Greece down Bolivia 2-1 in World Cup tune-up

Greece, backed by a partisan crowd at Red Bull Arena, scored once in each half to beat Bolivia 2-1 on Friday in their final World Cup tune-up match.

Panagiotis Kone and Kostas Katsouranis scored for Greece -- who open their World Cup campaign in Brazil on June 16 against Colombia -- but a goalkeeping gaffe allowed Bolivia to pull one back late in the game.

Greece coach Fernando Santos opted to keep star forward Kostas Mitroglou on the bench and start his backup, Theofanis Gekas, who missed three good scoring chances before he was replaced in the 65th minute.

But the win will no-doubt boost the 2004 European champions` confidence as they ended a goal drought that had stretched through three matches.

That included goalless draws against Portugal and Nigeria in World Cup warm-ups in the past week.

The drought ended in the 20th minute when Dimitrios Salpingidis fired a cross into the area that Kone headed past goalkeeper Romel Quinonez into the right corner for a 1-0 lead.

Greece doubled the margin in the 53rd when Katsouranis delivered a well-judged header off a corner kick into the back of the net.

Bolivia pulled a goal back in the 69th when Greek goalkeeper Orestis Karnezis couldn`t get his hands on a shot by Rudy Cardozo.

Jelavic sinks Socceroos in World Cup warm-up

Nikica Jelavic gave Croatia a 1-0 win over Australia in a warm-up game Friday ahead of their World Cup opener against hosts Brazil next week.

The Hull City striker broke the deadlock in the 58th minute after he benefited from a deflected ball and slotted home unmarked in the penalty area.

Jelavic`s goal came after delightful interplay between Real Madrid playmaker Luka Modric and Inter Milan`s Mateo Kovacic on the fringe of the penalty area.

Modric was brought off moments later by manager Niko Kovac unscathed ahead of Croatia`s opening Group A match with Brazil in Sao Paulo on June 12.

But Croatia may have lost their left-back Danijel Pranjic with an ankle injury midway through the first half.

The Panathinaikos wide player appeared to roll his left ankle in a challenge from Australian right-back Ivan Franjic and went down in pain to be stretchered from the field and out of the game.

The 18th-ranked Croatians took time to settle against the robust Socceroos but took control of the friendly in the second half, dominating possession with their precise intricate passing.

The Australians, chasing their first win in 14 attempts in South America, had their best period of the game early on with New York Red Bulls` Tim Cahill putting himself about.

Skipper Mile Jedinak put in 74 minutes in his first run since a groin injury playing for Crystal Palace in the final day of the English Premier League season.

But the 62nd-rated Socceroos, the lowest ranked team at the World Cup, tailed off in the second half and rarely threatened as Croatia began to take charge and got themselves into a passing rhythm.

Mark Bresciano came on for Cahill with 24 minutes left and showed his composure and experience on the ball which the Australians will need in their daunting first Group B game against Chile in Cuiaba on June 13.

"I thought it was a good test, shame not to score a goal, but we`ll take a lot of positives from it for sure," Jedinak said.

"I`m glad I got the 75-odd minutes under my belt. Now I`ll push forward, get myself right in training this week and be ready for that big one against Chile."

Spain's Costa set for World Cup warm-up

Spain manager Vicente del Bosque on Friday dispelled any lingering doubts about the fitness of Brazil-born Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa, saying he would start in Saturday`s friendly against El Salvador.

Costa has battled an ongoing hamstring problem that limited him to just nine minutes in the Champions League final defeat to city rivals Real.

But Del Bosque said his "medical issue is solved" and Costa will play in Spain`s last warm-up match before they depart for Brazil and the defence of their World Cup crown.

"We`re very happy with how things have gone, and those who had minor injuries -- Juanfran, Costa and (Xabi) Alonso -- are well," Del Bosque said.

Getting his players fit was Del Bosque`s main goal in Washington, where the team have been training since Tuesday.

On Friday, they worked out at FedExField, home of the NFL`s Washington Redskins, where they will face El Salvador.

They will open their title defence in Salvador on June 13 against the Netherlands -- the team they beat in the 2010 final in South Africa. They will also face Chile and Australia in Group B.

Japan edges Zambia in last World Cup warm-up

Yoshito Okubo netted the winning goal in stoppage time to give bloodied Japan a 4-3 victory over Zambia on Friday in the Asian champions` final World Cup warm-up match.

AC Milan striker Keisuke Honda scored two goals and Manchester United forward Shinji Kagawa added another, but it took second-half entrant Okubo to send Japan to Brazil with a 3-0 mark in tune-up friendlies.

Japan fell behind by two goals and saw a bloody gash opened over the left eye of striker Shinji Okazaki in the 18th minute, but they rallied behind their star attackers for the victory.

Honda scored on a penalty kick in the 40th minute, Kagawa netted the equalizer in the 73rd minute and Honda flicked in a centering pass in the 75th minute for a go-ahead goal.

Zambia answered when reserve teen midfielder Lubambo Musonda scored in the 89th minute, his outside attempt deflecting high and over Japan goalkeeper Shusaku Nishikawa.

That set the stage for Okubo`s game winner, as the midfielder took control of a long centering pass at the top of the penalty area and blasted in a shot with his left foot on the next stride.

Japan will try to carry that momentum when they fly to Brazil on Saturday, a week before opening World Cup play against Ivory Coast with later Group C matches scheduled against Greece and Colombia.

Japan, ranked 30 spots above Zambia by FIFA at 46th in the world, fell behind 2-0 before fighting back.

Kagawa`s pass attempt from the right side of the penalty area was deflected by the right arm of Zambian defender Emmanuel Mbola, setting up a penalty kick that Honda slid to the right and just inside the post.

Kagawa knotted the score when he sent a right-footed cross into the heart of the penalty area aiming for Honda, who was delayed by a defender and missed the ball.

Zambia goalkeeper Toaster Nsabata, who was anticipating a move from Honda, could only helplessly watch the ball bounced into the goal to his left.

Shortly after that, Honda put Japan in front for the first time, setting up the dramatic finish.

Japan was troubled early by the 2012 African Cup of Nations winners.

Okazaki collided with Nsabata in the 18th minute, the African`s fists opening a bloody gash above the Japan striker`s left eye as both tried to reach a high ball falling near the top of the penalty area.

Both players stayed on the ground for several minutes but remained in the game, Nsabata with a bandage over a small cut and Okazaki after a bandage was wrapped around his head.

Zambia captain Christopher Katongo opened the scoring in the ninth minute, the midfielder racing past Japan defender Atsuto Uchida to the far post and heading in a deflected ball.

Nathan Sinkala, a midfielder for French side Sochaux, put Zambia ahead 2-0 in the 29th minute, curling in a right-footed shot from the top of the penalty area.

The match concluded a week-long training camp in Florida for the Blue Samurai, who sought to acclimate to hot and humid conditions expected in Brazil.

Japan defeated Cyprus 1-0 and Costa Rica 3-1 in prior warm-up friendlies over the past two weeks.

Loew counts cost of Germany's six-goal romp

Germany coach Joachim Loew was left counting the cost of Friday`s 6-1 thrashing of Armenia in a friendly which threatens to rule Marco Reus out of the World Cup.

The 25-year-old Borussia Dortmund winger was rushed to hospital after twisting his left ankle in a challenge just before half-time.

A scan revealed a partially torn the ligament in his left ankle, which threatens his Brazil campaign.

The German Football Association (DFB) have said a decision will be made later Saturday before the team fly to their World Cup base Porto Seguro from Frankfurt at 22:00 local time.

"Marco has been in great form and a bad injury would be very bitter," admitted captain Philipp Lahm before the diagnosis.

The injury put a dampener on an impressive display as goals by Lukas Podolski, Benedikt Hoewedes and Mario Goetze, who scored twice, floored minnows Armenia, who had a penalty converted by Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

Replacement Miroslav Klose, who turns 36 on Monday, made history when he headed home their fourth to become Germany`s all-time top scorer.

Klose netted his 69th goal for Germany on his 132nd appearance to finally break Gerd Mueller`s previous mark of 68 goals in 62 matches for West Germany.

Loew had said he wanted a confidence boosting win and his side upped the pace with five goals in 17 second-half minutes.

"Our pre-World Cup training camp was intense for all the players and you could see they were fresher today," said Loew.

"We struggled to take our chances in the first half, because the opponent stood very deep." 

The Germany boss said the Brazilian climate will be a factor when his side kick-off their Group G campaign against Portugal on June 16, but is something they are planning for.

"There are lots of things which need to work at a big tournament," said Loew.

"When you come from Europe (to Brazil), you can`t assume to be able to play the same type of football, which we can here.

"I have experienced the temperatures and humidity (in Brazil), you can`t expect to go flat out for 90 minutes.

"So efficiency in taking your chances is an important topic for us." 

Despite Reus` injury, there were several plus points for Loew.

Both captain Philipp Lahm and his deputy Bastian Schweinsteiger played after enforced injury breaks.

Arsenal star Lukas Podolski provided two assists and a goal in an impressive second-half display for Reus on the left wing.

"If you look at the statistics, we had lots of goal chances and we need knock them in earlier," said the 29-year-old Podolski, who scored his 47th goal on his 114th appearance.

"We showed what we can do in the second-half, now we have to prepare well for Portugal, who are a tough team and will be a different calibre than today.

"It`s very important to win your first game."

Ghana ready for World big guns

Accra: Ghana are confident they can claw their way out of a World Cup group which includes Germany, Portugal and the United States.

The Black Stars reached the round of 16 in their World Cup debut in 2006 in Germany and reached the last eight four years ago in South Africa.

Now they want to become the first African team to reach the semi-finals of the tournament.

Skipper Asamoah Gyan, who appeared at both previous finals, said that Ghana will raise their game in Brazil.

"The thing about Ghana all the time is that whenever we play against a big team, we perform," said Gyan.

"That is what happened with us when we were going to the 2006 and 2010 World Cups.

"And that is what happened with the Egypt (World Cup play-off) game where everyone got involved.

"And I believe it will happen again at this World Cup."Ghana were unstoppable when they dumped seven-time African champions Egypt 7-3 on aggregate to book their passage to Brazil 2014.

It was a vintage performance by the west African side in Kumasi, where they blew away Egypt 6-1 in the first leg. Gyan scored twice.

They will be in Brazil with a more experienced squad after Michael Essien rejoined the team and they now have more viable options upfront with the emergence of Majeed Waris and Christian Atsu.

Coach Kwesi Appiah, who was an assistant coach at the South Africa finals, has won the confidence of his players, despite rumours that he would be replaced with a foreign manager.

Germany -- world champions three times -- are favourites to win Group G, leaving the other automatic qualifying spot wide open.

Ghana open the campaign against the United States on June 16 in Natal. They have beaten the Americans on their two previous meetings at the World Cup.

In 2006, Ghana won 2-1 in a group game and four years later they eliminated the Americans again by the same scoreline in the round of 16.

Their second group game will be against Germany on June 21 in Fortaleza.

Portugal, with Cristiano Ronaldo, will be their final group opponents on June 26 in Brasilia.

"Ronaldo is the world player (of the year) and there is no doubt that he is critical to the cause of the Portuguese team but for us we are not going to be distracted because of him," he said.

"I am not bothered because we are playing Portugal because the World Cup is the biggest stage and there are no small team. Every team who qualifies has done so on merit.

"We are playing against the best and we cannot do anything about that, we just have to get ourselves ready."

As part of their World Cup build-up, they will tackle the Netherlands on May 31 in Rotterdam.

They will then set up a training camp in Los Angeles, where they have confirmed another warm-up game against fellow World Cup finalists Honduras.

Straight-talking Bento keeps Portugal on right track

Paulo Bento has bitter memories of major as a player, but as a coach he has given Portugal plenty of reason to be proud of their national team.

The `Seleccao` were at a low ebb when he was asked to replace Carlos Queiroz in 2010, at the start of the Euro 2012 qualifiers.

Bento turned a team that had just drawn 4-4 with Cyprus into one capable of reaching the semi-finals in Poland and Ukraine, where they eventually succumbed on penalties to Spain.

Bento, who will turn 45 in June, has played down Portugal`s chances of making a big impact at the World Cup. His stated aim is simply to escape from the Group G battle with Germany, Ghana and the United States, but his Cristiano Ronaldo-inspired side will need to be taken seriously.

Bento, who recently signed a contract extension through to 2016, has overseen a big improvement in the international performances of World Player of the Year Ronaldo, who has scored 26 goals in 33 games for Portugal since October 2010.

Before Bento was appointed, Ronaldo had found the net 23 times in 77 caps. But it is hardly surprising that Ronaldo is at ease in this side. When the winger emerged at Sporting Lisbon as a teenager, Bento was a respected senior playing colleague.

"I played with Paulo and learnt a lot with him when he was a player," said Ronaldo. "His job now is different, but he is the same in the way that he deals with the players. He has not changed."Others, like goalkeeper Rui Patricio, Joao Moutinho and Miguel Veloso, played under Bento when he was coach at Sporting, overseeing the most successful period in their recent history.

Bento speaks frankly. When Ricardo Carvalho left the national team training camp before a match against Cyprus in 2011, he was described as a "deserter" by the coach.

Carvalho has not been picked again, but those who have Bento`s faith have returned it with consistent performances on the field, and after Portugal lost to Spain at Euro 2012, the coach talked of his team bowing out "with honour and pride".

He left Sporting in 2009 after a poor run of results, but his side came second to a powerful Porto team in four successive seasons while also winning the Portuguese Cup twice and reaching the Champions League knockout stages.

Bento played in the Sporting team that won the double in 2002, crossing the Lisbon divide after a previous spell at Benfica.
In between, the hard-working defensive midfielder spent time in Spain with Real Oviedo, while he also won 35 caps for his country.

But his international career is perhaps best remembered for his involvement in Portugal`s dramatic 2-1 Euro 2000 semi-final defeat to France in Brussels.

Humberto Coelho`s side were left furious when France won a penalty right at the end of extra time after Abel Xavier handled a net-bound Sylvain Wiltord shot, and Bento accosted the match officials after Zinedine Zidane had converted the spot-kick.

He was suspended for six months as a result, but he returned to feature at the 2002 World Cup.

That proved to be an agonising experience too, as a talented squad bowed out at the first hurdle, and Bento`s appearance in the 1-0 defeat to co-hosts South Korea was to be his last cap.

Such an early exit is not something that Bento is contemplating in his first World Cup as a coach.