Octopus Paul heads for retirement after World Cup glory

Paul the psychic octopus headed into well-deserved retirement on Monday and will in future make children happy instead of footballers."He is retiring and says thank you to the whole world. It was a great World Cup," Sea Life spokeswoman Tanja Munzig said on Monday.Munzig said that Paul will do what he does best, making children happy in his aquarium, as he had before the World Cup.Paul became a global star when he accurately forecast all of Germany's seven World Cup games. And he then topped it all by also predicting Spain's win over the Netherlands in the final.Paul made his famous predictions, which were in the end even televised live, by being offered a mussel each in two tanks, each with the flag of respective nation. The nation whose mussel he chose would win the match.Politicians, players and coaches were as gripped by Paul-mania as the rest of the world, his forecasts proving a good distraction from the often dour football played in South Africa - and a huge PR stunt for Sea Life as well.Munzig reaffirmed that Paul is absolutely not for sale and won't make other predictions either as requested

Spain show goal fests not necessary to win a World Cup

Spain needed just eight goals to win a first ever World Cup Sunday, the lowest tally for any nation since the introduction of the group phase and Round of 16 system in 1986.Andres Iniesta's extra-time strike against the Netherlands at Soccer City secured a fourth 1-0 victory in a row for Vicente del Bosque's side and also means Spain head home as world champions with only three players having managed to score in South Africa.David Villa's five goals accounted for over half of Spain's tally while midfielder Iniesta managed three, leaving La Roja's goalscoring hero against Germany, Carles Puyol, as the only other player to have made it on the scoresheet.Brazil's 11 goals when winning the 1994 title is the second-lowest total while, in contrast, the Selecao managed 18 in 2002.Diego Maradona's Argentina scored 14 on their way to victory in 1986 while the then West Germany managed one goal more when lifting the title four years later.France accumulated 15 goals when winning on home soil in 1998 and Italy only managed 12 when securing a third World Cup four years ago in Berlin.

Delight in Spain at finally reaching World Cup semi-finals

Spain exploded with delight when the final whistle sounded on Saturday's 1-0 World Cup quarter-final defeat of Paraguay.The entire country celebrated the fact that La Roja had finally reached the semi-finals of the World Cup, for the first time ever.Spain finished fourth in Brazil in 1950 but in that year there were no semi-finals but rather a final group of four teams. They have lost in the quarter-finals four times, usually in controversial circumstances."We have finally overcome the curse of the quarter-finals," was one of the comments on Madrid radio station Cadena COPE.Almost 20 million Spaniards, almost half the population, saw at least some part of the tense Paraguay clash on television, many of them at massive outdoor World Cup parties.The long-awaited goal - put away by World Cup top scorer David Villa just seven minutes from time - was greeted euphorically across Spain, with thousands of people shouting from balconies.The final whistle in Johannesburg provoked a orgy of fire- crackers, trumpet blasts and car horns. The party would go on will into the night.Ramon, one of the many fans at the World Cup party outside Real Madrid's Estadio Bernabeu, told television channel Tele 5 that "the team really made us suffer tonight, but it was worth it in the end. Now for the Germans."Spain will face Germany - whom they beat 1-0 in the Euro 2008 final - in the semi-finals.Esteban, Ramon's friend, looking rather worse for drink, said that "what is different this time is that we finally have a team which knows how to fight, instead of giving up when things are difficult."Guillermo, a fan at one of the outdoor parties in Sevilla, said that "we didn't really play well tonight, but sometimes you have to win without playing well. It was the kind of game that we used to lose."His girlfriend Maria Angeles, for her part, commented that Spain's best players were Casillas, "because of his penalty save," and goalscorer Villa.She added that "it is always Villa that pulls the chestnuts out of the fire for us," using a traditional Spanish proverb. "If it were not for him then I really don't think we would have got so far."Villa has scored five of Spain's six goals in South Africa. His latest was celebrated with special enthusiasm in Asturias, the northern regional from whence he hails.The euphoria of the Spaniards on Saturday contrasted with the disappointment of the country's sizeable Paraguayan community.There are a handful of Paraguayan restaurants in Madrid and each one of them organized a World Cup party.At one of the restaurants Alfonso, a Paraguayan waiter who has lived in Spain for 12 years, said that "our boys did the best they could. They battled for every ball. We really could not ask more of them."Jose Antonio, a Paraguayan at the same Madrid restaurant, said that if (Oscar) Cardozo had put away his penalty, which was brilliantly saved by Casillas, "would have been a different match altogether."

Young German side humbles Maradona's Argentina 4-0

Germany's young guns Saturday humbled Argentina 4-0 with a display of incisive football in Cape Town's Green Point Stadium to book a berth in the World Cup semi-finals. Goals by Thomas Mueller, Arne Friedrich and two by Miroslav Klose - on his 100th cap - ruined the South Americans' dreams of revenge for the quarter-final defeat on penalties at the same stage in Germany four years ago. It was an amazing result for the Germans, who had destroyed their other old enemy England 4-1 in the previous round. The only downside was a silly booking for Mueller on the 35th minute, which puts the young star out for the semi-final against either Paraguay or Spain, who were to meet later on Saturday."We played very well. I am very proud of the team. The early goal was decisive for us. We are strong enough to go further," Man of the Match Bastian Schweinsteiger said. Germany were by far the better side, and got off to a dream start on the third minute, when the 20-year-old Mueller ghosted through the dozing Argentinian defence to nod home from a wicked in-swinging Schweinsteiger free kick. It was the 20-year-old Bayern Munich midfielder's fourth goal of the tournament, putting him level at the top of the scoring charts with Argentina's Gonzalo Higuain, Spain's David Villa and Slovakia's Robert Vittek and teammate Klose. Argentina were struggling to get going as Germany's movement caused them all kind of problems, although on the 22nd minute Lionel Messi almost played Carlos Tevez in with a through ball that was just a little too close to Manuel Neuer in the German goal. But Germany still looked more dangerous, and in the 24th minute Mueller pounced on slack defensive play and fed Klose, who should have done better than blast over from 15 yards. Messi continually dropped deep to pick up possession, running at the German defence and spraying passes around as Argentina tried to find a way through. But in a pattern that was to continue for the rest of the game, he could not find a way through Germany's solid defence. Much was expected of Argentina, who impressed in the earlier stages of the tournament, but it took them until the 33rd minute to get a shot on target - and it was a weak effort from Angel Di Maria that Neuer saved easily. Higuain had the ball in the net on 37 minutes, but both he and Carlos Tevez were correctly ruled offside. Mueller had a shot deflected wide and Messi fired over from outside the box as the half drew to a close with Argentina still looking for the breakthrough. On 48 minutes, Di Maria came as close as Argentina had until that point, firing a great shot from the edge of the box just wide of Neuer's right-hand post. The South Americans looked threatening when Maxi Rodriguez chested down for Tevez, but his thunderbolt struck Per Mertesacker full in the face and bobbled out of play. Messi's shot broke loose in the box on the 63rd minute, but Boateng stretched out a foot and cleared the danger. Then Di Maria had another effort from outside the box. But two goals in six minutes put paid to any chance of an Argentinian comeback. On 68 minutes, Klose marked his 100th cap with a tap-in goal. Mueller, lying flat on his back, somehow hooked the ball through for Lukas Podolski, who played it across goal for an easy finish from Klose. Six minutes later, the tireless Schweinsteiger ran through the Argentina defence as if they weren't there and cut back for defender Arne Friedrich to slide in from close-range Germany's third. Argentina coach Diego Maradona cut a forlorn figure on the sideline, standing at the edge of the technical area with his arms folded as Germany looked for a fourth. Mueller was taken off to massive cheers before Germany completed the rout on the 89th minute, when Klose hit home from a cross by Mesut Oezil. It was Klose's 14th World Cup goal, equalling the German record of Gerd Mueller.

Ghana fans heartbroken, but still proud, after World Cup exit

Ghanians were heartbroken but still fiercely proud of their team after the Black Stars, the last African side competing in South Africa, exited the World Cup at the hands of Uruguay on Friday. "On Friday night, there will just be 11 stars visible - 11 black stars," a South African newspaper had predicted. But a cloud descended on Johannesburg's Soccer City after Ghana fell agonizingly short of becoming the first African team to make a World Cup semi-final. In the dying seconds of extra time, Uruguay's Luis Suarez handled a goal-bound header on the line. He received a red card, but Asamoah Gyan - so often the hero for Ghana in the tournament - crashed the resultant spot-kick off the bar. Ghana then lost 4-2 on penalties, ending their dream of reaching the semi-finals of the tournament, which was taking place on African soil for the first time. "It's a bit heartbreaking. We had this game," said Abyna-Ansaa Adjei, a writer from Ghana's capital Accra, as she left the stadium with five other Ghanaians, with whom she travelled to the tournament. "But we're proud anyway. Viva 2014!," she added as the group, which was draped in Ghana flags, burst into a chant of "Ghana Black Stars is a mighty team!" As fans left the stadium, a youngster with his face painted in the red, green and gold of the Ghanaian flag, waved a placard scrawled with the slogan: "Who says black stars can't shine?" "They lost. We can't do anything," said Eric Akagni, 22, an amateur Ghanaian footballer, who came to South Africa to try to get into the local premier soccer league because competition at home was too fierce. Soccer City was awash with Ghana flags and supporters tooting the tonal equivalent of "Gha-Na" on their vuvuzelas. Some 84,000 people attended the game, the vast majority backing the West African nation after the first-round exit of every other African sides. When Uruguay missed a penalty, the crowd erupted, and some supporters covered their faces when Ghanaian players stepped forward to take their spot-kicks. It was not to be, but the way South Africans got behind the team - referring to them as Baghana Baghana, in a twist on the nickname of the national team Bafana Bafana - made Ghanaians feel special, said Adjei.While fans in the stadium were stoic, some elsewhere were left with a bitter taste in the mouth over the nature of the defeat. "I'm not sad, I'm very angry," said Sonia Kwami, 35, who watched the game with a group of five Ghanian friends in London. "I am very proud of Ghana ... we played fairer and we played soccer better." Kwami was convinced that the ball crossed the line before Suarez palmed it away, and called on South Africans to boycott the Uruguay-Netherlands semi-final, set to take place Tuesday in Cape Town's Green Point stadium. Some fans chose to blame Gyan for missing the penalty kick that would have seen Ghana through. But most sympathized with him, blaming the pressure of an entire continent's hopes for the miss. "Ghana was so close to the semi-finals, missing it literally by inches," one fan wrote on Ghanaweb.com. "Don't blame the coach or Gyan. They made Ghana proud and the team is so young." South Africa's ruling African National Congress also weighed in, praising Ghana for hoisting "the flag of the continent high" by getting to the quarter-finals. "The 'Black Stars of Africa' have proven ... that Africans can perform well in international football," the ANC said in a statement. "We are proud of you (Ghana) as individuals and collectively ... for the best performance as an Africa team, in this tournament."

Uruguay celebrates like a world champion

Uruguayans celebrated their nation's win over Ghana in the World Cup Friday as if the small South American country had already won the entire tournament.In the capital Montevideo and smaller cities and villages, fireworks were shot into the winter sky, local vuvuzuelas blew and cars drove honking through the streets.Fans stormed into the streets, singing, dancing and waving the light blue and white national flag. Strangers hugged for joy."Thank you for this unforgettable World Cup," one newspaper proclaimed. Another wrote, "Uruguay has already won." Another local journalist dubbed it "unbelievable, unrivalled, a finale for a heart attack."The Charruas have yet to lose one of their five World Cup games and the football-crazed nation of 3.5 million has not made it this far in the World Cup since 1970. Its titles in 1930 and 1950 feel like a lifetime ago."This is like a dream," one young man said through tears of joy.Football fans in neighbouring Argentina were also celebrating the Uruguayan victory.