PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil (AP) ― About a dozen Argentine fans couldn’t get enough of the smell of victory in the Beira-Rio Stadium, dancing and singing in their seats more than than an hour after their team beat Nigeria 3-2.They had good reason to celebrate.Once again Lionel Messi had put on a World Cup show with two goals, but this time his whole team ― aside from a couple of defensive blunders ― was part of the performance.In its third straight win, Argentina attacked with more flair than previousl

SAO PAULO, Brazil ― South Korean football coach Hong Myung-bo does not have a religion. If his squad won the unlikely victory against the widely favored Belgium on Thursday in their final Brazil World Cup group match, he would not call it a miracle, he said at a press conference in Sao Paulo on the eve of the big game. Instead, he said he simply wanted his players to do their best and to play for the Korean people.“Right now, for us to go to the round of 16, of course the conditions are not favo

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) ― As the world was judging Uruguay’s Luis Suarez for biting a player in the World Cup, his teammates, coaches and fans in his soccer-crazy country defended the star, blaming the foreign media, his Italian opponents and uneven treatment. World Cup organizers scrambled Wednesday to quickly decide on a punishment before Uruguay plays Colombia Saturday in the round of 16. “We have to resolve it either today or tomorrow,” FIFA disciplinary panel member Martin Hong told reporters W

LONDON (AFP) ― Top seed Novak Djokovic survived a testing Center Court examination at the hands of close friend and veteran serve-and-volleyer Radek Stepanek to reach the Wimbledon third round on Wednesday.Djokovic, the 2011 champion, carved out a 6-4, 6-3, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (5) victory over the 35-year-old Czech who has now lost 11 of the pair’s 12 meetings.But the world number two progressed the hard way, squandering a 5-2 lead in the third set tie-break before recovering his composure.Confident st

BETHESDA, United States (AFP) ― Tiger Woods was pleased with his final practice round before returning to competition after a three-month injury layoff, saying Wednesday he is still rusty but his back feels fine.“Generally it feels good,” Woods said. “I hit some loose shots today but I also hit some really good ones. Back feels great which is a really good sign.”Woods played a morning pro-Am round ahead of his Thursday morning start at the $6.5 million U.S. PGA National at Congressional Country

SAO PAULO, Brazil -- Belgium may be sitting comfortably atop Group H, but the team’s quest for points ahead of the round of 16 means it will play as hard in its match against South Korea as in any other game, coach Marc Wilmots said Wednesday.After victories over Algeria and Russia, Belgium has sealed its entry to the knockout stages even before its final group match against a struggling South Korea, which is on the brink of elimination.(Yonhap)But Wilmots said the team nonetheless has prepared

SAO PAULO, Brazil -- South Korean football coach Hong Myung-bo does not have a religion, and if his squad won the unlikely victory against the widely favored Belgium on Thursday in their final Brazil World Cup group match, he would not call it a miracle, he said at a press conference in Sao Paulo on the eve of the big game. Instead, he said he simply wanted his players to do their best and to play for the Korean people.“Right now, for us to go to the round of 16, of course the conditions are not

SAO PAULO, Brazil -- South Korean football coach Hong Myung-bo said Wednesday that his squad’s balance was thanks to forward Park Chu-young, whose contentious inclusion on the World Cup squad had yet to pay off with a goal.Hong defended the Arsenal striker-turned-free agent’s performance in Korea’s 1-1 draw with Russia and 4-2 loss to Algeria, saying the team was not able to create chances for him. In each match Park went scoreless, fumbled passes and was brought off before the hour mark, which

Honduras lost all three of its matches at the World Cup, and then lost its coach.Luis Fernando Suarez, a Colombian who led Ecuador to the second round of the 2006 World Cup, quit his job Wednesday following a third straight loss in Brazil.“I'm sorry I didn't manage more,” said Suarez, who has been Honduras coach since March 2011. “I'm sad because I had a dream about this World Cup.”Honduras` head coach Luis Suarez instructs his players from the sideline during the group E World Cup soccer match

Bosnia-Herzegovina ended Iran's hopes of advancing to the knockout stages with a 3-1 victory in Group F on Wednesday, registering its first World Cup win in the process.The Bosnians, who were already relegated from the tournament,  took a commanding 2-0 lead with goals from Edin Dzeko in the 23rd  and Miralem Pjanic in the 53rd before Iran hit back in a desperate late bid to qualify for the second round. Bosnia's Avdija Vrsajevic (2) celebrates with teammate Vedad Ibisevic after scoring his team

Xherdan Shaqiri's hat trick put Switzerland into the second round of the World Cup, and kept coach Ottmar Hitzfeld gainfully employed for at least a few more days.Shaqiri scored a pair of first-half goals and added another in the second Wednesday to give Switzerland a 3-0 victory over Honduras, a result that put the Swiss in second place in Group E behind France.“We knew that we were going to show great football today, said Shaqiri, a Bayern Munich winger. “For us, this has been really a dream t

Lionel Messi scored at the start and end of the first half as Argentina beat Nigeria 3-2 in a thriller on Wednesday to top World Cup Group F and the already-eliminated Bosnia recorded a pride-salvaging 3-1 win over Iran that meant both teams are heading home.The battle for the World Cup's golden boot heated up between Barcelona teammates as Messi latched onto a rebound in just the third minute and then curled in a freekick shortly before halftime to match Neymar's tally of four in three games fo