WORLD CUP ROUNDUP
Switzerland 2, Ecuador 1
Switzerland grabbed a winner with virtually the final kick to earn a 2-1 victory over Ecuador in the World Cup on Sunday at Brasilia, Brazil, extending a run of come-from-behind wins that are becoming a theme of the tournament. With just seconds left in the third and final minute of stoppage time, substitute Haris Seferovic finished off a lengthof-the-field move by slamming home a close-range shot. After wild Swiss celebrations, Ecuador’s shell-shocked players barely had time to restart before the final whistle was blown. It was the fifth time in the first nine matches in Brazil that a team had come from a goal down to win — but this was the most dramatic of all the comebacks. “It was a dream to be able to win this match in the very last minute like this,” Switzerland coach Ottmar Hitzfeld said through a translator. “It was emotional — it will be important for the morale of the team.” Sluggish in the first half-hour, Switzerland — highly fancied after rising to No. 6 in the FIFA rankings — conceded a sloppy goal to go behind when Enner Valencia rose unmarked in the 22nd minute and headed in a free kick from six yards (meters). Ecuador’s defending for the 48th-minute equalizer was just as abject, however, with Admir Mehmedi finding space from even closer in to nod in a corner. With Mehmedi and Seferovic both second-half substitutes, it was no wonder that the wily Hitzfeld — a veteran coach with two Champions League titles on his resume — had a huge grin on his face at the final whistle. Not so his counterpart. “We were naive and that cost us the game,” Ecuador coach Reinaldo Rieda said. “(The loss) is more our fault. We were not beaten by our opponent.”
France 3, Honduras 0
Karim Benzema scored twice and created a third that was confirmed by goal-line technology as France beat Honduras at Porto Alegre, Brazil, in its first World Cup match. The dominant win was a relief for France, whose team of highly paid players failed to win in South Africa and was sent home in a disgrace after going on a training strike. “Winning 3-0 at a World Cup isn’t easy,” France coach Didier Deschamps said. “(The players should) savor the moment, there’s nothing more wonderful.” France dominated the match from the opening whistle, despite a series of scrappy tackles by the Honduran team seeking its first World Cup win. Benzema’s first goal came from the penalty spot just before halftime after Wilson Palacios was sent off with his second yellow card for charging into the back of Paul Pogba. The Real Madrid striker calmly slotted the ball to the left of Noel Valladares to give Les Bleus a deserved lead going into the break. With Honduras down to 10 men, France continued to dominate and Benzema created the second goal in the 48th minute — the first to be confirmed by goal-line technology at the World Cup.
Argentina 2, Bosnia 1
Lionel Messi scored a stunning secondhalf goal to push Argentina to a 2-1 victory over World Cup debutant Bosnia at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro in the Group F opener for both teams. Messi lifted Argentina in the 65th minute, moving in from the right and striking a low left-footed shot off the inside of the post behind Bosnian keeper Asmir Begovic. It was just the second World Cup goal for Messi, adding to one he scored eight years ago in Germany. Vedad Ibisevic scored a close-in goal in the 85th to give Bosnia hope. Bosnia got the worst possible start to its first World Cup when Sead Kolasinovic scored an own goal after just three minutes. Messi sent a free kick from the left flank into the penalty area that Marcos Rojo barely touched before the ball bounced off Kolasinovic’s foot into Bosnia’s goal. Bosnia bounced back after the early setback, making Argentina’s lead look shaky.