The man who scored a hat trick in England's sole World Cup final win 44 years ago believes that current coach Fabio Capello is a similar sort of leader to Alf Ramsey, his 1966 counterpart.

Fabio Capello (AP)

South African soccer coach Carlos Alberto Parreira (AP)

A match between former World Cup champions produced an opening day dud, with France and Uruguay playing out a 0-0 draw Friday.

Gabriel Heinze’s diving header gave Argentina just enough for a nervous 1-0 victory over Nigeria on Saturday in the teams’ World Cup opener.

The first time Tim Cahill ran into Bastian Schweinsteiger he earned a red card. The second time he dissolved into tears.

Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon says he can recover from a back problem in time for the Azzurri's next game.

Winston Reid headed in an injury-time goal Tuesday to give New Zealand a 1-1 draw with Slovakia at the World Cup.

Brazil needed almost an hour to break through the North Korean defense before pulling off a 2-1 win Tuesday, and Didier Drogba and his broken right arm made their debut at this year's World Cup in Ivory Coast's 0-0 draw against Portugal.

Maicon's goal from a tight angle in the second half proved the key for Brazil in the 2-1 opening win over North Korea, adding yet another achievement for the right back's already special season.

Cristiano Ronaldo showed the best and the worst of his game in Portugal's opening World Cup match against Ivory Coast.

Suddenly, a World Cup venue fell silent. It took 17 matches, but Diego Forlan of Uruguay brought the incessant sound of the noisy vuvuzelas to a stop Wednesday with two goals in a 3-0 rout of hosts South Africa at Loftus Versfeld stadium.

Spain's potent attack couldn't score a goal in an upset loss to Switzerland, when Uruguay routed South Africa 3-0 to put the World Cup hosts on the verge of some unwanted history.

For all the attention on Wayne Rooney and his bid to break his England goal scoring drought, the focus on Friday's World Cup match against Algeria will almost certainly be on the goalkeepers.

Argentina could become the first team at the World Cup to wrap up three victories if it defeats Greece on Tuesday - though a draw would be enough for the twice world champions to advance to the last 16 as Group B winners.

South Korea reached the second round of the World Cup by holding Nigeria to a 2-2 draw in their final group game.

Germany beat Ghana 1-0 after a second-half goal from Mesut Oezil to win Group D and set up a second-round World Cup clash with traditional rival England.

The Netherlands finally turned on the style at the World Cup in South Africa to reach its third final - and first in 32 years - with a 3-2 victory over Uruguay on Tuesday.

A fan of Chile's soccer team holds a replica of the World Cup trophy as he watches the South Africa 2010 World Cup match between Chile and Brazil on a screen set up in Santiago. Brazil won 3-0 and advanced to the quarterfinals. AP/Aliosha Marquez

While millions tuned in to see some magic from the highly acclaimed winger, Cristiano Ronaldo didn't really leave a major impression on the World Cup before Portugal's second-round elimination.

On this form, David Villa is in contention to replace Cristiano Ronaldo as Iberia's biggest football star.

Nothing, it seemed, would go in for Ghana. Not the shot kicked away at the goal line. Not the block ruled a handball an instant later as extra time ticked to a close. Not the subsequent penalty kick that sure-footed Asamoah Gyan sent bouncing straight up off the crossbar.

Tears rolled down Paulo Gama's face and his girlfriend sobbed in his arms as he stared in disbelief at the video screen on Copacabana beach.

David Villa kept the European champions in World Cup contention, helping Spain into the semifinals for the first time with a tournament-leading five goals which have offset Fernando Torres' miserable form.

Diego Forlan ignored the pain for as long as he could, carrying Uruguay on his shoulders and giving the little nation hope of a most improbable World Cup final berth.