Live Ticker: Angola 0 : 1 Portugal

Group D: Angola-Portugal
Welcome to the DW-WORLD.DE live ticker for the last game of the 2006 World Cup's third day.

Angola play their former colonial rulers Portugal in day's second Group D game.

Who will be on the field?
Here is a look at the starting lineups:

Angola:

1-Joao Ricardo; 20-Loco, 3-Jamba, 5-Kali, 21-Delgado; 8-Andre Macanga, 7-Paulo Figueiredo, 14-Mendonca, 11-Mateus; 10-Akwa (c), 17-Ze Kalanga

Coach: Luis Oliveira Goncalves

Portugal:

1-Ricardo; 13-Miguel, 16-Ricardo Carvalho, 5-Fernando Meira, 14-NunoValente; 19-Tiago, 11-Sabrosa, 8-Petit; 7-Luis Figo (c), 9-Pauleta, 17-Cristiano Ronaldo

Coach: Luis Felipe Scolari

Referee: Jorge Larrionda (Uruguay)

An underdog in the truest sense of the term, expect Angola to hang back and defend against an aggressively oriented Portugal.

1. min.
We're off
Portugal starts with the ball.

1. min.
What a start it is!
14 seconds into the game and the ball is already rolling past the far post. Pauleta nearly got possibly the fastest goal in World Cup history.

3. min.
Figo crosses and Angolan keeper Joao Ricardo gets his hands on the ball that was too close to his goal for Portugal to make anything of.

3. min.
GOAL PORTUGAL!


4. min.
Pauleta didn't waste any time taking the pass from Figo, who drew two defenders toward him, and drilling it into the back of the net.

7. min.
Cutting the whole defense
C. Ronaldo dribbles through half the Angola defense and is only stopped by stepping on the ball himself.

8. min.
Corner Angola
Akwa gives Ricardo a bit of push while going up to head the ball away from the goalie and is called for a foul.

10. min.
Akwa goes down
After giving up one goal, Angola push forward with a drive down the right side and Akwa is able to head a weak ball towards to goal before falling to the ground.

12. min.
Portugal line up a free kick.

12. min.
Petit fires a shot that will certainly leave a bruise into the 4-man wall.

15. min.
Joao Ricardo hit in the stomach
A collision between Pauleta's shin and the Angolan keeper's midsection has Ricardo on the ground. Hopefully he's only had the wind knocked out of him.

16. min.
With a bit of ice and a stretch, he's ready to continue between the pipes.

18. min.
Delgado tosses in a short throw-in; Miguel is there first to clear it to midfield.

19. min.
Portugal are slowing down
The Portuguese players are slowing down the game's tempo, making the rough and tumble Angolans look decent.

22. min.
Lonely in the back
The Portuguese defenders have moved up to midfield, leaving goalkeeper Ricardo with only the fans in the stands behind the goal to chat to.

24. min.
Simano and Figo pass between each other, and Simano puts the ball over goal, much to Ronaldo's chagrin as he was wide open on the flank.

24. min.
Angola shoots
Mateus unloads from 35 yards out. The ball sails over the crossbar, but it was enough for fans of both teams to take a gasp.

25. min.
Akwa earns praise
A bike kick inside the penalty area and now the Portuguese defenders are beginning to pull at the forward's jersey.... maybe Angola isn't as harmless as everyone thought?

26. min.
Yellow for C. Ronaldo
The ref warns Ronaldo that he isn't at a judo match and gives yellow for a violent kick.

28. min.
This time Jamba gets yellow
A late tackle earns a booking for the Angolan defender.

30. min.
Half and hour into the game and Angola are showing their passion for soccer with drives forward and aggressive attacks on every 50-50 ball.

32. min.
Surprised that the ball landed in front of him, Ronaldo isn't able to convert on a cross alone at goal.

34. min.
Figueiredo tries his luck at a long-range shot, but it floats well-wide of the post.

35. min.
Ding!
Ronaldo hammers a header off a Figo corner solidly into the crossbar and grabs at his hair in desperation.

37. min.
Stymied by Delgado's arm, Ronaldo, a well-known hot head who has already been booked once, works to keep his emotions in check.

38. min.
Pauleta doesn't get any power behind his header and Joao Ricardo collects it and send the ball to soaring to the center circle.

40. min.
Simano slips at the edge of the box, the fans want a penalty kick, but the Portuguese player doesn't give the referee a look.

42. min.
Ronaldo fouled again.
Are the Angolans trying to provoke him into getting another card and tossed out of the game?

43. min.
Macanga rifles a shot at goal that Ricardo can only block over the end line. Nothing comes of the resulting corner.

45. min.
Ronaldo rockets a shot after receiving the back pass and Ricardo parries it in all-star style. Another case of bad luck for the Portuguese.

Two minutes of injury time in Cologne.


45+2. min.
Yellow for Loco
An extended leg attack against Figo gets Loco a place in the ref's book.

45+2. min.
That's it for the first half


Though the scoreboard doesn't show the expected blowout (yet?), on the field, today's third game has looked like the varsity scrimmaging the JV team. Whenever Figo and co. pick up the pace it's all Angola can do to follow the ball back.

46. min.
The second half is underway!


46. min.
No changes to either team for the second 45 minutes.

47. min.
Tiago lifts the ball to Simano, Ricardo is there to stop the shot.

48. min.
Just three minutes in, but...
... the Angolan defenders are doing a better job of swarming around the ball in their own end, keeping Portugal from stringing together their trademark passes.

50. min.
What did I do?
Tiago draws a foul in a dangerous spot for Figo's foot.

51. min.
Unsure of himself in the goal box, Ricardo looses the ball but can take heart in the fact he may have missed it because he was pushed.

52. min.
Macanga gets yellow
Macanga takes out the legs of Luis Figo -- right in front of the ref's eyes -- and is booked.

55. min.
Not until the Portuguese get into the penalty box, do the Angolans seem willing to defend.

57. min.
Figo's corner too long
But Loco heads it over the line for another corner. Simano shoots, but it's blocked easily.

59. min.
In a 4-3 Pauleta decides to go it alone. His shot isn't placed well enough and Ricardo snaps it out of the air.

60. min.
Mantorras is in for Akwa
The captain hands the armband over to Figueiredo.

60. min.
Ronaldo makes space for Costinha


61. min.
Tiago helps in the midfield build up and when the ball comes back to him he fires at goal, Ricardo falls on it and punts it away.

63. min.
The magic is missing
Portugal are doing enough to win the game an hour in, but the artistry expected against a lesser opponent has yet to appear.

65. min.
Tiago gets the scorn of the crowd in the form of whistles for his uncreative back pass when supporters had hoped for a quick counter.

67. min.
Miguel sprints with the ball toward goal, but Kali breaks up the run.

68. min.
What should we do now?
More than a little bored with what's happening on the pitch, the crowd has decided to get the wave going.

70. min.
Edson comes on for Ze Kalanga.


71. min.
Mantorras, who just came into the game, is set up with Angola's best chance at a chance on goal, but connects with his shin pad instead of his shoe.

73. min.
Defensive change for Portugal
Petit is out for Maniche. Figo can also be found on the sideline, but he's only changing his shoes.

76. min.
Mexico and Iran won't be sure what to make of Angola or Portugal after this match. The Portuguese have a team of excellent players who aren't putting anything together, and Angola looks able to stop most of what Portugal throws at them.

78. min.
Figo shakes his head
Taking on the current national dance, Figo shakes his head in disgust -- it's a move all the Portuguese players have been practicing tonight in a disappointing match.

80. min.
Nuno Valente sees yellow
A tackle from behind on Mendonca gets Valente booked.

81. min.
Miloy comes in for Figueiredo


82. min.
Hugo Viana comes on for Tiago


84. min.
Simano comes close
A header goes over the crossbar as Simano is closely marked.

83. min.
What a result!?
Angola won't have anything to fear if they bring this result back home. The Portuguese can expect plenty of criticism if the score line doesn't change soon.

87. min.
Pauleta twists and turns, it's unclear if he stumbles over his own feet or if an Angolan defender is able to poke the ball away.

88. min.
How wide is a field?
Plenty of whistles from the crowd as Portugal measure the field's width in a series of six passes.

89. min.
Chance for Angola
Mateus deflects a cross into a corner of the Portuguese goal -- Ricardo is just able to get his hands on it in a shot that brought screams from the Angolan fans.

Three minutes of injury time in the second half


90+1. min.
Simano crosses long to Figo lets go in time for Maniche to fire a shot Ricardo pushes over the crossbar.

90+3. min.
That's it in Cologne!
And with an immense roar of happiness that the sluggish game has come to an end, the crowd begins to file out of the FIFA World Cup Stadium Cologne.