Belgium substitute Divock Origi grabbed a winner two minutes from time of a utterly drab and tedious game against Russia to take his side into the last sixteen. Alexander Kokorin missed the best chance of a lifeless opening half, heading wide from six yards. Substitute Kevin Mirallas hit a post with Belgium's first shot on target with six minutes remaining. if Day Ten of the World Cup will be remembered for the wonderfully dramatic and unpredictable Germany versus Ghana game then Day Eleven's abiding memory is likely to be this watch which gave 2006's Switzerland versus Ukraine bore-fest a run of its money as the very worst game in World Cup history. God, it was bad, dear blog reader. Although, to be fair, it did probably just about have the edge over Switzerland versus Ukraine in so much as this one, at least, had one shot on target when Origi turned in from Eden Hazard's cross to take Marc Wilmots' team into the knock-out phase. Russia's hopes of following them into the last sixteen now hinge on their final group match against Algeria. Fabio Capello's side were better than in their 1-1 draw with South Korea but still lacked any sort of cutting edge and Belgium found a way to win despite an unconvincing display. Capello pulled his usual trick of sending out a team intent on boring their opponents into a stupor - something he perfected during his time as England coach. 
Origi, aged just nineteen, impressed when he came off the bench in the opening 2-1 victory over Algeria and, once again, the Lille forward did well when he replaced Romelu Lukaku - who appeared far from happy with the decision - early in the second half. They may have six points from two matches, but Belgium - who lost The Arse defender Thomas Vermaelen to injury - will have to play far better to continue their progress. Another player who did well coming on against Algeria, Dries Mertens was given a starting place and carried all of Belgium's threat down the right flank in the first half. The Napoli winger had an effort blocked after a fine run and, following Kevin de Bruyne's surge forward, he attempted to feed Lukaku rather than shooting from a good position. Mertens drove wide of goal after another impressive break but other than that Russia were barely troubled in a slow-to-the-point-of-slumbering opening half. They went close themselves when Viktor Fayzluin's low effort was pushed away by Thibaut Courtois, who also made a scrambling stop from Maksim Kanunikov. Kokorin should have opened the scoring just before the interval but he glanced a header wide at the far post from Denis Glushakov's fine cross. Glushakov thumped a wild effort off target from a narrow angle as the second half started at an even lower tempo with both sides appearing content with a draw. Andrey Eschenko dragged an effort wide after a decent Russian move, then Everton winger Mirallas was denied by the foot of a post. Hazard drove wide after breaking into the area but the Moscow Chelski forward made a more decisive contribution in the eighty eighth minute, breaking down the left flank and pulling back for Origi to score.
An excellent first half display from Algeria helped them to a thrilling 4-2 win over Group H rivals South Korea in Porto Alegre. Algeria took a commanding 3-0 lead, but South Korea pulled one back through Son Heung-Min. Algeria's three goal cushion was restored twelve minutes later through Yacine Brahimi, helping them to become the first African nation to score four goals in a World Cup finals game. A late consolation goal from Koo Ja-Cheol gave the Korean's hope but Algeria held firm. Earlier, Islam Slimani ran onto a long ball to flick in the first and a Rafick Halliche header put Algeria 2-0 up. Abdelmoumene Djabou sidefooted in a third. Despite Kora's late rally, Algeria held on for their first World Cup win since 1982. Algeria, narrowly beaten by group leaders Belgium in their opening game, knew a second defeat would end their hopes of getting out of the group stage for the first time. They responded in emphatic fashion, becoming the first African team to score four goals in a World Cup game. A win for The Desert Foxes against Russia will now secure a last-sixteen spot, and a draw could be enough if South Korea fail to beat Belgium.
Algeria coach Vahid Halilhodzic made five changes from the opening defeat by Belgium and his reshuffle had the desired impact. Sofiane Feghouli had a strong shout for a penalty turned down when he appeared to have been tripped by Kim Young-Gwon before the ball fell for Brahimi to hook over. Slimani then found space at the far post only to head wide and also badly mistimed a first-time shot from six yards as he met an inviting cross from Aissa Mandi. But the Portugal-based striker, who was his side's top scorer in qualifying, did not take long to atone as he outpaced two defenders to get to a long Carl Medjani pass and flick the ball past on-rushing keeper Jung Sung-Ryong. Defender Halliche extended the lead two minutes later with his second goal for his country, a thumping header from an Djabou corner. And Djabou turned from provider to goalscorer when Slimani slipped a ball across for him to sidefoot home. South Korea had not managed a shot on target in the first half but pulled a goal back shortly after the break - a mistake from Madjid Bougherra allowing Song to send a shot through the legs of keeper Rais Mbohli. It was now Algeria's turn to be penned back and they survived a further scare when Ki Sung-Yueng had a long range shot palmed over by Mbohli. However, Brahimi restored his side's three-goal advantage when he played a one-two with Feghouli before slotting past Jung. But a much-improved South Korea were not finished, and after The Desert Foxes failed to clear their lines, Lee Keun-ho played the ball across the box for Koo to slot in, before a tiring Algeria managed to regroup and close out the win.
Silvestre Varela's equaliser deep into injury time kept Portugal in the World Cup as their Group G clash with the USA ended in a dramatic draw in Manaus. The substitute headed in a Cristiano Ronaldo cross after it appeared Clint Dempsey had sent the Americans through. Portugal took an early lead through Nani, but Jermaine Jones' superb strike levelled the scores just after an hour. A draw between Germany and USA will see both through, while Portugal must beat Ghana to have a chance of progressing. Portugal are relying on a Germany win and must also achieve a six-goal swing if they are to pip the USA to second place and reach the last sixteen. Realistically, they had needed to win in the Amazonian rainforest after a 4-0 thrashing by Germany in their opening game, but their performance was at least a marked improvement on that showing in Salvador. For the USA - who had opened with a late win over Ghana - this was a performance characterised by attacking verve and defensive slackness, the latter allowing the European side to race into a fifth-minute lead, and also to hit back with the final whistle seconds away.
Their first defensive lapse came when Geoff Cameron sliced an attempted clearance across the face of his goal to Nani, The Scum winger finishing emphatically past Everton keeper Tim Howard. The early goal stung the Americans into action, and they chased the game to create decent chances from which Clint Dempsey and Michael Bradley failed to test Portugal keeper Beto. But while Portugal looked vulnerable to the USA's rapid counter-attacks, they remained a threat going forward themselves and went close to doubling their lead just before the break when Nani struck the post from outside the area, and Eder's follow-up was brilliantly pushed over by Howard. Ronaldo's participation had been in some doubt following a bout of tendonitis in his left knee and while the World Player of the Year looked good when supplying his team mates, his finishing was wayward. Ten minutes into the second half, Bradley should have equalised, but the midfielder's side-footed shot from close range was superbly cleared off the line by Ricardo Costa. The miss was soon forgotten, though, when Jones side-stepped Nani before bending in a brilliant shot from outside the box beyond the static Beto. With less than ten minutes to go, Dempsey stooped to guide the ball in off his midriff from close range for what looked to be the winner, until the defence switched off again in the ninety fourth minute and Varela dived to meet Ronaldo's cross and claim what might still turn out to be a crucial point.
The Ghana Football Association has called for police to investigate two men over match-fixing claims. The Daily Torygraph and Channel Four's Dispatches programme allege a Ghanaian club official and a FIFA agent said they 'could arrange' the rigging of matches involving the national team. 'We will seek strong sanctions if such claims are found to be true,' the GFA said in a statement. None of the claims involve matches at the World Cup. The GFA said in a statement that two men approached the organisation's chairman offering to purchase the rights to friendly matches involving Ghana. 'They were subsequently asked to submit their proposal for consideration, which they did, and it was duly submitted to the legal committee of the GFA for perusal and advice,' the GFA said. 'We wish to state that the GFA did not sign the contract as we waited for the response from the legal committee and that the two gentlemen did not make such corrupt offers to the GFA or its officials.' The GFA said the matter had been reported to world governing body FIFA and the Confederation of African Football and that a request has been made to the Ghana Police Service to investigate the two men.
England captain - for the moment, anyway - Steven Gerrard has called on Hapless Harry Redknapp to 'name names' after Redknapp claimed in a radio interview that players 'tried to avoid international duty' when he was in charge at Stottingtot Hotshots. The Queens Park Strangers boss Redknapp - a big mate with many in the media but a joke as far as most football supporters are concerned - told BBC Radio 5Live's Sportsweek programme: 'They'd come to me ten days before the game and say "gaffer get me out of the game. I don't want to play in it."' Gerrard, speaking as England prepare to play their final, pointless, World Cup game against Costa Rica in Belo Horizonte, said: 'I'll tell you what - I'd be interested to find out who those players are. If Harry is making a comment like that he should name them and embarrass them. No-one in this group wants to go home.'
Origi, aged just nineteen, impressed when he came off the bench in the opening 2-1 victory over Algeria and, once again, the Lille forward did well when he replaced Romelu Lukaku - who appeared far from happy with the decision - early in the second half. They may have six points from two matches, but Belgium - who lost The Arse defender Thomas Vermaelen to injury - will have to play far better to continue their progress. Another player who did well coming on against Algeria, Dries Mertens was given a starting place and carried all of Belgium's threat down the right flank in the first half. The Napoli winger had an effort blocked after a fine run and, following Kevin de Bruyne's surge forward, he attempted to feed Lukaku rather than shooting from a good position. Mertens drove wide of goal after another impressive break but other than that Russia were barely troubled in a slow-to-the-point-of-slumbering opening half. They went close themselves when Viktor Fayzluin's low effort was pushed away by Thibaut Courtois, who also made a scrambling stop from Maksim Kanunikov. Kokorin should have opened the scoring just before the interval but he glanced a header wide at the far post from Denis Glushakov's fine cross. Glushakov thumped a wild effort off target from a narrow angle as the second half started at an even lower tempo with both sides appearing content with a draw. Andrey Eschenko dragged an effort wide after a decent Russian move, then Everton winger Mirallas was denied by the foot of a post. Hazard drove wide after breaking into the area but the Moscow Chelski forward made a more decisive contribution in the eighty eighth minute, breaking down the left flank and pulling back for Origi to score. An excellent first half display from Algeria helped them to a thrilling 4-2 win over Group H rivals South Korea in Porto Alegre. Algeria took a commanding 3-0 lead, but South Korea pulled one back through Son Heung-Min. Algeria's three goal cushion was restored twelve minutes later through Yacine Brahimi, helping them to become the first African nation to score four goals in a World Cup finals game. A late consolation goal from Koo Ja-Cheol gave the Korean's hope but Algeria held firm. Earlier, Islam Slimani ran onto a long ball to flick in the first and a Rafick Halliche header put Algeria 2-0 up. Abdelmoumene Djabou sidefooted in a third. Despite Kora's late rally, Algeria held on for their first World Cup win since 1982. Algeria, narrowly beaten by group leaders Belgium in their opening game, knew a second defeat would end their hopes of getting out of the group stage for the first time. They responded in emphatic fashion, becoming the first African team to score four goals in a World Cup game. A win for The Desert Foxes against Russia will now secure a last-sixteen spot, and a draw could be enough if South Korea fail to beat Belgium.
Algeria coach Vahid Halilhodzic made five changes from the opening defeat by Belgium and his reshuffle had the desired impact. Sofiane Feghouli had a strong shout for a penalty turned down when he appeared to have been tripped by Kim Young-Gwon before the ball fell for Brahimi to hook over. Slimani then found space at the far post only to head wide and also badly mistimed a first-time shot from six yards as he met an inviting cross from Aissa Mandi. But the Portugal-based striker, who was his side's top scorer in qualifying, did not take long to atone as he outpaced two defenders to get to a long Carl Medjani pass and flick the ball past on-rushing keeper Jung Sung-Ryong. Defender Halliche extended the lead two minutes later with his second goal for his country, a thumping header from an Djabou corner. And Djabou turned from provider to goalscorer when Slimani slipped a ball across for him to sidefoot home. South Korea had not managed a shot on target in the first half but pulled a goal back shortly after the break - a mistake from Madjid Bougherra allowing Song to send a shot through the legs of keeper Rais Mbohli. It was now Algeria's turn to be penned back and they survived a further scare when Ki Sung-Yueng had a long range shot palmed over by Mbohli. However, Brahimi restored his side's three-goal advantage when he played a one-two with Feghouli before slotting past Jung. But a much-improved South Korea were not finished, and after The Desert Foxes failed to clear their lines, Lee Keun-ho played the ball across the box for Koo to slot in, before a tiring Algeria managed to regroup and close out the win. Silvestre Varela's equaliser deep into injury time kept Portugal in the World Cup as their Group G clash with the USA ended in a dramatic draw in Manaus. The substitute headed in a Cristiano Ronaldo cross after it appeared Clint Dempsey had sent the Americans through. Portugal took an early lead through Nani, but Jermaine Jones' superb strike levelled the scores just after an hour. A draw between Germany and USA will see both through, while Portugal must beat Ghana to have a chance of progressing. Portugal are relying on a Germany win and must also achieve a six-goal swing if they are to pip the USA to second place and reach the last sixteen. Realistically, they had needed to win in the Amazonian rainforest after a 4-0 thrashing by Germany in their opening game, but their performance was at least a marked improvement on that showing in Salvador. For the USA - who had opened with a late win over Ghana - this was a performance characterised by attacking verve and defensive slackness, the latter allowing the European side to race into a fifth-minute lead, and also to hit back with the final whistle seconds away.
Their first defensive lapse came when Geoff Cameron sliced an attempted clearance across the face of his goal to Nani, The Scum winger finishing emphatically past Everton keeper Tim Howard. The early goal stung the Americans into action, and they chased the game to create decent chances from which Clint Dempsey and Michael Bradley failed to test Portugal keeper Beto. But while Portugal looked vulnerable to the USA's rapid counter-attacks, they remained a threat going forward themselves and went close to doubling their lead just before the break when Nani struck the post from outside the area, and Eder's follow-up was brilliantly pushed over by Howard. Ronaldo's participation had been in some doubt following a bout of tendonitis in his left knee and while the World Player of the Year looked good when supplying his team mates, his finishing was wayward. Ten minutes into the second half, Bradley should have equalised, but the midfielder's side-footed shot from close range was superbly cleared off the line by Ricardo Costa. The miss was soon forgotten, though, when Jones side-stepped Nani before bending in a brilliant shot from outside the box beyond the static Beto. With less than ten minutes to go, Dempsey stooped to guide the ball in off his midriff from close range for what looked to be the winner, until the defence switched off again in the ninety fourth minute and Varela dived to meet Ronaldo's cross and claim what might still turn out to be a crucial point. The Ghana Football Association has called for police to investigate two men over match-fixing claims. The Daily Torygraph and Channel Four's Dispatches programme allege a Ghanaian club official and a FIFA agent said they 'could arrange' the rigging of matches involving the national team. 'We will seek strong sanctions if such claims are found to be true,' the GFA said in a statement. None of the claims involve matches at the World Cup. The GFA said in a statement that two men approached the organisation's chairman offering to purchase the rights to friendly matches involving Ghana. 'They were subsequently asked to submit their proposal for consideration, which they did, and it was duly submitted to the legal committee of the GFA for perusal and advice,' the GFA said. 'We wish to state that the GFA did not sign the contract as we waited for the response from the legal committee and that the two gentlemen did not make such corrupt offers to the GFA or its officials.' The GFA said the matter had been reported to world governing body FIFA and the Confederation of African Football and that a request has been made to the Ghana Police Service to investigate the two men.
England captain - for the moment, anyway - Steven Gerrard has called on Hapless Harry Redknapp to 'name names' after Redknapp claimed in a radio interview that players 'tried to avoid international duty' when he was in charge at Stottingtot Hotshots. The Queens Park Strangers boss Redknapp - a big mate with many in the media but a joke as far as most football supporters are concerned - told BBC Radio 5Live's Sportsweek programme: 'They'd come to me ten days before the game and say "gaffer get me out of the game. I don't want to play in it."' Gerrard, speaking as England prepare to play their final, pointless, World Cup game against Costa Rica in Belo Horizonte, said: 'I'll tell you what - I'd be interested to find out who those players are. If Harry is making a comment like that he should name them and embarrass them. No-one in this group wants to go home.'
