World Cup live: Spain through to face Portugal

9.05pm: Diego Benaglio, the Swiss player of the tournament by a country mile, leaps acrobatically to keep out an Edgar Alvarez curler. Great effort but (cuckoo) clock is ticking for Switzerland.

8.50pm: Chances are a premium as the Swiss go looking for the goal that would send them through. But Eren Derdioyok can only fire straight at the keeper from the edge of the box. Time for Alex Frei to make an entrance.

8.35pm: GOAL! I can hear Kevin Eason shouting “justice.” Half-time substitute Rodrigo Millar’s shot takes a massive deflection off Gerard Pique and loops past the wrongfooted Iker Casillas. Chile back in it and Eason delighted - “I don’t care if Spain go on to win 10-1,” he says. “Bielsa manager of the World Cup thus far... by a country mile.”

8.30pm: Kevin Eason is outraged by Estrada’s sending off. “Fifa should bring in TV replays now,” he twitters. “And Torres should have been sent off.”

8.20pm: HALF TIME Chile 0 Spain 2, Switzerland 0 Honduras 0

Chile have a mountain to climb in the second half and angrily surround the ref as he leaves the pitch. Mind you the prospect of a goal in the other game seems remote so all is not lost.

8.05pm: GOAL! Chaotic scenes in Pretoria. Andres Iniesta strokes home beautifully from the edge of the box to score Spain’s second but Chile are down to ten men - Estrada receives his marching orders for a second yellow after a challenge on Torres off the ball. Looked minimal contact on second viewing. Very harsh.

8.00pm: It’s geting a bit tasty out there - Chile already have three in the book and Marco Estrada narrowly and perhaps wrongly avoids a second yellow for a crunching challenge on Busquets.

7.55pm: GOAL! A rush of blood from Chile keeper Claudio Bravo who comes charging out of his goal to challenge Torres and David Villa is on hand to exquisitely chip the ball home from about 40 yards. Brilliant finish from the new Barcelona striker - should settle the Spaniards’ nerves. Chile are still going through though unless Switzerland score.

7.50pm: Chile geting back into the game after lively start by Spain. Gary Medel is booked after a studs-up challenge on Sergio Busquets. He’ll miss the next game should Chile go through.

“Iniesta taking lots of liberties with positioning in 4-3-3,” says an admiring Gabriele Marcotti. “Could be good, could be bad... Either way very interesting to watch.”

7.45pm: Understandably Switzerland v Honduras is a little more sedate, apart from the atmosphere. “The match is being played at the home ground of the Bloemfontein Celtics, who have the most fanatical support in South Africa,” writes David Brown. “The fans are renowned for their non-stop synchronised dancing with added vuvuzela waving. Dozens have been doing it since kick-off.”

7.40pm: A lively start in Pretoria - Fernando Torres goes close for Spain while Mark Gonzalez wastes an excellent opportunity for Chile, skewing his volley wide from close range.

“Which PL based striker is going to break out of his World Cup funk first?” wonders Gabriele Marcotti. “Rooney or Torres? Or will neither?”

7.30pm: David Brown in Bloemfontein: “Tickets for tonight’s Switzerland v Honduras match are still available for about £12 from the Fifa ticket shop in Bloemfontein. The Free State stadium appears half empty but the atmosphere is fantastic.

“There still hundreds of category one and two seats for England v Germany at the same stadium on Sunday.”

7.20pm: Here’s tonight’s team news:

Switzerland have dropped captain Alex Frei in favour of Eren Derdiyok who gets the nod up front. Valon Behrami is suspended after his red card against Chile so Tranquillo Barnetta comes in. Honduras have made a whopping six changes with striker Jerry Palacios joining his brother Wilson in the side.

Switzerland: Benaglio, Lichtsteiner, Von Bergen, Grichting, Ziegler, Barnetta, Huggel, Inler, Fernandes, Derdiyok, Nkufo. Subs: Wolfli, Magnin, Frei, Padalino, Yakin, Bunjaku, Schwegler, Eggiman, Shaqiri, Leoni.

Honduras: Valladares, Sabillon, Chavez, Bernardez, Figueroa, Alvarez, Wilson Palacios, Thomas, Nunez, Jerry Palacios, Suazo.

Subs: Canales, Johnny Palacios, Pavon, Welcome, Espinoza, Garcia, Martinez, Turcios, Guevara, Izaguirre, Mendoza, Escober.

Referee: Hector Baldassi (Argentina)

In the key clash in Pretoria, there’s some good news for Spain as Andres Iniesta is fit-again and returns in place of Jesus Navas. Mark Gonzalez is preferred to lead the Chile attack instead of Humberto Suazo, while Jorge Valdivia and Marco Estrada are in for the suspended Matias Fernandez and Carlos Carmona in midfield.

Chile: Bravo, Isla, Medel, Ponce, Jara, Vidal, Estrada, Gonzalez, Sanchez, Valdivia, Beausejour. Subs: Marin, Fuentes, Contreras, Suazo, Orellana, Fierro, Millar, Tello, Paredes, Pinto.

Spain: Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Pique, Puyol, Capdevila, Xavi, Busquets, Alonso, Iniesta, Torres, Villa. Subs: Valdes, Albiol, Marchena, Fabregas, Mata, Arbeloa, Pedro, Llorente, Javi Martinez, Silva, Jesus Navas, Reina.

Referee: Marco Rodriguez (Mexico)

7.10pm: A word of warning from Matt Hughes: “Having spent day with the Germans fear for England. They are young, fearless and united, everything England are not.”

6.40pm: Let’s hope tonight’s matches - in a group that is wide open - prove more entertaining.

Gabriele Marcotti is at Chile v Spain - “Sitting near the legenday Ivan “Bam Bam” Zamorano. Just noticed he has a big belt buckle with the letter “Z” on it.”

With Spain uncertain of their place yet, Cristiano Ronaldo is not worried who Portugal will face. “It was a tough match. We will see tonight what happens, but we’re confident. It doesn’t matter who we play against,” he says.

6.15pm: What an unpredictable World Cup this has become. After the unexpected footballing feasts that were Italy v Slovakia and Denmark v Japan, what a colossal letdown Brazil v Portugal was. A petulant non-event characterised only by constant negativity and persistent fouling, with no flowing football to speak of, it was hardly a beautiful game, was it?

Carlos Queiroz, the Portugal manager, was obviously watching something different entirely, then. “It was a feast of football, a great game. Football was speaking in Portuguese today, fantastic,” he said afterwards. Que?

George Caulkin tweets from the game: “Ronaldo named official man of the match! Again! The imperfect end to an imperfect day. What a let-down.”

5.25pm: The final match-ups for the round-of-16 fixtures will be wrapped up tonight when Spain play Chile and Switzerland take on Honduras. Follow all the action from 7.30pm with our live match centre.

5.06pm: Both group G match are over and Brazil and Portugal progress to the round-of-16 stage.

4.40pm: Salomon Kalou converted a volley from close range.

4.39pm: Ivory Coast have scored a third.

4.37pm: Kevin Eason is leaving South Africa to return to the Formula One beat. Here, he lists ten lessons learnt at the World Cup, including the best-named taxi firm in Jo-burg (Arrive Alive) and the side with the best-looking female fans (Mexico).

4.33pm: Tom has obtained “a transcript of a conversation between Landon Donovan and Harlem J Crosswalk IV, a leading film mogul”. Apparently, with football’s final frontier falling in love with the game at last, and Donovan fast becoming a national icon, the Los Angeles Galaxy playmaker is putting his Hollywood connections to good effect. Read the transcript here.

4.32pm: Tom Dart has dropped us a line from Johannesburg: “Road signs you don’t want to see when lost: Hijacking Hotspot.”

4.17pm: Barack Obama has called the United States team to wish them good luck in their round-of-16 match against Ghana tomorrow. He mentioned it in a Tweet that was preceded by brief accounts of his meetings with President Medvedev and General McChrystal. Bob Bradley, the US coach, says: “We’re honoured that before a big match we’d receive a call from Barack Obama. As always, he is on top of things.”

4.16pm: George Caulkin, our man at the ground, says: “Brazil have hogged the ball and should be ahead.”

4.08pm: South Korea want to beat Uruguay in their World Cup last 16 tie here on Saturday to say thank you to all the fans back home who have endured sleepless nights to support the team. It was 3.30am local time in Seoul when Tuesday’s closing group game against Nigeria kicked off.

“All of our players have made it to the last 16 thanks to hard work and effort, and we don’t want to rest on our laurels,” Huh Jung-Moo, the South Korea coach, said. “We want to make it into the quarter-finals to repay all of our fans and spectators back home in South Korea who are spending their nights cheering us on.”

3.50pm: George Caulkin, The Times football writer, is in Durban for Portugal versus Brazil today. He tweets: “Not quite La Joga Bonito, was it? Seven yellow cards in the first half and a lot of gamesmanship from Portugal. Brazil have hogged the ball and should be ahead.”

3.47pm: No goals at half-time in Durban between Portugal and Brazil. Plenty of yellow cards though, four to Portugal and three to Brazil - let’s hope for better after the break.

3.45pm: Ivory Coast go into half-time 2-0 up on North Korea in Nelspruit. It could and probably should be more. Ivory Coast will need a goal from Brazil and another five of their own to have any hope of qualifying for the round of 16.

3.43pm: An amazing stat from Opta. Luis Fabiano’s 39th minute effort was Brazil’s first headed shot at this World Cup.

3.42pm: Brazil versus Portugal is yet to live up to its billing. Mind you that was always going to be the case with expectations so high and goals, goals, goals expected.

Click here for live minute-by-minute commentary of the game.

3.39pm: Another great chance for Brazil in Durban. Maicon bursts down the right and delivers a perfect cross to the back post, but Luis Fabiano heads inches wide. Surely it is only a matter of time. Portugal are living dangerously.

Click here for live minute-by-minute commentary of the game.

3.37pm: David Brown, our news reporter, is in South Africa for the World Cup. He sends this from Bloemfontein:

The Swiss team’s pre-match planning has been interrupted by the Portugal v Brazil match. The players are standing in their hotel bar watching the game on television rather than sitting together for their final meal, which was meant to start 30 minutes ago, before their crucial encounter with Honduras in Bloemfontein tonight. There is probably no better inspiration

3.35pm: Ivory Coast remain 2-0 up on North Korea in Nelspruit. Opta tells us they have had 65 per cent of possession but they are struggled to create clear-cut chance since they got the second goal.

3.32pm: Nilmar comes so close to giving Brazil the lead. Portugal switch off allowing the Brazilian to collect a through-ball and shoot from eight yards. The keeper pushes it on to the post and out.

But Portugal respond immediately and Juan forced into a clusmy-looking tackle on Tiago, who tumbles theatrically in the penalty are. Portugal want a penalty but the referee books the midfielder for a dive. I’ve seen them given ...

Click here for live minute-by-minute commentary of the game.

3.26pm: In theory, Ivory Coast could still qualify at the expense of Portugal. Didier Drogba and his team-mates will need Brazil to go ahead and then score at least five more goals themselves. It is not completely out of the question.

3.23pm: Brazil are marginally on top in Durban, although Juan is booked for a deliberate handball, and Portugal’s Duda is then cautioned for demanding the referee sent the Brazillian off.

George Caulkin, The Times football writer, is in Durban for the game. He tweets:”Fantastic. Duda deservedly shown the yellow card for doing that ‘wavey imaginary yellow card in the air thing’.”

3.18pm: GOAL! Ivory Coast have made it 2-0 in Nelspruit. Ndri Romaric gets the second. Note to Kim Jong-il - pull the TV feed now.

3.15pm: Portugal are beginning to feel their way into this match in Durban. Raul Meireles and Tiago link up, only for the former Chelsa midfielder to miscue his volley from the edge of the area. It remains goalless.

Click here for live minute-by-minute commentary of the game.

3.12pm: GOAL! With all eyes on Portugal v Brazil it is easy to forget the other game in Group G where Ivory Coast have snatched the lead against North Korea. Yaya Toure rolls a right-foot shot from the edge of the box into the far corner beyond Ri Myong-Guk, the North Korea goalkeeper. Fine finish to a nice move. Ivory Coast well on top.

North Korea 0 Ivory Coast 1

Click here for live minute-by-minute commentary of that game.

3.08pm: There’s a real buzz of excitement everytime Cristiano Ronaldo gets near the ball - which at the moment is not all that often. Brazil are enjoying the majority of possesion at the moment but Portugal have looked dangerous when they push forward.

Click here for live minute-by-minute commentary of the game.

3.05pm: Bright start from both sides in Durban. Dani Alves fires a long-range shot just wide but the attacking intent is clear for all to see.

Click here for live minute-by-minute commentary of the game.

2.59pm: We are almost underway in Durban, where Portugal play Brazil. Peter Lansley, The Times football writer, will bring you live minute-by minute commentary of the game. Click here for that.

Click here for live commentary of the other game in Group G, where North Korea take on Ivory Coast.

2.52pm: George Caulkin, The Times football writer, is in Durban for Portugal versus Brazil today. He tweets ”Brazil beat Portual 6-2 last time they played (in a friendly). I’ve gone for 3-2 to Brazil. Fingers crossed for a stormer.”

2.40pm: Portugal versus Brazil kicks off in 20 minutes. Peter Lansley, The Times football writer, will bring you live minute-by minute commentary of the game. Click here for that.

2.35pm: Matt Hughes, our Deputy Football Correspondent, has filed a story from Germany’s press conference today.

Joachim Low today revealed that Bastian Schweinsteiger and Jerome Boateng are major injury doubts for Sunday’s second-round meeting with England. Neither player has been able to train since limping off with muscle injury’s during the second half of Germany’s 1-0 win over Ghana last Wednesday, and a decision on their fitness will be delayed until the day of the game.

Schweinsteiger’s absence in particular would be a huge blow for Germany as the Bayern Munich midfield player is one of their most experienced players and has developed into an inspirational leader in a very young squad, already missing the know-how of Michael Ballack. Lowe admitted that Schweinsteiger would be impossible to replace, but Tim Kroos is standing by, while Marcel Jansen will come in for Jerome Boateng at left-back if the Manchester City defender fails to make it.

“Straight after the game the medical team worked their hearts out to deal with their muscle injuries, but there’s a major question mark over both players,” Lowe said. “Neither will train today due to their muscle problems. We need players who are 100 per cent fit.

“Schweinsteiger has become the heart of the team, the midfield engine who keeps us moving forward. We would be at a disadvantage if he had to be dropped.”

Lowe confirmed that Miroslav Klose will return to the starting line-up after serving a one-match suspension, and offered a vote of confidence to centre-back Per Mertesacker, who performed poorly against Ghana.

“Klose will definitely come back,” Lowe said. “It was hard for him before the game against Ghana, he really suffered and regretted that second caution.

“Mertesacker will play an important role, especially as the English will play many high crosses into the box, that’s their style of play. Against Ghana he displayed some surprising lapses, such as trapping the ball, but he remains a key player we can rely upon.”

2.28pm: George Caulkin, The Times football writer, is in Durban for Portugal versus Brazil today. He tweets” Already deafening in Durban. Good #Eng turnout: flags from Coventry(2), Chelsea(2), Lincoln, SheffWed, Derby, Forest.”

2.22pm: And here are the team sheets from North Korea versus Ivory Coast

North Korea: 1-Ri Myong-guk; 5-Ri Kwang-chon, 2-Cha Jong-hyok, 13-Pak Chol-jin, 3-Ri Jun-il, 8-Ji Yun-nam, 11-Mun In-guk, 17-An Yong-hak, 4-Pak Nam-chol, 10-Hong Yong-jo, 9-Jong Tae-se.

Ivory Coast: 1-Boubacar Barry; 3-Arthur Boka, 4-Kolo Toure, 5-Didier Zokora, 21-Emmanuel Eboue; 13-Ndri Romaric, 19-Yaya Toure, 9-Cheik Tiote; 10-Gervais Kouassi, 11-Didier Drogba, 18-Abdelkader Keita.

Referee: Alberto Undiano (Spain)

2.16pm: Here are the confirmed teams from Portugal versus Brazil at the Moses Mabhida Stadium.

Portugal: 1-Eduardo; 2-Bruno Alves, 6-Ricardo Carvalho, 15-Pepe, 23-Fabio Coentrao, 21-Ricardo Costa, 16-Raul Meireles, 19-Tiago, 7-Cristiano Ronaldo, 5-Duda, 10-Danny.

Brazil: 1-Julio Cesar; 2-Maicon, 3-Lucio, 4-Juan, 6-Michel Bastos, 5-Felipe Melo, 8-Gilberto Silva, 13-Dani Alves, 21-Nilmar, 19-Julio Baptista, 9-Luis Fabiano.

Referee: Benito Archundia (Mexico)

2.08pm: Sven-Goran Eriksson has made four changes to the Ivory Coast side. Arthur Boka, Gervinho, Koffi Romaric N’Dri and Kader Keita come in after sitting out the 3-1 loss to Brazil and replace Salomon Kalou, Aruna Dindane, Siaka Tiene and Emmanuel Eboue. Didier Drogba will lead line.

North Korea coach Kim Jong Hun named an unchanged team despite losing 7-0 to Portugal.

1.55pm: Matt Dickinson, our Chief Sports Correspondent, will be hosting a live World Cup webchat. You can quiz him on the big match from 2pm.

Click here to get involved.

1.45pm: Matt Hughes, our Deputy Football Correspondent, has just confirmed that Bastian Schweinsteiger is struggling to be fit for Sunday’s match against England. Joachim Low, the Germany coach, is not prepared to risk Schweinsteiger unless he is 100 per cent fit. “Bastian is the heart of the team, the motor in our midfield. Of course it would be a big disadvantage if he could not play,” Low said.

Click here to follow Matt on Twitter.

1.40pm: With not much more than an hour to go until Portugal play Brazil, in arguably the most glamorous tie of the group stage, now is as good a time as any to look at the state of play in Group G.

Brazil have already qualified for the round 16 and will win the group if they avoid defeat against Portugal. The Portuguese are likely to join them, even if they lose. Their 7-0 thrashing of North Korea means Ivory Coast must hope Carlos Queiroz’s men lose and they win heavily enough to overturn a nine-goal deficit on goal difference.

Any questions?

1.35pm: The streets of Rome fell silent yesterday afternoon as Italy came to terms with its premature exit from the World Cup. Critics have been quick to blame the ageing squad, the manager, the captain but Fabio Cannavaro, who lifted the trophy for Italy in 2006, says the problems run much deeper.

“I think there are not many changes we can make. At the moment, Italy is not producing players like in my generation when we had great players,” he said. “It’s not just the national team, it’s the clubs. We have good players but not top drawer. I’ve been saying for a while that the system has to change. We have to invest in youth.”

1.29pm: Forget 1996 and Italia 90, we can beat the Germans on Sunday ... can’t we?

In a little over 30 minutes, Matt Dickinson, our Chief Sports Correspondent, will be hosting a live World Cup webchat. You can quiz him on the big match from 2pm.

Click here to get involved.

1.22pm: Andrew Norfolk, a news reporter for The Times, is out in South Africa following the World Cup as a fan. In his latest diary blog, Andrew gets a frosty reception in small-town South Africa.

Click here to read his blog and click here to follow Andrew’s adventures on Twitter.

1.15pm: It hasn’t been the best of World Cups for the African teams. Four of the six are already out, with Ivory Coast requiring a nine-goal swing on Portugal today to make it through. Only Ghana are sure of a place in the last 16. Jomo Sono, the South African football legend, has blamed the “diabolical” decision taken by some African teams to change coach in World Cup year for the continent’s failure. “At this stage to change a coach is a bit dicey. Five weeks (before the tournament) is too short for a World Cup, especially if the coach is coming from Europe. He needs to spend more time in the country and understand the culture of the people. Five weeks doesn’t give you enough time.”

Sono was largely referring to the appointment of Sven-Goran Eriksson as Ivory Coast coach in late March, with the Swede only properly getting to spend time with the players at a pre-tournament camp in Switzerland last month. Cameroon coach Paul Le Guen was also criticised for opting to reside primarily in France. Sono identified Ghana and Algeria as the two most impressive of the African competitors, and attributed that to their coaching continuity and to their concentration on a team ethic rather than a reliance on one or two big-name stars.

1.08pm: Roger Boyes, our correspondent based in Berlin, has been submersing himself into the world of psychic Octopuses all morning. He sends this:

Paul the Octopus Oracle has spoken: the England players can pack their bags and book the first flight home. Germany, says Paul, will win against England on Sunday. As oracles go, this particularly ugly octopus - born in Weymouth but currently resident in a German aquarium - has a good track record in predicting the fortunes of the German team. Little wonder then that were loud groans from a gaggle of England fans in the Oberhausen Sea Life Centre when the cephalopod mollusc swam over to a glass bearing the German national colours.

Click here to read the whole article.

Of course, if Paul gets it wrong, the 22-legged England team will be entitled to tuck into a celebratory dinner in South Africa. The grilled calamari is said to be particularly tasty.

1.01pm: Michael Ballack, the German legend, is a guest columnist for The Times during the World Cup. Today he writes about the impending round of 16 match with England and says that most Germans are a little bit surprised that we see them as our biggest enemies: he says that for the Germans, the main rivalry is and always will be with Holland

Click here to read his column

12.52pm: George Caulkin will be at Portugal versus Brazil for The Times today. He tweets: “In my excitement ahead of Portugal vs Brazil, I got to the stadium FIVE HOURS before kick-off. Proud: new personal record.”

12.45pm: You may have missed this last night but Nicklas Bendtner was forced to colour in his socks during Denmark’s defeat to Japan last night. The officials claimed that he had an unauthorised message on his socks.

Just as well he carries that trusty red felt-tip pen around with them when he is playing football ... I know I do.

Click here to watch the video.

12.39pm: David Hands, Rugby Correspondent for The Times, has been following England on their tour Down Under, he sends this: New Zealand awoke this morning to the loss of a dream - that the All Whites would reach the last 16 of football’s global tournament while the likes of Italy and France headed for home. But returning from South Africa undefeated in three pool games has been recognised for the achievement it undoubtedly is; Michael Jones, the former All Blacks captain and an ambassador for next year’s Rugby World Cup here, said: “It’s incomparable really. I can’t think of anything in my lifetime when I have witnessed that sort of shot out of nowhere on the biggest stage in the world.

“They have done something that is significant and uniquely special. The sporting purist will appreciate what these guys have achieved.” Richie McCaw, the All Blacks captain in tomorrow’s international against Wales here, described the All Whites as “awesome” while one “staunch rugby supporter” blogged: “If the All Blacks only have half the All Whites’ mana and spirit, we should surely win the Rugby World Cup.”

There are hopes that the team ranked 78th in the world when the Fifa World Cup started could have risen into the top 24 when it ends but if football is to take advantage of this campaign, the All Whites need more exposure in their own country. They filled Wellington’s Westpac Stadium for the qualifying game with Bahrain and there have already been calls to bring significant opposition to the country rather than let the team go, in relative terms, into mothballs so far as local supporters are concerned.

12.31pm: Rick Broadbent has filed this week’s Sports Watch, in which he gives his verdict on the winners and losers in the world of sport from the past seven days. Here is a taster:

Jermain Defoe (new entry): Hero best known for shinning one in from six yards and thus winning the epic Battle of Slovenia, in which a nation of 60 million bravely held out against the one the size of Newport Pagnell. Defoe’s status benefits from him not being Emile Heskey.

Click here to read the whole chart

12.26pm: Jorge Larrionda, of Uruguay, will referee England versus Germany on Sunday. It is fair to say Mr Larrionda has enjoyed a ‘colourful’ career, during which he has developed a reputation for freely dishing out red cards.

Larrionda was selected as a referee for the 2002 World Cup, but was suspended for six months by the Uruguayan Football Association two days after his selection, because of unspecified “irregularities” amid accusations and unproven allegations of corruption between members of rival Uruguayan soccer officials unions.

His refereeing style has also won attracted plenty of critics, including Chris Waddle, who has previously described Larrionda as “rubbish”.

Tremendous news ...

12.18pm: Putting England versus Germany to one side for just one minute, there are some fantastic games to look forward to today. The pick has to be Portugal versus Brazil, which takes place in Durban at 3pm. Peter Lansley, The Times football writer, will have live minute-by-minute commentary of that match.

That’s not to forget Chile versus Spain - a match the European champions must win to be certain of progression.

Let’s put England v Germany to one side just for a moment and concentrate on today’s games. It cannot just be me looking forward to seeing Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo (and Tiago too) taking on Brazil? Can it?

12.09pm: Leo Lewis, Asia Business Correspondent for The Times, sends this:

If you don’t count the crows, there were three types of Japanese on the streets of Tokyo at 5.30am this morning, each one watching the others with a mixture of bemusement and pride.

First there were the die-hard Japan fans, politely boisterous, resplendent and beer-drenched in their “Samurai Blue” shirts. The 3.30am kick of was never likely to deter them, but the victory was all the sweeter for arriving as dawn broke over the Japanese capital.

Next there were the dishevelled salarymen bearing the rumbled, sweating signs of an unplanned all-nighter. They had begun boozing after work, and been sucked-in to the atmosphere that gripped Tokyo in the build-up to the game. For them, the morning brought hungover joy, a desperate search for a clean shirt and the inevitable hair-wash in the company bathroom.

Lastly, there were the genuine early risers - the keenest salarymen who would be heading into work at this time anyway but found their stroll from the station hampered by a pickled, roaring mass of happiness. Even the most serious worker-bees could not resist a smile. Many will probably be heading to the shops after work to buy a replica shirt for Tuesday’s

11.59am: Owen Slot, our Chief Sports Reporter, tweets from South Africa: “Oliver Khan says the reason England’s goalkeeper pool is dry is because “Bayern Munich’s policy is always to have the German No 1 in goal.” In other words England struggle becuase none of their goalkeepers play at Champions League level.”

11.53am: David Brown, our news reporter, is in South Africa for the World Cup. He sends this: “The last time Bloemfontein saw an invasion by the English was during the Boer war. Tomorrow the city will welcome an army of England fans with well-stocked bars while water cannons and rubber bullets will be on stand-by for the World Cup clash with Germany.

An estimated 10,000 fans from England and an equal number from Germany are expected to begin arriving this morning. There will be no segregation of rival supports in the 45,000-capacity Free State Stadium. It is the first time that England have played in predominantly Afrikaans city where some residents still resent the British for the Boer war which led to the creation of the first concentration camps.

England’s meetings with Germany have a history of violence and police from both countries are monitoring the movements of hooligans who might try to attend the match. But the local World Cup organisers began ensuring that Bloemfontein’s bars were stocked with enough booze for the thirsty England and Germany fans immediately after the game was confirmed on Wednesday night.

11.49am: Prince Harry is not going to be at Sunday’s match between England and Germany ... he has opted to jet off to New York to play in a polo match instead.

So much for ‘Cry ‘God for Harry, England, and Saint George!’

11.44am: George Caulkin will be at Portugal versus Brazil for The Times today - a hardship I know. He tweets: “A World Cup first for me - accosted on walk to stadium by three burly ticket touts. Portugal v Brazil sold out months ago. Guess the nationality?”

11.35am: We told you earlier (see 9.55am) about Paul the psychic Octopus, who has correctly predicted all three of Germany’s results so far at this World Cup. Well I’m afraid it is bad news for England supporters.

This morning, Paul was asked to select the winner of Sunday’s match and he plumped for Germany. It should be said at this point that the ‘draw’ took place at the Oberhausen Sea Life Centre in Germany, although Paul was said to be torn over his choice because he was born in Weymouth, England. He did not say if we would be spared the pain of penalties ...

Just in case you were picturing Paul scrawling his thoughts onto some kind of underwater chalkboard, he made his choice by lowering one of his tentacles into one of two plastic boxes, one with the St George’s cross and one with the German flag. Each had a tasty morsel of food inside. I just wonder if one morsel was a little more tempting than another.

11.30am: England will stick with the superstitious choice of an all-red strip against Germany on Sunday. The unchanged theme could also extend to the team with Fabio Capello tempted to stick with the 11 players who earned the 1-0 win over Slovenia on Wednesday. That match was only the sixth time in 886 international matches that England have worn all red. The only defeat came in a home match against Brazil in the Umbro Trophy at Wembley in June 1995, when style purists might argue that the kit tended towards claret, rather than the seemingly “lucky” all-red strip

11.21am: Interesting to hear the thoughts of David James. He certainly isn’t your average footballer. He is extremely eloquent and thoughtful although the revelation that he was actually hoping Slovenia won a penalty in the last minute on Wednesday, just so he could save it and become a hero, is a little worrying. But otherwise he appeared extremely calm and was genuinely believable when he said that the match with Germany was “just another game.”

Just so you know, David - it’s not.

11.09am: And with that James has gone. Dozens of questions on penalties for David James to field but he did so pretty well. He described Sunday’s match with Germany, as just another game and he revealed that he had already been doing his homework on the German penalty takers.

11.07am: James is asked where he was when England played Germany in the World Cup semi-final, in 1990. “I was in the pub with my mate ...drinking orange juice.”

11.06am: “The feeling and the mood in the camp is good, contrary to what some people have said,” James adds.

11.04am: Somehow another penalty question slips through, James reveals a strange fantasy of his. “I was actually hoping Slovenia had won a penalty in the last minute so I could save it.”

Are you bonkers David?

11.03am: David James has had enough of answering questions on penalties. He says that is enough and the media are asked to change the record. “Don’t ask me about penalties any more,” he says.

11.02am: Questions flying in on penalty takers, James adds: “They key issue with the penalties is the homework. We will have the information on Germany’s potential penalty takers. We are not going to play Germany with the intention of going to penalties.”

11.01am: David James is asked about penaties: “Apparently they have missed in a shootout. Our intention is to win the game in 90 minutes or in extra time. If it goes to penalties, it will give Germany the confidence to win.”

10.59am: When asked about facing Germany, James says: “It’s another football match. There will be a lot made of it externally, but it’s a game against a decent outfitit and one we need to win to progress.”

10.57am: David James is facing the media as we speak. We’ll bring you the press conference live now.

10.53am: Matthew Le Tissier knows a thing or two about penalties, the Southampton legend scored 47 out of 48 penalties during his playing career. He has been speaking this morning about England’s match with Germany and says there is only so much practice you can do. “For all the preparation you do, there is no guarantee those five players are going to be on the pitch at the end of the game,” he said.

10.45am: Matt Dickinson, our Chief Sports Correspondent, has been examining the ways in which Fabio Capello has been trying to eridicate England’s 12 yards of terror and many years of despair. Click here to read his article.

10.33am: Sven-Goran Eriksson has tipped England to beat Germany on Sunday. The 62-year-old Swede, who is in charge of the Ivory Coast at the World Cup, said he will find a television in Nelspruit and watch his former team take on their World Cup nemesis. “I saw England’s match against Slovenia and I thought they played well,” the Swede said. “I think they can beat Germany, it will be a huge game. I am going to look at that on TV.”

Inspiring words from Sven ...although it should be remembered that for all his faults he did know how to beat the Germans ...what Capello would give for a 5-1 victory on Sunday.

10.21am: The draw for the round of 16 is almost complete and the possible quarter-final matches are beginning to take shape. We know that the winner of Uruguay v South Korea will play the winners of the United States v Ghana

Either Brazil or Portugal will play one of Spain, Chile or Switzerland. Whichever of those teams finish top of Group H will play the winners of Holland v Slovakia

The rest of the draw will see the winners of Argentina v Mexico, play the winners of Germany v England, while the final match could see any of one of Spain, Chile or Switzerland play Portugal or Brazil, one of who will play the winners of Paraguay v Japan.

Simples.

10.12am: Joe Cole still hopes he can have a significant impact for England at the World Cup, despite only featuring as a substitute so far. The former Chelsea midfielder was overlooked by Fabio Capello for the opening two games with United States and Algeria, but he received a rousing reception from the England fans when he came on mid-way through the second half of the vital win over Slovenia.

“It was nice to be part of it again on the pitch. It is a nice start really and hopefully now we can push on and try and win this World Cu,” he said. “It was a great reception when I came on. The England fans know what I can do for my country. I’ve performed well for years now. The main thing is the squad and Milly (James Milner) was exceptional and Jermain (Defoe) will get you a goal out of nothing. But I’m glad I’ve played and, if I keep training well, hopefully I can make an impact on this World Cup.”

10.05am: The group phase finishes today, to the relief of some ITV commentators. With Germany leading Ghana 1-0 five minutes from time and, in the simultaneous match, Serbia trailing Australia 2-1, viewers of the latter game were told “Serbia need to win to go through” when they only required a draw. Yesterday, with Slovakia leading Italy, those watching the goalless Paraguay v New Zealand match heard that a New Zealand goal “would not be enough”, except that a goal would have taken them through to the next round. If the goal difference system is fooling commentators, how did they cope with the far more complicated goal average format, which applied in England until the mid-1970s?

9.55am: We will all know the result of England versus Germany in the next five minutes or so - well that’s if you believe a physic Octopus. Paul, as the creature is know, has developed an uncanny knack of correctly predicting the winning side during the World Cup .

But this Sunday’s World Cup showdown between England and Germany could really test the powers of the eight-legged oracle - as he lives at Oberhausen Sea Life Centre in Germany but was born in Weymouth, England. Two plastic boxes, one with the St George’s cross and one with the German flag will be lowered into Paul’s tank. Each has a tasty morsel of food inside. The box which Paul opens first is judged to be the predicted winner of the game. Paul has correctly predicted all three of Germany’s results in South Africa so far. Ruumours that Fabio Capello has asked Paul to play in goal on Sunday remain unconfirmed.

You can click on the tab above to watch the video.

9.49am: Vicente Del Bosque has explained why Chile will tonight pose a genuine threat to Spain’s chances of reaching the last 16 of the World Cup. “It’s going to be an even game, very open and difficult for both teams,” the Spain coach said. “They are a difficult team for anyone to face because they have two weapons: putting pressure on you and hitting you on the counter-attack. They try to overcome their opponents by stealing possession and hitting them quickly on the break.”

9.37am: The Italian press have pulled no punches this morning as they come to terms with the Azzurri’s World Cup exit. Marcello Lippi’s men failed to negotiate a passage through the group phase in South Africa after losing 3-2 to Slovakia yesterday in what was a weak defence of the trophy they won four years ago in Germany.

Gazzetta dello Sport led the condemnation with a headline of: “Humiliated by Slovakia, time to go home.” They also added: “Home in shame.”

Corriere dello Sport continued in a similar vein with: “Italy, what shame! Out and last in the group.”

Italy’s leading broadsheet Corriere della Sera carried the story on its front page under the headline: “Italy, farewell to the World Cup. In a special World Cup link, the paper added: “Disastrous Italy, the Azzurri go home.

La Repubblica focused more on the impact the failure would have on a country obsessed by football. “Shame and tears, a nation to be rebuilt,” said its headline, before adding: “Slovakia win 3-2 in Johannesburg to knock the Azzurri out in the first round, something that has not happened since 1974. We now look to (new coach Cesare) Prandelli.”

Turin-based La Stampa blamed Lippi for the team’s poor showing. Their headline read: “The failure of Lippi in South Africa.

“The blackest page of our footballing history.”

9.23am: Fabio Capello is understood to have decided who his penalty takers will be for a potential shoot-out in Sunday’s second-round match against Germany. Tension is already starting to build ahead of Sunday’s match with Franz Beckenbauer England look “burnt out”. All four World Cup meetings between Germany and England have been level at 90 minutes, and the Italian, unlike some previous England managers, has made a point of ensuring his players practise penalties at the end of every training session.

Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney, James Milner have been earmarked as the men to step forward with either Jermain Defoe or Gareth Barry expected to be the fifth nominee. The Germans have not missed a penalty in a World Cup shoot-out since Uli Stielike against France in 1982.

The have only ever fluffed only at a World Cup and have eliminated Mexico in 1986, England in 1990 and Argentina in 2006 after shootouts.

With 48 hours left to prepare, we could always turn to the coaching staff for advice — although perhaps not Stuart Pearce.

9.12am: David Cameron has revealed that he will be watching England’s round of 16 match with Germany despite being across the Atlantic at the G8 summit this weekend. But the Prime Minister said he would will not be watching the match with German leader Angela Merkel. “I’m not sure if that will be safe. We might get a bit carried away,” he said.

Mr Cameron added that he was looking forward to Sunday’s last-16 encounter and was optimistic about England’s chances. “They are a great team. We have got some incredible players. We have got a great manager,” the PM said. “We are playing in the right climate - we have got everything going for us. I will be there cheering along with everyone else.”

9.01am: Good morning and welcome to our coverage of day 15 of the 2010 World Cup.

With Spain, Brazil and Portugal all in action it promises to be one of the most glamorous days of the tournament so far.

Spain, the European champions, must beat Chile this evening to be certain of progression while a second-place finish would probably see them face Brazil in the round of 16. Switzerland must better Spain’s result to progress from Group H.

But before we get to that there is the small matter of Portugal versus Brazil to look forward to. Although Brazil have already qualified for the knock-out phase and second-placed Portugal are three points ahead of the Ivory Coast and with a vastly superior goal difference, this is not quite a dead rubber.

We will live coverage of the match from 7pm, but in the meantime we will bring you all the news from South Africa, including the inside track on the England squad as they prepare to face Germany on Sunday.

Stay with us for the best coverage.