocked the Elephants groggy with a 16th minute goal to make it 1-0. But goals from Wilfried Bony and Gervinho in the 64th and 66th minutes saw Ivory Coast home. Veteran striker Didier Drogba came on for Die Serey after 62 minutes and was...

Colombia's new generation unlocked Greece's notoriously steely defense with such verve that they could just have become the team to beat in Group C at the World Cup. The Colombians beat Greece 3-0 on Saturday, and didn't need star striker Radamel Falcao to do it. Falcao, who was ruled out of the World Cup due to a knee injury, was just one among the thousands of Colombia supporters who dominate...

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 goalkeep...