Chelsea duo reflect on Wembley showdown Chelsea stars Gary Cahill and David Luiz reflected on a memorable match between two of international football’s heavyweights, with the England star excited about the future for the Three Lions. Speaking to FIFA.com after England had defeated Brazil 2-1 at Wembley to begin the FA’s 150th anniversary year, it was clear the Stamford Bridge duo enjoyed the showpiece event. “It’s a great occasion, obviously a big game for everybody and a great win,” Cahill said. “I think we played some fantastic football, it was one of the better performances at Wembley and there are a lot of positives to take from the game. We had a lot of good individual performances out there against what is a class outfit.” Cahill was visibly disappointed with himself after conceding possession in the build-up to the Brazil equaliser. “The nature of my position is that you play well for 89 minutes but you can make a mistake like that and it spoils your night. I was pleased that we showed character to come back. “It was out of character for myself, that was the most annoying thing. I thought we defended really well as a team tonight,” he said. “Well 99 per cent of the time. But it’s part of my character to pick myself up and get on with it.” Cahill’s error did not impact the result, as England’s front-line pressed the Brazilian defence and Frank Lampard grabbed the winner on the hour-mark. “We’ve got people that can unlock the door, it was great from the team and we kept plugging away. It’s what I’ve come to expect from Frank. We have a lot of dangerous players, some with pace and it’s great to play alongside these players.” With pacy attacking talent like Theo Walcott and Danny Welbeck, the former Bolton Wanderers and Aston Villa defender is looking forward to the future under Roy Hodgson. “It’s a very exciting and young squad, we’re only going to improve and get better. Everybody will be talking about how well we played tonight and rightly so. It’s important to get that blend of youth and experience. But even a lot of the youngsters are playing in massive games for their clubs and everybody’s learning all the time. Cahill’s Stamford Bridge colleague David Luiz was disappointed with the outcome, but is already looking forward to the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ in his homeland. “It was a great night against a big team but we are not happy with the result. We need to take the positives out of every game. Tonight was a good game against a side which is physically different to us. "We had probably 40 per cent of our players who are just starting with us now so it’s different. I want to win the World Cup next year and I know Brazil. We will win.” Cahill was diplomatic about his side’s chances for the return fixture in June, and seemed optimistic about the FIFA World Cup qualifiers to come. “Let’s not get carried away! We’ll enjoy tonight and obviously they’re a class outfit and it’ll be tough. It’s great for us to move into the qualification games with a good result. There are a load of positives to take into the World Cup qualifiers, if we can play like that we won’t go far wrong."

England and Germany lay down markers Wednesday’s set of friendly fixtures saw four former winners of the FIFA World Cup™ demonstrate that they will likely be forces to be reckoned with next summer, as Argentina, Germany, England and Spain registered impressive victories over Sweden, France, Brazil and Uruguay respectively. It was not, however, a night to remember for the aforementioned South American nations, who failed to get the best out of their supremely talented attack-minded players on the night. FIFA.com rounds up all the action from a busy evening of international encounters. The big match England 2-1 Brazil Goals: Wayne Rooney 26, Frank Lampard 60 (England); Fred 49 (Brazil) Luiz Felipe Scolari is likely to have departed Wembley Stadium with much to ponder, as he attempts to steer a Brazil side that has slipped to 18th spot in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking – their lowest placing since the system was established – firmly back on track. The match started in disappointing fashion for the returning Ronaldinho, whose penalty and rebound attempt were brilliantly saved by England goalkeeper Joe Hart. The Atletico Mineiro star seemingly failed to recover from the miss, and remained in the changing rooms at half-time. In the meantime, Wayne Rooney had given the Three Lions the lead, guiding home a ball parried by Brazil No1 Julio Cesar, who otherwise had another excellent 90 minutes. After the break, Scolari reshuffled his pack, bringing on Fred to partner Neymar, with Oscar slotting into the playmaker role and Lucas inserted on the right. England struggled to deal with the changes, allowing Fred in to equalise with a left-footed effort. At that point, it appeared as if the game could go either way, but it was Roy Hodgson’s charges who rose to the occasion, securing a 2-1 triumph with a trademark first-time shot from Frank Lampard. The away side will not have long to wait to attempt to gain their revenge, as a return match is scheduled for 2 June in Brazil. France 1-2 Germany France’s good run of results was brought to an end by a solid German XI, for whom Ilkay Gundogan was outstanding in midfield. Despite the absence of numerous first-team players, Die Nationalelf put in a controlled performance that handed Didier Deschamps just his second defeat as France coach, and also made up for the Germans’ home loss to the same team last year in the process. Les Bleus, with Franck Ribery in fine form, did manage to initially pull ahead, however, Mathieu Valbuena taking advantage of slack defending to score. But this turn of events only served to motivate the Germans in the second half, as Gundogan won the ball in the middle of the park and fed Thomas Muller, who made no mistake. Fifteen minutes from time, a stunning pass by Mesut Ozil found Real Madrid team-mate Sami Khedira, whose clinical finish left France custodian Hugo Lloris with no chance. Spain 3-1 Uruguay The world champions were made to dig deep versus Copa America holders Uruguay in Qatar, on a pristine Doha surface that was not dissimilar to a golfing green. Vicente Del Bosque was forced to make do without several injured regulars, but still managed to field a strong line-up that included seven Barcelona players. One of those, Cesc Fabregas, recorded the opening goal after a terrible handling error by Uruguayan ’keeper Fernando Muslera, before setting up Pedro beautifully in the second half for Spain’s third. Sandwiched in between those strikes were two other goals, Pedro’s first of the night, and a fine Uruguayan equaliser, scored by Cristian Rodriguez. In fact, La Celeste created a plethora of chances via Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani, and entertained the crowd throughout with their attacking intentions, but defensive lapses – so painfully evident in their current FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign – cost them dearly in the end. The result provided Del Bosque, in charge of La Roja since 2008, with an excuse for a double celebration, having equalled the record held by Ladislao Kubala (1969-80) of 68 matches at the helm. The former Besiktas coach’s results during this period have been nothing short of exceptional: 57 wins, five draws and six defeats. Netherlands 1-1 Italy For 80 minutes, a youthful Netherlands team dominated Italy, forcing Gianluigi Buffon into several top-class saves. Jeremain Lens stylishly gave the Dutch the lead, and La Nazionale were subsequently fortunate to not concede again. The home side were unable to build on their advantage, however, and Marco Verratti duly grabbed an injury-time leveller, sweeping the ball into the net after excellent interplay inside the box. The game is sure to have provided Dutch supremo Louis Van Gaal with some useful pointers, especially as neither Wesley Sneijder, Rafael Van Der Vaart nor Arjen Robben were part of the starting line-up in Amsterdam. At the other end of the pitch, the much-hyped appearances of Mario Ballotelli and Stephan El Shaarawy failed to live up to pre-match expectations. Sweden 2-3 Argentina The encounter may have been billed as a Lionel Messi-Zlatan Ibrahimovic duel, but it was other performers who stepped up to the mark on the night, with Angel Di Maria and goalscorers Gonzalo Higuain and Sergio Aguero in sparkling form. Well organised and highly adept at lightning-quick counter-attacks, Argentina controlled the first half without having to rely too much on Messi. Di Maria was particularly productive, setting up two goals to give La Albiceleste a 3-1 half-time lead. Ibrahimovic then came off at the break, and could only watch from the sidelines as the South Americans missed a host of chances. Rasmus Elm’s successful last-minute free-kick reduced the gap, but it was a case of too little too late for the Swedes. Portugal 2-3 Ecuador Lying third in their 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil qualifying group with a five-point deficit to make up on Russia, Portugal did little to reassure their fans in an entertaining clash with Ecuador, surprisingly going down 3-2 at home. Manchester United’s Antonio Valencia gave La Tri an early lead, but Cristiano Ronaldo drew the Lusitanians level, before Helder Postiga made it 2-1. Joao Pereira got the Ecuadorians back into the match, and Felipe Caicedo completed the turnaround twenty minutes from the final whistle. In some of the other matches played on Wednesday, Bosnia-Herzegovina dispatched Slovenia 3-0 away from home, while Macedonia saw off Denmark by the same scoreline. Alberto Zaccheroni’s Japan also beat Latvia 3-0, in a match that featured a double from Shinji Okazaki, and Croatia went one better versus Korea Republic in London, defeating the Asians 4-0. Other notable results included Chile’s 2-1 win over Egypt and Serbia’s 3-1 victory in Cyprus, during which Twente’s Dusan Tadic struck a brace. The player Having been criticised for some off-colour displays for Real Madrid this season, Angel Di Maria put in one of his best-ever performances for Argentina against Sweden. The significant mental boost he received from his brace in Real’s recent 5-0 win in Valencia was evident in his eye-catching play, which propelled his team-mates to a well-deserved 3-2 victory in what was the skilful winger’s 36th appearance for his country. The goal France 1-0 Germany, Mathieu Valbuena 44 The smallest player on the pitch, Valbuena succeeded in evading two towering German defenders in the shape of Per Mertesacker and Mats Hummels to nod France into a 1-0 lead. After Karim Benzema’s free-kick had come back off the crossbar, the diminutive forward was first to react to Moussa Sissoko’s cushioned headed pass. The stat 200 – The number of international appearances that English full-back Ashley Cole and Spanish stalwart Carles Puyol collectively have under their belts, after both joined the elite 100-cap club on Wednesday. Cole, 32 years of age, made his England debut in a 3-1 win over Albania on 28 March 2001, four months later than the 34-year-old Puyol, who was awarded his first cap on 15 November 2000 in a 2-1 loss to the Netherlands. Whereas the Barça defender has three goals to his name, the Chelsea man has yet to find the net for his country. Just six players in England and in Spain had previously reached or surpassed this symbolic total. Have your say Will Brazil be ready for the challenge of a FIFA World Cup on home soil next year?

England and Germany lay down markers Wednesday’s set of friendly fixtures saw four former winners of the FIFA World Cup™ demonstrate that they will likely be forces to be reckoned with next summer, as Argentina, Germany, England and Spain registered impressive victories over Sweden, France, Brazil and Uruguay respectively. It was not, however, a night to remember for the aforementioned South American nations, who failed to get the best out of their supremely talented attack-minded players on the night. FIFA.com rounds up all the action from a busy evening of international encounters. The big match England 2-1 Brazil Goals: Wayne Rooney 26, Frank Lampard 60 (England); Fred 49 (Brazil) Luiz Felipe Scolari is likely to have departed Wembley Stadium with much to ponder, as he attempts to steer a Brazil side that has slipped to 18th spot in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking – their lowest placing since the system was established – firmly back on track. The match started in disappointing fashion for the returning Ronaldinho, whose penalty and rebound attempt were brilliantly saved by England goalkeeper Joe Hart. The Atletico Mineiro star seemingly failed to recover from the miss, and remained in the changing rooms at half-time. In the meantime, Wayne Rooney had given the Three Lions the lead, guiding home a ball parried by Brazil No1 Julio Cesar, who otherwise had another excellent 90 minutes. After the break, Scolari reshuffled his pack, bringing on Fred to partner Neymar, with Oscar slotting into the playmaker role and Lucas inserted on the right. England struggled to deal with the changes, allowing Fred in to equalise with a left-footed effort. At that point, it appeared as if the game could go either way, but it was Roy Hodgson’s charges who rose to the occasion, securing a 2-1 triumph with a trademark first-time shot from Frank Lampard. The away side will not have long to wait to attempt to gain their revenge, as a return match is scheduled for 2 June in Brazil. France 1-2 Germany France’s good run of results was brought to an end by a solid German XI, for whom Ilkay Gundogan was outstanding in midfield. Despite the absence of numerous first-team players, Die Nationalelf put in a controlled performance that handed Didier Deschamps just his second defeat as France coach, and also made up for the Germans’ home loss to the same team last year in the process. Les Bleus, with Franck Ribery in fine form, did manage to initially pull ahead, however, Mathieu Valbuena taking advantage of slack defending to score. But this turn of events only served to motivate the Germans in the second half, as Gundogan won the ball in the middle of the park and fed Thomas Muller, who made no mistake. Fifteen minutes from time, a stunning pass by Mesut Ozil found Real Madrid team-mate Sami Khedira, whose clinical finish left France custodian Hugo Lloris with no chance. Spain 3-1 Uruguay The world champions were made to dig deep versus Copa America holders Uruguay in Qatar, on a pristine Doha surface that was not dissimilar to a golfing green. Vicente Del Bosque was forced to make do without several injured regulars, but still managed to field a strong line-up that included seven Barcelona players. One of those, Cesc Fabregas, recorded the opening goal after a terrible handling error by Uruguayan ’keeper Fernando Muslera, before setting up Pedro beautifully in the second half for Spain’s third. Sandwiched in between those strikes were two other goals, Pedro’s first of the night, and a fine Uruguayan equaliser, scored by Cristian Rodriguez. In fact, La Celeste created a plethora of chances via Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani, and entertained the crowd throughout with their attacking intentions, but defensive lapses – so painfully evident in their current FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign – cost them dearly in the end. The result provided Del Bosque, in charge of La Roja since 2008, with an excuse for a double celebration, having equalled the record held by Ladislao Kubala (1969-80) of 68 matches at the helm. The former Besiktas coach’s results during this period have been nothing short of exceptional: 57 wins, five draws and six defeats. Netherlands 1-1 Italy For 80 minutes, a youthful Netherlands team dominated Italy, forcing Gianluigi Buffon into several top-class saves. Jeremain Lens stylishly gave the Dutch the lead, and La Nazionale were subsequently fortunate to not concede again. The home side were unable to build on their advantage, however, and Marco Verratti duly grabbed an injury-time leveller, sweeping the ball into the net after excellent interplay inside the box. The game is sure to have provided Dutch supremo Louis Van Gaal with some useful pointers, especially as neither Wesley Sneijder, Rafael Van Der Vaart nor Arjen Robben were part of the starting line-up in Amsterdam. At the other end of the pitch, the much-hyped appearances of Mario Ballotelli and Stephan El Shaarawy failed to live up to pre-match expectations. Sweden 2-3 Argentina The encounter may have been billed as a Lionel Messi-Zlatan Ibrahimovic duel, but it was other performers who stepped up to the mark on the night, with Angel Di Maria and goalscorers Gonzalo Higuain and Sergio Aguero in sparkling form. Well organised and highly adept at lightning-quick counter-attacks, Argentina controlled the first half without having to rely too much on Messi. Di Maria was particularly productive, setting up two goals to give La Albiceleste a 3-1 half-time lead. Ibrahimovic then came off at the break, and could only watch from the sidelines as the South Americans missed a host of chances. Rasmus Elm’s successful last-minute free-kick reduced the gap, but it was a case of too little too late for the Swedes. Portugal 2-3 Ecuador Lying third in their 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil qualifying group with a five-point deficit to make up on Russia, Portugal did little to reassure their fans in an entertaining clash with Ecuador, surprisingly going down 3-2 at home. Manchester United’s Antonio Valencia gave La Tri an early lead, but Cristiano Ronaldo drew the Lusitanians level, before Helder Postiga made it 2-1. Joao Pereira got the Ecuadorians back into the match, and Felipe Caicedo completed the turnaround twenty minutes from the final whistle. In some of the other matches played on Wednesday, Bosnia-Herzegovina dispatched Slovenia 3-0 away from home, while Macedonia saw off Denmark by the same scoreline. Alberto Zaccheroni’s Japan also beat Latvia 3-0, in a match that featured a double from Shinji Okazaki, and Croatia went one better versus Korea Republic in London, defeating the Asians 4-0. Other notable results included Chile’s 2-1 win over Egypt and Serbia’s 3-1 victory in Cyprus, during which Twente’s Dusan Tadic struck a brace. The player Having been criticised for some off-colour displays for Real Madrid this season, Angel Di Maria put in one of his best-ever performances for Argentina against Sweden. The significant mental boost he received from his brace in Real’s recent 5-0 win in Valencia was evident in his eye-catching play, which propelled his team-mates to a well-deserved 3-2 victory in what was the skilful winger’s 36th appearance for his country. The goal France 1-0 Germany, Mathieu Valbuena 44 The smallest player on the pitch, Valbuena succeeded in evading two towering German defenders in the shape of Per Mertesacker and Mats Hummels to nod France into a 1-0 lead. After Karim Benzema’s free-kick had come back off the crossbar, the diminutive forward was first to react to Moussa Sissoko’s cushioned headed pass. The stat 200 – The number of international appearances that English full-back Ashley Cole and Spanish stalwart Carles Puyol collectively have under their belts, after both joined the elite 100-cap club on Wednesday. Cole, 32 years of age, made his England debut in a 3-1 win over Albania on 28 March 2001, four months later than the 34-year-old Puyol, who was awarded his first cap on 15 November 2000 in a 2-1 loss to the Netherlands. Whereas the Barça defender has three goals to his name, the Chelsea man has yet to find the net for his country. Just six players in England and in Spain had previously reached or surpassed this symbolic total. Have your say Will Brazil be ready for the challenge of a FIFA World Cup on home soil next year?

England and Germany lay down markers ( Wednesday’s set of friendly fixtures saw four former winners of the FIFA World Cup™ demonstrate that they will likely be forces to be reckoned with next summer, as Argentina, Germany, England and Spain registered impressive victories over Sweden, France, Brazil and Uruguay respectively. It was not, however, a night to remember for the aforementioned South American nations, who failed to get the best out of their supremely talented attack-minded players on the night. FIFA.com rounds up all the action from a busy evening of international encounters. The big match England 2-1 Brazil Goals: Wayne Rooney 26, Frank Lampard 60 (England); Fred 49 (Brazil) Luiz Felipe Scolari is likely to have departed Wembley Stadium with much to ponder, as he attempts to steer a Brazil side that has slipped to 18th spot in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking – their lowest placing since the system was established – firmly back on track. The match started in disappointing fashion for the returning Ronaldinho, whose penalty and rebound attempt were brilliantly saved by England goalkeeper Joe Hart. The Atletico Mineiro star seemingly failed to recover from the miss, and remained in the changing rooms at half-time. In the meantime, Wayne Rooney had given the Three Lions the lead, guiding home a ball parried by Brazil No1 Julio Cesar, who otherwise had another excellent 90 minutes. After the break, Scolari reshuffled his pack, bringing on Fred to partner Neymar, with Oscar slotting into the playmaker role and Lucas inserted on the right. England struggled to deal with the changes, allowing Fred in to equalise with a left-footed effort. At that point, it appeared as if the game could go either way, but it was Roy Hodgson’s charges who rose to the occasion, securing a 2-1 triumph with a trademark first-time shot from Frank Lampard. The away side will not have long to wait to attempt to gain their revenge, as a return match is scheduled for 2 June in Brazil. France 1-2 Germany France’s good run of results was brought to an end by a solid German XI, for whom Ilkay Gundogan was outstanding in midfield. Despite the absence of numerous first-team players, Die Nationalelf put in a controlled performance that handed Didier Deschamps just his second defeat as France coach, and also made up for the Germans’ home loss to the same team last year in the process. Les Bleus, with Franck Ribery in fine form, did manage to initially pull ahead, however, Mathieu Valbuena taking advantage of slack defending to score. But this turn of events only served to motivate the Germans in the second half, as Gundogan won the ball in the middle of the park and fed Thomas Muller, who made no mistake. Fifteen minutes from time, a stunning pass by Mesut Ozil found Real Madrid team-mate Sami Khedira, whose clinical finish left France custodian Hugo Lloris with no chance. Spain 3-1 Uruguay The world champions were made to dig deep versus Copa America holders Uruguay in Qatar, on a pristine Doha surface that was not dissimilar to a golfing green. Vicente Del Bosque was forced to make do without several injured regulars, but still managed to field a strong line-up that included seven Barcelona players. One of those, Cesc Fabregas, recorded the opening goal after a terrible handling error by Uruguayan ’keeper Fernando Muslera, before setting up Pedro beautifully in the second half for Spain’s third. Sandwiched in between those strikes were two other goals, Pedro’s first of the night, and a fine Uruguayan equaliser, scored by Cristian Rodriguez. In fact, La Celeste created a plethora of chances via Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani, and entertained the crowd throughout with their attacking intentions, but defensive lapses – so painfully evident in their current FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign – cost them dearly in the end. The result provided Del Bosque, in charge of La Roja since 2008, with an excuse for a double celebration, having equalled the record held by Ladislao Kubala (1969-80) of 68 matches at the helm. The former Besiktas coach’s results during this period have been nothing short of exceptional: 57 wins, five draws and six defeats. Netherlands 1-1 Italy For 80 minutes, a youthful Netherlands team dominated Italy, forcing Gianluigi Buffon into several top-class saves. Jeremain Lens stylishly gave the Dutch the lead, and La Nazionale were subsequently fortunate to not concede again. The home side were unable to build on their advantage, however, and Marco Verratti duly grabbed an injury-time leveller, sweeping the ball into the net after excellent interplay inside the box. The game is sure to have provided Dutch supremo Louis Van Gaal with some useful pointers, especially as neither Wesley Sneijder, Rafael Van Der Vaart nor Arjen Robben were part of the starting line-up in Amsterdam. At the other end of the pitch, the much-hyped appearances of Mario Ballotelli and Stephan El Shaarawy failed to live up to pre-match expectations. Sweden 2-3 Argentina The encounter may have been billed as a Lionel Messi-Zlatan Ibrahimovic duel, but it was other performers who stepped up to the mark on the night, with Angel Di Maria and goalscorers Gonzalo Higuain and Sergio Aguero in sparkling form. Well organised and highly adept at lightning-quick counter-attacks, Argentina controlled the first half without having to rely too much on Messi. Di Maria was particularly productive, setting up two goals to give La Albiceleste a 3-1 half-time lead. Ibrahimovic then came off at the break, and could only watch from the sidelines as the South Americans missed a host of chances. Rasmus Elm’s successful last-minute free-kick reduced the gap, but it was a case of too little too late for the Swedes. Portugal 2-3 Ecuador Lying third in their 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil qualifying group with a five-point deficit to make up on Russia, Portugal did little to reassure their fans in an entertaining clash with Ecuador, surprisingly going down 3-2 at home. Manchester United’s Antonio Valencia gave La Tri an early lead, but Cristiano Ronaldo drew the Lusitanians level, before Helder Postiga made it 2-1. Joao Pereira got the Ecuadorians back into the match, and Felipe Caicedo completed the turnaround twenty minutes from the final whistle. In some of the other matches played on Wednesday, Bosnia-Herzegovina dispatched Slovenia 3-0 away from home, while Macedonia saw off Denmark by the same scoreline. Alberto Zaccheroni’s Japan also beat Latvia 3-0, in a match that featured a double from Shinji Okazaki, and Croatia went one better versus Korea Republic in London, defeating the Asians 4-0. Other notable results included Chile’s 2-1 win over Egypt and Serbia’s 3-1 victory in Cyprus, during which Twente’s Dusan Tadic struck a brace. The player Having been criticised for some off-colour displays for Real Madrid this season, Angel Di Maria put in one of his best-ever performances for Argentina against Sweden. The significant mental boost he received from his brace in Real’s recent 5-0 win in Valencia was evident in his eye-catching play, which propelled his team-mates to a well-deserved 3-2 victory in what was the skilful winger’s 36th appearance for his country. The goal France 1-0 Germany, Mathieu Valbuena 44 The smallest player on the pitch, Valbuena succeeded in evading two towering German defenders in the shape of Per Mertesacker and Mats Hummels to nod France into a 1-0 lead. After Karim Benzema’s free-kick had come back off the crossbar, the diminutive forward was first to react to Moussa Sissoko’s cushioned headed pass. The stat 200 – The number of international appearances that English full-back Ashley Cole and Spanish stalwart Carles Puyol collectively have under their belts, after both joined the elite 100-cap club on Wednesday. Cole, 32 years of age, made his England debut in a 3-1 win over Albania on 28 March 2001, four months later than the 34-year-old Puyol, who was awarded his first cap on 15 November 2000 in a 2-1 loss to the Netherlands. Whereas the Barça defender has three goals to his name, the Chelsea man has yet to find the net for his country. Just six players in England and in Spain had previously reached or surpassed this symbolic total. Have your say Will Brazil be ready for the challenge of a FIFA World Cup on home soil next year?

Jamaican joy as USA, Mexico suffer © AFP THE DAY REPLAYED – Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz pulled off a stunning result, drawing Mexico 0-0 at the fabled Estadio Azteca to open the final ‘Hexagonal’ round of FIFA World Cup™ qualifying in North, Central America and the Caribbean. Elsewhere, Jurgen Klinsmann got a rude introduction to the so-called ‘Hex’ as his USA were beaten 2-1 on the road by Honduras, while Panama blew a two-goal lead to draw with Costa Rica. FIFA.com wraps up an eventful evening in CONCACAF. The big game Honduras 2-1 USA Klinsmann’s Americans wilted in the humidity of San Pedro Sula, suffering their first loss in a Hexagonal opener since the format was adopted in 1998. The German boss opted for an inexperienced, new-look rearguard, with captain and veteran Carlos Bocanegra left on the bench. Even so, the Americans opened the scoring after 36 minutes, Clint Dempsey latching onto a brilliant chipped ball from Jermaine Jones to volley into the top corner. The dream didn’t last, however, and Honduras equalised via a Juan Carlos Garcia stunner five minutes before the interval. From there on, the visitors, who lacked a creative spark, lost their way, looking a decidedly uninspired lot. Honduras made certain of all three points when Jerry Bengston, who plays his club football in the US with New England Revolution, took advantage of a defensive miscue with eleven minutes to play. In other action Costa Rica came back from a two-goal deficit to draw 2-2 on the road against Panama. Los Canaleros were rewarded for their frenzied early pressure, opening the scoring after 16 minutes when Luis Henriquez cut inside and struck from just inside the area. Roman Torres doubled the lead eleven minutes later, volleying home from close range after brilliant approach work by young sensation Marcos Sanchez. But Costa Rica, recently crowned champions of Central America, rebounded in style. Top scorer Alvaro Saborio bagged his seventh goal in qualifying to cut the deficit before the interval. Fulham schemer Bryan Ruiz, who had a fairly quiet game up to that point, then went on to steal a share of the spoils with an improvised overhead kick in the 84th minute. Jamaica made history with a 0-0 draw against Mexico at their much-feared Estadio Azteca. The Mexicans, reigning Olympic and CONCACAF champions, looked out of sorts from the start, despite having such household names as Giovani Dos Santos, Javier Chicharito Hernandez and Andres Guardado in the side. And when they trudged off the pitch to a chorus of boos and clenched fists from their own fans, they will have breathed a sigh of relief. It was a game Mexico could well have lost. Ryan Johnson started as lone striker for the Reggae Boyz, hitting the post once and missing two golden opportunities. One wonders what top scorer Luton Shelton, who missed the match through injury, might have done with similar chances. In the end, the point is a famous one for the Jamaicans. It is their first-ever at the Azteca, and fittingly it came on the birthday of late reggae star Bob Marley, who so loved his football. Player of the day – Donovan Ricketts (JAM) The gigantic USA-based shot-stopper had the game of his life in Mexico City, making save after save to deny the much-fancied El Tri strikers and pulling every cross out of the air with calm and ease. In the 48th minute, the Montego Bay-born keeper got down like a snap to deny a quick-fire shot from Oribe Peralta, and in the dying moments he twice denied Manchester United ace Chicharito to keep the scoresheet clean. Goal of the day - Juan Carlos Garcia Honduras-USA, 40’ Just four minutes after Clint Dempsey silenced the San Pedro Sula crowd with a cleverly volleyed opener, Juan Carlos Garcia sent the home fans into raptures with an outrageous, acrobatic equaliser. A long, looping corner-kick was collected wide on the right by Victor Bernardez, who lofted the ball back into the penalty area. Maynor Figueroa chested it forward, where Garcia, a burly defender for local giants Olimpia, slammed home an overhead bicycle-kick that would make any striker jealous. The number 24 – The number of matches in Mexico’s winning streak in qualifying at the Azteca. Their draw with the Jamaicans is the first time they failed to win there since losing to Costa Rica – their only defeat in qualifying at the Azteca – in 2001. One wonders if the mystique of the old stadium is fading, as USA managed their first-ever win at the ground in a friendly late last year. What they said “We made too many mistakes and too many players didn’t play up to their potential. When you lose a game, there are reasons for it. The reason tonight was that too many players were below their usual performance,” US coach Klinsmann on the loss in Honduras, the fourth straight road qualifier in which the Americans have surrendered a lead. CONCACAF fourth round ‘Hexagonal,’ matchday one Honduras 2-1 USA Panama 2-2 Costa Rica Mexico 0-0 Jamaica Up next 22 March 2013 Honduras-Mexico Jamaica-Panama USA-Costa Rica

President Blatter attends the XXI Commonwealth Cup FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter visited Russia on 18 January for the opening of the XXI Commonwealth Cup, a competition he has been attending every year for the last 20 years. The competition brings together U-21 teams from Eastern Europe and Central Asia. This year, Belarus, Latvia, Estonia, Tajikistan (Group A), Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan (Group B) and Ukraine, Lithuania, Moldova, Turkmenistan (Group C) are all competing for a place in the final which will take place on 27 January 2013. Present at the opening ceremony were a number of dignitaries alongside the FIFA President, including Sports Minister and FIFA Executive Committee Member Vitaly Mutko, the Vice-Governor of St. Petersburg Vassili Kitigi, the Governor of St. Petersburg Region Alexander Drozdenko, the President of the Football Union of Russia, Nikolai Tolstykh and the CEO of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ Local Organising Committee Alexey Sorokin. At this opening ceremony, Blatter first mentioned his "respect and emotions on this special day, as it's exactly 70 years that Leningrad, now St Petersburg, saw the end of its blockade. My thoughts are with the city and the population." The FIFA President was referring to the Siege of Leningrad, also known as the Leningrad Blockade, which was a prolonged military operation undertaken by the German Army against Leningrad during the second World War (8 September 1941 - 18 January 1943). President Blatter continued, speaking in Russian, saying: "Football has no borders, that's why I have come here for 20 years, because the Commonwealth Cup unifies people. With the FIFA World Cup 2018, it's people from the entire world who will gather, because football is more than a game.” On Saturday 19 January, the President will meet representatives of Member Associations of the region. (Total comments 1)

Del Neri dismissed from Genoa post Genoa have sacked Luigi Del Neri following today's 2-0 home defeat to Catania. Del Neri only replaced Luigi Del Canio at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris on 24 October but a run of just two wins from 13 games sees the club languishing in the Serie A relegation places. A statement on Genoa's official website tonight read: "Genoa announce that it has dismissed coach Luigi Del Neri. "The club wishes to thank Mr Del Neri, and his team of assistants, Francesco Conti, Maurizio D'Angelo and Luca Alimonta, for their efforts during this period." The club have yet to name a replacement, but former coach Davide Ballardini has been linked with the post in the Italian media.