For the first time in the 2006 World Cup, a second round of group matches did not decide any team's fate regarding advancement or elimination. On Saturday, Ghana upset the Czech Republic while the U.S. tied Italy, leaving Group E to be decided in the third and final pair of matches on Thursday.
In the third match on Saturday, Portugal scored two goals in the second half against Iran to win 2-0 and secure its place in the Round of 16 from Group D. The Mexican national team, which plays Portugal on Wednesday, currently resides in second place in the group and will advance with a win or a draw.
Ghana, playing in its first World Cup, came out the aggressors against what appeared to be a formidable Czech Republic side in Cologne, Germany. Asamoah Gyan scored the quickest goal of the tourney thus far, drilling a shot into the lower right corner of the Czech goal for a 1-0 lead in the second minute.
While play remained in the Czech Republic half for much of the first half and into the early part of the second half, Ghana could not push across an insurance goal. In the 65th minute, Tomas Ujfalusi took down Matthew Amoah in the box, resulting in a red card and a penalty kick for Ghana. After firing prematurely and earning a caution for his action, Gyan missed his chance at a double by hitting the right post.
Despite playing with only 10 men, Czech Republic created better chances in the latter stages of the match. Ghana goalkeeper Richard Kingson, though, kept the opposition off the board and Sulley Muntari scored in the 82nd minute to give the Black Stars a surprise 2-0 victory.
The World Cup win was the first for any of the five African finalists.
The United States and Italy saw more red cards (three) than goals (two) in Kaiserslautern, as the two countries tied 1-1. Alberto Gilardino scored in the 22nd minute for Italy, but the U.S. tied it on an own goal off the shin of Cristian Zaccardo.
In Frankfurt, Deco delivered the first Portugal goal of the match in the 63rd minute. Then, in the 80th minute, Cristiano Ronaldo converted a penalty kick, giving the European country a 2-0 win against Iran.
Patrick Mulrenin is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
