Mario Balotelli scored with a second-half header Saturday to give Italy a 2-1 win over England at the World Cup. The Italy striker was left free by his marker Gary Cahill and nodded a cross from Antonio Candreva past goalkeeper Joe Hart in the 50th minute. Claudio Marchisio scored first for Italy, sending a long shot through a crowded area and past a diving Hart in the 35th. Daniel Sturridge eq...

SALVADOR, Brazil (AP) – Louis van Gaal, one of the game's greatest coaches, was criticized before the World Cup for being too defensive for a nation that loves attacking play. His decision to field five defenders against Spainthough, proved a masterstroke. His team thrashed the defending world champions 5-1 Friday with a clinical display of counterattacking football that had Spain chasing shado...

From pubs in England and public squares in Korea to living rooms in the U.S. and bairros (neighborhoods) in Brazil, half the world’s population is expected to tune in to the World Cup over the next month, as fans hope to see today’s heroes, including Argentina’s Messi, Portugal’s Ronaldo and Brazil’s Neymar, lead their countries to victory. Already the most expensive and with an unprecedented 2....

As in any sport, the road to victory in football lies just inches away from failure. The elusive victory cigar usually finds its way to someone willing to “fight for that inch,” as Al Pacino put it in “Any Given Sunday,” a sports classic in which he plays a football coach. But that slim difference between glory and disgrace appeared to have widened to miles, not inches, for the South Korean team...

Football pundits and gamblers aren’t hesitating to pick Brazil, the host of the 2014 World Cup, as the favorite for the World Cup Trophy on July 13. However, the 16-team knockout phase, which is scheduled to start on June 29 after the two-week group stage, may pose a tough test for the “eternal favorite.” If the Brazilian team advances to the round of 16, as is widely expected, it is likely to ...

Every four years, 32 national football teams clash for the World Cup trophy, the top honor in the sport, sparking a worldwide fever. And the time has come again with the Brazil World Cup 2014 kicking off on Friday. Koreans have been no exception to the craze, whether Korea qualifies for the championship or not. Every time Korea advances to the 32-team contest, Koreans have turned their eyes to f...

The 2014 FIFA World Cup is expected to spur domestic sales and help companies withstand dampened demand in the wake of the Sewol ferry sinking. The global sports event is a good opportunity for consumer electronics companies to increase TV sales. Sales in World Cup years are usually 30 percent higher than the previous year. Though Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics are not official sponsors...

Neymar hit two goals including a bitterly contested penalty to guide Brazil to a 3-1 victory over Croatia in the opening match of the World Cup on Thursday. Violent protests in Sao Paulo were quickly pushed to one side as drama switched to the football pitch. Croatia took a shock lead when Marcelo scored an own goal in the 11th minute. Neymar pulled Brazil level after 30 minutes, but Croatia w...

Photos: The World Cup opening ceremony General view of the opening ceremony of the 2014 FIFA World Cup at the Corinthians Arena in Sao Paulo prior to the opening Group A football match between Brazil and Croatia on June 12, 2014. (AFP ) Performers take part in the opening ceremony of the 2014 FIFA World Cup at the Corinthians Arena in Sao Paulo on June 12, 2014, prior to the opening Group A foo...

South Korean forward Lee Keun-ho is no slouch by any stretch of the imagination. The 29-year-old was named the 2012 Asian player of the year by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) after helping his South Korean club, Ulsan Hyundai, to the AFC Champions League title that year. On the current 23-man World Cup squad for South Korea, Lee is tied with forward Park Chu-young for most caps with 63 a...

The 2014 FIFA World Cup kicked off in Brazil on Thursday as the host country took on Croatia in the opening Group A contest, under the cloud of protests and mounting criticism over the South American nation's readiness to stage football's grandest event. Brazil is hosting the World Cup for the second time. The all-time leader with five World Cup trophies, Brazil will be looking to add to that to...

South Korean defensive back Hong Jeong-ho, who recently came down with a bruised foot, has been cleared by team doctors to play and is doing relatively well physically. It's the mental block that needs to be cleared, the 24-year-old said Wednesday. "When I try to make quick turns, I become conscious of pain, and I can't make plays I normally do because of that," Hong said, after he and his team...

Players on the South Korean national football team have put their recent big loss to Ghana behind them as they get ready for a more crucial task ahead, the squad's head coach said Wednesday. Earlier in the day, Hong Myung-bo and his 23-man team arrived in Foz do Iguacu, their base camp during the FIFA World Cup in Brazil, after wrapping up an earlier camp in Miami. South Korea has struggled mig...