Buon giorno and welcome, one and all, to the daily World Cup column on Soccerlens.

It may have caught your attention that the reigning champions Italy did a bit of a whoopsie last night, failing to overturn ‘little’ Slovakia (see below) and flying home early with their collective tails between their collective legs as a result.

At least the Azzurri will be allowed the necessary time to reflect on their shortcomings in tranquil meditation by the famously forgiving Italian media.

Here’s the best of today’s World Cup tidbits…

(If you would like to subscribe to this column  – and others like it on Soccerlens – then please feel free to follow this link, or you can also just enter your email address on the SL homepage.)

Paraguay 0-0 New Zealand…

Paraguay cemented their place in the knock-out rounds of the World Cup by harvesting the point they required from a pretty dull goalless draw with New Zealand – who themselves still stood an outside chance of qualifying for the second phase.

A win for the Kiwis would have seen both them and Gerardo Martino‘s side advance, but the Antipodeans failed to trouble the Paraguayan ‘keeper Justo Villar – registering just one shot on goal during the entire game.

The South Americans weren’t much better and relied heavily on sporadic half-chances and speculative long-range efforts to provide the breakthrough. Captain Denis Caniza came close on a couple of occasions but unsurprisingly failed to improve on his pretty dismal (1 goal in 97 appearances) international goal-scoring record.

New Zealand may rue their missed opportunity to cause what would have been a huge upset, but Ricki Herbert‘s men can go home with their heads held high after ending the tournament unbeaten and finishing above reigning champions Italy in the Group F standings.

Highlights…

Read the Paraguay vs New Zealand match report.

Slovakia 3-2 Italy…

Incumbent champions Italy relinquished their crown in dramatic fashion yesterday, crashing out of the World Cup after being beaten by a Slovakia side that had performed so unadventurously during their first two games.

The match started slowly but burst into life in the 25th minute when Slovakian striker Robert Vittek gave his country a surprise lead, eventually capitalising on Daniele De Rossi‘s sloppy pass by diverting Juraj Kucka‘s deliciously weighted through-ball past Federico Marchetti in the Italy goal.

With his side struggling to impose themselves, Marcello Lippi brought on Christian Maggio and Fabio Quagliarella at the break, and then sorely-missed playmaker Andrea Pirlo just 10 minutes later.

The switch made a palpable difference, with Pirlo keeping play moving through the middle and Quagliarella giving the Italians added mobility up-front.

However, despite their obvious improvement, the Azzurri suffered another body blow in the 75th minute when Vittek popped up at the near post to prod home Marek Hamsik‘s low cross – thus extending the Slovak’s lead to two clear goals.

Vittek’s second goal sparked a fraught final period, full of nervous tension and exciting twists.

Firstly, Antonio Di Natale pulled a goal back for Italy, rolling into an open goal after Quagliarella was denied at close range by Jan Mucha.

Di Natale’s strike restored his side’s vigour but, as they pushed forward in search of the second goal that would keep them in the competition, Slovakian substitute Kamil Kopunek seemingly once again ended their hopes of advancing – racing past a hesitant Italian defensive line to lob a shot over Marchetti and inside the far post.

However, there was still time for the impressive Quagliarella to get his name on the scoresheet, the Napoli striker floating a sublimely composed shot over Mucha from the edge of the Slovakian area in the 92nd minute.

With the game deep into injury time, Simone Pepe was presented with a chance to draw Italy dramatically level, but the Udinese winger slashed at a far post volley and his shot spun harmlessly wide.

There were scenes of abject desolation in the Azzurri camp at the final whistle as Italy, who won the tournament just four years ago, failed to reach the second round of the World Cup for the first time in 36 years.

Highlights…

Read Ross Mackiewicz‘ in-depth Slovakia vs Italy match report.

Stat attack…

• With both France and Italy finishing bottom of their respective groups, the 2010 World Cup has become the first finals ever in which both the previous finalists have failed to make it into the knock-out stages.

Denmark 1-3 Japan…

Japan turned on the style to see off Denmark by a comfortable margin in their final Group E game in Rustenburg, thus securing the Samurai Blues a place in the last 16.

Takeshi Okada‘s side had lost five of their previous six games and only scored nine goals in 12 World Cup games, so such a confident display came as a shock to almost everybody.

Two near-perfect first-half free-kicks from Keisuke Honda (a vicious, dipping effort into the far corner) and Yasuhito Endo (a curled shot from 25 yards) ensured Japan were in front at the break and cruising.

The Asians held their lead until the 81st minute, when Jon Dahl Tomasson managed a consolation goal for the Danes, the veteran forward slicing home after seeing his weak penalty palmed fortunately back into his path by Eiji Kawashima.

However, Japan weren’t finished and, following some excellent technical play from man-of-the-match Honda, Shinji Okazaki was gifted a chance to seal his country’s emphatic win.

Japan will now advance through to the second round (for the first time in a World Cup finals not held on home soil) and will face Group  F winners Paraguay in Pretoria next Tuesday.

Highlights…

Read the Denmark vs Japan match report.

Stat attack…

• Although Jon Dahl Tomasson‘s goal against Japan saw him draw level with Poul Nielsen as Denmark’s highest international goalscorer (52 goals), the latter achieved his tally in just 38 appearances (between 1910 and 1925) whereas Tomasson was winning his 112th cap last night.

Cameroon 1-2 Netherlands…

A late winner from the boot of Milan striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar made sure that the Netherlands finished up on top of their group, after winning all three of their first round ties.

Bert Van Marwijk‘s men took the lead ten minutes before half time when Robin Van Persie angled a low, powerful shot past Souleymanou Hamidou following a slick one-two with Rafael Van der Vaart on the edge of the Cameroon area.

The Indomitable Lions had to wait until the 65th minute mark to restore parity, Samuel Eto’o netting from the penalty spot after Van der Vaart seemingly inadvertently handled Geremi‘s direct freekick – the Inter Milan striker duly whipping the ball home from twelve yards.

The Dutch then grabbed the winner when, in the 83rd minute, Huntelaar kept his cool to pass the ball into a gaping goal after Arjen Robben‘s 20-yard effort came back off the post.

The Oranje will now be hoping to extend their 100% record when they meet Group F runners-up Slovakia in the second round.

Highlights…

Read the Cameroon vs Netherlands match summary.

Getting Lippi…

Coach Marcello Lippi has shouldered the blame for Italy’s woeful World Cup exit, admitting his side played with ‘terror in their heart, head and legs’.

It had already been announced prior to the tournament that the ‘Tuscan Tactician’ was to hand the Azzurri reigns over to Cesare Prandelli after the World Cup, but their elimination arrived earlier than expected – crashing out at the group stage after failing to beat Slovakia yesterday.

Rather than blame the questionable offside decision (Fabio Quagliarella had a late goal ruled out by the tightest of margins) which denied the reigning champions an equaliser, Lippi admitted that he only had himself to blame.

The 62-year-old former Juventus manager said;

“I take all responsibility for what happened, because if a team shows up at such an important game with terror in their head, heart and legs and if the team is unable to express its abilities it means the coach didn’t train that team as he should have done, psychologically, technically or tactically.

I would have expected anything except to see a performance like we gave in the first half of the game, not to mention the second half.

I am sorry to see it end in such a fashion because I didn’t expect this. I take on all responsibilities for the choices I made and the way I introduced the team to you.

I wish the best to my successor [Prandelli], best of luck to him and thank you all for these four years, part of which were fantastic and part of which were not.”

At least Lippi can take some comfort in the fact that, although Italy were pretty abject (until the last 15 minutes of the Slovakia game), they weren’t quite as bad as France – who are rapidly becoming the new measuring stick for footballing disappointment everywhere.

Read Steve Amoia‘s full translation of Lippi’s press conference.

The aftermath in headlines…

The famously lenient Italian press have had a field day after watching their country whimper out of the World Cup yesterday. Here’s a selection of the best (or should that be ‘worst’?) strap-lines…

“Going home in shame” - Gazzetta Dello Sport

“Ugly Italy, One of our ugliest national teams ever, actually, the ugliest ever.” – Correire Dello Sera

“The aircraft called shame is ready to leave.” – La Stampa

“Italy, the world champions, leave South Africa to return home covered in sporting dishonour.” – La Stampa

“Shameful Italy.” – La Repubblica

“The end of a generation and of an illusion, we deserved to go out.” – La Repubblica

“It is quite right that little, almost comic Italy comes home.” – La Repubblica

“In 270 minutes we shot at goal seven or eight times.” – Fabrizio Bocca in La Repubblica

“Cannavaro is an ex-player and almost all the others were washed up. We were champions of the world and now we are the laughing stock of the world.” - Bocca again

“A team without life or personality” – Guess who?

“It is hard to imagine a greater sporting catastrophe.” – Gazzetta Dello Sport

As i say, famously lenient.

Going, going, Le Guen…

Cameroon coach Paul Le Guen has handed in his notice, following the Indomitable Lions’ underwhelming performance at the World Cup.

Cameroon finished bottom of Group E after failing to register a single point, despite being labelled as one of Africa’s brightest hopes pre-tournament.

After his side lost to the Netherlands yesterday, Le Guen told the press;

“My contract is coming up, and it was clear all along I would stop now.

Maybe I didn’t succeed in unifying the team and bringing it together. Naturally my mood is one of defeat, I know I have lost three matches in this tournament.

We leave the World Cup with lots of regrets. We know that we were carrying lots of hopes from everyone in Cameroon but we weren’t able to realise them.”

The former Rangers coach is now widely expected to take the vacant Australia manager’s job, after Pim Verbeek stepped down following the Socceroo’s elimination yesterday.

Looking for a toilet…

The supporter that breached stadium security during England’s 0-0 draw with Algeria game, made his way into the team’s dressing room and then berated the players for their performance, will appear in court later today.

Pavlos Joseph, from London, will appear at a special World Cup court in Cape Town where he is due to stand trial on charges of ‘trespassing’.

At a previous hearing, Joseph was banned from attending any future World Cup matches, his passport was withheld, and he was released on R500 bail.

UPDATE: Joseph’s case has just been adjourned until next Wednesday.

Red tape…

Is this the most ridiculous refereeing decision of the World Cup so far? (Maurice Edu might argue otherwise!)

Striker Nicklas Bendtner was forced to colour his white socks in with a red marker pen before Denmark’s Group E clash with Japan – after being told by the fussy officials that he wouldn’t be allowed to play with white tape around his ankles.

Madness…indeed…gone mad!

Quote of the day…

“He seemed to me [to be] a guy to take to your bedside table and ask him each time you need something. I’ve got his phone number, I might call him.”

Argentina coach Diego Maradona seems to think that Jose Mourinho would be useful in bed.

And in other news…

FIFA have confirmed that England will wear their ‘lucky’ all-red strip against Germany in Bloemfontein on Sunday. (F365)

England coach Fabio Capello has apparently picked the five players that will take penalties should the Germany game go the distance. (Guardian)

Germany captain Phillip Lahm is also prepared for the lottery of penalties. (Sporting Life)

Thierry Henry has been absolved of any blame following the France team’s World Cup ‘mutiny’. (The Sun)

Soccerlens Fantasy Football…

Soccerlens Fantasy Football gives you the option to go against friends and fellow competitors over a day’s games.

This means that you should pick your fantasy team from players involved in the games happening on that specific day. It also gives you the option of picking your fantasy team with the players you might be more familiar with.

Either way, it’s fast and action packed. So pick the specific round(s) you want to join from the home-page and join a competition!

You can also challenge your friends over a specific round by creating a private competition

Today’s (Friday 25th June) round is as follows:

• North Korea vs Ivory Coast

• Portugal vs Brazil

• Chile vs Spain

• Switzerland vs Honduras

Give it a go and you may come away with a cash prize!

The 2010 World Cup on Soccerlens…

There will be comprehensive coverage of the World Cup on Soccerlens over the coming months.

With the dedicated World Cup section (chock full of info, including fixtures and stats – and even links to buy replica shirts) on SL, there really is no need to go anywhere else for your World Cup needs this summer!

You can even follow us on Twitter and Facebook if you’re that way inclined.

Also on Soccerlens…

• Gattuso: ‘Italian Football Has To Examine It’s Conscience’

• 2010 World Cup Second Round Preview

• England vs Germany Preview: England Will Need More Than Beer

• Uruguay vs South Korea Preview

• Argentina vs Mexico Preview: El Diego Leads From The Back

• Franz Beckenbauer Taunts ‘Stupid’ England

• USA vs Africa: Ghana Carry The Hopes Of A Continent

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Watch the 2009 Confederations Cup live here.

The 2010 World Cup promises to be the biggest World Cup ever in terms of Internet coverage – live or otherwise. It may not surpass the novelty of 2002 or the gaiety of 2006 and given that it will be winter in South Africa, it may not be the best event to go see world cup babes, but it will be something special.

The Confederations Cup, on the other hand, will be something of an anti-climax. Like all low-value cup competitions (think Carling Cup or the Club World Cup), there’s a tendency to take South Africa 2009 lightly, almost like a set of friendly matches.

The good thing is that every single team going to this year’s edition of the Confederations Cup has quite a lot to prove, a point to make, which should make for a spirited, if albeit inconsequential, 2 weeks of football.

Here’s a look at the different stadiums the matches will be played in, predictions for the Cup and links to fixtures, squads and how to watch the Cup live (online or on TV):

2009 Confederations Cup Venues

Four cities will serve as the venues of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup:

Johannesburg:
Coca-Cola Park (Ellis Park Stadium), 62,567

Pretoria (Tshwane)
Loftus Versfeld Stadium, 50,000

Bloemfontein (Mangaung)
Vodacom Park (Free State Stadium), 48,000

Rustenburg
Royal Bafokeng Stadium, 42,000

Originally, Port Elizabeth’s Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium was also chosen as a venue. However, on 8 July 2008, Port Elizabeth withdrew as a host city because its stadium was deemed unlikely to meet the 30 March 2009 deadline for completion.

All of these stadia are to host matches during the British and Irish Lions tour which will be in progress during this tournament, but a minimum of 9 days has been allowed for pitch recovery between a rugby match and a football match. Expect Wembley-style complaints.

2009 Confederations Cup Predictions

Rules: 4 teams in each group, play against the other teams in their group once, top two teams proceed to the semi-finals and so on.

Group A: South Africa, Iraq, New Zealand, Spain
Group B: United States, Italy, Brazil, Egypt

In Group A I expect Spain to win their group comfortably with Iraq coming up as the runners up, although South Africa being the hosts could easily pip them to the post.

In Group B it’s closer on paper but the United States have been a bit clueless under Bob Bradley lately so it’s up to Egypt to cause a few scares and if they can get a win against Italy or Brazil, I think they’ll be a shoe-in for getting to the semis. Italy to win the group though, with Brazil as runner ups.

Semifinal 1: Group A Winner v Group B Runner Up
Semifinal 2: Group B Winner v Group A Runner Up

Predicted Semifinals: Spain v Brazil and Italy v Iraq.

Predicted Final: We’re likely to see Spain take on Italy in the final, and while the European champions will be favourites for such a clash, the World Champions can’t be counted out and I think they could take the game if they can go ahead first in the game.

What are your predictions for the Confederations Cup?

More 2009 Confederations Cup News:

Watch the 2009 Confederations Cup Live
09 Confederations Cup on TV
2009 Confederations Cup Fixtures
2009 Confederations Cup Squads
2009 Confederations Cup Goals

The Magic Of The 2009 Confederations Cup

Studs Up by Chris Toy

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Watch the 2009 Confederations Cup Live here.

The South Africa 2009 Confederations Cup will take place across 4 venues from 14 June to 28 June, and will act as a dress-rehearsal for next year’s World Cup in South Africa.

Here are the Confed Cup fixtures – all times are BST.

2009 Confederations Cup Teams

Team	Association	Qualification	Participation
South Africa	CAF	2010 FIFA World Cup host	2nd
Italy	UEFA	2006 FIFA World Cup winner	1st
United States	CONCACAF	2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup winner	4th
Brazil	CONMEBOL	Copa América 2007 winner	6th
Iraq	AFC	2007 AFC Asian Cup winner	1st
Egypt	CAF	2008 African Cup of Nations winner	2nd
Spain	UEFA	UEFA Euro 2008 winner	1st
New Zealand	OFC	2008 OFC Nations Cup winner	3rd

Group A: South Africa, Iraq, New Zealand, Spain
Group B: United States, Italy, Brazil, Egypt

2009 Confederations Cup Fixtures

GROUP STAGE:

Sunday, June 14th
South Africa vs. Iraq (Johannesburg) Group A, 3pm
New Zealand vs Spain (Rustenburg) Group A, 7:30pm

Monday, June 15th
Brazil vs Egypt (Bloemfontein), Group B, 3pm
USA vs Italy (Pretoria) Group B, 7:30pm

Wednesday, June 17th
Spain vs Iraq (Bloemfontein) Group A, 3pm
South Africa vs New Zealand (Rustenburg) Group A, 7:30pm

Thursday, June 18th
USA vs Brazil (Pretoria), Group B, 3pm
Egypt vs Italy (Johannesburg) Group B, 7:30pm

Saturday, June 20th
Iraq vs New Zealand (Johannesburg) Group A, 7:30pm
Spain vs South Africa (Bloemfontein) Group A, 7:30pm

Sunday, June 21st
Egypt vs USA (Rustenburg) Group A, 7:30pm
Italy vs Brazil (Pretoria) Group A, 7:30pm

SEMIFINALS

Wednesday, June 24th
1st Group A vs 2nd Group B (Bloemfontein), 7:30pm

Thursday, June 25th
1st Group B vs 2nd Group A (Johannesburg), 7:30pm

THIRD PLACE PLAYOFF

Sunday, June 28th
(Rustenburg), 2pm

FINAL

Sunday, June 28th
(Johannesburg) 7:30pm

More 2009 Confederations Cup News:

Watch the 2009 Confederations Cup Live
09 Confederations Cup on TV
2009 Confederations Cup Squads

Back to the main 2009 Confederations Cup page.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

The 23-man squads for the 09 Confederations Cup are listed below for all 8 participating teams.

Group A

Iraq Confederation Cup Squad

Head coach:  Bora Milutinović

No. Pos. Player DoB (Age) Caps Goals Club 1 GK Noor Sabri 6 June 1984 (aged 25) 63 0 Al-Talaba 2 DF Mohammed Ali Karim 25 June 1986 (aged 22) 6 0 Al-Jazira 3 DF Bassim Abbas 1 July 1982 (aged 26) 60 2 Al-Talaba 4 DF Fareed Majeed 17 August 1986 (aged 22) 5 0 Al-Talaba 5 MF Nashat Akram 12 September 1984 (aged 24) 75 10 Al-Gharafa 6 MF Salih Sadir 21 August 1981 (aged 27) 47 11 Al-Ahed 7 FW Emad Mohammed 24 July 1982 (aged 26) 76 23 Sepahan 8 FW Luay Salah 7 February 1982 (aged 27) 17 3 Arbil 9 MF Abdul-Wahab Abu Al-Hail 21 December 1976 (aged 32) 67 8 Sepahan 10 FW Younis Mahmoud (c) 2 March 1983 (aged 26) 70 28 Al-Gharafa 11 MF Hawar Mulla Mohammed 1 June 1981 (aged 28) 72 15 Anorthosis Famagusta 12 GK Mohammed Gassid 10 December 1986 (aged 22) 11 0 Al-Zawraa 13 MF Karrar Jassim 11 June 1987 (aged 22) 22 1 Al-Wakra 14 DF Salam Shakir 31 July 1986 (aged 22) 11 0 Al-Khor 15 DF Ali Rehema 8 August 1985 (aged 23) 45 1 Al-Wakra 16 DF Dara Mohammed 16 July 1987 (aged 21) 1 0 Sulaymaniyah 17 FW Alaa Abdul-Zahra 22 December 1987 (aged 21) 10 1 Al-Khor 18 MF Mahdi Karim 10 December 1983 (aged 25) 64 10 Al-Khor 19 DF Essam Yassin 11 March 1987 (aged 22) 1 0 Al-Amana 20 MF Samer Saeed 1 December 1987 (aged 21) 7 0 Al-Ahly Tripoli 21 GK Uday Taleb 6 November 1981 (aged 27) 5 0 Dohuk 22 DF Muayad Khalid 1 September 1985 (aged 23) 3 0 Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya 23 MF Halgurd Mulla Mohammed 11 March 1988 (aged 21) 5 0 Sulaymaniyah

New Zealand Confederation Cup Squad

Head coach:  Ricki Herbert

No. Pos. Player DoB (Age) Caps Goals Club 1 GK Mark Paston 13 December 1976 (aged 32) 21 0 Wellington Phoenix 2 DF Aaron Scott 19 July 1986 (aged 22) 2 0 Waitakere United 3 DF Tony Lochhead 12 January 1982 (aged 27) 21 0 Wellington Phoenix 4 MF Duncan Oughton 14 June 1977 (aged 32) 25 2 Columbus Crew 5 DF Ben Sigmund 3 February 1981 (aged 28) 8 1 Wellington Phoenix 6 DF Ivan Vicelich 3 September 1976 (aged 32) 64 7 Auckland City 7 MF Simon Elliott 10 June 1974 (aged 35) 60 8 San Jose Earthquakes 8 MF Tim Brown (c) 6 March 1981 (aged 28) 20 0 Wellington Phoenix 9 FW Shane Smeltz 29 September 1981 (aged 27) 24 14 Gold Coast United 10 FW Chris Killen 8 October 1981 (aged 27) 28 15 Celtic 11 MF Leo Bertos 20 December 1981 (aged 27) 23 0 Wellington Phoenix 12 GK Glen Moss 19 January 1983 (aged 26) 10 0 Melbourne Victory 13 MF Andrew Barron 24 December 1980 (aged 28) 9 1 Team Wellington 14 MF Jeremy Christie 22 May 1983 (aged 26) 18 1 Wellington Phoenix 15 FW Jeremy Brockie 7 October 1987 (aged 21) 12 0 North Queensland Fury 16 MF Chris James 4 July 1987 (aged 21) 14 1 Tampere United 17 DF David Mulligan 24 March 1982 (aged 27) 24 3 Wellington Phoenix 18 DF Andrew Boyens 18 September 1983 (aged 25) 8 0 New York Red Bulls 19 DF Steven Old 17 February 1986 (aged 23) 21 1 Kilmarnock 20 FW Chris Wood 7 December 1991 (aged 17) 1 0 West Bromwich Albion 21 FW Kris Bright 15 September 1986 (aged 22) 2 1 Panserraikos 22 FW Jarrod Smith 20 June 1984 (aged 24) 14 0 Seattle Sounders 23 GK James Bannatyne 30 June 1975 (aged 33) 5 0 Team Wellington

South Africa Confederation Cup Squad

Head coach:  Joel Santana

No. Pos. Player DoB (Age) Caps Goals Club 1 GK Rowen Fernández 28 February 1978 (aged 31) 19 0 Arminia Bielefeld 2 DF Siboniso Gaxa 6 April 1984 (aged 25) 20 0 Mamelodi Sundowns 3 DF Tsepo Masilela 5 May 1985 (aged 24) 18 0 Maccabi Haifa 4 DF Aaron Mokoena (c) 25 November 1980 (aged 28) 85 1 Blackburn Rovers 5 MF Benson Mhlongo 9 November 1980 (aged 28) 27 1 Orlando Pirates 6 MF MacBeth Sibaya 25 November 1977 (aged 31) 48 0 Rubin Kazan 7 MF Lance Davids 11 April 1985 (aged 24) 16 0 Supersport United 8 MF Siphiwe Tshabalala 25 September 1984 (aged 24) 28 3 Kaizer Chiefs 9 FW Katlego Mphela 29 November 1984 (aged 24) 11 4 Mamelodi Sundowns 10 MF Steven Pienaar 17 March 1982 (aged 27) 39 2 Everton 11 MF Elrio van Heerden 11 July 1983 (aged 25) 27 3 Club Brugge 12 MF Teko Modise 22 December 1982 (aged 26) 33 9 Orlando Pirates 13 MF Kagiso Dikgacoi 24 November 1984 (aged 24) 19 2 Golden Arrows 14 DF Matthew Booth 14 March 1977 (aged 32) 20 1 Mamelodi Sundowns 15 DF Innocent Mdledle 12 November 1985 (aged 23) 5 0 Orlando Pirates 16 GK Itumeleng Khune 20 June 1987 (aged 21) 14 0 Kaizer Chiefs 17 MF Bernard Parker 16 March 1986 (aged 23) 13 5 Red Star Belgrade 18 FW Thembinkosi Fanteni 2 February 1984 (aged 25) 17 2 Maccabi Haifa 19 DF Bryce Moon 6 April 1986 (aged 23) 15 1 Panathinaikos 20 DF Bongani Khumalo 6 January 1987 (aged 22) 5 0 Supersport United 21 FW Katlego Mashego 18 May 1982 (aged 27) 9 1 Orlando Pirates 22 GK Brian Baloyi 16 March 1974 (aged 35) 24 0 Mamelodi Sundowns 23 DF Morgan Gould 23 March 1983 (aged 26) 2 0 Supersport United

Spain Confederation Cup Squad

Head coach:  Vicente del Bosque

No. Pos. Player DoB (Age) Caps Goals Club 1 GK Iker Casillas (c) 20 May 1981 (aged 28) 92 0 Real Madrid 2 DF Raúl Albiol 4 September 1985 (aged 23) 13 0 Valencia 3 DF Gerard Piqué 2 February 1987 (aged 22) 3 1 Barcelona 4 DF Carlos Marchena 31 July 1979 (aged 29) 51 2 Valencia 5 DF Carles Puyol 13 April 1978 (aged 31) 73 2 Barcelona 6 MF Pablo Hernández 11 April 1985 (aged 24) 0 0 Valencia 7 FW David Villa 3 December 1981 (aged 27) 44 28 Valencia 8 MF Xavi 25 January 1980 (aged 29) 72 8 Barcelona 9 FW Fernando Torres 20 March 1984 (aged 25) 62 19 Liverpool 10 MF Cesc Fàbregas 4 May 1987 (aged 22) 38 1 Arsenal 11 DF Joan Capdevila 3 February 1978 (aged 31) 33 4 Villarreal 12 MF Sergi Busquets 16 July 1988 (aged 20) 2 0 Barcelona 13 GK Diego López 3 November 1981 (aged 27) 0 0 Villarreal 14 MF Xabi Alonso 25 November 1981 (aged 27) 57 4 Liverpool 15 DF Sergio Ramos 30 March 1986 (aged 23) 49 4 Real Madrid 16 FW Fernando Llorente 26 February 1985 (aged 24) 3 1 Athletic Bilbao 17 FW Daniel Güiza 17 August 1980 (aged 28) 15 3 Fenerbahçe 18 MF Albert Riera 15 April 1982 (aged 27) 9 3 Liverpool 19 DF Álvaro Arbeloa 17 January 1983 (aged 26) 6 0 Liverpool 20 MF Santi Cazorla 13 December 1984 (aged 24) 16 1 Villarreal 21 MF David Silva 8 January 1986 (aged 23) 23 3 Valencia 22 MF Juan Manuel Mata 28 April 1988 (aged 21) 1 0 Valencia 23 GK José Manuel Reina 31 August 1982 (aged 26) 14 0 Liverpool

Group B

Brazil Confederation Cup Squad

Head coach:  Dunga

No. Pos. Player DoB (Age) Caps Goals Club 1 GK Júlio César 3 September 1979 (aged 29) 32 0 Internazionale 2 DF Maicon 26 July 1981 (aged 27) 44 4 Internazionale 3 DF Lúcio (c) 8 May 1978 (aged 31) 77 3 Bayern Munich 4 DF Juan 1 February 1979 (aged 30) 68 4 Roma 5 MF Felipe Melo 26 August 1983 (aged 25) 3 1 Fiorentina 6 DF Kléber 1 April 1980 (aged 29) 16 1 Internacional 7 MF Elano 14 June 1981 (aged 28) 30 6 Manchester City 8 MF Gilberto Silva 7 October 1976 (aged 32) 72 3 Panathinaikos 9 FW Luís Fabiano 8 November 1980 (aged 28) 26 16 Sevilla 10 MF Kaká 22 April 1982 (aged 27) 63 23 Milan 11 FW Robinho 25 January 1984 (aged 25) 63 17 Manchester City 12 GK Victor 21 January 1983 (aged 26) 0 0 Grêmio 13 DF Daniel Alves 6 May 1983 (aged 26) 21 1 Barcelona 14 DF Luisão 13 February 1982 (aged 27) 30 2 Benfica 15 DF Miranda 7 September 1984 (aged 24) 1 0 São Paulo 16 DF André Santos 8 March 1983 (aged 26) 0 0 Corinthians 17 MF Josué 19 July 1979 (aged 29) 23 1 Wolfsburg 18 MF Ramires 24 March 1987 (aged 22) 0 0 Cruzeiro 19 MF Júlio Baptista 1 October 1981 (aged 27) 39 4 Roma 20 MF Kléberson 19 June 1979 (aged 29) 29 2 Flamengo 21 FW Alexandre Pato 2 September 1989 (aged 19) 6 1 Milan 22 FW Nilmar 14 July 1984 (aged 24) 6 1 Internacional 23 GK Gomes 15 February 1981 (aged 28) 9 0 Tottenham Hotspur

Egypt Confederation Cup Squad

Head coach:  Hassan Shehata

No. Pos. Player DoB (Age) Caps Goals Club 1 GK Essam El-Hadary 15 January 1973 (aged 36) 88 0 FC Sion 2 DF Mahmoud Fathallah 13 February 1982 (aged 27) 20 0 El Zamalek 3 DF Ahmed Al-Muhammadi 9 September 1987 (aged 21) 23 0 ENPPI 4 DF Ahmed Said 13 March 1984 (aged 25) 2 0 Haras El Hodood 5 MF Ahmed Khairy 1 October 1987 (aged 21) 1 0 Ismaily 6 DF Hani Said 22 April 1980 (aged 29) 59 0 El Zamalek 7 DF Ahmed Fathy 10 November 1984 (aged 24) 53 2 Al-Ahly 8 MF Hosny Abd Rabo 1 November 1984 (aged 24) 56 8 Al-Ahli Dubai 9 FW Mohamed Zidan 11 December 1981 (aged 27) 21 4 Borussia Dortmund 10 MF Ahmed Eid Abdel Malek 15 May 1980 (aged 29) 21 4 Haras El Hodood 11 MF Mohamed Shawky 5 October 1984 (aged 24) 56 4 Middlesbrough 12 MF Mohamed Homos 1 January 1979 (aged 30) 15 0 Ismaily 13 MF Abdelaziz Tawfik 24 May 1986 (aged 23) 2 0 ENPPI 14 DF Sayed Moawad 25 May 1979 (aged 30) 35 2 Al-Ahly 15 DF Ahmed Samir Farag 20 May 1986 (aged 23) 6 0 Ismaily 16 GK Wahid 3 June 1977 (aged 32) 26 0 El Zamalek 17 MF Ahmed Hassan (c) 2 May 1975 (aged 34) 153 26 Al-Ahly 18 FW Ahmed Abdel-Ghani 1 December 1981 (aged 27) 4 1 Haras El Hodood 19 FW Amr Zaki 1 April 1983 (aged 26) 51 24 Wigan Athletic 20 DF Wael Gomaa 3 August 1975 (aged 33) 74 0 Al-Ahly 21 FW Raouf 15 September 1982 (aged 26) 3 0 ENPPI 22 MF Mohamed Aboutrika 7 November 1978 (aged 30) 56 20 Al-Ahly 23 GK Mohamed Sobhy 30 August 1981 (aged 27) 0 0 Ismaily

Italy Confederation Cup Squad

Head coach:  Marcello Lippi

No. Pos. Player DoB (Age) Caps Goals Club 1 GK Gianluigi Buffon 28 January 1978 (aged 31) 92 0 Juventus 2 DF Davide Santon 2 January 1991 (aged 18) 1 0 Internazionale 3 DF Fabio Grosso 28 November 1977 (aged 31) 42 3 Lyon 4 DF Giorgio Chiellini 14 August 1984 (aged 24) 18 1 Juventus 5 DF Fabio Cannavaro (c) 13 September 1973 (aged 35) 124 2 Real Madrid 6 DF Nicola Legrottaglie 20 October 1976 (aged 32) 12 1 Juventus 7 MF Simone Pepe 30 August 1983 (aged 25) 6 1 Udinese 8 MF Gennaro Gattuso 9 January 1978 (aged 31) 66 1 Milan 9 FW Luca Toni 26 May 1977 (aged 32) 43 16 Bayern Munich 10 MF Daniele De Rossi 24 July 1983 (aged 25) 45 7 Roma 11 FW Alberto Gilardino 5 July 1982 (aged 26) 31 10 Fiorentina 12 GK Morgan De Sanctis 26 March 1977 (aged 32) 3 0 Galatasaray 13 DF Alessandro Gamberini 27 August 1981 (aged 27) 5 0 Fiorentina 14 GK Marco Amelia 2 April 1982 (aged 27) 8 0 Palermo 15 FW Vincenzo Iaquinta 21 November 1979 (aged 29) 27 2 Juventus 16 MF Mauro Camoranesi 4 October 1976 (aged 32) 43 4 Juventus 17 FW Giuseppe Rossi 1 February 1987 (aged 22) 4 1 Villarreal 18 MF Angelo Palombo 25 September 1981 (aged 27) 9 0 Sampdoria 19 DF Gianluca Zambrotta 19 February 1977 (aged 32) 83 2 Milan 20 MF Riccardo Montolivo 18 January 1985 (aged 24) 5 0 Fiorentina 21 MF Andrea Pirlo 19 May 1979 (aged 30) 55 8 Milan 22 DF Andrea Dossena 11 September 1981 (aged 27) 8 0 Liverpool 23 FW Fabio Quagliarella 31 January 1983 (aged 26) 12 3 Udinese

United States Confederation Cup Squad

Head coach:  Bob Bradley

No. Pos. Player DoB (Age) Caps Goals Club 1 GK Tim Howard 6 March 1979 (aged 30) 39 0 Everton 2 DF Jonathan Bornstein 7 November 1984 (aged 24) 15 1 Chivas USA 3 DF Carlos Bocanegra (c) 25 May 1979 (aged 30) 67 11 Rennes 4 FW Conor Casey 25 July 1981 (aged 27) 10 0 Colorado Rapids 5 DF Oguchi Onyewu 13 May 1982 (aged 27) 42 5 Standard Liège 6 DF Heath Pearce 13 August 1984 (aged 24) 23 0 Hansa Rostock 7 MF DaMarcus Beasley 24 May 1982 (aged 27) 87 17 Rangers 8 MF Clint Dempsey 9 March 1983 (aged 26) 51 13 Fulham 9 FW Charlie Davies 23 June 1986 (aged 22) 6 1 Hammarby 10 FW Landon Donovan 4 March 1982 (aged 27) 110 39 Los Angeles Galaxy 11 DF Marvell Wynne 8 May 1986 (aged 23) 3 0 Toronto FC 12 MF Michael Bradley 31 July 1987 (aged 21) 29 5 Borussia Mönchengladbach 13 MF Ricardo Clark 10 February 1983 (aged 26) 19 1 Houston Dynamo 14 DF Danny Califf 17 March 1980 (aged 29) 23 1 Midtjylland 15 DF Jay DeMerit 4 December 1979 (aged 29) 10 0 Watford 16 MF Sacha Kljestan 9 September 1985 (aged 23) 17 3 Chivas USA 17 FW Jozy Altidore 6 November 1989 (aged 19) 11 6 Villarreal 18 GK Brad Guzan 9 September 1984 (aged 24) 12 0 Aston Villa 19 MF Freddy Adu 2 June 1989 (aged 20) 13 1 Monaco 20 MF José Torres 29 October 1987 (aged 21) 5 0 Pachuca 21 DF Jonathan Spector 1 March 1986 (aged 23) 13 0 West Ham United 22 MF Benny Feilhaber 19 January 1985 (aged 24) 17 2 AGF 23 GK Luis Robles 11 May 1984 (aged 25) 0 0 Kaiserslautern

Notes:

• Nashat Akram will join FC Twente after the tournament.
• Wellington Phoenix are a team from New Zealand, but play in Australian A-League.
• Aaron Mokoena will join Portsmouth after the tournament.
• Elrio van Heerden will join Blackburn Rovers after the tournament.
• Pablo Hernández was called up as a replacement for the injured Andrés Iniesta on 5 June 2009.
• Kaká will join Real Madrid after the tournament.
• Miranda and Kléberson were called up as replacements for the injured Alex and Anderson on 29 May 2009.
• Ramires will join Benfica after the tournament.
• Amr Zaki was on loan at Wigan Athletic from El Zamalek.
• Fabio Cannavaro will join Juventus after the tournament.
• Morgan De Sanctis was on loan at Galatasaray from Sevilla.
• Fabio Quagliarella will join Napoli after the tournament.
• Jozy Altidore was on loan to Xerez in the run up to the tournament.
• Freddy Adu was on loan at Monaco from Benfica.

Player representation

By club

Players	Clubs
7	Wellington Phoenix[2]
6	Liverpool,  Valencia
5	Al-Ahly,  Juventus,  Milan,  Barcelona,  Villarreal
4	Ismaily,  Fiorentina,  Mamelodi Sundowns,  Orlando Pirates

By club nationality

Players	Nations
24	Italy
21	Spain
19	England
18	Egypt
14	South Africa

* Nations in italics are not represented by their national teams in the tournament.

Source: Wikipedia.

More 2009 Confederations Cup News:

Watch the 2009 Confederations Cup Live
09 Confederations Cup on TV
2009 Confederations Cup Fixtures

Back to the main 2009 Confederations Cup page.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News