이베리아반도의 `자주빛 전사' 포르투갈이  중미의 복병 멕시코를 물리치고 조 1위를 차지, 40년만에 월드컵 16강에 올랐다. 

포르투갈은 22일(한국시간) 겔젠키르헨 월드컵경기장에서 벌어진  2006독일월드컵 D조 조별리그 멕시코와의 3차전에서 마니시의 선취골과 시망 사브로자의  추가골에 힘입어 2-1로 승리했다. 

이로써 3전 전승을 거둬 D조 1위를 차지한 포르투갈은 26일 C조 2위와 8강 진출을 다투게 됐다. 

포르투갈이 월드컵 16강에 오른 것은 `흑표범' 에우세비오가 맹활약했던 1966년 잉글랜드월드컵이후 무려 40년만이다. 

또 2002년 한일월드컵에서 브라질을 정상으로 이끈 뒤 이번 대회에서  포르투갈 사령탑을 맡고 있는 루이스 펠리프 스콜라리 감독은 월드컵에서 10연승의 위업을 달성했다. 

반면 멕시코는 이날 패배로 1승1무1패를 기록했으나 앙골라가 이란과 1-1로  비긴 덕에 조 2위를 확보, 16강에 합류했다. 
 
포르투갈 2-1 멕시코 
 
이날 경기에 앞서 이미 승점 6점을 확보해 16강 티켓을 거머쥐었던  포르투갈은 지난 2경기에서 각각 경고를 한차례씩 받은 파울레타와 브라질에서 귀화한 데쿠, 크리스티아누 호날두, 수비수 누누 발렌테 등 주전 4명을 제외한 채 경기에 나섰다. 

반면 포르투갈에 패하고, 앙골라가 이란을 꺾을 경우 골득실을 따져야 하는  멕시코는 주전들을 총 가동해 총력전에 나섰다. 

그러나 초반 주도권은 상대적으로 부담이 적은 포르투갈이 잡았다. 

포르투갈은 전반 6분 멕시코 진영 좌측에서 땅볼 크로스된 볼을 달려들던  마니시가 오른발로 정확하게 밀어넣어 선취골을 뽑았다. 

전반 24분에는 멕시코 주장 라파엘 마르케스의 핸들링 반칙으로 페널티킥을  얻은 포르투갈은 키커로 나선 사보르자가 좌측 구석으로 찔러넣어 2-0으로 앞섰다. 

다급해진 멕시코는 총반격에 나서 전반 29분 코너킥에서 호세 프란시스코  폰세카가 헤딩슛을 성공시켜 1-2로 추격했다. 

후반에도 실점 만회에 나선 멕시코는 13분 페널티킥을 얻었으나 키커인  오마르 브라보의 슛이 어이없이 골문을 벗어나 땅을 쳤다. (연합뉴스) 
 
Portugal 2 : 1 Mexico 

[POR] 18. MANICHE (6')11. SIMAO SABROSA (24' PEN)
[MEX] 17. FONSECA Jose (29')

GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany (AP) - Portugal powered into the second round of the World Cup. Mexico scrambled through. 

Luiz Felipe Scolari's makeshift Portugal team, featuring five backups, finished a sweep of its opening-round games with a 2-1 victory over Mexico on Wednesday. 

"Things couldn't be better," said Scolari, who holds the World Cup record with 10 straight coaching victories. He won seven games with unbeaten Brazil in the 2002 tournament, and now is 3-0 in Germany. 

Mexico, coming off a win and a draw, missed a penalty kick and played the last 30 minutes with 10 men. But its door to the knockout round opened when Angola drew with Iran. 

Mexico has advanced in the last four World Cups. 

Portugal will play the Netherlands on Sunday in Nuremberg after the Dutch tied Argentina 0-0 to finish second in Group C. Mexico plays Saturday against Argentina in Leipzig. 

"The next game is hugely important. From now on, if a team is a bit off-color, it can pay a heavy price," Scolari said. 

Portugal won on goals by Maniche and Simao Sabrosa in the first 25 minutes, and Kikin replied by heading in a corner kick to put Mexico back in the game before halftime. 

But then Mexico's Omar Bravo missed a chance to tie on a second-half penalty kick that soared over the net, and a second yellow card for Luis Perez damaged his team's chances. 

Portugal went into the game having already qualified for the knockout round. So Scolari replaced five players who had received yellow cards already. 

Among those absent were playmaker Deco, winger Cristiano Ronaldo, and all-time top scorer Pauleta. 

Even so, the Portuguese stretched their unbeaten run to 17 international games, during which they have allowed just six goals. 

"This was as tough a game as we had expected, but I asked my players today to make it hard for me to pick my team for the next round, and they did that," Scolari said. 

Mexico had lost just two of its last 12 games against European opposition in World Cup matches. With the Iran-Angola game being played at the same time, Ricardo Lavolpe's team needed just a draw to advance and it charged at the Portuguese from the outset. 

Kikin slalomed past three defenders to get into the Portuguese area before shooting straight at the goalkeeper in early action. 

Portugal replied with a clinical attack as Sabrosa charged down the wing and pulled the ball back for Maniche to beat keeper Oswaldo Sanchez. 

"We started very well," Lavolpe said. "We had control for long periods, but when you have the ball you have to score, and we even missed a penalty." 

When Mexico captain Rafael Marquez used his hand to prevent Fernando Meira heading a shot toward goal, Sabrosa hit his spot kick just beyond the goalkeeper's reach. 

Kikin's goal revived Mexico's hopes and when Antonio Naelson (also known as Zinha) came on after halftime, Mexico cranked up the pressure. 

Zinha, who assisted once and scored another in Mexico's win over Iran, made an immediate difference with his slick dribbling and neat passes, and the lineup change paid off when Mexico was awarded the penalty kick. 

But Bravo fired the ball into the bleachers. 

"I was thinking, obviously, that I should have hit it with less force. When something like that happens, you have to make the best of it mentally more than physically," Bravo said. 

Scolari spent most of the match standing on the touchline shouting instructions to his team that lost its way in the last 20 minutes. Two players, defender Marco Caneira and striker Helder Postiga, were playing in their first World Cup. 

Poor finishing by Mexico kept the Portuguese ahead. 

"I liked the way we played for the first 70 minutes," Scolari said. "When we had one more man on the field, we fell apart. That worried me." 
 
 

아프리카 지역 예선에서 터줏대감인 나이지리아를 물리치고 사상 첫 월드컵  무대를 밟은 앙골라는 `월드컵 1호골'을 터트리긴 했으나 씁쓸한 축포가 되고 말았다. 

2패로 16강 탈락이 확정된 이란은 플레이 메이커인 미드필더 알리 카리미 등 주전 3명을 후보로 교체해 무기력한 경기를 펼쳤다. 

반면 조급한 앙골라는 전반 거친 공세를 펼쳤으나 이란은 쉽게 골문을 열어주지는 않았다. 

앙골라는 후반 15분 플라비우가 오른쪽에서 날아온 크로스를 정확한 헤딩슛으로 연결해 선제골을 터트렸다. 

그러나 갈 길은 멀었다. 같은 시간 1-2로 포르투갈에 뒤지고 있는 멕시코가  경기를 그대로 끝낸다 해도 2골을 더 넣어야 골득실차에서 앞서 16강을 바라볼 수  있는 힘겨운 처지였다. 

하지만 이란은 앙골라에 더 이상의 희망을 허락하지 않았다. 

후반 30분 이란의 소라브 바흐티아리자데가 헤딩슛을 성공시켰고 앙골라의 16강 꿈은 물거품이 됐다. (연합뉴스) 
 
Iran 1 : 1 Angola  

[IRN] 3. BAKHTIARIZADEH Sohrab (75') 
[ANG] 16. FLAVIO (60')

LEIPZIG, Germany (AP) - Angola came into the World Cup as a long shot - a tournament newcomer in a group with accomplished teams from Mexico and Portugal. 

So although the Black Antelopes didn't qualify for the second round, there was still satisfaction for a team that exceeded expectations. 
Needing a win to have any chance to advance, Angola scored its first goal of the tournament but was held to a 1-1 draw Wednesday when Sohrab Bakhtiarizadeh scored the tying goal in the 75th minute for Iran. 

"When we arrived with the team, the first idea that we would suffer many goals didn't happen," Angola coach Luis Oliveira Goncalves said. "With two draws ... the people of Angola can be very, very proud." 

Angola lost 1-0 to Portugal in its opener before playing Mexico to a 0-0 draw. 

To advance, Angola needed to beat Iran, have Mexico lose to Portugal and get help on goal differential. They were unable to deliver the one part they fully controlled. The Angolans finished their first World Cup in third place in Group D with two points, one ahead of Iran. 

Substitute Flavio gave Angola the lead in the 60th minute when he broke free from Kaabi Hossein in the penalty box to head a cross from Ze Kalanga over goalkeeper Ebrahim Mirzapour. 

Iran tied it 15 minutes later when Bakhtiarizadeh jumped over striker Love and headed a corner kick from Mehdi Mahdavikia just inside the undefended post. 

With Mexico losing 2-1 to Portugal, Angola would have needed three goals in the closing minutes to advance. But the Black Antelopes showed little urgency, apparently satisfied with the draw. 

The game ended Angola captain Fabrice Akwa's international career. The former Benfica striker announced he would retire from international soccer in April. 

"This certainly isn't the goodbye I want," Akwa said. 

Iran, which has not advanced to the second in three World Cup appearances, generally controlled the flow of play, though Angola created several good scoring chances. 

Iran coach Branko Ivankovic said his team was hampered because two key players, defender Mohammad Nosrati and forward Vahid Hashemian, had to be replaced early on because of injuries. 

"Nevertheless, we dominated the match, created more chances and deserved to win," Ivankovic said. "But this is soccer, and sometimes you also need a bit of luck." 

The Iranians, who generated security headaches for the hosts because of protests against the government in Tehran, had already been eliminated after losing their two matches in the group. But they remained hopeful they could return home "honorably" by beating Angola. 

Ivankovic had announced before the tournament that he would step down when his contract expires in July. After the game, Iran's Physical Education Organization fired the head of the soccer federation, Mohammed Dadkan. 

The Black Antelopes had the first real opportunity in the 12th minute with Mateus shooting over the crossbar from inside the penalty area. 

Iran replied two minutes later when goalkeeper Joao Ricardo smothered a low shot from Kaiserslautern's Ferydoon Zandi. Ricardo stopped a free kick in the 24th from the edge of the area by Ali Daei, whose return header from close in cleared the bar. 

In the 27th minute, Angola defender Mendonca stopped Zandi's header in the goal mouth. 

Ivankovic dropped the team's biggest star, Bayern Munich playmaker Ali Karimi, from the squad because of his poor form and erratic behavior. He was replaced by the 37-year old Daei, who had likely played his last match for the national team. 

Ivankovic had hoped for a "home advantage" at the match, counting on Germany's Iranian community to turn out in force. But Iran's fans appeared to be outnumbered by Angola's supporters waving their red-and-black banners.