FIFA World Cup 2010: Slovenia 2 - 2 United States

USA fighting spirit gave them a point

Slovenia went two up against USA after Valter Birsa and Zlatan Ljubijankic goals, but Landon Donovan got one back before Michael Bradley rescued a point. Maurice Edu looked to have scored a winner for the Americans but it was controversially disallowed.

It leaves all to play for in Group C going into the final round of matches. There was a very early stoppage when Clint Dempsey caught Ljubijankic with an elbow to the head as the pair challenged for a high ball near the halfway line. The Gent striker was fine to continue and Malian referee Koman Coulibaly opted to take no action against Dempsey.

Birsa created the first chance with a whipped cross from the right which Milivoje Novakovic failed to connect with on the volley, but the classy Slovenia number 10 took charge himself after 12 minutes. He was allowed to turn and take stock before curling a shot past the helpless Tim Howard from 25 yards, with no American defender going to close him down.

Francisco Torres tested Handanovic with a left-foot free-kick from a wide angle, with the Udinese goalkeeper probably expecting a ball into the box rather than a cross.

It lifted the US, who had Robbie Findley booked for a handball in the Slovenia box which ruled him out of the final group match against Algeria, and Slovenia full-back Miso Brecko had to get a vital touch to deny Donovan a far-post tap-in after a flowing move involving Altidore, Findley and Dempsey.

But in a flash Bob Bradley's men were 2-0 down as Novakovic slotted a pass through to strike partner Ljubijankic, who beat the offside trap and calmly rolled a right-foot shot under Howard. The US coach responded by bringing on Rangers midfielder Edu for Torres and Benny Feilhaber for Findley at the start of the second half.

Within three minutes of the restart the Americans had halved the deficit when right-back Steve Cherundolo's ball down the flank evaded Bostjan Cesar and Los Angeles Galaxy star Donovan raced into the box at an angle before drilling the ball hard and high past Handanovic at his near post.

Marko Suler then injured himself as he climbed over Altidore and from the resultant free-kick Dempsey's glancing header from Donovan's inswinging ball was just wide.

Howard then had to claw away a Birsa free-kick as Suler threatened to head it home and Suler was then involved at the other end to tackle Altidore after the former Hull loanee looked set to get clear of him just before the hour mark.

The game was now evenly poised and after Suler manhandled Altidore once too often for the referee's liking and was booked, the burly striker fired a shot straight at Handanovic. Andraz Kirm joined Suler in the book for going in late on Cherundolo and so too did Bojan Jokic for a clumsy foul on Donovan.

Bradley's final change was to bring on forward Herculez Gomez for defender Oguchi Onyewu as the US pressed for the leveller - and it was the coach's son who got it. Altidore climbed high to nod down a long ball into the box and Bradley junior sprinted into the box to fire past Handanovic and send the majority of the Ellis Park crowd into hysterics with eight minutes to go.

They thought they had a winner when Edu turned in Donovan's free-kick but the referee disallowed it, apparently seeing a tug in the box although both sides appeared equally guilty of that. Slovenia pushed forward for the glory goal and Aleksandar Radosavljevic forced an excellent parry from Howard from 25 yards as time ticked away.

Fifa World Cup 2010 - England 1 - 1 United States

Green howler hands USA draw

A dreadful blunder by England goalkeeper Robert Green gifted the USA with a share of the spoils as Fabio Capello's side were held 1-1 in their Group C opener.

Steven Gerrard had given the Three Lions' World Cup campaign a flying start with a fourth-minute opener in Rustenburg.

England were holding that advantage until Green committed the kind of howler David Seaman, Paul Robinson and Scott Carson have all done down the years and allowed Clint Dempsey's harmless shot to slip through his fingers.

Capello could only watch on in horror and wonder why fate had dealt him such a shocking hand given he had preferred Green to David James and Joe Hart as his first-choice goalkeeper, dismissing the latter man for fear his inexperience would cost England in a similar manner to that the West Ham man actually did.

There was to be no atonement, even though England dominated at the end. And with one of his favourite sons, James Milner, hauled off after half an hour, Ledley King failing to return for the second half and his replacement Jamie Carragher getting himself badly exposed on more than one occasion, it will be an uncomfortable six days for Capello and his players before England try to rebuild their reputation against Algeria in Cape Town next Friday.

Capello resolved to start his World Cup campaign with Green in the problematic goalkeeping position and Milner on the left-hand side of midfield. Within three minutes he was wearing the broadest of smiles.

Glen Johnson and Frank Lampard were both involved in the initial stages of a move that ended with Emile Heskey doing what he does best, allowing a team-mate to score.

Usually it is with brawn. This time it was the silky touch of a delicate through ball for Gerrard, who had motored into the box. The new England skipper steadied himself, then tucked a precise finish under Tim Howard and raced away to the far corner flag pursued by a posse of ecstatic white shirts.

Rather than a majority of United States supporters, as had been suggested, the stadium was clearly packed with England fans, who celebrated with natural glee. Unfortunately, it was not long before the smiles turned to worried frowns.

England still kept creating chances. Lampard and Wayne Rooney tested Howard with a couple of speculative efforts, Steve Cherundolo turned away a teasing low cross from Aaron Lennon and Heskey almost got on the end of a Lennon ball into the six-yard area. But for all this, the United States were causing England a major headache.

They may have won the previous meeting so famously in 1950 but the stars and stripes boast a far more professional outfit these days and they quickly began to show how they reached the Confederations Cup final 12 months ago.

As so often, Landon Donovan was the architect of their best work, exposing Milner at the same time. Ill during the week, the Aston Villa man, one of Capello's favourites, was badly exposed and had already been booked for a foul on Cherundolo before he was replaced by Shaun Wright-Phillips.

The move was Capello's ruthless response to a growing number of threatening American attacks, the best of which provided an open goal for Jozy Altidore when he jumped for Donovan's free-kick, yet inexplicably missed the ball completely.

Another long-range Donovan effort had Green at full stretch before the moment that will be repeated so often and the West Ham goalkeeper has to live with for the rest of his life arrived.

Dempsey turned Gerrard neatly but was still 25 yards when he took aim. The new Jabulani ball made the effort worthwhile. There is no way it should have ended up in the net though.

Green could only bury his head in the ground as he came to terms with a fumbled attempt to save that ended with the ball slipping through his grasp and agonisingly out of reach as it bobbled over the line.

When England returned from an interval that must have included attempting to raise Green's spirits, King had been replaced by Carragher.

But any thought the Liverpool veteran would shore things up at the back was quickly dispelled as first he was booked for a foul on Robbie Findley, then he was left for dead by Altidore, which at least allowed Green to redeem himself with a fine save as he pushed the American's shot on to the post.

Prior to that, Heskey had failed to beat Howard having been sent through by Lennon. Heskey also wasted the last of three decent England chances; Lampard and Rooney did much better from much further out with the others as the Three Lions asserted themselves at the end without managing to fashion a winner.

World Cup 2010: Fabio Capello: I Didn't Make Mistakes And England Are On Track

Italian's confidence unshaken.

England manager Fabio Capello has insisted that there are no massive causes for concern after the Three Lions' 1-1 draw with the USA in their opening game of the World Cup on Saturday.

Defender Ledley King looks set to be ruled out for the rest of the tournament after sustaining a groin injury and being replaced by Jamie Carragher at half-time against the Americans.

And goalkeeper Rob Green blundered badly to hand the USA an equaliser, but Capello has been unequivocal in his assessment of the situation.

As far as the Italian is concerned, he made the right selection calls at the weekend and there is nothing to be overly worried about in terms of the rest of the campaign.

"I didn't make mistakes and I'm not worried for the future," he told reporters in South Africa.

"We played a good game and, for me, the most important thing is to see the spirit of the team and also the physical condition of the players.

"I was worried about the result because it is possible to lose a game like this.

"We had seven or eight chances. That is good football.

"But it is not enough just to create the chances. To win we have to score.

"Twice we were in front of the goal, once with Shaun Wright-Phillips, once with Emile (Heskey). Alone, Absolutely alone."

Capello was also taking an analytical approach when it came to how to deal with the error made by Green, a player with whom the Italian has been very happy in recent games.

"We must think about this problem psychologically," the England coach added.

"Goalkeepers make mistakes. This is part of football. You have to accept that.

"I decided on Green because he played very well in the last game against Platinum Stars and also against Mexico at Wembley, and in the second-half last night he played very well and made a really important save. But a mistake remains a mistake.

"Now I have to speak with him, then I will decide what to do."