|GERMANY 1-1 ARGENTINA (Wins 4-2 Penalty Shoots)

Germany advance to the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ semi-finals after triumphing 4-2 over Argentina in a penalty shoot-out following a tight, tense match in Berlin’s Olympiastadion on Friday, 30 July 2006 that had ended locked at 1-1.

It proved impossible to separate these sides during normal time, with 120 minutes only able to conjure up a couple of goals, Miroslav Klose’s 80th-minute equaliser cancelling out a 49th-minute opening goal from Roberto Ayala.

That left the match to be settled by penalties, and it was Jens Lehmann who proved the hosts’ hero, saving from both Ayala and Esteban Cambiasso, while Oliver Neuville, Michael Ballack, Lukas Podolski and Tim Borowski all successfully dispatched their spot kicks past Argentina’s substitute goalkeeper Leo Franco.

The match:
7’: After a nervy, niggly opening to the game, punctuated regularly by the shrill blast of referee Lubos Michels’ whistle, the first chance fell to the hosts, with Roberto Abbondanzieri spilling a 25-yard Podolski free-kick only to gather nervously at the second attempt.

16’: Ballack passed up a superb chance to give Germany the lead, heading wide of the right-hand post from 16 yards after timing his run to perfection to charge in on a beautifully-weighted cross from Bernd Schneider.

19’: Argentina, for whom Carlos Tevez was making a lively contribution to his second start of Germany 2006, forced their first and only half-chance of the opening 45 when marauding left-back Juan Pablo Sorin burst through on to a Tevez nutmeg and was only prevented from teeing up Hernan Crespo for the opener by a timely interception from Per Mertesacker.

45′: With the action fast, furious but all too often lacking in quality, the teams went into the half-time break without either goalkeeper having been called into any meaningful action for the best part of half-an-hour. The fans’ muted response to the half-time whistle betrayed their disappointment with the first-half fare, which had fallen some way short of expectations.

Ayala’s opener
49’: Fortunately, the game was finally brought to life within four minutes of the re-start as Argentina broke the deadlock. Riquelme swung in a corner from the right, Ayala got in front of Klose and met the ball with a header, which evaded the dive of Lehmann and Philipp Lahm on the near post.

64’: Germany won two corners in quick succession, with the second leading to a genuine scoring chance for Ballack after Abbondanzieri failed to claim the ball. Ballack’s shot was blocked and then a follow-up header by the Germany captain was claimed gratefully by the goalkeeper.

71’: Abbondanzieri was replaced by Franco in the Argentina goal. Seven minutes earlier, the Boca Juniors goalkeeper received a blow to his hip from Miroslav Klose. Despite extensive treatment from the Argentina physio, the change had to be made.

73’: Argentina came close to doubling their advantage when Lahm’s misplaced pass was intercepted by Tevez. After the diminutive forward dribbled past the German defence, he slid the ball to Maxi Rodriguez, who fired the ball into the side netting.

80’: With the Albiceleste looking good to protect their single-goal lead, Germany equalised. Ballack’s ball from the left was flicked on by Tim Borowski and Klose headed home his fifth of the tournament.

89’: Argentina threatened when Luis Gonzalez’s header arrowed towards the right-hand corner of the net. Lehmann made a fine one-handed save at full-stretch, but a goal would not have counted as Tevez, lurking in the hope of a rebound, was adjudged to be offside.

Extra-time
105’: In the final action of the first half of extra time, Gonzalez hit a volley just wide of the target in a 15 minute period without an shot on goal.

106’: Straight from the restart, Tevez long-range effort was gathered the ball comfortably by Lehmann.

113’: Another shot from distance, this time from Fabricio Coloccini, but his drive finished well wide of the Germany goal. Two minutes later, the defender tried his luck again, but his right-footed effort clipped the top of the crossbar.

Penalties:
Lehmann was the hero for Germany as his saves from Ayala and Cambiasso were crucial in the Nationalmannschaft’s progression to the semi-finals. The hosts had a 100 per cent success rate from the penalty spot, with Neuville, Ballack, Podolski and Borowski all converting.

In conclusion:
Jurgen Klinsmann’s decision to elect Lehmann as his number one for this FIFA World Cup appears to be justified by this result alone. His two saves have given Germany a place in the semi-finals, where they will meet Italy or Ukraine. For Argentina, who took the lead in this game, it will be a long journey home for a team which performed so well in the early stages of this tournament.

Please give wide publicity !

Bank ATM’s Converted to Steal IDs of Bank Customers

A team of organized criminals are installing equipment on legitimate bank ATM’s in at least 2 regions to steal both the ATM card number and the PIN. The team sits nearby in a car receiving the information transmitted wirelessly over weekends and evenings from equipment they install on the front of the ATM (see photos). If you see an attachment like this, do not use the ATM and report it immediately to the bank using the phone on the front of the ATM.

The thieves copy the cards and use the PIN numbers to withdraw thousands from many accounts in a very short time directly from the bank ATM.

Equipment being installed on front of existing bank card slot.

The equipment as it appears installed over the normal ATM bank slot.

The PIN reading camera being installed on the ATM is housed in an innocent looking leaflet enclosure.  

The camera shown installed and ready to capture PIN’s by looking down on the keypad as you enter your PIN

|22nd JUNE 2006 -FIFA WC GROUP STANDINGS

BRA vs AUS

~PLAYERS QUOTES

RONALDO (BRA)
I played better today and I created the opening goal. I’m getting my fitness back and I’m very pleased with my performance. Australia defended very well but Brazil were always going to win.

ROBERTO CARLOS (BRA)
The team is performing a lot better, despite the very high temperatures, and we’re full of confidence. It was a difficult game, they marked us very tightly. We’re going to keep playing like we did today, and as a top side we’re well capable of winning our next games. It’s not about winning one game, it’s about winning the competition. We’re on the road to our sixth title – the team is on the right track.

CAFU (BRA)
This was my 18th World Cup game for the Seleção. I’m really pleased to have broken the record. I now need to make sure that my performances match the way the team is playing.

ADRIANO (BRA)
It was our most difficult game so far, but we played better than in our previous match. It was an incredible feeling to score my first World Cup goal, and I’m dedicating that goal to my son.

RONALDINHO (BRA)
We’re going to improve with every game. The World Cup is a marathon, not a sprint. Brazil are capable of playing nice football and the team is getting stronger with every game.

KAKA (BRA)
The Australians marked us very tightly in the first half, but after the break the heat took its toll and we were able to find enough space to score our goals. Brazil’s quality is there for all to see. We had to play a patient game. The team is evolving and we’re growing together in every way.

Mark VIDUKA(AUS)
It was a tough match, but a fair one. It was difficult for us to score, as Brazil have got so many superstars in their team. Our aim is still to make it through to the next round. It was great to play in a match like this surrounded by so many Australian fans. Now we want to beat Croatia.

Harry KEWELL (AUS)
We played well, it was a good team performance. The atmosphere in the stadium was fantastic. Now we want to go and beat Croatia – we’re not looking for a draw.

Mark SCHWARZER (AUS)
We’re not yet talking about the Round of 16, we’re just concentrating on our last group match against Croatia.

John ALOISI (AUS)
Brazil were a very good team, they now have six points and they’re through to the next round. You can be pretty sure that they’ll go a long way in this tournament. We showed what we were made of today and played really well; it’s just a pity that we let those two goals in. 

BRASIL STEPPED UP TO THE NEXT STAGE

Brazil booked their place in the Round of 16 after overcoming a tough challenge from Australia with a 2-0 win in Munich on Sunday, 18 June 2006.

The FIFA World Cup™ holders took the lead four minutes into the second half through Adriano but they had to survive one or two nervy moments before substitute Fred sealed the victory with a tap-in in the 90th minute. Brazil’s second Group F win secured their advance to the second round with a game to spare, while Australia are well poised to join them, holding a two-point advantage of Japan and their next opponents Croatia.

LES BLEUS DREW AGAIN!

Korea Republic fought back to earn a 1-1 draw with France as Park Ji-Sung cancelled out Thierry Henry’s first-half opener in Leipzig on Sunday, 18 June 2006.

The point salvaged here put the Koreans top of Group G, at least until the end of Monday’s match between Togo and Switzerland in Dortmund. The evening began promisingly for Les Bleus when Thierry Henry scored their first FIFA World Cup™ goal since the 1998 Final with nine minutes on the clock.

However, Korea Republic drew level when Park bundled the ball over the line in the 81st minute. To compound France’s disappointment, Eric Abidal and Zinedine Zidane both collected bookings which rule them out of their final group game against Togo. 

|19th JUNE 2006 FIFA WC RESULTS:

PORTUGAL 2 - IRAN 0

Portugal became the sixth team assured a place in the Round of 16 at Germany 2006 after second-half goals from Deco and Cristiano Ronaldo secured a 2-0 win against Iran on Saturday, 17 June 2006.

While Portugal were celebrating a second straight win in Group D - and coach Luiz Felipe Scolari’s ninth in succession overall in FIFA World Cups™ - Iran were left to reflect on what went wrong after their second defeat confirmed their elimination. After a goalless first half in Frankfurt, Deco broke the deadlock with a long-distance strike in the 63rd minute and Ronaldo sealed the victory from the penalty spot with ten minutes remaining.

Man of the Match: Arjen ROBBEN (NED)

Arjen Robben was named Budweiser Man of the Match for his spirited attacking play in Netherlands’ 2-1 win over Côte d’Ivoire on Friday, making him the second player to receive the honour twice at the 2006 FIFA World Cup™.

Robben ran tirelessly throughout the match, combining well with Ruud van Nistelrooij and Robin van Persie and becoming even more dangerous late in the match as the Ivorians began to tire. Robben’s biggest contribution came in the 27th minute, when he played a wonderful reverse ball to send Van Nistelrooij in for Netherlands’ second goal.

"Every time he has the ball, he is a threat for the opponent, he always creates fear," said FIFA Technical Study Group member Kim Chon Lim. "His pass for the second Dutch goal that Van Nistelrooij scored was just intuitive. He is definitely one of the key figures in the Dutch team."

| FIFA WC 2006 Current Standings

~17June 06