The Bangla-Post.com_English News

Sports

2008-03-18

Allow Olympics despite Chinese crackdown on Tibet: Dalai Lama

Tibet's exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama says the Beijing Olympics should go ahead despite the Chinese crackdown on protests in his homeland. ''I want the Games,'' he said, refusing to call for a boycott, as many Tibetan exiles have been demanding. ''The Olympics should not be called off,'' he told reporters in Dharamsala in northern India, the seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile and the Dalai Lama's home in exile. But he said Beijing needed to be ''reminded to be a good host of the Olympic Games''. ''The Chinese people ... need to feel proud of it. China deserves to be a host of the Olympic Games,'' he added, saying Beijing needed to be ''reminded to be a good host of the Olympic Games''. The Dalai Lama launched a scathing criticism of China's decades-long rule of his homeland and called for an international probe into the unrest. ''Whether intentionally or unintentionally, some cultural genocide is taking place. ''They simply rely on using force in order to simulate peace, a peace brought by force using a rule of terror. ''Please investigate, if possible ... some international organisation can try firstly to inquire about the situation in Tibet.'' Police and troops have locked down Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, two days after ugly street protests against Chinese rule that the contested region's government-in-exile said had killed 80 people. The unrest followed three days of protests by hundreds of monks in Lhasa, India and elsewhere around the world marking the anniversary of a failed 1959 uprising against Chinese rule. The Dalai Lama won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for his peaceful resistance to Chinese rule and insists he does not want independence for Tibet, but rather greater cultural autonomy and an end to repression.

2008-03-18

South Africa sweep Bangladesh 3-0

Captain Graeme Smith hit an unbeaten half-century as South Africa beat Bangladesh by seven wickets in the third and final one-day international to sweep the series 3-0. After bowling out Bangladesh for 143 in 42.5 overs, South Africa comfortably reached 147 for three in 34.2 overs, losing opener Herschelle Gibbs (10), Alviro Petersen (24) and AB de Villiers (40). With the series victory, South Africa reclaimed the top spot in the world one-day rankings ahead of Australia. "I think to be number one in the world, is obviously a fantastic achievement and we have done it," a beaming Smith told reporters. Smith's unbeaten 68 was his 36th ODI half century. He faced 94 balls and hit three boundaries and three big sixes, including the winning shot. Smith passed 5,000 runs in one-dayers when he reached 52. "I am very happy at achieving 5,000 runs in both the form of games, it means a lot," he said. "We played some outstanding cricket. Individually a lot of guys have played well." Earlier, Albie Morkel took four wickets, and Johan Botha three to help South Africa bundle out Bangladesh for a paltry total. Bangladesh made a sluggish start after winning the toss with opener Tamim Iqbal caught behind by de Villiers for eight in the 10th over off Albie Morkel, who finished with a career-best 4-29. Opener Shahriar Nafees top-scored with 25, followed by Farhad Reza with an unbeaten 20 and Nazim Uddin (20).

2008-03-18

Bangladesh collapse for 143 in 3rd one-dayer against S Africa

Bangladesh were bundled out for 143 in 42.5 overs after electing to bat in the third and final one-dayer against South Africa at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium in Mirpur on Friday. Albie Morkel picked a career-best 4-29 and off-spinner Johan Botha chipped in with an impressive 3-34, benefited from the charity of the Bangladeshi batsmen who failed once again on a placid wicket at the Mirpur stadium. None of the Bangladeshi batsmen showed the patience or temperament to stand up to a second-string South African bowling attack, throwing away their wickets in reckless fashion. Top five Bangladeshi batsmen were back in the pavilion for just 97 runs on the board after skipper Mohammad Ashraful won the toss and elected to bat for the third time in a row. Tamim Iqbal (eight) was unlucky to be adjudged caught behind off Morkel as TV replays showed the ball clipping the pad and not the bat. Shahriar Nafees edged one to A.B. de Villiers off Morne Morkel, Bangladesh slipping to 41-2. Ashraful's woeful form continued, being caught at mid-on by Hamish Amla off Albie Morkel for nine. The under-fire skipper finished the series with just 17 runs from three outings. Nazimuddin (20), who was looking to open up after having hit three boundaries, threw away his wicket recklessly, going for a slog off Albie Morkel but only succeeding in holing out to Graeme Smith at mid-wicket. Shakib Al Hasan also failed to rebuild the innings with Botha claiming his wicket for 12 while Raqibul Hasan was run out, also for 12, with J.P. Duminy throwing to the keeper from covers. The tail then folded up without resistance, much to the disappointment of the strong holiday crowd. Left-arm spinner Paul Harris then cleaned up Dhiman Ghosh before Botha returned to have Abdur Razzak caught behind for nine. The visitors, who will become world's top one-day side if they win this game, rested speedster Andre Nel and Charl Langeveldt and brought in Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn to replace

2008-02-13

Murray wins on return from injury

Andy Murray made a winning return to action at the Open 13 in Marseilles as he beat Jesse Huta Galung by 6-4 6-4 set. It was his first match since missing Great Britain's Davis Cup tie with Argentina after being told swapping surfaces could aggravate a knee injury. ?The first set was very average but the second was much better,? said Murray. ?It comes and goes with my knee. There's pain with some movements but I have to live with it. I'd love to have a strong knee but it's not the case.? Murray, who used to share a flat with Huta Galung when they were both based in Spain, struggled to dominate the world number 190 at first. After five straight breaks of serve the 20-year-old Scot held to win the first set. In game eight of the second set he came back from 0-40 to win, then took the next two to set up a clash with Stanislas Wawrinka. Murray's decision to miss the recent Davis Cup tie in Buenos Aires upset some of his team-mates, with his brother Jamie saying at the time if he wanted to really push himself he could have come here. Great Britain coach John Lloyd was only informed of his decision through a third party, but he insisted he took Murray at his word about the injury, and he still had a role to play in future Davis Cup teams. Murray had enjoyed a mixed start to the year, winning the Qatar Open but losing in the first round of the Australian Open to eventual runner-up Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

2008-02-13

Plan for Afro-Asia Cup format changing

The Afro-Asian Cup, the second staging of which took place in Bangalore in June last year, looks likely to undergo a radical overhaul of its format. A source close to the event said that the appeal of the revised format was that it would include more countries and appealed far more to local sponsors and broadcasters. What's more, the emerging African countries have been after more meaningful international cricket, and for them this will be a godsend. It seems that the choice for the organizers was change or bust. The emergence of the IPL - and to a lesser degree the ICL and Stanford 20/20 - on top of the burgeoning Test and ODI merry-go-round means that the international calendar no longer has time for the Afro-Asia Cup as it was. The third Afro-Asian Cup was initially scheduled to be held in Kenya in June 2008 but Cricinfo was told several weeks ago it was unlikely to go ahead. The event has raised valuable funds for the African Cricket Association and the Asian Cricket Council, but it has been less than a hit with audiences and has been roundly condemned as an unnecessary burden in an already packed international calendar. The proposal is due to be put to the next meeting of the Afro-Asia Cup Council early in March

2008-02-13

Spielberg refuses Olympic role

US film director Steven Spielberg has withdrawn as an artistic adviser to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. In a statement, he accused China of not doing enough to pressure its ally Sudan to end the ''continuing human suffering'' in the troubled western Darfur region. In a statement, Mr Spielberg said ''I find that my conscience will not allow me to continue business as usual.'' At least 200,000 people have been killed and two million forced from their homes in the five-year conflict. Beijing has not yet responded to the move, which correspondents say is its first big setback in staging the Games. A source in the Beijing Olympic Committee said a response was being discussed at the highest levels but had not yet been made public. Since Beijing won the right to host the games it has always tried to keep China's politics and China's Olympics separate, he says, and it has attacked anyone who has tried to link the two. Human Rights Watch welcomed Spielberg's move, and said it should prompt other corporate sponsors to press for reform.

2008-02-13

England keen to refurbish dignity

Peter moores, England coach says England are desperate to regain pride after clear-the-air talks following their one-day thrashing by New Zealand in Hamilton on Tuesday. The tourists went 2-0 down after a 10-wicket humbling and coach Moores admits a frank discussion followed. The lads were good. ?The key is how we react. They have to come back with something in Auckland that says we are a good team.? England, who lost the opener by six wickets in Wellington, collapsed from 90-2 to be bowled out for 158 in the second game. New Zealand cantered to their rain-adjusted target of 165 in 18.1 overs to take control of the five-match series. Moore says his players must now draw on previous encouraging results and remind the Kiwis they are no pushovers in Friday's third match. ?We have a lot of work to do, we have to face up to reality and address a few areas,? he added. ?They've got to remember they've won the last two one-day series in tough conditions against India in England and in Sri Lanka and take that belief.?

2008-02-18

Australia clinch low scoring scrap

Australia produced a superb bowling display to beat India by 50 runs and go nine points clear in the CB Series. A valuable half-century from Michael Clarke kept Australia afloat before a tigerish bunch of fielders backed up accurate bowlers to pull off a memorable 50-run win in Adelaide. The Aussies needed Michael Clarke (79) and Brad Hogg (32) to help them to 203-9. Sachin Tendulkar fell for only five as India slumped to 59-4 in reply before Yuvraj Singh (26) and Mahendra Dhoni (37) rallied them with a stand of 56. Once they went the Indians were out for 153, with Mitchell Johnson taking 3-42. It earned Australia a bonus-point win to leave them on 17 from five games, with India on eight and Sri Lanka six from four matches. The second half of the match was quite a turnaround after the Australian top order, which has struggled in the series, misfired again on a decent batting wicket. Ricky Ponting cut Munaf Patel straight to point to leave his tally 53 runs in five games, while the equally out-of-sorts Matthew Hayden struck a massive six off Patel before cutting Pathan behind. Andrew Symonds dabbed Sharma to gully to make it 38 runs in four games for him and even the normally reliable Mike Hussey nicked to the keeper for just five. Clarke, who was a doubt before the game with bruised ribs, showed his more experienced colleagues the way with a patient knock spanning 108 balls and featuring only six boundaries. After Hogg was run out, Clarke was caught on the mid-wicket boundary off Pathan, who also snapped up Nathan Bracken in the same 47th over as three wickets fell for three runs. India suffered an early blow when Tendulkar was lbw trying to flick Bracken across the line. And they lost three more wickets for four runs as Pathan edged James Hopes to gully, Gautam Gambhir slashed Johnson to backward point and Rohit Sharma lazily wafted Hopes behind. Yuvraj, who clubbed Hogg over mid-on for six, and Dhoni set about repairing the damage in aggressive f

2008-02-18

ICC U-19 World Cup kicks off in Malaysia

The sixth ICC under-19 World Cup cricket kicks off on Sunday in Malaysia. The stars of tomorrow have only to look at the great of today to realise the value of making an impression in the 16- nation tournament that ends with the final at the Kinrara Oval here on March 2. Graeme Smith, who captained the senior South Africa team within three years of playing in the 2000 junior event, hoped his remarkable rise will inspire the youngsters. ?I look forward to following the tournament and spot the stars of the future that I may be playing against in the near future,? Smith told the tournament's host broadcaster from South Africa. Among other major players to emerge from the junior World Cups were Test captains Sanath Jayasuriya of Sri Lanka, Brian Lara and Chris Gayle of the West Indies, Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain of England and Inzamam-ul Haq of Pakistan. Sri Lanka's Jayasuriya, who played in the inaugural under-19 World Cup in 1988 alongside Lara, Atherton and Inzamam, said the experience was invaluable. The competition has often been tougher and more unpredictable than at the senior level where Australia are the undisputed champions in both Test and one-day cricket with three successive World Cup titles. At the junior level, the young Aussies have won just one of the last five World Cups since 1998. England and India have both taken it home once while Pakistan were the dominant force in the last two editions. The 10 regular cricket nations-Australia, England, India, Pakistan, West Indies, Sri Lanka, South Africa, New Zealand, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe-will be joined by five qualifiers and hosts Malaysia. The regional qualifiers are Namibia (Africa), Nepal (Asia), Papua New Guinea (East Asia-Pacific), Ireland (Europe) and Bermuda (Americas).

2008-02-18

Murray reaches Marseille final

British young star Andy Murray crushed France's Paul-Henri Mathieu by 6-2 6-2 set to reach the final of the Open 13 tournament in Marseille. The British number one broke serve twice in both sets and won every point on his own first serve. Murray, seeking his second title this year, will face Mario Ancic in the final after the unseeded Croat beat Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus 6-4 6-2. ?I played really aggressively, hit a lot winners and didn't give any chances on my serve, said Murray. ?This was without doubt one of my best matches since my return from injury, ?said Murray, referring to the elbow and wrist injuries that dogged him last year. The 20-year-old world number 11 is playing in his first event since controversially missing Britain's Davis Cup tie against Argentina.

2008-02-18

Man Utd thump Arsenal in the fifth round of FA cup

Wayne Rooney delivered a virtuoso solo display as Manchester United outclassed Arsenal by 4-0 goals in the FA Cup fifth round. Rooney headed United in front from close range after 16 minutes and Darren Fletcher provided another headed finish from Nani's cross four minutes later. Michael Carrick set up Nani for a third as United turned on the style. Arsenal's Emmanuel Eboue was sent off after 48 minutes for a foul on Patrice Evra before Nani was the creator again as Fletcher headed United's fourth. United left Cristiano Ronaldo and Ryan Giggs out of their line-up, while Arsenal kept Emmanuel Adebayor and Mathieu Flamini on the bench - and the Gunners suffered most from the changes. Rooney returned from suspension after missing the defeat to Manchester City - and made up for lost time by destroying Arsenal with a blistering first-half display. He was on the mark after 16 minutes when a Nani corner was only half-cleared, and when Anderson headed the ball back into the danger area Rooney was perfectly placed to divert a close-range finish past Jens Lehmann. The Arsenal defender seemed reluctant to leave the pitch after referee Alan Wiley brandished the red card, but he had no excuses because it was an horrendous challenge. Rooney was in almost unstoppable form, tearing the Arsenal defence apart almost at will, shooting wide after beating Kolo Toure and then bringing a fine save from Lehmann - all in the space of seconds.

2008-08-13

Chinese Grab Gold in Gymnastics; U.S. Is Second

Chinese Grab Gold in Gymnastics; U.S. Is Second Sign In to E-Mail or Save This Print Reprints Share LinkedinDiggFacebookMixxYahoo! BuzzPermalink BEIJING — After the Chinese women’s team won its first ever Olympic gold medal on Wednesday, its six small gymnasts celebrated on the arena’s floor, hopping and hugging and mugging for the cameras, smiling wide. Skip to next paragraph Chang W. Lee/The New York Times Cheng Fei, left, reacting after China took the gold medal. More Photos » Multimedia Slide Show Chinese Women Win Gymnastics Gold Related The Gymnastics Scoring System Rings: University of Georgia Coach Comments on Competition (August 12, 2008) Interactive Schedule Olympics Tracker Follow the schedules of your favorite sports, day by day and event by event. Times journalists and special contributors explore the Olympics in Beijing and on the Web from every angle — the politics, the culture and the competition. The Rings RSS Feed | Atom Go to the Rings Blog » Olympics 2008 Go to Complete Coverage » That’s when Martha Karolyi, the national team coordinator of the second-placed United States team, noticed something. It was another hint that at least one of the Chinese gymnasts may be underage and breaking the rules at these Olympics. “One of the girls has a missing tooth,” Karolyi said, suggesting that the gymnast had lost her baby tooth and an adult tooth had yet to replace it. “I have no proof, so I can’t make an affirmation,” she said of the alleged age falsification on the Chinese team. “But it possibly could be true. That doesn’t give an even playing field.” Lu Shanzhen would not answer why Deng Linlin was missing one of her teeth, but he did bristle when the age falsification issue arose the day his gymnasts beat the Americans, who came into the Olympics as the reigning world champions. “It’s unfair that people keep saying the Chinese are too young to co

2008-02-21

Bangladesh U19 defeat Ireland U19 to reach quarter final

Bangladesh under 19 cricket team has easily reached in the quarter final of the ICC under 19 World Cup remaining one more match to play as they defeat Ireland U19 by eight wickets in their second match here on Wednesday. Bangladesh Skipper Suvo won the toss and elected to field first that eventually proved wise later. With nice bowling attack they packed up the opposition team at 123 runs in 43.4 overs. Mahamudul Hasan was the most ferocious as he took four wickets conceding only 17 runs. Rubel also grabbed two wickets. Targeting a small total Bangladesh under19 team easily reached the target losing only two wickets in just 23 overs. Ashraful hammered a beautiful unbeaten 71 runs innings while Mithun also contributed 31 runs to register the win.

2008-02-21

Barca legend hails unique Messi

Barcelona academy coach Jose Ramon Alexanco believes forward Lionel Messi is the kind of special player who only appears once in every generation. Messi, 20, will feature against Celtic in Barca's Champions League last-16 first leg at Celtic Park on Wednesday. Alexanco, who lifted the European Cup as Barca captain in 1992, told BBC Sport: "Messi is one of those players who does not appear very often. ?There can be little doubt he is now one of the best players in the world.? Argentine international Messi is Barca's top goalscorer this season, with eight in La Liga, and he has already scored four times in the Champions League as well. Messi joined Barcelona as a 12-year-old and Alexanco says the club could see from the start they had a special talent on their hands. ?Since he arrived at Barcelona at such a young age, we saw quickly that he had some very special qualities,? said Alexanco. ?The qualities that he had then have now converted him into a unique player for his age.Watching him play now, it is of great satisfaction to us that he came from the academy of FC Barcelona,? he added. Messi finished second in the 2007 Fifa World Player of the Year award, behind Brazilian Kaka and just ahead of Portugal and Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo.

2008-02-21

England hit back to tie thriller

England hit back with some late wickets to earn a dramatic tie against New Zealand in Napier and keep the one-day series alive going into the final game. Daniel Vettori needed two off the last ball to win the game and the series but could only manage one off Luke Wright. New Zealand had looked set to reach their target of 341 but Jamie How was run out for 139 in the last over. England's 340-6 was partly due to Paul Collingwood hitting England's fastest one-day fifty off just 24 balls. The incredible ending means England can still level the five-match series by winning at Christchurch on Saturday. New Zealand gave England the opportunity to bat first on a perfect pitch and the tourists responded by rattling up their third highest score in one-day internationals. England capitalised on their good fortune and while Phil Mustard blazed a trail of runs, Cook began to show his own class with some effective pulls and drives. After an opening stand of 158, he tempted Mustard to hit to Jacob Oram on the long-on boundary and next ball, after the batsmen had crossed, he sneaked one through Cook's defences. Suddenly England had to rebuild and Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen did just that, the former finding the gaps expertly with some gorgeous square drives. Pietersen (50) fell to Vettori and Shah was caught in the deep off the same bowler, but Collingwood and then Wright continued to plunder runs as the Kiwis toiled. Collingwood finished with six sixes to his name after a violent display of hitting and the pressure was on New Zealand from the start of their innings to keep up with the massive run rate of 6.82. Jamie How produced the innings of his life to guide New Zealand to within a single blow of victory in the fourth ODI at Napier, but in the end his 139 from 116 balls was trumped by six balls of nerveless discipline from England's rawest recruit, Luke Wright. His solitary over of the innings - his third in four international matches to date - resulted in six th

2008-04-19

Tibetans hold rival torch rally in Delhi

More than 2,000 protesters held a rival torch relay in Delhi on Thursday, hours before the Olympic flame was set to be taken on a short and high security jog in the city. Tibetans, led by Buddhist monks and backed by local supporters, set off from the mausoleum of Mahatma Gandhi, the champion of India's non-violent independence movement, carrying a torch they said symbolised a free Tibet. ''Long live the Dalai Lama'' and ''Stop the killings in Tibet, '' the protesters shouted as they marched to a square 2.5 kilometres (1.5 miles) away from the barricaded site of the Olympic relay. Indian supporters including parliamentarians, writers and social activists joined the Tibetans. ''As Indians we think we are the motherland of Buddhism. We should support the Tibetans who have upheld their culture and Buddhism, '' said Rukmini Sekhar, a New Delhi-based Indian marcher. Thousands of police and soldiers have locked down the Indian capital, bidding to keep Tibetan protesters away from the most sensitive leg of the protest-hit Beijing Olympic torch relay so far. Tibet's government-in-exile under spiritual leader the Dalai Lama appealed for peaceful protests but authorities were taking no chances, deploying elite security forces and erecting barricades along the route. Officials have already scaled back the relay and were keeping the route a secret amid fears thousands of India's huge community of Tibetan refugees will try to disrupt the event. The round-the-world relay has been dogged by protesters, notably in London and Paris, complaining over China's military crackdown in Tibet and its human rights record. India is considered particularly vulnerable because it is home to more than 100,000 Tibetan refugees, including the Dalai Lama and radical youth groups. Authorities said they were worried that activists might set themselves on fire in front of TV cameras.''We have deployed three fire trucks along the route to meet any eventuality and any untoward incident, ''

2010-06-27

England seek to slay ghosts

Fabio Capello claims England's win over Slovenia has liberated his squad from the demons of self-doubt that haunted their faltering first steps at this World Cup.

If he is right, the evidence of a successful exorcism will be presented here on Sunday in the last 16 clash with Germany.

On paper, it is a match in which an England side stuffed with experienced Champions League campaigners should comfortably prevail over opponents with an average age below 25.

World Cup history suggests it will not be that simple.

Capello can look back on the 2-1 win an injury-depleted England side recorded in Berlin in November 2008 as proof that his side are more than a match for opponents missing their injured skipper Michael Ballack.

But no England fan will need reminding that the last two meetings of the countries at international touranments, in the semi-finals of Italia 90 and Euro 96, ended in painful, penalty shoot-out defeats.

Form at this World Cup also points to another tense, finely-balanced encounter with England having come good only in their final group game while the Germans started at a sprint against Australia only to find the going tougher in subsequent matches.

"Against Slovenia we did really very well in every area of the pitch," Capello said.

"The positions we took up were very good. We won back the ball and played quickly. The passing was really dangerous and we switched the ball quickly.

"In the other games we lost the ball a lot but this time we managed to keep hold of it."

The Italian will demand a repeat of that high-tempo display against the Germans and the manager's confidence appears to have been transmitted to his players.

"I am genuin

2010-06-27

Sharp-shooter Suarez aiming high

Luis Suarez has already made a name for himself in South Africa, producing one of the goals of the tournament to kill off South Korea and fire Uruguay into their first World Cup quarter-final in 40 years.

The Ajax striker's delicious curling right-footed blast in the 80th minute of Saturday's last 16 clash earned the two time former champions a last eight date with Ghana, and for Suarez the man of the match award.

The second leg of a double in Uruguay's 2-1 win over the Asian side coming on top of his goal that saw off Mexico 1-0 in the closing group game also pushed him up to take a share of the goalscorers' chart in South Africa with three goals.

Suarez, 23, has established a formidable strike partnership with Diego Forlan, the former Manchester United forward now with Atletico Madrid who himself has contributed two goals to Uruguay's haul of seven in their four games.

This double act are set to cause Ghana's defence all sorts of problems in Johannesburg on Friday in this kind of form.

Suarez, in an interview with fifa.com after Saturday's mentally and physically draining run out at a rain-drenched Nelson Mandela Bay stadium Suarez, discussed his superb second strike and smiled: "It was a good one, wasn't it?

"When I got on the ball the only option I had was to go for goal. I wasn't trying to put it there but the funny thing is I scored a similar goal for Ajax last year. I'm just telling you that so they don't say it was a coincidence."

That wasn't the only goal he scored for his club last year.

The Ajax skipper finished the season with no fewer than 45 goals in all competitions - and was named Dutch Footballer of the Year.

Luckily for Uruguay his prolific form in Holland has continued in South Africa.
Uruguay are living a dream

2010-07-07

Holland storm into final

The Netherlands stormed into their first World Cup final since 1978 on Tuesday, beating Uruguay 3-2 to set up a title clash against either Germany or Spain.
   Two goals inside three second-half minutes, from Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben, steered the Dutch into the decider and shattered South American hopes.
   Veteran Dutch captain Giovanni van Bronckhorst gave his side the lead on 18 minutes with a stunning 35-yard strike before Diego Forlan produced an equally memorable goal four minutes before half-time to keep Uruguay alive.
   Maxi Pereira got one back for Uruguay in injury time but it was too little too late.
   The last time Holland made it this far was 32 years ago when they fell at the last hurdle to hosts Argentina 3-1 after extra-time.
   Coach Bert van Marwijk will be desperate to avoid a similar fate in the final on Sunday as the Dutch bid to lift the World Cup for the first time in their history.
   Despite losing, Uruguay did their small nation proud with coach Oscar Tabarez guiding them to their first semi-final in 40 years.
   It was a massive achievement for a country with a population of just 3.4 million, and they must now put their disappointment behind them for a third-place play-off on Saturday.
   The Netherlands came into the match as overwhelming favourites after winning all their games in South Africa to go with the eight wins out of eight notched up in qualifying.
   Both teams were forced to make changes with players suspended and in chilly conditions at Green Point Stadium it was the Dutch who adapted the best.
   They had a decent chance as early as the third minute when Robben whipped in a teasing cross which Fernando Muslera punched straight to Dirk Kuyt on the edge of the box, but