At the end of  1st half  the New Zealand and  Slovakia match just ended in a goalless draw. Current ball possession  stands at New Zealand 48% while Slovakia has 52% Total short at goal 4 to 7 shots off target       3  to 5 shots on target        1 to 2 fowl committed      10 to 6 offside                         […]

THE Council of Chiefs of Ogbolubiri-Mein Kingdom and a community leader, Mr. Daniel Pereware in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State, has threatened to drag the State House of Assembly to court, whenever it commences the process of installing one Johnbull Polokowei as the King-elect, insisting that the action would amount to meddling in the traditional affairs of the people and igniting crisis in the kingdom.

New Zealand is playing Slovakia at Royal Bafokeng StadiumRustenburg. 50mins: Vittek  scored Slovakia’s first goal New Zealand 0-1 Slovakia

Whenever Brazil sambas into a tournament, heads turn, even if it no longer truly plays the beautiful game of Pele and other great Brazilian teams.

Kaka and attackers Luis Fabiano and Robinho will be shackled.
“The team is ready,” Robinho said. “The team has been ready for a long time. We are prepared to do well in this World Cup.”
“Kaka is a very important part of our team,” said Luis Fabiano, who is working through a left thigh injury that bothered him coming to South Africa. “We all know how good Kaka is and we need him to be playing well.”
The North Koreans know how good all of the Brazilians can be.
“We know that all the players on the team are famous and that Brazil is the strongest team in the world,” North Korea midfielder An Yong Hak said. “Doesn’t seem like they have any weaknesses.”
Elsewhere, Portugal plays Ivory Coast at Port Elizabeth, and New Zealand takes on Slovakia at Rustenburg.
Portugal, with three players born in Brazil—defender Pepe, midfielder Deco and striker Liedson—has moved up to third in the world. It finished fourth at the last World Cup and,in striker Cristiano Ronaldo, has the 2008 world player of the year.
But he hasn’t scored for Portugal for 16 months, and a continued drought could cause huge problems for his team.
“The goals will come. They’ll come naturally,” Ronaldo said. “It’s like a great player once told me: Goals are like ketchup … you keep on forcing it, then it comes all at once.”
Ivory Coast likely will be missing its star and leader, Didier Drogba, who broke his right arm in a friendly against Japan. No player is more meaningful to his team in this World Cup.
Midfielder Didier Zokora said Drogba, who trained with the team for two days late last week but wore a protective cast as he worked on his ball skills and fitness, remained in good spirits.
“Even if he’s not playing with us every time, he’s the captain and he leads the team very, very well,” Zokora said.

Slovakia is in its first international tournament as an independent nation since the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993. It won its qualifying group over the Czech Republic.
Slovakia is without 33_year_old midfielder Miroslav Karhan, its most experienced player, who’s out with an Achilles’ tendon injury. Strikers Filip Holosko and Robert Vittek are also recovering from injuries. Midfielder Juraj Kucka, who didn’t play in qualifying but scored in Slovakia’s 1_1 draw against Cameroon last month, might start.
New Zealand is returning to the World Cup for the first time since its debut in 1982. Captain and central defender Ryan Nelsen, who plays for Blackburn, says the performances his team delivered in warmup games demonstrated it has the talent to test World Cup opponents.
“We’ve proved over the last four, five games we can be competitive,” Nelsen said, noting a recent 1_0 win over No. 15 Serbia. “We’re a very good football team. It’s as simple as that.”

RETIREES of the Edo State Territory of NIPOST, yesterday in Benin, staged a protest march to register their displeasure over the non-payment of their pension benefits.