HIGHLIGHTS

Ronaldo tied Gerd Mueller's record of 14 career World Cup goals with two scores against Japan on Thursday night. Ronaldo scored his 13th goal on a header in first-half injury time, and added another on a hard shot in the 81st minute.
Ronaldo entered the game tied with Pele with 12 goals. He also passed France's Just Fontaine, who had 13 goals in a single tournament in 1958. Mueller scored 14 goals for West Germany in 1970 and 1974.

Australia qualified for the second round for the first time, rallying to tie Croatia in a heated match. Italy advanced to the second round of the World Cup for seventh straight time, with a 2-0 win over the Czechs.

STARS

• Ronaldo, Brazil, scored twice to tie Gerd Mueller's all-time record of 14 career World Cup goals, and help his team rout Japan 4-1.
• Gianluigi Buffon, Italy, made several key saves to preserve the Azzuri's lead in a 2-0 win over the Czech Republic.

• Harry Kewell, Australia, scored in the 79th minute to pull the Socceroos into a 2-2 tie with Croatia, which was enough to put them into the second round for the first time.

IN and OUT

Australia, Ghana, Italy, Mexico, Sweden, Spain, Brazil, Portugal, Argentina, the Netherlands, Ecuador, Germany and England have clinched spots in the second round.
Japan, Croatia, United States, Czech Republic, Angola, Trinidad and Tobago, Togo, Iran, Ivory Coast, Serbia-Montenegro, Poland, Costa Rica and Paraguay have been eliminated.

GOAL OF THE DAY

Clint Dempsey became the first – and only – American to actually score a goal in this tournament in the 43rd minute of a 2-1 loss to Ghana on Thursday.

LOOK AHEAD

France is the only seeded team that has not yet qualified for the second round. Les Bleus will try to rectify that when they play Togo on Friday. France must win by two goals to guarantee a spot in the second round, though a one-goal win could be enough, depending on the result in the Switzerland-South Korea game. A loss or tie would eliminate the French.
The Swiss, making their first appearance in the World Cup since 1994, can advance to the second round with a tie.

GROUP ETEAM W-L-T POINTS

ITALY 2-0-1 7

GHANA 2-1-0 6

CZECH REPUBLIC 1-2-0 3

UNITED STATES 0-1-1 1

UP NEXT – ROUND OF 16

Italy vs. Australia, 10 a.m., Monday

Ghana vs. Brazil, 10 a.m., Tuesday