5 Dec 2009

Revenge on some teams' minds come 2010

12:24 pm on 5 December 2009

England will get the chance to avenge one of the biggest upsets in football World Cup history when they face the United States in their opening Group C match in Rustenburg next year.

Their meeting at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium on June 12 will come nearly 60 years after England, taking part in the World Cup for the first time, lost 1-0 to a ragbag American team in Belo Horizonte in the 1950 World Cup finals in Brazil.

For very different reasons, five times champions Brazil would also like to right the wrongs they suffered against Portugal in 1966 when they lost a tempestuous match 3-1 at Goodison Park in England and had Pele hacked so badly he limped off the field as Brazil lost their world title.