Tracker

David Villa and Andres Iniesta scored first-half goals as Spain beat 10-man Chile 2-1 on Friday,sending both teams into the round of 16 at the World Cup.

Spain,Chile advance

PRETORIA: David Villa and Andres Iniesta scored first-half goals as Spain beat 10-man Chile 2-1 on Friday,sending both teams into the round of 16 at the World Cup. Villa scored from 45 meters yards in the 24th minute at Loftus Versfeld Stadium. He ran on to a loose ball and curled a left-footed shot into an open goal after Chile goalkeeper Claudio Bravo had rushed out of the area to clear the ball. Davids goal was very important because it occurred at a time when it was very uncomfortable for us, Spain midfielder Andres Iniesta said. After the goal,we felt more comfortable on the pitch.

Campaign against hard tackles

CAPE TOWN: The head of FIFAs medical committee is happy to see an overall decrease in World Cup injuries and increase in fair play,but still cringes at those flying elbows and wild tackles that could easily snap a jaw or leg. Michel DHooghe says in an interview that he wants referees to get tougher as of the second round. He says that there were up to five tackles in the first round that could have resulted in broken legs. DHooghe also says that all doping tests were negative so far.

FIFA watching France fallout

JOHANNESBURG: FIFA is watching the fallout in France over the teams World Cup failure very closely and wont hesitate to suspend the 1998 champions if it discovers government interference. France President Nicolas Sarkozy met with Prime Minister Francois Fillon and Sports Minister Roselyne Bachelot to discuss ways to reform French football. FIFA statutes prohibit governments from interfering with the independence of FIFA members.Iraq was suspended for interference in 2008 and FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke,who is French,said Saturday that theres no reason to have a different approach for a European country.

Prospect of more empty seats

JOHANNESBURG: There could be more empty seats at another World Cup match. FIFA announced that 1,700 tickets were available for the United States and Ghana match at Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg late on Saturday. Filling the stadium in Port Elizabeth which has a capacity of 42,486 has been particularly problematic. Already there were 11,000 empty seats for the South Korea-Greece game; 5,000 empty seats for England-Slovenia; and 4,000 empty for Germany-Serbia.

Cameron,Merkel are fans

HUNTSVILLE: British Prime Minister David Cameron and his German counterpart Angela Merkel have more pressing issues than the global economy at Canadas G-20 summit 8211; theres a World Cup to be won. The pair are making plans to sneak away to watch their countries match in the Round of 16. Im desperate for us to win, Cameron said . I will try not to wrestle her to the ground during penalties,but we will have to see. Merkel was cautiously hopeful that her team would hold its nerve: Its a great challenge 8230; but I think we have a chance.

Six Dutch players on yellow

CAPE TOWN: More than half of the Netherlands first-choice players are carrying yellow cards 8211; a precarious situation if several pick up a second booking and the team advances to the World Cup quarterfinal after playing Slovakia.The six players are Robin van Persie,Rafael van der Vaart,Dirk Kuyt,Nigel de Jong and Gregory van der Wiel and captain Giovanni van Bronckhorst.