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2006 World Cup: Day three
Match one: Serbia & Montenegro vs Holland
Man U defender Vidic was banned for this match after a sending off in qualifying, and Serbia lacked a strong defender as a result. After missing out on a clear penalty in the 11th minute, Holland turned on the pressure and were rewarded with a scrappy goal. Ruud van Nistelrooij's header was pushed away, but the striker quickly followed up the rebound and tucked it into the corner of the goal. With only a few shots on goal in the whole match, Serbia were fortunate not to lose by a bigger margin.
Final score: Serbia & Montenegro 0, Holland 1
Match two: Mexico vs Iran
Mexico started brightly, with Bolton's Borgetti smashing off a shot that was just too close to the keeper and Iran were seriously hassled for the whole first half. But after the break, it was Iran who put on the pressure, while Mexico failed to make any threatening move.
Eventually, Iran broke through and a toe-poked lob from the right wing was met by the head of Hashemian to put Iran ahead. And, in extra time, Hashemian scored again after a mess up in Mexico's defence and a pinpoint through ball from midfield set the striker free to lash home a great shot and bag Iran a surprise win.
Final score: Mexico 0, Iran 2
Match three: Angola vs Portugal
Deco is doubtful for this game, so Tiago got into the squad. Predictably, Portugal ran rings around Angola, with the tournament's minnows only squeezing off a single shot towards goal. Pauleta opened the scoring near the end of the first half, collecting the ball deep inside Angola's box, executing a simple turn and slamming the ball into the goal.
The second half saw Portugal almost toying with their opponents, running them ragged with some excellent passing, before Figo put the game beyond doubt. A lovely arching cross drifted over the Angola defence and Pauleta rose high to bury it with his head, bouncing the ball off the ground and into the net, leaving the keeper with no chance of reaching the ball.
Final score: Angola 0, Portugal 2
Previous Matches:Day one
