Ivory Coast fell short of their goal chase to make the last 16 at the World Cup as they beat North Korea 3-0 in their Group G match to continue the exodus of African teams here on Friday.

Ivory Coast are hoping for another North Korean defensive meltdown in their final Group G match here on Friday if they are to avoid another early African exit at the World Cup.

Australia ended Serbia’s quest for the last 16 at the World Cup with a fighting 2-1 victory but it was not enough to take them into the knockout round at the Mbombela Stadium here on Wednesday.

Both Serbia and Australia need to win their final Group D clash in Nelspruit on Wednesday.
But while a victory for Serbia would guarantee it a place in the last-16, a victory for Australia could still send the Socceroos crashing out depending on the Ghana-Germany result in the other Group D fixture.

New Zealand achieved their greatest footballing result here on Sunday holding on for a stunning 1-1 draw against defending champions Italy in their World Cup Group F match.

When the draw for the World Cup finals was made, the probable scenario ahead of Sunday’s Group F match between Italy and New Zealand was clear.
Italy would arrive in the town near the world renowned Kruger Park with three points from their opening game against Paraguay, while the All Whites would arrive licking their wounds after losing to Slovakia.

Jean Beausejour scored the only goal as Chile beat Honduras 1-0 in their Group H opening match on Wednesday and secure their first World Cup victory in 48 years. “We have to enjoy this win, but there’s another tough match coming and we have to win again,” said Chile forward Alexis Sanchez.