World Cup Review

Day 17
Sunday, June 25

all match review will be from the official FIFA World Cup Site at yahoo.com or at this address fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/ for more Info

Round of 16
Match three of eight
England (2 wins and a draw in group play, Group B winners)vs
Ecuador (2 wins and a loss in group play, Group a runner-up)

England advanced to the last eight of the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ as a second-half free-kick from captain David Beckham proved enough to secure a 1-0 victory over Ecuador on Sunday, 25 June 2006.

Beckham had not scored a goal for England for more than three years but his superb strike on the hour in Stuttgart took his team through to a quarter-final date with either Portugal or the Netherlands in Gelsenkirchen on 1 July. It also made him the first England player to score in three separate FIFA World Cup tournaments.

Ecuador, playing in the second round for the first time, missed a golden opportunity to take the lead early in the game when Carlos Tenorio broke through on goal only to see his deflected shot strike the woodwork.

It was a controlled performance from England which took them to the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup. Beckham's strike proved enough to settle a game of few chances against an Ecuador team who seemed to lack the belief to seriously threaten the opposition goal.

Round of 16
Match four of eight
Portugal (3 wins in group play, Group D winners)vs
Netherlands (2 wins and a draw in group C runner-up)

Portugal progressed to a quarter-final against England after eliminating the Netherlands through a first-half goal from Maniche in Nuremberg on Sunday, 25 June 2006.

Maniche's fine 23rd-minute goal was the high point of a match tarnished by four red cards. After Portugal's Costinha was dismissed on the stroke of half-time, three other players followed him off the field in the second period: Khalid Boulahrouz after 63 minutes, Deco after 78, and Giovanni van Bronckhorst five minutes into injury time.

Portugal, who beat England in the quarter-finals at UEFA EURO 2004, will try to repeat that performance when the teams meet again in Gelsenkirchen next Saturday, 1 July

As the disappointed Dutch embark on their short journey home, Portugal are into the quarter-finals for only the second time in their history where they will meet England. The two sides met back in the semi-finals in 1966 and England emerged victorious en route to their only ever FIFA World Cup title.

Quarterfinals
July 1 11 AM
England v Portugal

Tomorrow Games

the second Half of the round of 16 begin with
Italy v Australia
It will take a might big effofe for the aussie to knock off the Italy
Switzerland v Ukraine
Can Ukraine who made the Group of 16 after giving up four goal in the first game beat the switz.