Soccer Sports News & Betting

Fabio Cannavaros grandfather died Thursday and the Italy captain was given the news after he and his teammates lost to Egypt 1-0 in the Confederations Cup.

Cannavaro, who needs to make only two more appearances for Italy to break Paolo Maldinis national team record, left Ellis Park with his head low and tears in his eyes.

He just got a call right now telling him that his grandfather died, Italy team spokesman Diego Antenozio said.

It wasnt clear if the Italy captain would return home or stay for Sundays Group B match against Brazil, which could send the world champions through to the semifinals.

We dont know at this point, Antenozio said.

Japan midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura is close to signing with Spanish side Espanyol, according to local media reports.

Nakamura and Espanyol have reached a basic agreement that will earn the midfielder $1.6 million a year to join the Spanish first division side, Kyodo News agency reported late Wednesday.

Nakamuras contract Scottish club Celtic expires at the end of this month, meaning he can move to Espanyol on a free transfer.

A veteran of the 2006 World Cup, Nakamura initially expressed an interest in re-signing with his former J-League club Yokohama F Marinos, but began negotiations with Espanyol after talks with Yokohama stalled over financial matters.

Nakamura who turns 31 next week, left Yokohama in 2002 to join Italian club Reggina. He signed with Celtic in 2005 and has become a favorite with fans, helping his team to three consecutive league championships from 2006 to 2008.

He scored 29 goals in his 119 appearances for Celtic, as well as netting 23 for Japan from 87 internationals.

European champion Barcelona will play Mexicos Chivas Guadalajara in San Francisco on Aug 8 in the final game of the Spanish teams three-match US preseason tour.

The game at Candlestick Park is part of a doubleheader that opens with a Major League Soccer game between San Jose and Columbus.

Barcelona also plays the Los Angeles Galaxy on Aug. 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, and is at the Seattle Sounders on Aug. 5.

Barcelona and Chivas have met twice before in recent U.S. friendlies; 1-1 in 2006 at Los Angeles, and Barcelona won 5-2 last year in Chicago.

Spain earned its record-tying 14th straight win and a spot in the Confederations Cup semifinals by beating Iraq 1-0 on Wednesday.

David Villa slipped between two defenders and beat Iraq goalkeeper Mohammed Kassid for the only goal of the match in the 55th minute, sending Joan Capdevilas cross low and inside the right post for his 30th goal in his 46th international appearance. The Valencia striker moved into sole possession of second place in Spains scoring charts, trailing only Raul Gonzalezs 44.

Spain matched Brazil, France and Australia as the only teams to win 14 straight games and is now within one game of matching Brazils record 35-game unbeaten run. A victory against host South Africa in Spains final Group A match would see it become the first team to win 15 straight in all competitions.

Spain, FIFAs top-ranked team, leads the group with six points, while Iraq still has one. South Africa moved closer to the second semifinal spot from the group by beating New Zealand 2-0 in Rustenburg in the late game.

We never feared for the victory, said Spain coach Vicente del Bosque, who refused to look beyond Saturdays match against South Africa. Its hard to talk about the future when you have such wonderful things going on now.

Despite the loss, Iraq coach Bora Milutinovic was beaming after a near perfect performance.

Im very, very happy for the way my team played, the Serbian coach said. Especially to play against a team like Spain in this way, when we didnt have so much time to prepare for this game.

Villa had headed another clear chance straight into the hands of Kassid two minutes before his goal as Spain finally overcame a stubborn Iraq team that denied the Spanish clear possession through the first half. Nine Iraqi players were often stacked behind the ball until Spain broke the deadlock.

It wasnt easy to find our rhythm, Spain midfielder Xabi Alonso said. We managed the goal but we suffered to get there.

Neither team started well on the sub-par field, with Iraqs defensive plan aided by Spains early complacency.

They played very intelligent and with great discipline, Milutinovic said of his team. We played like that because these are the players we have.

Amid a constant blare of vuvuzela trumpets, Spain slowly began to come alive and Fernando Torres ran forward but the Liverpool striker couldnt reach Xavi Hernandezs well-read return ball.

We knew it was going to be difficult, said Del Bosque, who has won all 12 games since replacing Luis Aragones last year. We played by the book. Thats what you have to do in these types of matches.

Villa volleyed Sergio Ramos cross from the right into the side netting from a tight angle in the 25th for Spains best first-half chance.

Villas goal allowed Spain to play with usual ease aand brought the 30,512 fans to life as they roared for the final 20 minutes as Spain continued to press, with Kassid denying Juanma Mata after a superb lay-off in the 79th and Ramos sent a half-volley over the bar.

Nashat Akram tried one last time for Iraq, shooting wide from outside the area in the 88th but the Iraqis managed only one shot on goal. The Spanish ended up with 21 shots to Iraqs five.

Milutinovic said he believes his team still has a chance to advance to semifinals along with Spain. The Iraqis play New Zealand on Saturday.

A football match is like life, you need a little bit of mathematics, the Serbian said. The first game you cant lose, the second you do the best you can.

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Lineups:

Spain: Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Gerard Pique, Carlos Marchena, Joan Capdevila, Xabi Alonso, Santi Cazorla (David Silva, 67), Xavi Hernandez (Sergio Busquets, 82), Juanma Mata, David Villa (Dani Guiza, 74), Fernando Torres.

Iraq: Mohammed Kassid, Mohammed Ali Kareem, Basem Abbas, Fareed Majeed, Nashat Akram, Hawar Mulla Mohammed (Halkard Mulla Mohammed, 69), Salam Shaker, Ali Hussein Rehema, Alaa Abdul Zahra (Younis Mahmoud, 80), Samer Saeed (Mahdi Kareem, 60), Muayad Khalid.

Giuseppe Rossis gamble is starting to pay off.

Four years ago, then-U.S. coach Bruce Arena offered the New Jersey-born striker a chance to play at the 2006 World Cup. Most teenagers would have jumped at the opportunity.

Not Rossi.

Born to Italian immigrants, Rossi always had his eyes on playing for the national team of his parents and ancestors.

It was tough to say no to an offer like that, especially when youre only 18 and theyre offering you a chance to play in the World Cup, Rossi said Tuesday, a day after coming off the bench and scoring two goals for Italy in a 3-1 win over the 10-man United States at the Confederations Cup. But ever since I was little I watched this team and it was my dream to play for Italy. Thank God its all working out.

Rossi was born in Teaneck and grew up in Clifton. He left the United States 10 years ago to join Parmas youth system.

The move was very, very tough for my family, my mom, my sister. I was only 12, Rossi said. It was a big step for me to go to Italy, but I needed to in order to develop as a player. The soccer in Italy is the best in the world. I grew tremendously in those five years.

When he was 18, Rossi received an offer from Manchester United.

The three years I spent with United was the first time I played with the first team and great players, Rossi said, alternating with ease between Italian and English. It was a great learning experience for me.

After a stint at Newcastle, and then back to Parma, Rossi has become a standout with Villarreal in Spain. He led all scorers at the Beijing Olympics with four goals with Italys under-23 team.

Despite all his travels, Rossi still has deep ties to the United States, and he speaks English more naturally than Italian.

For me, the U.S. is home, he said. I was born there and I have my family there, but when I lived in Italy for five or six years I grew as a man and a player, so Italy is a big part of me, too.

After his opening goal Monday, Rossis celebration was a linguistic mixture that mirrored his career.

I was thinking in Italian but then a Vamos came out and then a Lets Go, Rossi said, laughing. I dont know what happened.

Yet Rossi knows exactly how he scored, blasting in a 30-yard shot on his first touch of the game and living up to his Joe Cool nickname bestowed by the Italian media.

Thats part of my nature, he said. When I go out onto the field I do whats needed for the team. The ball was there and I took it and got a shot off.

Rossis second goal came late in injury time, set up by Andrea Pirlo. It gave him three goals in just six appearances for the Azzurri. He made his national team debut in October and scored his first goal this month in an exhibition game against Northern Ireland.

He already had unbelievable talent when we played together on the under-21 team, midfielder Riccardo Montolivo said. You could tell he had something extra. He really plays at a high level.

Rossi could have been the scorer the United States has sought for years. Instead, he chose to work his way up through Italys system.

That is part of my mentality, he said. When I want something I try to achieve it. For now, things are going well, but I dont want it to end here. I always want more.

With Spain up next, Iraqs chances of advancing to the Confederations Cup semifinals will likely come down to its final Group A match against New Zealand.

European champion Spain is only two shy of matching Brazils record 35-match unbeaten streak, and Iraq is under no illusions that a place in the next round will likely be decided after Wednesdays game in Bloemfontein.

This game is important but the next game against New Zealand is more important because its a better chance to go through, Iraq coach Bora Milutinovic said Tuesday. We know that with four points we can advance to the next round.

Spain, which leads the group with three points after beating New Zealand 5-0, can clinch a spot in the semifinals with a victory on Wednesday, which would be its 14th straight.

That feat would see Spain match Brazil, France and Australia for the longest winning streak in history. No country has ever won 15 in a row.

Its an extra stimulus for us to be able to reach the level of a national team like Brazils, Spain coach Vicente del Bosque said. But our principle objective is to reach the semifinals.

Iraqs 0-0 draw against host South Africa has given it a good chance to claim the second spot with another victory, and the team wont give up at the Free State stadium even though its enormous underdog tag has the players looking ahead.

We have to play for our reputation here, Iraq striker Imad Mohammed said. We will fulfill the demands of our people in Iraq and play a good match against Spain and hope for a good result.

Milutinovic said he wont change the teams defensive tactics just to appease critics after Iraqs opening match stalemate.

Id be happy to play much more negative but to win one more point, the Serbian coach said. Iraqis have no fear. But we have respect for a great team. My players are going to do all they can to achieve a positive result.

Del Bosque, who has won all 11 matches since replacing Luis Aragones after last years European Championship, said he will tinker with his starting lineup because the Spanish looked sloppy despite Fernando Torres quick hat trick.

Whoever says Group A is easy are completely wrong, Spain defender Carlos Marchena said. Theres no such thing as an easy match.

Milutinovic has told his players not to be in awe of an attacking lineup that includes David Villa, Cesc Fabregas and Xavi Hernandez.

You need to have confidence in yourself. You need to have belief if you are going to have good results, Milutinovic said. Good organization, good position on the ball, good team spirit and take care of your emotions.

Neither team trained on the stadium field Tuesday in a bid to help it recover from Brazils 4-3 win over Egypt on Monday.

Last years Euro 2008 victory ended 44 years of futility at major tournaments for the Spanish, who have havent managed to get past the quarterfinals of the World Cup in the modern era. The Confederations Cup is another opportunity to ditch the underachiever label that seems to accompany it at every tournament.

Spain has traditionally had very pessimistic fans and now we suddenly find ourselves with exaggerated optimism, Del Bosque said.

Were talking about winning the 2010 World Cup when we still havent qualified, the Spanish coach added. Since the Euros weve kept our feet on the ground.

The contrast between Daniele De Rossis first meeting with the United States and Mondays rematch couldnt have been greater.

Three years ago, the AS Roma midfielder was banned for four games of Italys World Cup campaign for bloodying the face of U.S. forward Brian McBride with his elbow. On Monday, he scored the winning goal as Italy rallied for a 3-1 win over a 10-man United States.

Its strange. Its two very different emotions, De Rossi said. This is a great satisfaction whereas that was a real low for my career. Its hard to describe how different the two things are.

De Rossi, named man of the match, found the target with a long, angled shot in the 72nd minute that sailed past two defenders and beyond the reach of U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard.

Immediately after scoring, De Rossi ran toward team trainer Silvano Cotti.

I had a tendon that wasnt feeling great the last few days and I risked missing this game, which I really wanted to play, De Rossi said. I suffered due to the problem with Roma this season, but this game and goal made me realize that Im healed.

At the World Cup, De Rossi was sidelined after injuring McBride in Italys 1-1 first-round draw with the United States, the only blemish on the Azzurris otherwise perfect run in Germany.

De Rossis ban expired in time for him to come on as a substitute in the World Cup final, and he converted a penalty kick in the shootout victory over France.

Still only 25, De Rossi has become a midfield fixture for Italy, compiling 46 appearances and eight goals.

Critics once questioned whether De Rossi and Andrea Pirlo could play in the same midfield.

It pleases me that Pirlo and I get more used to each other game by game, and weve shown wrong the people who said we couldnt play together, De Rossi said. The fact that (Gennaro) Gattuso is with us gives us more balance.

Pirlo set up Italys final goal for Giuseppe Rossi, who also found the equalizer Monday.

Of all the Italian players in the new jerseys, the standout was the kid from New Jersey.

Teaneck-born Giuseppe Rossi scored twice in the second half, Daniele De Rossi had a goal and Italy rallied to overcome a Landon Donovan penalty kick and beat the United States 3-1 Monday night in its opener at the FIFA Confederations Cup.

I dedicate the goals to my family, who are watching the game on TV in America, Rossi said. This is a dream, Im playing for the world champions, and I also hope to become a world champion next year.

The U.S. played a man short after Ricardo Clark was ejected in the 33rd minute for a late tackle on Gennaro Gattuso, but went ahead eight minutes later when Donovan scored his American-record 40th international goal after Giorgio Chiellini hooked and kicked Jozy Altidore.

Italy, 4-0-3 against the United States, wore new light blue retro jerseys and brown shorts that hark back to the Azzurris first two World Cup titles in 1934 and 1938.

Rossi grew up in Clifton, but spurned the U.S. national team program to play for Italy. He entered in the 57th minute and tied the score a minute later with a 30-yard shot after stripping the ball from Benny Feilhaber.

If youre playing against the team which is the country where you are born, its always a great emotion coming in, Rossi said. But when youre on the field you have no plan. You just think about playing the game and trying to win your game.

He got his second goal in the fourth minute of injury time from about 10 yards after Andrea Pirlo went around defender Jay DeMerit and crossed.

Certainly it would have been our hope that Giuseppe played for the U.S., but he made his decision and hes a very talented player, and today was a very exciting day for him, U.S. coach Bob Bradley said.

The 22-year-old Rossi scored four goals at last summers Olympics. He made his debut with the senior Italian national team last October as a substitute against Bulgaria and scored his first international goal on June 6, putting Italy ahead in a 3-0 exhibition win over Northern Ireland.

Rossi gave us a burst of energy, Italy coach Marcello Lippi said. He scored a great goal that calmed us down psychologically with a half hour still to go, and then he finished the game off. He offers different characteristics.

De Rossi, ejected and banned for four matches for elbowing Brian McBride in the face when the teams met in the 2006 World Cup, put Italy ahead 2-1 in the 72nd with a 15-yard shot that bounced by defender Oguchi Onyewu and beat goalkeeper Tim Howard.

Bradley and his players were unhappy with Chilean referee Pablo Pozos decision to give the red card to Clark, saying the foul should have been merely a yellow card.

The red card made all the difference, Donovan said. Eleven guys from each team were prepared and ready to play the game, and the guy in the middle with the whistle wasnt.

The United States was eliminated in the first round of the 2006 World Cup, where it went 0-2-1, and the 1-1 tie was the only blemish on Italys record as the Azzurri won their fourth World Cup title. In addition to De Rossi, Pablo Mastroeni and Eddie Pope were ejected from that violent match at Kaiserslautern.

Preparing for next years World Cup in South Africa, the U.S. brought most of its top players to this eight-nation tournament. The United States, which qualified for this tournament by winning the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup, plays South American champion Brazil on Thursday and closes the first round against African champion Egypt on Sunday. The top two teams in each group advance to the semifinals.

In Mondays other game, Brazil beat Egypt 4-3 on a disputed 90th-minute penalty kick by Kaka, his second goal of the match.

Two key saves from Mohammed Kassid gave Iraq a 0-0 draw against South Africa in the Confederations Cup opener Sunday, dealing a blow to a host nation hoping to establish itself as a challenger in the tournament.

Combined with Kassids saves, South Africa was unlucky with six minutes to play when a header from Kagisho Dikgacoi hit the leg of forward Bernard Parker on the goal line and bounced out again. Kassid was already beaten.

I wanted to drop dead, Parker said.

Iraq coach Bora Milutinovic said he had never seen such a fluke.

My friend, this is part of the game, said the 64-year-old Serb, who is a veteran of five World Cups. I am so happy that it happened today.

The draw for Iraq rewarded Milutinovics conservative tactics and gave his team an unexpected point and hope it could still reach the semifinals from Group A, which also includes Spain and New Zealand.

If you dont convert the chances, you are not going to win, said playmaker Teko Modise, South Africas man of the match.

The hosts outshot Iraq 11 to 2, with many of the chances coming late in the game after a hesitant start.

South Africa coach Joel Santana centered on Iraqs tactics rather than his teams inefficiency up front.

Our opponent never tried to play football, Santana said. They tried to paralyze the game.

Milutinovic didnt argue.

For some people it is boring. For some people they are happy, the Serb said.

Five minutes before the end, Bafana Bafana fans were already streaming out of Ellis Park, disappointed that their team showed nowhere near the quality to make it a contender when the World Cup comes to South Africa next year.

Both teams set out Sunday with defense first in mind and it produced a match with few skills. Iraq playmaker Nashat Akram and South Africas lone standout Modise failed to make a difference against overwhelming defenses.

With Spain expected to breeze into the semifinals from Group A as the worlds top-ranked team and New Zealand considered the weakest team of the tournament, Sundays game was expected to provide the clue on who would advance to the semifinals as group runner-up.

Now we have our back against the wall, said South Africa midfielder Steven Pienaar, who next faces New Zealand on Wednesday in a must-win game in Rustenburg.

In South Africas biggest match in more than a decade, its chances were dealt a blow before kickoff when it was forced to keep Pienaar on the bench after the Everton player failed to recover sufficiently from an ankle injury and stomach problems. He made a brief substitution with five minutes to go but had no impact.

Milutinovic started with a five-men defense and often kept nine players behind the ball, happy to escape the opener with a goalless draw. Iraq never came close to scoring and rarely seemed to try.

My goalkeeper had nothing to do in the match, Santana said. Bafana Bafana had good control of the game.

Overall, both teams played very much up to their mediocre FIFA ranking of 72 for South Africa and 77 for Iraq. South Africa qualified as host and Iraq is the Asian champion.

Some of the best excitement came before the match, when FIFA president Sepp Blatter and South African President Jacob Zuma were wildly cheered by the crowd of 52,522.

On an inconsistent field marked with rough patches, smooth play was difficult enough, but on both sides there was a lack of creative talent to split the crowded defenses.

If Milutinovics tactics at the head of a slumping team playing a host nation of a major tournament could be understood, it was harder to see why Santana held back until the second half to push men forward.

Modise became ever more dominant in the center but was left frustrated when all too little of his initiative proved fruitless because Parker and Thembinkosi Fanteni all too often lost balls.

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Lineups:

South Africa: Itumeleng Khune, Siboniso Gaxa, Tsepo Masilela, Aaron Mokoena, Benson Mhlongo, MacBeth Sibaya, Teko Modise, Kagisho Dikgacoi, Matthew Booth, Bernard Parker (Steven Pienaar, 85), Thembinkosi Fanteni (Katlego Mashego, 78).

Iraq: Mohammed Kassid, Mohammed Ali Kareem, Basem Abbas, Fareed Majeed, Nashat Akram, Emad Mohammed (Alaa Abdul Zahra, 76), Younis Mahmoud, Karrar Jasim (Hawar Mulla Mohammed, 74), Salam Shaker, Ali Hussein Rehema, Mahdi Kareem (Salih Sadir, 88).

Results from the Norwegian first-division football league (home teams listed first).

Saturdays Game

Rosenborg 3, Stromgodset 0

Sundays Games

Brann 2, Lyn Oslo 1

Lillestrom 4, Fredrikstad 2

Odd Grenland 4, Bodo Glimt 0

Tromso 1, Sandefjord 1

Alesund 0, Viking 1

Valerenga 0, Stabaek 1

Mondays Game

Start vs. Molde