3-5-2 FOOTBALL

Thomas Muller and Miroslav Klose were on target once more as Germany booked their World Cup semi-final place at the expense of Argentina. Muller netted the last two goals in the 4-1 win over England last time but was quicker off the mark in Cape Town, heading home in the third minute as Joachim Low's side made a blistering start. Klose, who had scored the opener against England, then tapped home a 67th minute second. Arne Friedrich netted a third seven minutes later and Klose scored his second with a minute to go to make sure of the success over Diego Maradona's men. The victory means Germany will now face Spain or Paraguay on Wednesday for a place in next Sunday's final.   WORLD CUP     3-5-2 FOOTBALL    NOBLESTAR   Not enough FOOTBALL ??? Click HERE!

Uruguay have booked their place in the semi-finals of the World Cup following a heartbreaking penalty shoot-out success over Ghana. Sebastian Abreu scored the match-winning penalty with a cheeky chip to capitalise on misses from John Mensah and young substitute Dominic Adiyiah after the score finished 1-1 after extra-time. Sulley Muntari opened the scoring with a superb long-range effort, although Diego Forlan's fine second-half free-kick levelled matters to ensure the game went into extra-time. Ghana should have settled the contest with the last kick of the game but Asamoah Gyan missed the chance to become the hero of a nation when his powerful penalty struck the crossbar. Adiyiah's goal-bound header looked certain to win the match in the last minute of extra-time but Luis Suarez handled on the line to concede a penalty resulting in a straight red card, an act that he will feel was justified as Uruguay won in the shoot-out following Gyan's crucial miss. Uruguay held the

The Netherlands came from behind to stun five-time champion Brazil 2-1 Friday and become the first semifinalist of the World Cup. Wesley Sneijder scored the winner in the 68th minute with a header following a corner kick. It was the Netherlands' first win over Brazil since the 1974 World Cup, when Johan Cruyff was the team's star and "total football" reigned. Robinho had given Brazil the lead in the 10th, but the Netherlands equalized in the 53rd with an own goal from Felipe Melo.  The one-goal lead wasn't enough, though, and Brazil began to unravel when Felipe Melo headed the ball into his own net in a mixup with Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar following a cross from Sneijder, who also led Inter Milan to the Champions League title in May. Sneijder's goal followed a corner kick from Robben. Dirk Kuyt flicked the ball on with a header by the near post and Sneijder found the target from the center of the area. It was a match of sharp contrasts for Felipe Melo,

Michael Essien believes Ghana are more than capable of beating Uruguay in the World Cup quarter-finals. The 27-year-old has sent a good luck message to his national compatriots whilst continuing his rehabilitation on a knee injury. The Chelsea star injured his knee at the African Cup of Nations early in 2010, and he failed to recover in time for the finals in South Africa. Although disappointed to have missed out, he admits he is immensely proud of seeing his side become the only African nation to make it to the knock-out stages. BOLA BOYZ    WORLD CUP      CHELSEA   CLICK HERE for more WORLD CUP 2010 updates!

Wesley Sneijder insists that he has not fallen out with striker Robin van Persie ahead of Holland's World Cup quarter-final against five-times champions Brazil in Port Elizabeth on Friday. The Arsenal striker was unhappy at being substituted in Holland's 2-1 second round victory against Slovakia in Durban and had been accused of suggesting to Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk that Sneijder should have been the man to be replaced with 10 minutes remaining in the match. Van Persie has scored just one goal against Cameroon at the finals and has struggled to find his best form following an injury-hit season with Arsenal. Inter Milan ace Sneijder has played down reports of a falling-out with the 26-year-old after they were both reportedly summoned for talks with Van Marwijk following Monday's match. Sneijder insists that there is a real sense of unity in the Dutch squad, unlike in previous tournaments.   WORLD CUP     3-5-2 FOOTBALL      ARSENAL   Anywhere… Everywhere… We'

Cristiano Ronaldo has admitted he was left with a feeling of 'unimaginable sadness' following Portugal's elimination from the World Cup. Portugal suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Spain in Cape Town on Tuesday evening, with Ronaldo again struggling to reproduce his magnificent club form at international level. The Real Madrid star confessed after the match that he was finding it hard to come to terms with the disappointment. Ronaldo refused to answer questions straight after the final whistle but remarked to television reporters: " How can I explain it (the defeat)? Ask the question of Carlos Queiroz ." He later denied criticising his manager, while he also hit back at suggestions that he had not assumed his responsibilities as the national captain.   3-5-2 FOOTBALL      BOLA BOYZ     RONALDO   

Argentina striker Carlos Tevez has stated that he is not even contemplating the thought of losing to Germany in Saturday's World Cup quarter-final. The Manchester City hit-man played a key role in his side's 3-1 win over Mexico, despite scoring the first from what looked to be an offside position, he then scored arguably the goal of the tournament so far with a sizzling strike to put his team three goals to the good. Diego Maradona's side can reach the semi-finals of the competition should they defeat the Germans, with it being their first run to that stage since Maradona captained the team to the final in 1990 - where they were beaten by Germany. Tevez was also part of the team that lost on penalties to the then-hosts in 2006 at the quarter-final stage, and admitted that he could not bear to think of his side not coming out on top this time around. The 26-year-old was also happy to be given the label as a crowd favourite, with his bullish approach to attacking making hi