WORLD CUP ROUNDUP \ Monday's other games

Australia 3, Japan 1
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany -- Australia found a perfect time to score its first World Cup goals -- three of them in the final minutes. Substitute Tim Cahill scored in the 84th and 89th minutes Monday and John Aloisi got a goal in injury time as the Socceroos shocked Japan 3-1 in their Group F opener. The Aussies didn't appear capable of even tying the game after falling behind in the first half. But Cahill equalized when he picked up a loose ball off a throw-in and beat Japan goalkeeper Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi with a right-footed shot in the 84th minute. Kawaguchi erred in coming out of his net. Five minutes later, with the Japanese clearly off-balance, Cahill scored from 20 yards with a right-footed shot that went in off the goalpost. Although the stunned Japanese pushed up for a second goal, it was Australia's Aloisi who found the net in the final seconds from 15 yards after snaking through the defense. That finished off the comeback for his nation's first World Cup win. Australia's only other trip to the World Cup was in 1974, when it failed to score a goal in losing to host West Germany and East Germany and tying Chile 0-0. Shunsuke Nakamura gave Japan a lead in the 26th minute, floating a cross from 25 yards that sailed in over the head of Australian goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer. Schwarzer failed to grab the ball when he crashed into a group of players. Japan forward Naohiro Takahara made contact with Schwarzer as the two jumped, but there was no foul and Schwarzer walked off at halftime shaking his head. Kawaguchi made several key saves off free kicks in the second half before his blunder on the first Aussie goal. Japan is in its third straight World Cup. Co-hosts in 2002, the Japanese lost 1-0 in the round of 16 to eventual semifinalist Turkey.
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany -- Australia found a perfect time to score its first World Cup goals -- three of them in the final minutes. Substitute Tim Cahill scored in the 84th and 89th minutes Monday and John Aloisi got a goal in injury time as the Socceroos shocked Japan 3-1 in their Group F opener. The Aussies didn't appear capable of even tying the game after falling behind in the first half. But Cahill equalized when he picked up a loose ball off a throw-in and beat Japan goalkeeper Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi with a right-footed shot in the 84th minute. Kawaguchi erred in coming out of his net. Five minutes later, with the Japanese clearly off-balance, Cahill scored from 20 yards with a right-footed shot that went in off the goalpost. Although the stunned Japanese pushed up for a second goal, it was Australia's Aloisi who found the net in the final seconds from 15 yards after snaking through the defense. That finished off the comeback for his nation's first World Cup win. Australia's only other trip to the World Cup was in 1974, when it failed to score a goal in losing to host West Germany and East Germany and tying Chile 0-0. Shunsuke Nakamura gave Japan a lead in the 26th minute, floating a cross from 25 yards that sailed in over the head of Australian goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer. Schwarzer failed to grab the ball when he crashed into a group of players. Japan forward Naohiro Takahara made contact with Schwarzer as the two jumped, but there was no foul and Schwarzer walked off at halftime shaking his head. Kawaguchi made several key saves off free kicks in the second half before his blunder on the first Aussie goal. Japan is in its third straight World Cup. Co-hosts in 2002, the Japanese lost 1-0 in the round of 16 to eventual semifinalist Turkey.
Italy 2, Ghana 0
HANOVER, Germany -- Andrea Pirlo, a player identified by Ghana as someone it needed to stop, scored in the 40th minute, and Vincenzo Iaquinta added a goal in the 83rd as Italy beat Ghana. Pirlo's shot from 22 yards sneaked through a maze of bodies and into the corner of the net, one of many opportunities for both teams in an entertaining match. Ghana fell just short on a number of scoring chances and showed itself worthy of playing in its first World Cup. The win may have been costly for Italy. Key playmaker Francesco Totti exited the game after apparently reinjuring his surgically repaired left leg in the second half. His status for Saturday's game with the United States is uncertain.
Associated Press