The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Debutants Senegal shock France

A France fan sits alone in the stands after their loss to Senegal in their group A match in Seoul on Friday.

Seoul, May 31
Reigning champions France crashed to a shock 1-0 upset defeat against African minnows and tournament debutants Senegal as the 2002 World Cup kicked off with a bang here today.

Senegal, fielding a side made up entirely of France-based players, secured what will go down as one of the most famous upsets in World Cup history thanks to a 30th-minute goal from midfielder Pape Bouba Diop in the Group A clash. But it was a desperate night for France, who struggled to produce their normal free-flowing game in the absence of injured star playmaker Zinedine Zidane.

France's Alain Boghossian holds his head as he stands with injured team-mate Zinedine Zidane.

Senegal players celebrate after defeating France in the opening match of the World Cup in Seoul on Friday. — Reuters photos

The French laid siege to Senegal’s goal in the second half, hitting the woodwork and forcing Senegal keeper Tony Sylva into a string of important blocks as the underdogs hung on.

Senegal’s goal came after African Footballer of the Year El-Hadji Diouf sprinted clear of veteran French defender Frank Leboeuf down the left flank after a swift breakout.

Diouf’s low centre was met by back-pedalling France midfielder Emmanuel Petit, whose clearance rebounded off the legs of diving goalkeeper Fabien Barthez allowing Bouba Diop to hook home from close range.

Bouba Diop sprinted off to the corner-flag and performed an early candidate for the World Cup’s goal celebration of the tournament, peeling his shirt off and laying it on the ground as his jubilant team-mates danced a round it.

The pace of Diouf was a constant threat to the French defence in the opening 45 minutes at the 64,000-capacity Seoul World Cup Stadium.

Senegal had threatened the French goal only a few minutes after kick-off when Diouf broke down the right and crossed for Khalilou Fadiga, whose low shot was easily saved by Barthez.

France failed to trouble Sylva in the opening minutes, the Africans’ defence making its presence felt with two crunching tackles on Arsenal star Thierry Henry.

But France almost took the lead after 23 minutes. A swift advance on goal saw Henry thread a pass to Juventus striker David Trezeguet who took one touch before curling a shot against the post with Sylva easily beaten.

Youri Djorkaeff, who replaced the injured Real Madrid star Zidane, curled a 30-yard free-kick which Sylva comfortably held, and the Senegal goalkeeper also did well to gather a low Sylvain Wiltord shot shortly before the break.

Diouf’s lively play clearly frustrated the French, and on half-time Petit was booked by UAE referee Ali Bujsaim for a crude tackle from behind.

Within minutes of the restart Diouf was again menacing the French area, this time just failing to get on the end of a whipped in cross by Fadiga.

France, who enjoyed much of the possession throughout but failed to create much, saw a Petit free kick from just outside the area cannon into the Senegalese wall.

Senegal skipper Aliou Cisse was cautioned on the 50th minute for scything down French captain Marcel Desailly as the champions pressed forward desperately for an equaliser.

Trezeguet went close twice but Henry was the worst culprit, ballooning a close-range header over the bar as an out-of-position Sylva scrambled to cover.

But France badly missed the inspirational midfield artistry of the injured Zidane, and his replacement Djorkaeff never looked like providing the inspiration needed before being substituted for Christophe Dugarry on the hour.

On 65 minutes Fadiga almost put Senegal in wonderland. The Auxerre player sped down the flank, bamboozled an uncomfortable-looking Leboeuf and smashed an angled shot onto the crossbar with Barthez beaten.

Moments later France rattled the woodwork at the other end, Henry curling a sublime chip over Sylva only to see his wonderful effort bounce up off the bar. AFP

Senegal join elite club

Major World Cup upsets after 1998 champions France lost their opener here today 0-1 to Senegal:

2002

France: 0 Senegal: 1

Reigning champions France are undone by African minnows and tournament debutants Senegal as midfielder Pape Bouba Diop hits the only goal on the half hour in Seoul.

1990

Argentina: 0 Cameroon: 1

Argentina faced the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon as reigning champions in the tournament-opener in Italy but slumped 0-1 to an Omam Biyik goal — even though the Africans finished with only nine men.

1966

North Korea: 1 Italy: 0

The North Koreans were given no hope whatsoever against the Azzurri but Pak Doo ik scored a sensational goal on a cross-shot to floor the Italians at Ayresome Park, Middlesbrough, whose fans cheered the goal to the rafters.

1950

USA: 1 England: 0

England had previously not bothered with the World Cup assuming they were the best team on the planet — but the Americans had other ideas and Joe Gaetjens - actually from Haiti — hit a late winner to stun the watching crowd at Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

1982

Argentina: 0 Belgium: 1

Again the Argentines flop as defending champions on day one, losing 0-1 to Belgium in Spain on a goal from Erwin Vandenbergh, the first goal in the opening match for 20 years.

1982

Algeria: 2 Germany: 1

The Algerians stunned the Germans in a first-round group match with Rabah Madjer and Lakhder Balloumi both on target - but the Germans went through eventually after they and neighbours Austria contrived to produce a narrow German win in a later encounter — enough to take both through the opening phase. AFP

	Senegal, Spain, Portugal, Nigeria hope to emerge from the shadows Amardeep Bhattal Croatia, who finished third at France ‘98, may face difficulty in matching the high standards set by the ‘fiery eleven’ four years ago. Coach Mirko Jozic has surprisingly included 23-year-old Bosko Balaban despite his poor form. He did not feature in any of Croatia’s warm-up matches. Jozic will also be relying on experienced players like Robert Prosinecki, Davor Suker and Robert Jarni. In fact it was the individual brilliance of Prosinecki in the crucial qualifier against Belgium that took Croatia into the World Cup. Jozic has also managed to breathe new life into the side which missed out on the European Cup two years ago. In the European qualifiers, they had the best defensive record, conceding only two goals. They remained unbeaten in eight matches, winning five and drawing three ties. However, the absence of central defender Igor Tudor, who will have to undergo an ankle injury, is being seen as a big blow to Croatia. Like the ‘Indomitable Lions’ Cameroon who shocked Argentina 1-0 in the 1990 opener, Senegal, too, caused a major upset against France in the inaugural tie today. Pape Bouba Diop’s match winner will undoubtedly fire new zeal in the team. On the way to the finals, Senegal had shocked Morocco and Egypt but in group A comprising France, Uruguay, and Denmark, they were the underdogs — the tag with which they are rather comfortable. Any team that underestimates them, like France, will do so at their own peril — for in striker El Hadji Diouf, Senegal have a prolific scorer. In the qualifiers, the 1998 prodigy scored back-to-back hat-tricks against Namibia and Algeria. In the African Nations Cup in Mali in February, Senegal were stopped only in the final by Cameroon who won in the penalty shoot-out. Paraguay, in group B will be looking up to the most colourful but controversial goalkeeper Jose Chilavert for moving ahead only after the first game. The 36-year-old Chilavert has been suspended for the first match against South Africa for spitting at Brazil’s Roberto Carlos during the qualifier. Thirtyone-year-old Jose Cardozo remains the most potent threat and the slim Roque Santa Cruz, only 20, may be a revelation after his experience at Bayern Munich. The team is under the charge of former Italian star Cesare Maldini, who led Italy to the quarter-finals in 1998. Maldini took over from Sergio Markarian who was sacked last November. Under Markarian, Paraguay held Argentina twice besides scoring an upset victory over Brazil. Spain, whose best showing has been the fourth position in 1950, suffered a setback as their first choice goalkeeper, the 32-year-old Santiago Canizares of Valencia, in a freak accident, injured his foot at a training camp in Jerez on May 17. However, under coach Jose Antonio Camacho, the Spaniards hope to shake off their perennial reputation as dark horses. Leading the attack will be Raul Gonzalez, the Real Madrid striker, who holds the key to his team’s progress in the World Cup. Assisting him will be Fernando Morientes, who scored twice in France ‘98. Lazio’s Gaizka Mendieta is expected to be the kingpin in the midfield while Real Madrid’s Fernando Hierro and Miguel Angel Nadal will man the defence. A berth in the second round is almost assured for the Spaniards from group ‘B’. Belgium in group ‘H’ will be looking to the veteran Marc Wilmots, the 33-year-old midfield dynamo, who despite ten operations will lead the ‘Red Devils’ in their sixth consecutive World Cup. The Schalke 04 player, who accounted for eight goals in the qualifiers for Belgium, was also instrumental in chalking out a shocking 2-1 win over France in a friendly at Paris on May 18. Like Spain, Tunisia also suffered a setback as key midfielder Oussama Sellami was ruled out of the World Cup due to injury. The 22-year-old player was diagnosed with a broken toe on the right foot after a friendly against a second division Japanese side on May 18. Tunisia play Japan, Belgium and Russia in group H. Russia, who open their campaign against Tunisia in group ‘H’, will be making their second appearance in the World Cup since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. In 1994, Russia failed to progress beyond the first round and missed out on a berth in France ‘98 after losing to Italy in the play-offs. The Russians also failed to qualify for Euro 2000. However, the favourable draw gives coach Oleg Romantsev enough hope of making it to the second round. Portugal, whose best performance so far has been the third position in the 1966 World Cup, are also seen as title contenders this time going by their brilliant run in Euro 2000. FIFA ‘player of the year’ Lui Figo, whose artistic and creative brand of football makes him stand out from the rest, is carrying the hopes of his country men the same way as the legendary Eusebio did 36 years ago. Coach Antonio Oliveira’s team does have a world class defence comprising Fernando Couto, Jorge Costa, Rui Jorge and Beto Severo in front of goalie Ricardo. In the midfield and attack, Figo and Nuno Gomes are expected to shoulder extra responsibility, although doubts over Figo’s fitness continue to linger due to his ankle injury. Moving into the second round from group ‘D’ should not be much of a problem for the Portuguese. Seeking redemption after a disappointing showing in France, the USA are banking on team spirit to make an impact in group ‘D’ that includes South Korea, Poland, and Portugal. The US squad comprises Europe-based and homegrown Major League players. Coach Bruce Arena is confident that past experience will hold them in good stead as also the recent victory in the North American Gold Cup. Half the team comprises players from the 1998 roster. Forward Clint Mathis and midfielder Landon Donovan are set to make their debut with veteran defender Eddie Pope providing all the inspiration. English Premiership goalkeepers Brad Friedel of Blackburn and Kasey Keller of Tottenham will fight for starting honours. Nigeria, better known as the ‘Super Eagles’ will be playing in the World Cup for the third time. Under coach Adegboye Onigbinde, the Nigerians hope to overcome all odds in the group of death which includes Argentina, England, and Sweden. Onigbinde replaced Shaibu Amidu who was sacked after Nigeria finished third in the African Nations Cup. In the 1994 World Cup, Nigeria blew a 1-0 lead against Italy, conceding a last-minute goal before losing 1-2 in extra time. Four years ago, they finished on top of their group in the opening round. Having eliminated fancied Spain, they were ultimately outplayed by Denmark in the second round. Among the stars who did duty at France ‘98 are two-time African ‘footballer of the year’ Nwankwo Kanu, the leading striker of Arsenal who helped his club win the league and the FA Cup in England, and Africa’s most expensive footballer, Austin Jay Jay Okocha of Paris St Germain. Pioneers Uruguay will be making a welcome return to the World Cup after missing the previous two editions. They clinched the last berth beating Australia 3-1 on aggregate in a play-off. Under coach Victor Pua, Uruguay’s dream of emulating the 1930 feat of their seniors is almost impossible but repeating the 1990 performance of making the second round is a realistic target. Uruguay’s strength lies in their defence led by Paolo Montero of Juventus. Striker Daniel Fonseca is the only player who has figured in the World Cup in the past. Mexico, with a soccer-mad population of 100 million, remain international football’s great enigma. Having taken part in the World Cup 11 times, Mexico reached the quarter-finals twice on home soil in 1970 and 1986. This time much will depend on striker Cuauhtemoc Blanco, the leading scorer in the qualifiers with nine goals, as Mexico,under the watchful eyes of Javier Aguirre, gear up to face Italy, Equador and Croatia in group G. Denmark under coach Morten Olsen thundered through the qualifiers undefeated. As quarterfinalists at France ‘98, the Danes are expected to be in the last 16 from group ‘A’. Slovenia in group ‘B’ will once again be looking to coach Srecko Katanec for inspiration as he had sensationally guided the team to the Euro 2000 finals. South Africa, under coach Jomo Sono, are not expected to make much headway in the same group. Turkey in group ‘C’ will be hoping to match their Euro 2000 showing when they had made it to the last eight for the first time but the squad trained by Senol Gunes may find it really tough to progress to the second round. Costa Rica also in the same group are not aiming at something spectacular and coach Alexandre Guimaraes will be more than satisfied if his side repeats the France ‘98 performance i.e. clinching a berth in the second round. Poland, under superstitious manager Jerzy Engel, are hopeful of entering the last 16 from group ‘D’. Having qualified for the World Cup after 16 years, the Polish squad is a mixture of youth and experience but it will be striker Emmanuel Olisadebe, formerly of Nigeria, who is expected to play a dominant role. Sweden placed in group ‘F’ made an impressive entry into the World Cup, remaining unbeaten in 10 fixtures, although the group was relatively easy. With Lars Lagerback and Tommy Soderberg at the helm, the Swedes will strive to overcome heavy odds against England, Argentina, and Nigeria but may not achieve much success. Debutants Equador under coach Hernan Dario Gomes face a similar situation in group ‘G’ against Italy, Mexico and Croatia. One month from now, the new world champions will have been crowned. But in the period preceding D-Day, another glorious chapter in the history of international football will also be scripted. Who will reign supreme ? Will history repeat itself ? Will the millennium’s first World Cup spring a surprise ? Only time will tell. (This is the second and concluding part of the World Cup preview. The first was published yesterday (May 31).
	WORLD CUP NOTEBOOK Lemerre refuses to answer in English Yokohama, May 31 Journalists covering the defending world champions had better brush up their high-school French if they want to try to understand France coach Roger Lemerre. The prickly trainer refused to take question in English from the many non-French reporters at a news conference. The only translator on hand knew Korean. “Journalists should organise translation among themselves”, France team spokesman Philippe Tournon said in Seoul, leaving many frustrated. Luckily, team captain Marcel Desailly was able to field questions in French, English and Italian. He was formerly at AC Milan and now plays for Chelsea. Supporting England: Former Scotland manager Craig Brown admits he will be supporting England at the World Cup. Brown, whose team failed to qualify for this year’s finals, said he has always supported the Auld Enemy. “How can you be against England? It will be good for football here if England do well in the World Cul finals,” the Preston North End manager said. “I’m now in English football and I’ll be supporting the English team. “But I have always done that. They say in Scotland you can’t support England but that’s jocular, they pretend.” Apologies: Germany assistant coach Michael Skibbe has apologised for calling Japan a land not necessarily suited for a vacation. “I apologise, it wasn’t the correct thing to say,” Skibbe said. “I’ve been five times in Japan and I’ve learned to value the land and the people. “I wanted to express something completely different but I made a mistake.” Skibbe made the remark on Tuesday while talking about problems the team had in organising activities during its free time. The assistant coach said he had not been reproached by Japanese hosts. AP
	Gala opening to World Cup Seoul, May 31 South Korea opened the first World Cup of the 21st century with a spectacle of music, fireworks and dance on Friday at a ceremony marked by boos and jees for the President of soccer’s world governing body, Sepp Blatter. Blatter, re-elected FIFA President at a stormy congress in Seoul this week despite allegations of corruption and financial mismanagement, had to appeal for “fair play, please’’ as catcalls and whistles from the crowd continued into his welcoming speech. It was the only sour note of a ceremony that mixed 5,000 years of Korean culture with the marvels of hi-tech and sent a message of reconciliation to co-hosts Japan. About 2,300 performers, half of them soldiers in traditional costume took part in the $ 8 million show in Seoul’s new World Cup stadium, filled to less than capacity with some empty seats for the opening game between champions France and Senegal. Thirty-two triangular drums, as many as there are nations in the World Cup, came together in the centre of the pitch. ‘Digital dancers’ with CD video monitors on their heads symbolising South Korea’s cutting-edge technology cavorted in the arena. Thirty-two huge banners descended from the stadium rafters over the heads of the crowd to cover the pitch in white cloth before a 10-metre high bell rose from the centre of the pitch and was sounded in a sign of peace. The 2002 World Cup is the first in Asia and the first time sport’s biggest event has been staged in two countries. “Through these football matches, humanity will become one, transcending racial, cultural, ideological and religious differences,’’ South Korean President Kim Dae-jung said in an address that formally opened the tournament. Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi also addressed the ceremony, watched by an estimated worldwide television audience of 500 million. Dignitaries present included Prince Takamado, a cousin of Japan’s Emperor Akihito, and his wife Princess Hisako, the first members of the imperial family to make an official visit since the end of four harsh decades of Japanese colonial rule on the Korean peninsula in 1945. Animosities stemming from a century of bitterness and rivalries over the organisation of the World Cup dogged the build-up to the tournament, but both countries have said they hope the feast of soccer would foster better ties. In a symbol of reconciliation and understanding, two giant flags of South Korea and Japan were brought together in the centre of the stadium. Both anthems were played to sustained applause. Outside the ground, a festival atmosphere more reminiscent of an Olympics than a football World Cup prevailed as fans in a range of national costumes and coloured wigs headed to the game in a party spirit past local bands and child dance groups. Some South Korean trade unionists walked around outside the stadium wearing jackets with slogans protesting job losses, but they seemed outnumbered by Korean Christians carrying crosses with messages in several languages proclaiming “Jesus Loves You’’. Reuters
	Invasion of football in Seoul Seoul, May 31 Footballs — as lanterns, as fans, as cakes, as bouncing digital images, as pork chops — took over the South Korean capital today in homage to the opening game of the World Cup later in the day. Seoul also turned into a city of even numbers in a bid to clear the capital of its clogged traffic by only allowing cars with odd and even numbers on roads on alternate days. Although the day was not a public holiday, the city had a festive air with many staff given a day off. Employees took full advantage to stroll city streets and throng plazas where giant television screens showed non-stop film of past World Cups and the feats of the South Korean team. The official song “Live Together Forever” blared endlessly as the clocked ticked down to the start of the first match an hour after sunset between defending champions France and Senegal. If there was anything missing, it was that the party seemed to be an almost exclusively Korean affair with only a handful of foreign fans sighted. With matches to be played in 20 stadiums spread the length and breadth of South Korea and Japan — twice the number of previous cups — fans have dispersed so there is rarely a congregation of supporters of more than the two teams involved. Reuters
	Uncertain Germans face enigmatic Saudi Arabia today Sapporo, May 31 A German side shrouded in pessimism and cast in the unfamiliar role of World Cup also-rans launch their group E campaign against Saudi Arabia here tomorrow. In World Cups gone by, Germany would have viewed tomorrow’s fixture at the space-age Sapporo Dome as little more than a light workout ahead of the more strenuous challenges of the later rounds. But erratic form at internationals over the past few seasons and a cruel injury toll which has robbed coach Rudi Voller of several key players means Germany can no longer take any opposition for granted. Bayern Munich playmaker Sebastian Deisler, clubmate Mehmet Scholl, Bayer Leverkusen central defender Jens Nowotny and Dortmund defender Christian Worns were all struck down before the tournament began. To make matters worse, Voller has seen star midfielder Michael Ballack struggle to shake off a nagging foot injury and defender Marko Rehmer expected to start on the bench. Nevertheless Voller is hoping Germany can get off to a flying start against the Saudis, although he was cautious about his team’s chances of progressing after the quarter-finals. “We want to begin like we did in 1990 when we beat Yugoslavia 4-1 in the first game,” said Voller, referring to Germany’s successful Italian campaign in which he took part as a striker. “But it’s up to us to beat this team — and we’ll go all out from the start to silence our critics,” he said. While Voller wants to draw a line under the gloomy forecasts he admitted he was surprised that assistant Michael Skibbe had predicted Germany would reach the final. “He really said that? Well, I think we will try and get to the quarter-finals and after that anything can happen,” Voller said. “But as far as I’m concerned every match is a final. On a good day we are a match for anyone. Having said that our weaknesses were exposed when we lost to Wales recently,” he added, referring to a dismal 0-1 loss in Cardiff. Voller singled out Saudi goalkeeper Mohamed Al-Deayea and striker Sami Al-Jaber as the key men for Germany’s opponents. “We know that they have a world-class goalkeeper in Mohamed Al Deayea, which is something quite rare for a team from Asia. They’ve also got an excellent attacker,” he said. Voller indicated he was readying to unleash towering 1.93 metre centre-forward Carsten Jancker tomorrow in an attempt to unsettle Saudi Arabia’s suspect defence. “We want to use our physical advantage in the air war. That means we must use the flanks and use corners and free kick to play up our strong points,” he said. Saudi Arabia, who reached the second phase of the 1994 World Cup, are refusing to be intimidated by the fact they are facing the three-time world champions. Striker Al-Hassan Al Yami, who has scored five times in 18 internationals and has become a key element of coach Nasser Al Johar’s line-up, said there was no chance of his team being overawed. “Our preparation for the first match has been excellent and we have no fear to face this big team (Germany) because we already played against big teams in our warm-up matches like Brazil, Denmark, Uruguay and Senegal. “We got some good results, beating Uruguay and Senegal 3-2, and I hope we will do the same with Germany because we aim to go through to the second round as we did in the USA in 1994. AFP
	Ireland hope to banish Roy Keane saga Niigata, May 31 Emotionally drained Ireland will be seeking to prove there is life beyond Roy Keane when they launch their World Cup campaign against powerful African champions Cameroon here tomorrow. After the trials and tribulations of the Keane saga, Mick McCarthy’s Republic will hope to fall back on their traditional strengths of spirit and teamwork against the ‘Indomitable Lions’. However, they face a formidable task if they are to write another chapter in a proud World Cup record which saw them reach the quarters in 1990 and the second round in 1994. McCarthy has remained upbeat throughout the chaos caused by his row with Keane and believes his team can still progress to the second round without their inspirational skipper. “Cameroon are a good side, anybody who wins their continent’s title has to merit respect and their results against top opposition since has been pretty good,” the former Irish captain said. “However we too deserve respect as we came through unbeaten in our group and edged the Dutch out of it... If they were here instead of us then they would be one of the favourites. “Okay Roy is not here but we got good results without him and I think one of the best things for us was that a lot of the younger players had to play in the intimidating atmosphere of Tehran without him and came through having earned their spurs,” he added. The impact on the players of the Keane furore has taken its toll. Ireland’s 35-year-old veteran Niall Quinn admitted earlier this week he had been left shattered and exhausted by the affair. Quinn, scorer of one of just four Irish goals in World Cup finals - in the 1-1 draw with Holland in 1990 - is unlikely to start as McCarthy goes for the pairing he calls his young lions, the erratic Robbie Keane and promising Damien Duff. However, the duo, with a haul of 11 goals in 59 internationals, will do well to breach one of the toughest defences in world football which is marshalled by the much improved Rigobert Song. Song, who became the first player to be sent-off in two successive World Cup finals when he was red-carded against Chile in 1998, is confident they can hold the Irish as long as they retain their discipline. “The African Nations Cup was perhaps a turning point for us in terms of holding our discipline. We must keep our heads here because I am well aware that one way the Irish have relied on scoring goals is through Ian Harte’s freekicks,” he said. However, while he may be wary of Harte’s deadball accuracy, Irish fans will be biting their fingernails at how Arsenal wingback Lauren will take him apart when he attacks. On paper Cameroon look to have the superior players all over the pitch with strike partnership Samuel Eto’o and former African ‘footballer of the year’ Patrick Mboma capable of destroying a pedestrian central defence captained by veteran Steve Staunton. AFP
	Uruguay look to settle old score Ulsan (South Korea), May 31 Uruguay, the last team to qualify for the World Cup, find themselves with an early chance to settle a bitter old score when they take on Denmark in their opening group A match here tomorrow. The teams have only met once before in competition, in the Mexico 1986 World Cup, but that day 16 years ago remains etched on the memory of every proud Uruguayan football fan (which means about 99.9 per cent of the small South American country’s 3.3 million population) as one of utter humiliation. For Denmark tore up the form book and stormed to a 6-1 victory, Uruguay’s biggest defeat in a competitive match as they were torn apart by an inspired Danish display of attacking flair. That alone would probably be spice enough for Uruguay’s present crop of players to pull out all the stops, but the fact that the Danes are now coached by one of the architects of that victory, their most-capped player Morten Olsen, will add an extra edge to the proceedings in this football-crazy south-eastern Korean town. And already there is a buzz around the training camp and a cautious confidence that the Danes could be a surprise package at this World Cup just as they were in Mexico. Uruguayan coach Victor Pua, affectionately known as “The Fat Man” knows how much the game means for national pride and boldly promised his side would not let the Danes come at them. “We are going to play an all-out attacking game and spend as much of the game in their half as possible.” Certainly he has the players at his disposal to cruise through the opening stages of the competition — especially now that the mercurial Alvaro Recoba and pacy striker Dario Silva have been pronounced fit — but so often in the past Uruguayan sides strong on paper have proved disappointing when it has come down to match action and grinding out the results. To underline that, this will be Uruguay’s first appearance on a World Cup stage for 12 years. AFP
	Ganguly looks to wrap up series Port of Spain, May 31 Having taken a 1-0 lead, India would be keen to wrap up the rain-truncated one-day series here as they take on West Indies in the fourth match tomorrow on a ground that has been traditionally lucky for them. India’s inability to pull through in the final matches in recent times has made them treat the penultimate game tomorrow as the all-important affair. Skipper Sourav Ganguly was quite confident about his team taking a winning 2-0 lead tomorrow after the first two one-day internationals at Jamaica were washed out by rains. “We don’t want to leave it to the last game,” said Indian Ganguly. “We would finish the job straightaway.” Part of the enthuthiasm stems from the fact that the Queen’s Park Oval has been the luckiest ground for the Indians in the Caribbean. All their three Test victories in West Indies have come at this venue with the latest one coming on this particular tour only. The Indians are also buoyed by their comprehensive seven-wicket win in the Bridgetown one-dayer, especially with the way the junior memebers of the team fared. Speedster Tinu Yohannan and left-hand batsman Dinesh Mongia, the only two players not to have got a single Test on this tour despite being in the squad, won the match for the Indians with their sterling performances. The arrival of younger players like Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh and Mohammand Kaif also brought a refreshing improvement in the fielding standrards and both, coach John Wright and Ganguly, were satisfied with their performance. “We are getting fitter as a group. You can see how important it is to have a unit where everyone is fielding to a reasonable standard”, Wright said. “I don’t want to get carried away but the guys have worked very hard on the tour”, he said. The strategy to ask Rahul Dravid to double up as wicketkeeper also went on reasonably well with the Indian vice-captain also went on reasonably well with the Indian vice-captain coming up with a good catch and a stumping. PTI
	Leg spinner Subhash Gupte dead Mumbai, May 31 Subhash Gupte, a great exponent of the art of leg-spin bowling, died in Trinidad last night following a long spell of illness, his brother Baloo Gupte said today. Subhash Gupte (72) had been suffering from diabetes for some years. His condition detiorated four days ago and the end came at 9.50 pm local time (7.20 am IST today) in San Fernando, Balu Gupte, himself a leg-spinner who represented the country, told PTI here. Known to be too accurate for a leg-spinner, Subhash Gupte claimed 149 wickets in 36 Tests at an average of 29.55. Gupte, who played for India from 1951-52 to 1961-62, took nine for 102 in the second Test at Kanpur against the Gerry Alexander-led West Indies in 1958-59. After retirement from first class cricket, Gupte migrated with his family to San Fernando and had been living there. He is survived by his wife Carol, son Anil and daughter Anita. PTI
	Trescothick leads England assault Birmingham, May 31 Marcus Trescothick held centre stage at Edgbaston on Friday by hitting his Test best of 161 to put England in command of the second Test against Sri Lanka here today. Opener Trescothick's third hundred in his 24th Test powered England to 401 for five at the close of the second day in reply to the touring team's first innings of 162. Trescothick, who hit 23 fours and three sixes in his 232-ball innings, put on 202 for the second wicket with Mark Butcher, who stroked 94. Their stand was an England record for any wicket in Tests against Sri Lanka. Off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, nursing a left shoulder injury, showed why he is such a key element in the touring team's attack with four for 105, removing Michael Vaughan (46), Butcher, captain Nasser Hussain (22) and Alec Stewart (7). Scoreboard Sri Lanka 1st innings: 162 England (1st innings): (overnight 24-0) Trescothick c Tillekeratne b Vaas 161 Vaughan c Jayasuriya b Murali 46 Butcher b Murali 94 Hussain b Murali 22 Thorpe batting 30 Stewart c Tillekeratne b Murali 7 Flintoff batting 14 Extra (lb-9, w-6, nb-12) 27 Total (for 5 wkts, 112 overs) 401 FoW: 1-92, 2-294, 3-338, 4-341, 5-368. Bowling: Vaas 30-3-104-1, Zoysa 11-1-61-0, Muralitharan 44-8-105-4, Fernando 16-2-69-0,Jayasuriya 6 -2-27-0, De Silva 5-0-26-0 Reuters