Midfielder James Rodriguez scored the only goal as Colombia beat Peru 1-0 in a World Cup qualifier in Lima Sunday to give Jose Pekerman a winning start as their coach. Striker Dorlan Pabon flicked a through ball with the outside of his right foot past a defender to Rodriguez, who sidestepped goalkeeper Diego Penny in the box and shot left-footed into the net. The victory at the Estadio Nacional lifted Colombia into fifth place in the nine-nation South American group with seven points from four matches. It is three points behind leader Argentina, which has played one more match. NZ beats Papua New Guinea In the Solomon Islands, New Zealand continued to take a conservative approach to its matches at the Oceania World Cup qualifying tournament, relying on a goal in each half to edge Papua New Guinea 2-1 Monday and to stay atop Group B. Later, the Solomon Islands drew 0-0 with Fiji to stay on track for the semifinals. The host now has a win and a draw from two games and is second in Group B behind New Zealand, which has all but clinched a semifinal place. Shane Smeltz gave New Zealand a 1-0 lead after two minutes when he headed home a Jeremy Brockie cross and Bristol City striker Chris Wood added the second in the 53rd off a Smeltz pass. Papua New Guinea pulled one back when substitute Neil Hans scored from the penalty spot two minutes before fulltime. Facing the prospect of playing six games in 10 days to win the tournament, New Zealand, favorite to qualify for the 2014 World Cup, placed an emphasis on conserving energy in extreme heat and on a deteriorating pitch. All 14 matches at the eight-team Oceania Nations Cup are being played on the same pitch at the Lawson Tama Stadium in the Solomon Islands capital Honiara. After only three days, the pitch is beginning to show signs of wear. The winner of the current tournament will represent Oceania at the 2013 Confederations Cup while the semifinalists will all progress to the next stage of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup. New Zealand represented the Oceania region at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, drawing all three of its group matches. Chelsea signs Hazard Chelsea has said it has agreed terms with Lille for playmaker Eden Hazard, who is the Premier League club's second most expensive signing at a reported €33 million ($41 million). The 21-year-old Hazard passed a medical Monday and personal terms have been settled, allowing him to become the fourth Belgium international to join Chelsea after Romelu Lukaku, Kevin de Bruyne and Thibaut Courtois. Hazard said: “I'm delighted to finally arrive here, it's a wonderful club and I can't wait to get started.” He was voted the French league's best young player in 2009 and 2010, and scored 36 league goals in 147 games for Lille.
