Holland got their World Cup campaign off to the perfect start with a 2-0 victory over Denmark in group E.

If Fabio Capello is feeling unfairly vilified at the moment, he should have been in Dunga’s shoes at Coca-Cola Park last night.

“Where do you stand on the vuvuzela?” is the question on people’s lips at this World Cup — but, of course, the answer is, you don’t stand on it. For the best results, you blow into it from one end. That’s my reading of the unfolding situation on the ground, anyway. And then you continue to blow until such time as you expire or the tournament in South Africa ends, whichever comes sooner.

Still bruised from their brush with the United States, a group of England players sat down on Sunday night and flicked on the television for a bit of light relief. Then on came Germany.

Barcelona will step up their pursuit of Cesc Fàbregas after Sandro Rosell was declared the club’s new president.

Playing too many Twenty20 matches could result in “overkill” for supporters if organisers try to cram the games into the county season, James Anderson, the England fast bowler, warned yesterday.

Yossi Benayoun has taken a significant step towards leaving Liverpool for Chelsea by agreeing in principle a four-year contract with the Barclays Premier League champions.

Franz Beckenbauer, the iconic figure of German football, has accused England of reverting to the bad old days of “kick and rush” under Fabio Capello.

Despite a performance that will not have caused much consternation in the Brazil or Spain camps, Italy ensured their attempt to retain the World Cup did not get off to an ignominious start here last night thanks to another charitable act from a goalkeeper.

Cameroon were the first nation to raise hopes of an African World Cup triumph but yesterday they did little to ease fears that the continent will fail to make an impact at its own party.

If it was a bad night for Robert Green, it was a calamitous one for Fabio Capello. Because it wasn’t Green who lost his nerve, it was the Italian. He came out for his first match as a manager at the World Cup finals and performed like a swooning virgin. He made a series of bad decisions that cost England two points as they played United States in their first match.

There are no set rules in sport. Even after playing international rugby for ten years, I’m learning all the time about what wins games. I’m learning at Toulon and experiences such as Saturday’s at Subiaco Oval keep that process going.

Referee: W Stark (Germany). Attendance: 50,389

Referee: H Baldassi (Argentina). Attendance: 38,833

Referee: C Batres (Guatemala). Attendance: 35,000

A year ago, Andy Murray lifted the trophy over his head after five wins in straight sets at Queen’s Club and the photographers were surprised that he could not bring himself to smile much, even though he had become the first British player in 71 years to win the coveted London grass-court championships.

If England truly believe they are making progress — and the claim was made yet again yesterday as a squad battered in mind as well as body flew from Perth to Sydney — they need to show some evidence of it, ideally during this next week in Australia.

Lewis Hamilton produced a masterful performance yesterday to win the Canadian Grand Prix here for the fourteenth victory of his career. McLaren also secured another one-two in a race that could have a significant bearing on the outcome of this year’s World Championship.

Read Simon Barnes on Capello's mistakes and live coverage of the World Cup latest at The Times's new website

Read Simon Barnes on Capello's mistakes and live coverage of the World Cup latest at The Times's new website

You know the old gag about the Germans in hotels being up and out before the rest of us and putting their towels on the sunbeds? Well, it’s different at World Cups, where the Germans are usually still in their hotel beds long after the rest of us, because we are on our flight home while they are preparing for the latter stages of the tournament.

NOBODY seems quite sure why he became known as Yamaha. Some reckon it was because his small flat in Algiers was next to a motorcycle repair shop. Others say he got the nickname for the way he weaved through crowds like a scooter through traffic. His real name was Hocine Dihimi. As Yamaha he was Algerian football’s most famous fan.

SOUTH KOREA, who previously had won just a single World Cup finals game away from home, this time romped through in a canter. Their two goals could have been doubled or even trebled and it was highly appropriate that the second of them, early in the second half, should go to the Manchester United attacker, Park Ji-Sung.

ENGLAND were denied a victory they just about deserved in their opening World Cup game here last night when a terrible error by goalkeeper Robert Green gifted a goal to the United States and allowed the Americans to emerge with a 1-1 draw that still leaves both teams with realistic chances of qualifying from Group C.

ALTHOUGH Lewis Hamilton broke the Red Bull stranglehold on 2009 pole positions yesterday, he did it by taking a tyre gamble that could backfire today.