Match Day Five

THALEFANG CHARLES | Tuesday June 15, 2010 00:00

 

New Zealand 1 - Slovakia 1 New Zealand waited until the last minute of added time to secure their first World Cup point when defender Winston Reid beat Slovakia goal keeper Jan Mucha with a header. Robert Vittek hit the net early in the second half to put the Slovaks forward. Slovakia was set to top Group F with three points ahead of Italy and Paraguay who drew 1-1 on Monday until Reid's header which left the All Whites celebrating at end when South African referee Jerome Damon blew the final whistle. The game was played in a windy Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg.

Cote d'Ivoire 0 - Portugal 0 First match of Group G, dubbed 'Group of death' ended in stalemate at Nelson Mandela Bay in Port Elizabeth as Cristiano Ronaldo and the returned English Premier League top goal scorer Didier Drogba hit blanks. The entertaining match failed to produce a goal with Ronaldo only hitting left post from his powerful shot outside the area in the first half. The stalemate left Ghana as the only team that won their opening match in the first World Cup in Africa.

Brazil 2 - North Korea 1 Despite the game labelled the 'mismatch of the tournament', the 105 ranked North Korea looked capable of getting a respectable result from the number one ranked team Brazil and five-times world champions at Ellis Park in Johannesburg. The Asians held the Brazilians until the 55 minute when Maicon converted from an acute angle. Elano added the Brazil' second in the 72nd minute from Maicon's lower cross. North Korea pulled one back in the 89th minute when Ji Yun-Nam run past the Brazilian defence and scored. The result put Brazil at the top of Group G with three points ahead of Cote d'Ivoire and Portugal with a point each. Brazil will take on Cote d'Ivoire on Sunday at the Soccer City Stadium, while Portugal will attempt to collect maximum points from North Korea on Monday at the Green Point Stadium in Cape Town.