Slovenia 4 Qatar 1

The international friendly between Slovenia and Qatar in Maribor.

Slovenia thumped Qatar in their friendly in Maribor.

Striker Milivoje Novakovic scored the first goal in the 14th minute and strikes from Bostjan Cesar and Andraz Kirm made it 3-0 before Qatar replied through Montezine just before half-time.

Bojan Jokic scored the only goal in the second half after team mate Robert Koren had missed a penalty.

"We should have scored more goals but it is clear that a team plays differently in friendly matches than in the more important ones. For the World Cup I just hope all players will be healthy," Novakovic said.

Slovenia's opening Group C game in South Africa is against Algeria on June 13.

There only previous appearance in the finals came in 2002 in South Korea and Japan, when they lost all three of their matches.

England 3 Egypt 1

The international friendly between England and Egypt at Wembley Stadium, London on Wednesday March 3, 2010.

The children of Rameses threatened to embarrass the inheritors of Ramsey’s tradition until Fabio Capello’s half-time talking-to shook England up. A better tempo and the arrival of Peter Crouch, a proper target-man to work alongside Wayne Rooney, transformed this friendly.

After four weeks of negatives, Capello finally had a few positives to savour. John Terry looked more like his old self, Rooney and Steven Gerrard were typically purposeful while Capello’s second-half subs proved inspired.

Crouch, whose brace took his tally to 20 in 37 internationals, and Shaun Wright-Phillips struck as England responded to Capello’s exhortation to press higher up the pitch and attack more.

Bad memories remain of a first half dominated by Egypt, particularly through Mohamed Zidan, who scored a fine goal. Theo Walcott and Jermain Defoe failed their auditions while the 4-4-2 system did not seem to bring the best out of Gerrard. England remain a work in progress and they have only three hours of playing time, the May friendlies with Mexico and Japan, before the World Cup starts.

Expected to play 4-2-3-1 at the World Cup, Capello had assessed 4-4-2, a system that England struggled with until Crouch’s arrival for Defoe at the back. The first half had been largely an exercise in disappointment. Walcott had started well on the right, running on to Rooney’s clever pass and cutting the ball back to Frank Lampard, whose left-footed strike was straight at Essam El Hadary. For an international of Lampard’s calibre, for such a prolific raider from midfield, this was a badly wasted chance. But Walcott then faded, squandering the opportunity to shine in the absence of the injured Aaron Lennon.

Barring Rooney, Gerrard and Terry, few of Capello’s players shone in the opening period as England were swamped by the well-organised champions of Africa. Capello’s 4-4-2 approach required Gerrard to move inside from the left to assist against Egypt’s extra man.

England’s captain soon began roaming all over the midfield, scheming intelligently, at one point lifting a sublime pass through to Rooney, but his movement from his starting station inevitably meant Leighton Baines was exposed. Gareth Barry swiftly recognised the problem and sprinted wide to protect the Everton left-back. Baines endured an awkward opening, and little was seen of his attacking capabilities.

Unlike Egypt. The visitors always exuded confidence in their 3-5-2 system, always looked a threat when they broke at speed, particularly when the ball was in the clever sway of the electric Zidan. The Borussia Dortmund striker, whose movement totally bemused England, found the mark after 23 minutes, helped by the poor pitch which proved treacherous terrain for poor Matthew Upson.

Attempting to clear Hosny Abdrabou’s driven through-ball, the West Ham centre-half slipped. Suddenly, Zidan had the goal at his mercy. Such a good player was never going to spurn such an enticing opportunity. His first touch teed the ball up beautifully. With his second, Zidan elegantly placed his shot past Robert Green. Every touch, every piece of Zidan’s body language spoke of a player utterly confident in his ability and completely convinced that he would score.

The whole Egyptian team then dropped to their knees and kissed the turf, showing their faith and perhaps some thanks to the surface.

England needed some divine inspiration. Their system wasn’t working, particularly with Baines and the highly disappointing Wes Brown failing to give the team any width. Gerrard and Rooney combined well at times, making it all the more confusing that Capello did not consider starting them in tandem through the middle. Capello, though, is adamant that he will not field Rooney and Gerrard in their club positions.

Capello’s chosen attacking axis of Rooney and Defoe was a failure.

Capello’s use of Defoe was particularly perplexing. The Italian had said his preferred front-line would be “one big forward, one small forward’’. Rooney is 5ft 10 and Defoe 5ft 6in, neither a citizen of the land of the giants.

Typically decisive, Capello hooked Defoe at the break, introducing Crouch to such good effect.

Before then, though, Rooney begun to get frustrated, screaming at England’s defence, even having a worrying late tackle on an opponent. This was deeply disappointing fare from England, almost football from the dark ages of the Steve McClaren era as the first half faded to gray. They did create a few chances, Lampard shooting over and the excellent El Hadary saving from Defoe and Terry.

If there was one positive from the first half it was Terry settling after a nervy start, receiving a few jeers until he seemed to re-find his belief with a neat interception to steer the ball away from Zidan. His confidence growing as the section containing England’s most passionate support began singing his name, Terry enjoyed an assertive game.

England’s collective mood improved when Crouch made his mark, taking his 56th-minute chance expertly. Gerrard started the move, stroking the ball down the inside-right channel for Barry. The Manchester City midfielder’s first-time cross was perfectly judged, picking out Crouch, who swept the ball past El Hadary.

Terry continued to impress, covering across to dispossess Zidan and then blocking a drive from Ahmed Fathy. Terry almost lost possession after 72 minutes and was then truly alarmed by the substitute, Mohamed Nagy, who beat him for pace and then skill.

Moments later, the armband changed hands, Gerrard presenting it to Rooney as the Liverpool midfielder was replaced by Milner. The Villa player was immediately involved, bringing his zest and inventiveness to proceedings. Running down the inside-left corridor, Milner slipped the ball wide to Baines. At last in an advanced position, Baines whipped in a cross which was deflected out to Milner. Catching the ball beautifully, Milner despatched a fierce left-foot volley towards which El Hadary repelled with a punched clearance. Wright-Phillips chested the ball down and sent it serving back towards to El Hadary, who was beaten by its movement.

Capello’s subs were enjoying themselves, Wright-Phillips the poacher turning goalmaker with 10 minutes remaining. The City flier’s cross was met by Crouch, whose offside position went unnoticed by the Paraguayan referee.

Not one to turn down such largesse, Crouch fired the ball unerringly past El Hadary.

Holland 2 USA 1

The international friendly between Holland and USA at the Amsterdam ArenA on Wednesday March 3, 2010.

England have been handed a warning, written in lurid orange. When Fabio Capello finds the time to study the evidence of this match, he should be less concerned about the energetic pressing of USA than the effortless passing of Bert van Marwijk’s Holland, the team any coach still in South Africa for the World Cup’s latter stages will be hoping fervently to avoid.

Capello had dispatched one of his most trusted scouts, the former Chelsea striker Kenny Swain, to the Amsterdam Arena to scrutinise the American challenge that awaits England on June 12.

The report that lands on the Italian’s desk at Wembley should be an optimistic one. In 100 years the United States have never scored a competitive goal against the Dutch and looked unlikely to do so here.

In the defence of coach Bill Bradley, this was only a sketchy imitation of the team likely to be deployed against England at Rustenburg’s Royal Bafokeng Stadium.

Landon Donovan, savouring a fruitful loan spell at Everton, not to mention Hull striker Jozy Altidore, might be cast-iron choices, but Bolton winger Stuart Holden is as yet a more peripheral presence.

This did not temper the significance of Holden’s exit after barely half an hour, the result of a careless challenge by Nigel de Jong. The 25 year-old, a January acquisition for Bolton from Houston Dynamo, disappeared down the tunnel with an ice-pack strapped to his ankle: a sight to haunt Bradley when he was already covering for an injury to Clint Dempsey, still out with ligament damage, in the same position.

There was a sense, though, that even an American team of full strength would have struggled to contain Holland, who sustained a perfect record in qualifying to elevate themselves to third in the world rankings.

Among the hosts’ latest exponents of ‘total football’, Wesley Sneijder, assuming the same role with which Jose Mourinho entrusts him at Inter Milan, had total control as the connection between midfield and attack, his pace proving an acute headache for the Americans’ inexperienced central midfield pairing of Jose Torres and Michael Bradley.

The only way to impede him was to chop agriculturally at his ankles or tug his jersey, both of which Jonathan Bornstein made the mistake of doing inside the penalty area six minutes before half-time.

Dirk Kuyt, who had been denied a clear sight on goal as the lone striker, buried the ensuing spot-kick with relish, wrong-footing Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard.

The hapless Bornstein was fortunate not to concede another penalty moments later when he appeared to handle Sneijder’s cross.

The shake-up that the Dutch engineered in the second half reflected the depth of their squad. Any team that could afford to leave a forward of the calibre of Klaas-Jan Huntelaar on the bench is one with serious World Cup credentials.

To think, they also had Robin van Persie, whom Arsenal have said will be back for the final six games of the Premier League season, out as well.

Ultimately, they could no resist deploying the talent of Huntelaar and the Milan striker’s impact was instant. Seizing upon a fine pass from fellow substitute Rafael van der Vaart, he contrived a powerful long-range shot that took a fortunate deflection beyond the reach of Howard.

The Americans, to their credit, refused to relent and were rewarded by the late influence of DaMarcus Beasley, whose inswinging free kick was turned in by captain Carlos Bocanegra.

The scoreline was fairer on Bradley’s team who had looked naive in some of their defending but remained a formidable threat from set-pieces.

Scotland 1 Czech Republic 0

The international friendly between Scotland and Czech Republic at Hampden Park, Glasgow on Wednesday March 3, 2010.

From a dour, drab and alarming start Craig Levein embarked upon his career as Scotland manager with a win over the Czech Republic that ended 14 years of famine in friendlies at Hampden Park. The goal that settled this close-fought contest was freighted with significance because it was the first time the Scots had found the net in all of 340 minutes.

Indeed it took a reflex save from Jaroslav Drobny to stop Steven Whittaker from doubling the margin on an evening when Scotland gained a much-needed measure of respectability after the traumas and embarrassments of the last two years.

Levein’s stated priority was to make Scotland hard to beat but for the opening half hour his cautious 4-5-1 formation was unable to emerge from its cocoon, prompting the Tartan Army to begin to growl impatience. To be fair, the fans had witnessed a tidy, efficient and technically adept Czech side play to their strengths, pouncing on almost every Scottish mistake and coming close to taking the lead when a Tomas Rosicky corner kick had to be cleared off the line by Graham Dorrans.

The Scots had nothing as menacing to offer until the verge of the interval when Tomas Sivok handled just outside the Czech box to conceded a free-kick which Barry Robson struck with power around the defensive wall to force Drobny into his first big save of the night. Significantly that attempt was delivered by Robson’s left foot, an asset he had been unable to deploy to much effect because he was stationed on the right flank, while Dorrans was having a similar difficulty on the other side.

The upshot was that Scotland lacked width, which in turn meant little in the way of crosses – Dorrans forced the Scots’ first corner kick after all of 33 minutes, by which time the Czechs were ahead 6-0 on goal attempts and 1-0 on efforts on target. That moment of alarm had been self-inflicted when the Scottish captain, Darren Fletcher, played a wayward pass deep into his own half, a moment of profligacy that allowed Vaclas Sverkos to stride through the inside-left channel to strike a shot that was goalbound until Craig Gordon extended an arm to block.

It would not be the only time in the evening that Gordon’s fine reflexes kept his side from falling behind when all else had been found wanting. Constricted by their narrow line of advance and also looking tentative – this was, after all Scotland’s first outing since they acted as crash dummies for Wales in Cardiff in November – Levein’s players were all but unable to get anywhere near the Czech box except in brief flurries towards the end of the first 45 minutes.

Despite the encouragement generated by Robson’s setpiece effort, Scotland were on the back foot from the restart and when the restless Rosicky passed into the path of Sverkos, the Sochaux forward cracked a first-time effort that was dropping underneath the crossbar until Gordon produced another of his vital interceptions to tip the ball over the top.

Levein had replaced Thomson with Hartley at the break and, with the Bristol City midfield player sitting deep in his accustomed insurance role, Fletcher and Brown were able to step forward and begin to ask questions of the direct opponents. It took time to generate, but Scotland began to gain a momentum that had eluded them and one sign of that was the foul by Sivok on Brown that brought the Besiktas man a caution.

A remarkable metamorphosis was suddenly achieved when the Scots assembled their best move of the match, Dorrans unbalancing the Czech defence with a beautiful reverse pass from which released Lee Wallace for a cross headed back across the box by Robson. Brown had tracked the move through midfield and was completely unchecked when he drove home from 10 yards.

The goal was the equivalent of an adrenalin shot straight into Scotland’s heart. The Czechs remained dangerous but now 50-50 tackles were falling in Scotland’s favour and the game had stretched to their benefit.

Kenny Miller, who had endured a thankless evening – not for the first time in a dark blue jersey – was replaced by Kris Boyd and, for all the doubts about how well the Rangers forward would be received by the Tartan Army, he arrived when the euphoria was still abundant and came close to rewarding the fans for their indulgence with a venomous drive that was blocked six yards out.

He even had the ball in the net two minutes from time to raucous cheers, but the referee had blown for a prior infringement. Still, his rehabilitation was accomplished in a productive evening that ended a hoodoo and made the sort of beginning that bodes well for Levein.

Wales 0 Sweden 1

The international friendly between Wales and Sweden at the Liberty Stadium, Swansea on Wednesday March 3, 2010.

Bolton striker Johan Elmander stunned Wales with a brilliant winner for Sweden in Wednesday night's international friendly in Swansea.

Elmander, who has scored just twice in the Premier League this season, showed quality rarely seen at the Reebok Stadium with a fine strike on the stroke of half-time.

Ola Toivonen had earlier had a header ruled out for offside but a youthful Wales side battled hard in the second half and substitute Robert Earnshaw twice went close.

Wales, without the dynamism of Craig Bellamy and the creativity of the injured Aaron Ramsey, among others, lacked sparkle early on but their overall efforts offered encouragement for the Euro 2012 qualifiers next season.

Tottenham's Gareth Bale was particularly impressive after the break and with more players available, John Toshack's side could make a mark in a group that includes England.

Sweden may be going through their own transitional phase after failing to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1998, but they still boasted plenty of know-how.

Former Aston Villa captain Olof Mellberg was winning his 100th cap while skipper Anders Svensson, once of Southampton, and Birmingham's Sebastian Larsson added substance.

Then there was Elmander, widely regarded as a £10 million flop since being signed by former Bolton manager Gary Megson in 2008, showing the class that justified his fee for almost an hour.

Yet the match had a low-key feel to it with empty stands at either end, a crowd of just 8,258 and a subdued atmosphere.

In-form Hull goalkeeper Boaz Myhill was handed the No 1 jersey but then replaced by Wolves' Wayne Hennessey at half-time.

Toshack's controversial decision to omit Bellamy again saw youngsters Simon Church and Ched Evans paired together up front while Jack Collison played the advanced role normally filled by Ramsey. Fulham's Simon Davies won his first cap for almost a year.

Wales shaded the early possession but created little of note aside from a run by Church to the byline which resulted in a cross being easily claimed by goalkeeper Eddie Gustafsson.

It was 15 minutes before their first chance of note as Collison cut inside to create a shooting opportunity inside the box but his drive was deflected for a corner.

Captain James Collins got his head to the resulting set-piece but his effort was beaten away by Gustafsson.

After that Sweden began to get on top and Wales had a let-off midway through the first half as Elmander held the ball up and found former Wanderers player Christian Wilhelmsson out wide.

Wilhelmsson picked out Toivonen with his cross but the PSV Eindhoven striker's header was ruled out for offside - much to his surprise, having started celebrating the goal.

Sweden went close again after winning a free kick 25 yards out 10 minutes before the break but Birmingham's Sebastian Larsson curled narrowly wide.

Collison tried his luck again from distance but shot well over and Sweden finished the first half strongly.

Elmander broke clear and forced a good low save from Myhill.

He then did even better from the resulting corner, controlling a bouncing ball with his chest and then firing sweetly past Myhill.

Toshack brought on Nottingham Forest's Earnshaw for Evans. Earnshaw was straight into the action and attempted to curl a shot into the bottom corner but his effort took a deflection and Collison was unable to turn it in.

Wales then enjoyed a good spell with Bale growing in influence on the left and getting forward at every opportunity.

Earnshaw also appeared to enliven the attack and brought a good save from Gustafsson on the hour.

Sweden struggled to clear a corner and Earnshaw struck a powerful left-foot shot amid the goalmouth scramble but Gustafsson showed great agility to palm away.

As is usual in friendlies, the changes then began to come thick and fast with Sam Vokes, David Cotterill, Lewin Nyatanga and Andrew Crofts all introduced. Bale and Collison were among those to make way.

Sweden came back late on, with Larsson stabbing an effort wide from distance and Tobias Hysen, son of former Liverpool defender Glenn Hysen, forcing Hennessey to save at full stretch from a Viktor Elm cross.

Elm then saw another long-range effort take a deflection and loop over the defence but Hennessey touched over the bar.

Oscar Wendt had a shot deflected narrowly wide for a corner and Elm's next effort was also blocked but Sweden had done enough.

France 0 Spain 2

The international friendly between France and Spain at the Stade de France, Paris on Wednesday March 3, 2010.

Spain gave further proof of why they are one of the favourites for World Cup glory this summer after seeing off France in Paris to continue their phenomenal run of form.

The euro 2008 winners deservedly clinched their first win over their northern neighbours on French soil since 1968 thanks to first-half goals from David Villa and Sergio Ramos.

Tonight's friendly victory also means Spain have now won 42 – including two after extra-time – of their last 45 fixtures, with their only defeat coming against the United States at last summer's Confederations Cup.

There was little to separate the two European giants in the early stages, but Spain soon started to stamp their authority on the contest.

The visitors created the first opportunity of the match in the 18th minute when Sergio Busquets' downward header from Xabi Alonso's free kick went just wide, while poor control from Villa soon after saw another promising opening go to waste.

Villa would get a second chance 60 seconds later though, and this time he was not so profligate.

Andres Iniesta's attempted pass to David Silva was missed by the Valencia man but, having also beaten Julien Escude, it ended up being perfect for Villa, who raced onto the ball and coolly finished past Hugo Lloris.

That was Villa's 36th goal in his just 55th match for Spain, and edged him ever-closer to Raul's national record of 44 goals, which were made in 102 appearances.

Spain were looking good value for their lead as the first half progressed, with Vicente Del Bosque's men stroking the ball around well and keeping their hosts' all-star attack at bay.

And the Iberian nation furthered strengthened their position right on the stroke of half-time when they doubled their lead.

France looked to have cleared the danger from one Spain attack, but Yoann Gourcuff was caught in possession by Xabi Alonso 30 yards out, and the Real Madrid man chipped the ball out to club-mate Ramos on the right side of the area.

The right-back then cut inside before unleashing a left-footed shot that took a significant deflection off Escude before nestling in the far side of the net.

Under-pressure France coach Raymond Domenech would have been far from happy with the situation at half-time, especially with jeers raining down from the stands at the Stade de France pitch as teams left the pitch.

However, he would have been pleased with the reaction of his side after the break as Les Bleus finally gave Iker Casillas something to think about.

The Spain captain, who joined Real Madrid team-mate Raul on 102 caps tonight – with only former goalkeeper Andoni Zubizarreta (126) in front of them, had a quiet first half but he was called into action to save from Nicolas Anelka and Thierry Henry, albeit with both shots being straight at him.

France struggled to build on that promising start to the half and neither side were able to get the upper hand for the next half-hour, although Spain substitute Fernando Torres brought a flying save out of Lloris.

The home side came agonisingly close to pulling a goal back in the 79th minute, however, when Djibril Cisse's cross from the right was headed against the post by his fellow replacement Florent Malouda with Casillas struggling.

Jesus Navas had a late chance to add a third for Spain after Patrice Evra had missed the ball, but the Seville winger pulled his shot wide of the far post as the game finished 2-0 to the visitors.

Germany 0 Argentina 1

The international friendly between Germany and Argentina at the Allianz Arena, Munich on Wednesday March 3, 2010.

Written off by all, derided by most, Argentina will travel to South Africa this summer as the ultimate one-man team. That man, though, is not Lionel Messi, or Carlos Tevez, or Gonzalo Higuain, whose goal ended Germany’s year-long unbeaten streak.

The 11 players on the pitch, no matter how lofty their reputations or how divine their talent, are just a sideshow to Diego Armando Maradona.

The man who has lived his entire life in the spotlight is a chronic scene-stealer to this day. He was the star of the pre-match video montage, his appearance generated the loudest cheer as his team left their team hotel on Wednesday afternoon. Maradona is Argentina, their blessing and their curse.

That Argentina, under Maradona, are adrift in a welter of unrest and uncertainty, torn apart by a rift between manager and the technical director, Carlos Bilardo, has become a truism. They have scarcely been mentioned as contenders for South Africa, a side ordinarily regarded as the most intimidating of opponents reduced to the status of circus.

Such a damning assessment, on this evidence, may be somewhat prejudicial.

After trying out 104 players and more tactical systems than previously existed in the process of securing qualification - narrowly, to say the least - for the World Cup, Maradona, by hook or by crook, appears to have hit upon a combination that works.

His formation is, nominally, a 4-4-1-1, but it allows almost total fluidity in wide and attacking areas. His defence is, as should be expected from Argentina, is uncompromising, bordering on the brutal.

Traditionalists in the barrios of Buenos Aires may not be pleased by the abolition of the double defensive midfield pivot and the traditional schemer, the number 10, but what could easily be seen as wilful iconoclasm is not without merit.

Maradona’s system allows Messi to roam, as he does for Barcelona, and also permit’s the inclusion of the wondrously gifted Di Maria. It was the Benfica winger, the most coveted player in Europe, who broke the ebb and flow of an absorbing opening period with two flashes of inspiration of which Maradona himself would have been proud.

First, Di Maria spun free of his marker to receive a pass from Juan Sebastian Veron, a few days shy of his 35th birthday and still an incomparable master of the angled ball, skimmed two challenges, skirted Jerome Boateng and cracked a left-footed shot against Rene Adler’s crossbar.

A moment later, the winger’s first-time pass caught the lumbering Per Mertesacker flat-footed, Higuain chased, clipped the ball around the onrushing Adler and tapped home, just, from 35 yards.

He is not the only one among Maradona’s charges who possesses a glimmer of the craft that forged his legend. Messi may have again, in national colours, been quiet - perhaps the main concern for all those of an albiceleste persuasion - but in Veron, now surely too old to be known as a little witch, the magic remains undimmed.

Now at Estudiantes de la Plata, his first love, after his sojourn in Europe ended in anonymity, Veron is a player reborn. He scarcely misplaced a pass all evening and, a nod to his younger, more impetuous self, attempted to lob Adler from all of 40 yards, his shot dropping agonisingly wide.

Argentina, though, did not need a second, as their hosts struggled to create meaningful chances. All that was left was the sound of “Ole” ringing around the Allianz Arena’s vast dome, Maradona, effervescent on the bench, exulting in the sound. Never write off the ringmaster.

Albania 1 Northern Ireland 0

he international friendly between Albania and Northern Ireland at the Qemal Stafa Stadium, Tirana on Wednesday March 3, 2010.

Motherwell defender Stephen Craigan should have been celebrating his first goals for Northern Ireland in his 46th international appearance.

Instead his luck was out in this friendly as he saw both efforts come back off the woodwork in the second half as his side chased the game against Albania.

A makeshift Northern Ireland side improved in this period but were unable to get the equaliser after Ervin Skela's superb goal for the hosts in the 25th minute.

It means there was no end to a dreadful away record which has seen them record only three victories in 22 matches.

Northern Ireland were given a chasing in the first half and were lucky to be only a goal down.

The pitch at the Qemal Stafa Stadium was muddy and rutted after heavy recent rain - hardly conducive to good football.

Birmingham goalkeeper Maik Taylor got a taste of what was to come when was called into action after two minutes. He dealt comfortably with a shot from Erjon Bogdani.

Albania were playing with confidence and Ansi Agolli saw his effort clear the bar in the 12th minute.

Five minutes later Northern Ireland again found themselves on the back foot, only for Klodian Duro to put too much height on his shot.

This was a difficult spell for the visitors and Taylor showed good reflexes to turn over a superb free-kick from Skela in the 21st minute.

A minute later Northern Ireland responded with a quick counter attack and Little got on the end of a Grant McCann cross but no-one reacted to his cushioned header.

Albania opened the scoring in the 25th minute when Skela sent a magnificent free-kick past Taylor after McCartney had been hauled back for a challenge on Bogdani.

A number of Northern Ireland players looked frustrated, especially Kyle Lafferty, who was booked for dissent. The Rangers striker is no stranger to controversy either and went into the match on the back of criticism for his behaviour in the Old Firm game on Sunday.

He was involved in an incident that saw Scott Brown red-carded and many pundits thought he should have been punished as well.

O'Connor also picked up a yellow card and the 80 Northern Ireland supporters who made the trip were having little to cheer about. Albania were well in control and Agolli dragged a shot wide in the 42nd minute with the defence all at sea.

Worthington made two changes at the break, bringing on Dean Shiels and Corry Evans for Niall McGinn and O'Connor. Evans was drafted into the squad after his brother Jonny pulled out and returned to Manchester United with a knee problem.

Albania were looking comfortable and Agolli cleared the bar with his effort from the edge of the area. However Northern Ireland almost drew level in the 61st minute when Grant McCann floated in a corner. Craigan got clear of his marker and powered in a header only to see it come back off the bar.

Lafferty came off a minute later and was replaced by Coleraine's Rory Patterson, making his debut. Taylor did well to stop a header from substitute Lorik Cana before coming off in the 71st minute. Jonny Tuffey was given a run-out and Craigan took the armband from Taylor.

Craigan was again cursing his luck in the 74th minute when his shot struck the post. Patterson latched on to the rebound but saw it blocked by goalkeeper Isli Hidi and Albania went on to seal the victory.

Italy 0-0 Cameroon

Italy coach Marcello Lippi's experimental line-up failed to deliver as the Azzurri were held to a goalless draw by Cameroon.

Lippi used the friendly in Monte Carlo to try out some of his fringe players and despite his team dominating the encounter, they were unable to find the finishing touch.

Both sides will went into the match on the back of first-place finishes in their World Cup qualifying groups.

Azzurri tactician Lippi, who led Italy to victory in the 2006 World Cup, tested a 3-4-3 formation with AC Milan striker Marco Borriello returning to the squad for the first time in almost two years.

Borriello formed the Azzurri's attacking line alongside debutant Andrea Cossu and Antonio Di Natale as Lippi used the game to evaluate several candidates to complete his World Cup squad.

Cagliari goalkeeper Federico Marchetti replaced injured Gianluigi Buffon in goal and was never tested by Paul Le Guen's side.

The Italians had the first scoring opportunity early on when Di Natale latched onto Andrea Pirlo's free-kick and his header went over the bar.

Italy thought they had taken the lead when Giorgio Chiellini fired past Cameroon goalkeeper Hamidou Souleymanou but the goal was ruled out for offside.

Cameroon had their first chance midway through the first half but Georges Mandjeck struck the ball poorly from a good position.

At the other end, debutant Cossu fed Di Natale and his left-footed diagonal strike went wide.

The Azzurri continued to press forward and their efforts were almost rewarded shortly after the half-hour mark.

Cossu served Di Natale and the Serie A top scorer's strike from the edge of the area was met by a fine clearance from Hamidou.

Lippi made three substitutions after the restart, including Giampaolo Pazzini replacing Borriello.

Pazzini got to work immediately and passed to Di Natale inside the area.

His powerful strike was cleared by Hamidou.

Shortly before the hour mark, Di Natale wasted a good chance with his effort from substitute Claudio Marchisio's assist going way off target.

At the other end, Mandjeck's dangerous cross proved an easy catch for Marchetti.

In the 70th minute, debutant Leonardo Bonucci should have broken the deadlock.

Cameroon's defence failed to clear a corner but Bonucci could not tap the ball in.

With 10 minutes remaining, Marchetti came off his line to anticipate Achille Webo as he was ready to score from a fast counter-attack.

With seconds remaining, substitute Gennaro Gattuso made a crucial tackle on Samuel Eto'o, with the Inter Milan forward ready to knock in the winner.

Italy did not win, but Lippi was not downhearted.

"It has been a useful game and this is what counts," said Lippi.

"Bonucci and Cossu were making their debuts. They did very well, and this is important.

"I reiterate that it was a useful game.

"Did we struggle in attack? Well, let's not forget that we have seven top-level players missing tonight."

Ivory Coast 0-2 South Korea

Lee Dong-gook's fine volley set South Korea on their way to victory over managerless Ivory Coast in an international friendly at Loftus Road.

The Asian side are ranked 31 places below the Africans in the latest FIFA rankings but were lively throughout and deserved the win which was sealed by Kwak Tae-hwi's late header.

Didier Drogba came close on several occasions for Ivory Coast whose attentions will now turn to securing the temporary services of Guus Hiddink.

The Elephants were being coached by Kouadio Georges after the sacking of Vahid Halihodzic last month and he handed starts to Chelsea striker Drogba, Arsenal defender Emmanuel Eboue and Portsmouth forward Aruna Dindane.

South Korea were captained by Manchester United winger Park Ji-sung and he was joined in the starting line-up by Bolton forward Lee Chung-yong and Celtic midfielder Ki Sung-yong.

Both sides were hoping to learn something ahead of this summer's World Cup finals, with South Korea due to come up against fellow Africans Nigeria and Ivory Coast drawn in the same group as North Korea.

The Ivorians are also due to play Brazil and Portugal and could be managed by former Chelsea and South Korea boss Hiddink who has been linked with the vacancy.

If Hiddink does make Ivory Coast his fourth different charges in the last four World Cups he will have to insert a clinical streak into their play as despite dominating possession throughout they rarely threatened the Korean goal.

Hiddink took Korea to the last four in 2002 and the present side showed enough to suggest they could cause an upset or two themselves this summer.

Korea were backed by some fanatical support who made a racket throughout and they went ahead in the fourth minute.

A free-kick from Cha Du-ri on the right wing was not headed clear by Cheik Tiote and the ball dropped invitingly for Lee Dong-gook at the far post.

The Joenbuk Hyundai forward still had work to do but demonstrated fabulous technique as he allowed the ball to drop before volleying it powerfully into the top corner past a helpless Boubacar Barry.

The Elephants were quick to respond however and bossed the next 20 minutes.

Drogba hit a free-kick tamely into the wall before Dindane nearly wriggled free inside the area only to be denied by a fine covering tackle.

Bakari Kone was showing nice touches in the middle and a goal looked certain to come for the Africans but it was Korea who came close to a second in the 26th minute.

Park burst clear down the left of the area and picked out Lee Dong-gook in the middle but his shot was smothered by an excellent block from Souleman Bamba.

Barry had to be at full stretch to claw out a cross as the Koreans counter-attacked well at the start of the second half before Park came within inches of a second on the hour mark.

Substitute Ahn Jung Hwan and Ki Sung-yong combined well as they stretched the Ivorian defence to play in Park on the left and the United man saw his curler drift a yard wide of the far post with Barry beaten.

Both sides made changes as the friendly petered out before Kwak headed in Kim Jae-sung's free-kick in stoppage time.

Republic of Ireland 0 Brazil 2

The international friendly match between the Republic of Ireland and Brazil at the Emirates Stadium, London on Tuesday March 2, 2010.

Robinho marked his return to England with a stunning goal as Brazil defeated Republic of Ireland, but the World Cup 2010 favourites did little to strike fear into the watching Fabio Capello at the Emirates.

Manchester City forward Robinho, currently on loan at Santos after failing to impress at Eastlands this season, created Brazil’s first and scored their second in a hard-fought victory against the Irish.

Despite his goal, Robinho also highlighted his frailties by spurning a series of chances.

And Capello, whose England team cannot face Brazil until the semi-final stages in South Africa, will have left the Emirates believing that the South Americans are anything but invincible.

For all the kudos that comes with facing the five-time World Cup winners, Ireland would much rather be playing the Brazilians in Nelspruit in June than in north London in February.

But the left arm of Thierry Henry has ensured that the Irish will not be in South Africa this summer, so this glamour fixture is pretty much as good as it is going to get for Giovanni Trapattoni’s team.

A Dublin friendly against Algeria in May will give Ireland a first-hand look at England’s Group C opponents, but it will be no substitute for the real thing.

The priority now for Trapattoni is to prepare his squad for the Euro 2012 qualification campaign, when Ireland will have to overcome Russia and Slovakia if they are to play in their first major tournament since the 2002 World Cup.

The fact that veterans of that World Cup campaign, such as Shay Given, Kevin Kilbane, Robbie Keane and Damien Duff, started this fixture emphasised that the Italian will be relying on the same old faces in the Euro qualifiers.

But they showed in the early stages against the Brazilians that they retain the ability to trouble more celebrated opponents.

Ireland were certainly not overawed by the World Cup favourites, with Keane and Paul McShane testing goalkeeper Julio Cesar.

Brazil, in contrast, flattered to deceive, but in Robinho and Adriano they possess perhaps two of the most over-rated forwards in world football. Little wonder that Dunga’s team continues to rely heavily on Kaka.

Robinho, now attempted to resurrect his career in Brazil with Santos after fading from the scene at Manchester City, can at least claim an assist on Brazil’s opening goal, however.

Having sprung the offside trap to latch onto Maicon’s 44th minute pass, the £32.5m forward crossed into the penalty area, only to see Ireland midfielder Keith Andrews divert the ball into his own net with his attempted clearance.

Despite handing them the lead, Brazil showed little charity to Andrews.

Early in the second-half, the usually placid Kaka became embroiled in a shoving match with the Blackburn midfielder, who he perceived to be operating rough-house tactics to stem his creative flow. Andrews was doing nothing of the sort. His tenacity was merely frustrating Real Madrid’s £56m signing, who was not having one of his better nights.

Maybe Ireland were taking out their lingering World Cup frustrations on Brazil. They certainly did enough to suggest that they would have merited a place in South Africa and, on this evidence, the leading nations will be relieved that they will not have to overcome the obdurate Irish this summer.

As the missed chances began to stack up, with Kaka, Robinho and Adriano all guilty of spurning opportunities, Ireland appeared destined to escape with a one-goal defeat.

But Brazil took advantage of tiring Irish legs in the closing, with Robinho rounding off a slick three-man move with Kaka and Grafite to double their lead on 76 minutes.

Italy vs Cameroon Preview

Italy coach Marcello Lippi admits his squad is below full strength but believes the Azzurri can still test Cameroon.

Both sides head into the encounter at the Stade Louis II on the back of first-place finishes in their World Cup qualifying groups.

The world champions are without injured Gianluigi Buffon, Fabio Grosso, Gianluca Zambrotta, Vincenzo Iaquinta and Gaetano D'Agostino, but Lippi is looking at the positives.

"Cameroon is a strong rival," he said. "We could face them in the last 16 of the World Cup.

"But we go into this game wearing a mask, like in a carnival, because we have so many players absent through injury.

"But I am not worried, I will have time for that later on.

"For the time being my consolation is that those that are absent will have more energy to give in South Africa."

Tomorrow's match - Italy's first of three friendlies before the World Cup finals - will be an opportunity for Lippi to evaluate several other candidates to complete his squad for this summer's tournament.

"We are going to try different formations and new players," said Lippi.

"Tomorrow's game is important because it is against a good team and it could be the last opportunity to try some new things.

"I must allow the new players to play in order to evaluate them."

One of those players is Bari's Leonardo Bonucci, who will make his debut for the world champions tomorrow.

Bonucci will play from the start alongside Fabio Cannavaro and Giorgio Chiellini in defence.

Andrea Pirlo, Daniele De Rossi, Cristian Maggio and Domenico Criscito will line up in midfield.

AC Milan's Marco Borriello, who returns to the national team after almost a two-year absence, will partner Serie A's top scorer Antonio Di Natale and debutant Andrea Cossu of Cagliari up front.

"I want to see new things," said Lippi. "There isn't much difference between a three-man defence and a four-man defence.

"Many teams change tactics during a game and we can also do that."

Cameroon coach Paul Le Guen has dropped former captain Rigobert Song and experienced midfielder Geremi from his squad for the game.

The Indomitable Lions reached the quarter-finals of the African Nations Cup earlier this year but, after a 3-1 defeat to eventual winners Egypt, Le Guen said some of his players had underachieved at the tournament in Angola.

Le Guen has recalled Tottenham defenders Benoit Assou-Ekotto and Sebastien Bassong, both of whom missed the African Nations Cup.

Inter Milan striker Samuel Eto'o is expected to lead Cameroon's attack against the Azzurri.

Germany vs Argentina Preview

Germany coach Joachim Low talked up the importance of captain Michael Ballack ahead of the friendly against Argentina.

Ballack's role in the team has come under scrutiny in recent months but Low is adamant the Chelsea midfielder is key to his plans ahead of this summer's World Cup finals in South Africa.

"Michael is an unbelievably important player who leads the younger players," he said at today's press conference.

"His presence in the squad is of huge importance."

Ballack will have to be at his best tomorrow against an Argentina side which is likely to contain the likes of Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano and Barcelona forward Lionel Messi.

He may be joined in the centre of midfield by his former Bayern Munich team-mate Bastian Schweinsteiger, although Low was not giving too much away this lunchtime.

"It is possible. Argentina are very dangerous through the middle and a partnership between Michael and Bastian could work very well," he said.

If Schweinsteiger is moved inside it could create an opportunity down the right for Toni Kroos or Thomas Muller, two youngsters who have made a big impression in the Bundesliga this season for Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern respectively.

"When Bastian plays in the middle, we need an alternative down the right and both (Kroos and Muller) play in that position," said Low.

"To bring in youngsters against such an opponent may be a risk but it's one I am willing to take."

Low admits the clash with the South Americans will be a useful indicator to gauge their progress as they continue their build-up to South Africa.

"It is an important test for us," he added.

"Argentina have outstanding individuals. We must not make many mistakes."

Low expects an attacking approach from a team coached by former World Cup-winning captain Diego Maradona.

"As a player he was a genius, marked by creativity and offensive brilliance," he added.

"The Argentinians play attacking football and that philosophy certainly stems from the coach."

Irrespective of the result at the Allianz Arena, Low is adamant his side's plans are right on track.

"We are on target," he said. "We have developed tactically and we have many young players in the squad."

Maradona himself said little at yesterday's Argentina press conference as his uneasy relationship with the country's press showed little sign of improving.

He did admit: "Germany wants to win, we want to win.

"It should be a spectacular game. We must have respect from Germany, my team fights until the last minute."

Messi is likely to start in Munich with in-form Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain playing a lone attacking role.

France vs Spain Preview

Spain striker Alvaro Negredo will hope to further his claims for a World Cup berth when the Iberian nation take on France.

Barring injuries, the majority of Vicente del Bosque's travelling party for South Africa will pick itself and will feature the bulk of the squad that led Spain to Euro 2008 glory.

One of the few spots that appears to still be up for grabs is that of back-up striker to first-choice duo David Villa and Fernando Torres, and their fellow European champion Dani Guiza.

A number of forwards will still be hoping to fill that berth, including Athletic Bilbao's Fernando Llorente and Roberto Soldado of Getafe, but the man in possession at the minute is Negredo, who only made his international debut last year.

The 24-year-old forward has had a mixed time of it lately for Sevilla, netting his first Champions League goal in last week's 1-1 draw at CSKA Moscow but also being sent off twice in his last three league games as well as scoring an own goal.

Despite that, Negredo retained his place in Del Bosque's squad and he is hoping he can impress enough both for Spain and Sevilla over the coming months to ensure he is on the plane to South Africa.

"There's still a fair bit of time for the World Cup, but to be here is an important step. I have to make sure the coach continues counting on me, but there is a lot of the league season left and I have to do everything to be in South Africa," he said.

"Hopefully I can be in the final list, which will be the decisive one. There's a lot of work ahead of me to be on there, though. Players such as Soldado, Llorente or [Aritz] Aduriz could also get in as the fourth striker."

Spain make the hop north to neighbouring France looking to continue their remarkable run of form over the last three years.

Since losing to Romania in November 2006, the Spanish have won 41 - including two after extra time - of 44 matches, with their only defeat coming against the United States at last summer's Confederations Cup.

During that run Spain also defeated France 1-0 in a friendly in Malaga as part of their build-up to their successful Euro 2008 campaign, Joan Capdevila scoring the winner with 10 minutes remaining.

France are returning to action for the first time since the hand of Thierry Henry controversially helped to propel them to the World Cup at the expense of the Republic of Ireland in November, and coach Raymond Domenech has a number of injuries to contend with ahead of the game.

The likes of William Gallas, Eric Abidal, Andre-Pierre Gignac, Karim Benzema and Sebastien Squillaci are absent for Les Bleus, while Everton striker Louis Saha was forced to pull out out of the squad yesterday with ankle and hamstring problems.

In-form striker Djibril Cisse of Panathinaikos has been drafted in as Saha's replacement and is in line to win his first cap since May 2008.

Cisse has been in outstanding form in Greece, scoring 25 goals this season - including 20 in 23 league games, and the former Liverpool and Marseille striker's commitment to the cause cannot be faulted.

"I'm going to push myself to the limits," he said.

"I have the chance to shine. I'm going to show what I can do."

Bayern Munich playmaker Franck Ribery may well not be risked by Domenech after only recently returning from an injury lay-off.

Japan 0-0 Venezuela

Japan failed to impress in their first warm-up ahead of the World Cup after being held by Venezuela at the Kyushu Sekiyu Dome.

Japan coach Takeshi Okada had drafted Kashima Antlers midfielder Mitsuo Ogasawara and FC Tokyo full-back Yuhei Tokunaga into his line-up but the hosts faced tough resistance from the South American visitors, who applied plenty of pressure throughout the encounter.

For their part Japan, who finished a week-long training camp on Sunday, defended well but lacked a cutting edge up front.

Ogasawara, playing his first international since the 2006 World Cup, tested keeper Leandro Morales after quarter of an hour with a shot from the edge of the box following Kengo Nakamura's pass in the most significant action of the opening 45 minutes.

Japan forward Yoshito Okubo fired wide when presented with an opening after the break before Okada introduced forward Sota Hirayama and full-back Yuichi Komano in a bid to break the deadlock.

However, the hosts could not penetrate a resilient Venezuela side and the game ended goalless.

"It was a pity that we couldn't win," said Okada.

"We fixed some problems and played better in the second half. That has made me feel that we can move on to the East Asian Championship with confidence.

"On top of that, I was able to look at some new players. Overall, I am pretty satisfied with this game."

Venezuela coach Cesar Farias was pleased with the result, adding: "I think we played according to our plan, which was to nullify the speed of Japan's attack with pressure on the ball and we held the initiative in the game.

"But Japan has a strong defence and we were unable to threaten their goal, as I had expected."

Catalonia 4-2 Argentina

Catalonia thrashed an experimental Argentina side 4-2 in an entertaining friendly match at the Nou Camp on Tuesday night.

Betis striker Sergio Garcia scored twice for the Catalans, with Barcelona forward Bojan Krkic and Espanyol midfielder Moises Hurtado also on target for Johan Cruyff's side.

Palermo forward Javier Pastore - on his Argentina debut - and Benfica midfielder Angel Di Maria scored for the visitors, who always looked second best.

Argentina coach Diego Maradona is still serving his two-month ban from FIFA for his expletive-laden rant in the aftermath of his side's qualification for the World Cup following their hard-fought 1-0 win in Uruguay in October.

But Maradona was watching on from the stands and probably had a hand in team selection.

It was an experimental Argentinian line-up, with the likes of Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano all excluded.

There were several stars on show, though, including Gonzalo Higuain, Fernando Gago, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Di Maria.

Meanwhile, Catalonia coach Cruyff opted for a strong side in his first match in charge.

Cruyff was returning to management after a 10-year absence at the stadium he graced as both a player and a coach.

The Dutch legend including six Barcelona players, with Victor Valdes, Carles Puyol, Xavi, Sergio Busquets, Bojan Krkic and Gerard Pique all starting.

The latter was included in a defensive midfield role, while there was also a place in the side for former Barca defender Oleguer, now with Ajax.

Catalonia started brightly and had the first chance of the match, when Sergio Garcia set up Bojan and the young Barca striker saw his effort parried by Diego Pozo.

Argentina threatened through Pastore, making his debut in blue and white, after that.

But Catalonia, playing Cruyff's hybrid Ajax-school 4-3-3, were still dominating.

Cruyff applied that formation to his Barcelona side in the 90s and it has led the club to so much success in recent years.

Xavi, a youth team player back then, was pulling the strings in midfield, and the Barca midfielder almost opened the scoring after 32 minutes, when he crashed a thunderous drive just over the crossbar.

Shortly afterwards, Argentina appealed for a penalty when Di Maria went down under a challenge from Valdes, but the referee waved play on.

And just as it looked as if the first half would finish goalless, Catalonia took the lead, when Espanyol midfielder Joan Verdu crossed for Garcia to crash an unstoppable header past Pozo.

Argentina had not looked particularly interested up until now, and the South Americans went two down after 55 minutes, when Bojan got behind the visitors' static defence and slotted clinically past Pozo.

Pastore got Argentina back in it when he rifled a glorious shot past Valdes 10 minutes later.

But Espanyol defender Nico Pareja then brought down club team-mate Ferran Corominas and Garcia stepped up to slot home his second of the night from the penalty spot with 20 minutes left.

Di Maria responded for Argentina with a precise angled drive five minutes later, but Catalonia duly went 4-2 up through Moises Hurtado a minute later, the Espanyol midfielder crashing a header past Pozo following a cross from club team-mate Verdu.

And that is how it finished at the Nou Camp, following a hugely entertaining 90 minutes which will satisfy Cruyff on his first match in charge of Catalonia.

Maradona, meanwhile, will have been content to see some of his fringe players enjoy a rare run-out against quality opposition.

Italy 1-0 Sweden

Giorgio Chiellini's first-half header earned Italy a narrow victory over Sweden in the Azzurri's last friendly match of the year in Cesena.

The Juventus defender headed the ball from a corner past a helpless Andreas Isaksson after 28 minutes and it proved to be the only goal of the contest.

As expected, Italy coach Marcello Lippi fielded an experimental side with no members of the triumphant 2006 World Cup side in his starting XI.

Marco Marchionni, Giampaolo Pazzini and Antonio Di Natale formed the Azzurri's attacking line. The game offered Lippi a chance to evaluate several candidates to complete his World Cup squad.

For Sweden, it was the first of newly-installed head coach Erik Hamren, who had to do without team's best-known player Zlatan Ibrahimovic of Barcelona.

Sweden enjoyed their share of possession in the first half but it was Italy who created the better chances.

The visitors had the first scoring opportunity early on with Tobias Hysen beating the offside trap before firing a right-footed strike which was met by a fine clearance from Italy goalkeeper Federico Marchetti.

Italy reacted with a Chiellini header from Antonio Candreva's free-kick, which forced Isaksson to knock out for a corner.

The Azzurri missed a golden chance to take the lead in the 20th minute.

Di Natale latched onto Cristian Maggio's cross from the right and volleyed from 30 yards to force Isaksson to fully stretch in order to clear.

The hosts broke the deadlock soon after.

Chiellini got behind Cristian Maggio's corner-kick and his header beat Isaksson.

The Swedes could have equalised before half-time.

Anders Svensson's bullet strike from outside the area went just wide of the far post.

Lippi made three substitutions early in the second half and his players manufactured a good chance.

Pazzini got behind Marchionni's cross but his right-footed effort from the edge of the area went wide.

At the other end, Daniel Majstorovic should have pulled his team level in the 54th minute but his right-footed strike did not beat Marchetti.

Shortly after, Di Natale surged down the left flank before hitting a right-footed effort that went over the bar.

On the hour mark, substitute Giuseppe Rossi should have done better for Italy but his lob attempt went off target with only Isaksson to beat.

In the 67th minute, Olof Mellberg's header from a corner for Sweden went high.

With 10 minutes remaining, substitute Daniele Galloppa's free-kick went over the bar while soon after, Isaksson did well to come off his line and anticipate Rossi, who was ready to score.

Sweden could have restored parity deep in stoppage time but Pontus Wernbloom's header from a corner-kick was cleared by Marchetti as Italy held on for the win.

Germany 2-2 Ivory Coast

Lukas Podolski scored twice as Germany's first match since the death of Robert Enke ended in a draw against Ivory Coast.

The Cologne striker put the home side ahead at the Arena AufSchalke with an early penalty, but second-half goals from Emmanuel Eboue and Seydou Doumbia had left them staring at a defeat.

Podolski, though, had the last word on an emotional night for Joachim Low's men.

There were moving scenes before kick-off as Germany captain Michael Ballack, ruled out of the game through injury, placed Enke's number one shirt on the bench among the substitutes.

A video montage featuring footage from Enke's life was shown, accompanied by "You'll never walk alone", while both teams wore black armbands in memory of the goalkeeper, capped eight-times by Germany, who committed suicide last week after battling depression.

Ivory Coast paid their respects by wearing T-shirts which bore a portrait of Enke with the words 'in memoriam Robert Enke'.

When the action got under way, it was Germany who went ahead after 12 minutes.

Stefan Kiessling was brought down in the area by Hamburg's Guy Demel and Podolski took full advantage from the spot, placing his penalty low to Aristide Zogbo's left.

Eboue volleyed over the bar and Sekou Cisse saw a right-footed effort well parried by Tim Wiese in the Germany goal as the Ivorians looked to level.

It was Low's men, though, who continued to look the more dangerous.

Mesut Ozil's inswinging corner was met by the head of Heiko Westermann, but Arthur Boka made the clearance.

Podolski had an angled shot from the right channel comfortably saved by Zogbo before the visiting goalkeeper made another simple stop from Ozil.

The woodwork came to his rescue a minute before the interval, though, as Piotr Trochowski's left-footer from outside the area hit the post.

Low introduced Manuel Neuer in place of Wiese at half-time and the Schalke stopper was soon beaten in bizarre fashion.

Westermann played the ball back to Neuer, whose clearance hit Eboue and flew into the net to hand the Ivorians a 57th-minute equaliser.

At the other end Podolski's header from Ozil's free-kick flashed wide of the left post, while Mario Gomez had a shot blocked by Emmanuel Kone with nine minutes remaining.

But the Germans were caught out in the 85th minute as Doumbia beat Per Mertesacker and Westermann and fired a shot into the right corner.

Fittingly, though, it was Germany who had the final say.

Deep into stoppage-time Westermann's deep forward pass found its way through to Podolski, who turned Kolo Toure and bent the ball into the corner.

Holland 0-0 Paraguay

A solid performance from Paraguay goalkeeper Justo Villar ensured their friendly meeting with Holland ended in a goalless draw.

Neither side were at their best in a match woefully short of attacking flair, but Holland may have edged the contest had Villar not kept out a handful of decent efforts from the hosts.

The last of those, from substitute Klaas Jan Huntelaar, came in injury time while there were also two good stops from Rafael van der Vaart.

The game started at a reasonable pace, with both teams committed enough to concede fouls inside the first minute - Nigel De Jong and Dario Veron the guilty parties.

Both sides struggled for fluency early on and the referee continued to be the busiest man on the pitch, penalising Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Cristian Riveros Nunez and Dirk Kuyt for further indiscretions inside the opening 10 minutes.

Van der Vaart, bearing a good deal of Holland's attacking hopes in the absence of injured duo Robin van Persie and Wesley Sneijder, tried his best to instil some energy into the game but he was struggling to exert any influence.

Nelson Valdez, meanwhile, was looking to inspire the visitors and tried his luck with an ambitious 20-yard strike that squirmed wide of the right-hand post.

Van der Vaart returned fire, this time forcing a smart save from Justo Villar, who tipped his 27th-minute effort out of play for a corner.

With half an hour gone De Jong became the first man to receive a yellow card, Veron the victim this time.

Oscar Cardozo gave the visiting side a brief hint of a goal when he lined up an inviting 34th-minute free-kick but he sent his effort just over the crossbar, again leaving Dutch goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg with nothing to do.

Van Der Vaart and Eljero Elia continued to press at the other end, each striking from outside the area without luck.

Instead, both teams continued to kill the tempo as the first period ended in another series of fouls.

Holland boss Bert van Marwijk attempted to change the course of the match with a trio of substitutions at the start of the second half - Ryan Babel, Orlando Engelaar and Edson Braafheid sent on in place of Elia, De Jong and Van Bronckhorst.

Paraguay responded with a change of their own just two minutes in, Manchester City striker Roque Santa Cruz taking the place of Paulo Da Silva .

Ibrahim Afellay had the first half-chance after the restart but his shot from just outside the box was too high to worry Villar.

Cardozo did better with a free-kick from 35 yards, but Stekelenburg was equal to it.

Van der Vaart, still the most likely source of a goal, had a chance to break the deadlock with 20 minutes to go but his header, from Afellay's fine cross, was well saved by a diving Villar.

By now neither side looked lively enough to make the breakthrough and a trickle of substitutes did not help the fluency or the spectacle, though Otman Bakkal will not mind after being handed his senior debut as an 84th-minute replacement for Van der Vaart.

Another latecomer to proceedings, AC Milan striker Huntelaar almost won it with an injury-time attempt on goal but Villar, deservedly keeping a clean sheet, got down well.

Austria 1-5 Spain

Spain bounced back from an early deficit to put Austria to the sword in a one-sided international friendly at the Ernst-Happel Stadion.

Returning to the scene of their Euro 2008 final triumph over Germany, Spain suffered an early setback when Jakob Jantscher put Austria ahead, but Vicente del Bosque's all-conquering side.hit back in style to claim yet another impressive victory.

Cesc Fabregas drew the visitors level in the 10th minute before David Villa added two more goals before the break to move ever closer to Raul's national record.

By the time of Villa's second goal Austria had been reduced to 10 men after Yasin Pehlivan was shown a straight red card in the 26th minute for a late challenge on Sergi Busquets.

Del Bosque made five changes at the break but it was business as usual for the Spanish in the second half and substitutes Dani Guiza and Pablo Hernandez netted within 60 seconds of each other to make it 5-1 by the 57th minute.

There were no more goals after that, but Spain had already done more than enough to record their 41st victory - including two after extra-time - in their last 44 fixtures.

Spain came into the game in buoyant mood after downing fellow World Cup hopefuls Argentina 2-1 in Madrid at the weekend, but the European champions found themselves in the unfamiliar position of trailing after Jantscher scored in the eight minute

Roman Wallner pulled the ball back to Jantscher near the edge of the area and his shot took a deflection off Sergio Ramos before flying past Iker Casillas.

That was an unexpected start to the match, but it took Spain just two minutes to restore parity as Fabregas, bursting through the heart of the Austria defence, took David Silva's pass in his stride before sliding his shot past Christian Gratzei.

Ten minutes later Spain were in front thanks to Villa, who fired home a first-time shot after latching onto Andres Iniesta's superb pass inside Austria captain and centre-back Paul Scharner.

A magnificent flying save from Gratzei then prevented Iniesta making it 3-1 soon after with a 25-yard drive, before Austria's problems deepened when Pehlivan was dismissed after his challenge left Busquets writhing in agony on the floor.

After that it only seemed a matter of how many goals dominant Spain would run up against their weakened hosts.

Silva was denied by Gratzei after breaking clean through but his Valencia team-mate Villa enjoyed better luck just before the break as he added Spain's third.

In an almost identical move to his opening goal - only this time from the other side of the pitch - an inch-perfect pass by Silva bisected the Austria full-back and centre-back and Villa raced in behind to prod the ball past Gratzei.

That was Villa's 35th international goal in only his 54th appearance for Spain, and moved him to within nine of the record of 44 held by the out-of-favour Raul, whose tally came in 102 matches.

Villa was not to get the chance to improve on that as he was one of the men to make way at the break, but the new boys continued to make life tough for their hosts and added two more goals.

The first fell to Guiza, who played a one-two with Pablo and then stabbed the ball home when Austria defender Christian Fuchs looked favourite to clear the danger, and Valencia youngster Pablo added the fifth 60 seconds later with his first international goal.

Spain had chances to increase their lead, with Guiza seeing his cross deflected against the post by a defender, but the Austrians were able to avoid any further humiliation in the last half-hour.