Serbia upsets Germany to start World Cup schedule Friday
Serbia vs. Germany, USA vs. Slovenia, and England vs. Argentina on World Cup schedule Friday.
Serbia's Milan Jovanovic, center, jumps over security barriers to celebrate with supporters after scoring the opening goal during the World Cup group D soccer match between Germany and Serbia at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, on June 18.
arcio Jose Sanchez
Serbia has upset Germany, USA is expecting to beat Slovenia, and England is hoping to wallop Algeria during the World Cup schedule Friday.
FRIDAY (June 18):
- Germany vs. Serbia, 1:30 pm (7:30 am EST on ESPN)
- USA vs. Slovenia, 4 pm (10 am EST on ESPN)
- England vs. Algeria, 8:30 pm (2:30 pm EST on ESPN2)
No. 6-ranked Germany was expected to defeat No. 15-ranked Serbia, according to FIFA's rankings, But Serbia drew first blood and thanks to yellow-card happy refs, held on to a 1-0 lead in the second half. Serbia lost their first game to Ghana, making a win against Germany almost unfathomable after Deutschland's 4-1 drubbing of the Aussies.
No. 14-ranked USA is expected to top No. 25-ranked Slovenia, though only if the Americans can get over their David vs. Goliath complex.
And No. 8-ranked England is expected to beat No. 30-ranked Algeria.
Check back with Monitor for results. On Thursday, Argentina annihilated South Korea (4-1), Greece beat Nigeria (2-1), and Mexico upset France (2-0). See all results and a schedule at FIFA.com.
Download a PDF of the World Cup schedule from FIFA, and this ESPN fact sheet on its month-long coverage of the World Cup. Live television coverage on ESPN and Univision begins a half-hour before each match. ESPN3 offers live streaming.
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