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Sunday,
June 2, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Germany
outplay Saudi Arabia 8-0 Spirit of
’96: Ziege |
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Ireland's Gary Kelly lunges for the ball as it crosses the line for a goal by Cameroon's Patrick Mboma (not pictured) during their first round match at the World Cup finals in Niigata Stadium on Saturday. Ireland drew with Cameroon 1-1.
— Reuters photo
Denmark’s Stig Tofting (R) challenges Uruguay’s Dario Silva in the first half of their group A match of the World Cup finals in Ulsan, South Korea, on Saturday. Argentina
face tough Nigeria
Senegal
set higher sights France
shattered after shock defeat Brazil
are on ‘zebra’ alert Strikers
tense as Trapattoni readies Italy Italians
attend special mass Spaniards
look to end jinx Now
Slovenia think big Football
fever grips Afghanistan
Zidane
unlikely for second tie Koreans
hope to emulate Senegal Paraguay,
SA keen to avoid exit
India's Sachin Tendulkar trains with his team at the Queen Park Oval in Port-of- Spain,
Trinidad on Friday. Srinath
retires from Test cricket England on top against Lanka
Jennifer Capriati of the USA returns a volley to Evie Dominikovic of Australia during the French Open on Saturday. Capriati won 6-3, 6-1.
— Reuters photo India blank
Malaysia Eves’
hockey series in England HARYANA CLAIM
TWO GOLD Punjab Police
sportsmen promoted
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Germany outplay Saudi Arabia 8-0
Sapporo (Japan), June 1 Kaiserslautern striker Miroslav Klose helped himself to a hat-trick, all from headers, as the Saudis were totally overwhelmed. Michael Ballack, Carsten Jancker, Thomas Linke, the veteran Oliver Bierhoff all scored and Bernd Schneider scored the eighth goal from a free kick. Pre-tournament expectations were low for the injury- ravaged Germans and despite this impressive performance, their next match, against Ireland on Wednesday, should be a truer test of how far Rudi Voller’s squad can progress. Germany had strolled to a 4-0 half-time lead under the closed roof at the domed stadium where England and Argentina meet on June
7.
Klose opened the scoring with a diving header in the 20th minute before leaping above the defence to head home Ballack’s pinpoint cross for the second goal five minutes later as he and the towering Jancker tormented the Saudi defence with their strength and height. Ballack, showing no effects of his foot injury, added the third with a header from a Christian Ziege cross six minutes from the break and Jancker’s pressure was rewarded with a close-range shot in first half-stoppage time. The Saudis failed to improve in the second half and coach Nasser al-Johar has a mountain to climb to lift his team for their next match against African champions Cameroon. Saudi’s former Asian Player of the Year Nawaf Al Temya hardly touched the ball and only veteran striker and captain Sami al-Jaber gave the Germans any problems. The German captain, goalkeeper Oliver Kahn, was completely untroubled. Voller’s team began the second half at a stroll and Torsten Frings should have had a penalty for a trip by Abdulaziz Khathran. Bierhoff came on for Jancker midway through the first half before Klose grabbed his third, nodding a header past al-Deayea on 69 minutes. Linke’s goal four minutes later followed a well-worn formula of a lofted cross to the back post for a headed finish and Bierhoff piled on the humiliation as he steered the ball past the forlorn al-Deayea in the 84th minute to make it 7-0. Schneider’s curling free kick completed the rout in injury-time.
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Spirit of ’96: Ziege
Miyazaki, June 1 “There is a spirit of harmony which is similar to what we had before Euro 1996,’’ the experienced wingback said yesterday as Germany were preparing to play Saudi Arabia in their opening World Cup match today in Sapporo. The 30-year-old, the most capped player in the German squad with 66 international appearances, also played in the World Cup in France four years ago, at which Germany were knocked out in the quarter-finals. The Tottenham Hotspur player was in the team again when the triple world champions made a shock departure from Euro 2000 after the group stage. Both times, internal squabbling marred Germany’s campaigns but now, even if the expectations are lower than usual after a shaky qualifying run and a series of injury problems, there are at least no scandals. “You always feel a bit insecure before the first game but we are well prepared for this and we all believe we can go further than most people think we will,’’ Ziege said, hoping the Germans, who have not won any silverware since 1996, would bounce back at the tournament in South Korea and Japan. Polls keep showing that fans in the soccer-mad nation fear another early exit and Germany coach Rudi
Voeller, whose team also face Ireland and Cameroon in group E, has remained cautious, naming the knock-out stage as his minimum
aim. Ziege, who missed the 1994 World Cup through injury, had a scare when he hurt his ankle in a premier league game last month and had to undergo minor surgery. Now a key figure in the Germany squad, Ziege was not always accepted by the fans and fell under so much criticism after Euro 2000 that he considered ending his international career. “I don’t know what they all have against me,’’ he said at the time.
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Ireland
hold Cameroon 1-1
Niigata (Japan), June 1 Ireland midfielder Matt Holland equalised with a fierce low drive on 52 minutes to cancel out striker Patrick Mboma’s first-half goal for the much-fancied ‘Indomitable Lions’. For Ireland it was a satisfying result as they kicked off their campaign missing inspirational skipper Keane, booted out of the squad after a furious row with manager Mick McCarthy. The disgraced Irish skipper’s namesake Robbie Keane almost handed McCarthy’s men victory late on when he thumped a shot against the post with Cameroon goalkeeper Boukar Alioum beaten. Substitute Steven Reid also tested Alioum in the final minute with a vicious indirect free kick that was parried over. “We had a number of chances in the second half and we would have won the match,” said Holland, later named man-of- the- match. “For the first game it’s a good result - but we’ve still got two matches to go.” “I scored a couple like that in the qualifying games and it was nice to do it here. “There were a few nerves out there in the first half but we just go stronger and stronger in the second.” McCarthy was delighted that the team had rebounded from the traumatic events of the past fortnight and a poor first-half performance to force a draw. “I told the players at half-time that we hadn’t worked for two years to get to the finals and throw it away in the first match,” he said. “I thought we were magnificent in the second-half and that we probably deserved to win it in the end.
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Tomasson
seals Denmark win Ulsan, June 1 A spectacular volley by Dario Rodriguez just after half time looked to have earned Uruguay a draw after Tomasson had put the Danes ahead just before the interval. But the Denmark striker headed Martin Jorgensen’s cross into the roof of the net to put his side top of the group standings, with world champions France bottom after losing to Senegal yesterday. Denmark went ahead at the end of an even first half when Tomasson laid the ball off to Jesper Gronkjaer on the left wing and raced into the area to meet the cross and finish from close range. Rodriguez, though, put Uruguay back on level terms just two minutes into the second half with a delightful goal, blasting a left-footed volley into the net from 20 metres after being found by a clever pass by Pablo Garcia. The Uruguayans, who qualified last of the 32 World Cup finalists, struggled to create chances, with Sebastian Abreu and Alvaro Recoba well marshalled by the Denmark defence. The Danes played with composure and measured build-up play through the midfield and should have gone ahead after 11 minutes. Thomas Helveg found Sand unmarked in the box — an unusual slip for a Uruguayan defence marshalled by Paolo Montero — with a cross from the right wing, but the striker’s diving header hit the ground and shaved the crossbar.
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Argentina face tough Nigeria
Naraha, June 1 Argentina are ranked as favourites for the tournament boasting a powerful-looking squad crammed with Europe-based stars. But with reigning champions France humbled by Senegal in yesterday’s opening game, Batistuta and Argentina know they can ill afford to take the Nigerians for granted in the game at Ibaraki near Tokyo. “We are prepared for a very tough encounter as Nigeria are one of the hardest teams around to face and the opening game is always a difficult one, said the ‘Batigol’, playing in his third - and last World Cup. Batistuta knows more than anyone that Nigeria are not soft touch. At the 1994 World Cup he was a member of the Argentina side which went 1-0 down to the ‘Super Eagles’ before battling back to win 2-1. “We will have to get a grip things early on” was how the AS Roma star saw things with equally awkward matches against England and Sweden to follow. “The expectations on us to win the Cup are always huge-but if we do go a long way it won’t be by coincidence,” he added after yesterday’s training. He recalled that the team coached by 1978 World Cup- winning skipper Daniel Passarella which fell to Holland in the quarter-finals four years ago was “a good side but one with less experience.” Current coach Marcelo Bielsa’s side, according to Argentina’s record scorer with 55, is more capable of dictating the pace of a game. “We can hold the ball better and not wait for our opponent to come at us nor wait and see what transpires. “With Bielsa we always go out to attack,” he insisted. Batistuta said the team were awaiting their opening match calmly and were at ease with their status as co-favourites. “This is the World Cup and you need all the elements in place: A good coach, luck and a cohesive team unit are fundamental requirements. “This is a great team which has the good fortune to have a great coach,” he went on. Bielsa will have been flattered no doubt to hear that but he still has not let slip whether Batistuta will get the nod as main striker against the Nigerians or whether Hernan Crespo of Lazio will slip in at the top of the pecking order. Batistuta said come what may if he had to take his place on the bench he would with good grace as “Crespo and I both have what it takes” to fire Argentina to victory. Bielsa is resisting pressure from fans who want to see both men play together and it seems likely Batistuta will play just in front of River Plate’s Ariel Ortega - whose job it will be to serve up goalscoring opportunities on a plate from the right flank with Lazio’s Claudio Lopez lurking on left. Opponents Nigeria, meanwhile remain an unknown quantity, on their day capable of beating anyone but at the same time capable of disintegrating. Super Eagles coach Adegboye Onigbinde is sweating on an injury to star forward Julius Aghahowa, who has taken to hospital as a precaution yesterday after taking a heavy knock in training. Aghahowa is Nigeria’s main attacking weapon and his possible absence will seriously diminish chances of an African upset. Onigbinde, a disciplinarian former school teacher, insists he is not peturbed by the possibility of facing Argentina’s star-studded squad. “I respect all these stars, but I think more about the team as a whole,” Onigbinde said at a Press conference. “If you tell me a player has three or four legs, or may be two heads, then that’s special. But to me, it’s just one man.”
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Senegal set higher sights
Seoul, June 1 “We have a side made of warriors and we have proved it. Beating France was outstanding but we are not going to lose our minds,” the French-born Metsu told reporters today following the stunning success in Seoul a few hours earlier. “We have two more games and we have the opportunity to go through to the second round.” “Winning the first match was only a step and our main goal has always been to go as far as we could. We have dreamed about this victory. We have prepared for it and we have achieved it.” The Senegalese, who are taking part in their first World Cup finals, clinched victory with a 30th minute Pape Bouba Diop goal. But their solid defensive performance with a five-strong midfield was the foundation of their win as the likes of top international marksmen Thierry Henry, David Trezeguet, Sylvain Wiltord and Djibril Cisse failed to break them down. “We are now on the right track and we already have our minds set on the next match against Denmark on June 6,’’ said Metsu. “Beating France is just one step. We would have been just as happy if it was any other side we had beaten. ” “We came here to do something great. Otherwise we would have gone on holidays.” “We had this belief that there were no little teams any more. We have proved that any side can beat any other.’’ The Senegalese held a light training session for about an hour on Saturday in front of a small audience at the Mokdong stadium, in the western part of the South Korean capital. A beaming and relaxed Metsu was welcomed by local officials as he stepped off the players’ bus and was offered flowers before heading for the ground under light security. It was a huge contrast with the overcrowded and sometimes very formal sessions France have held so far, near their luxury hotel by the Han-Gang river. Metsu said he always expected that his team could pull off a good result against the French. “The main difference between us and the other African sides is all our guys play in the French championship. They have acquired a culture of strategy,” he said. “They are disciplined and focused.” “We already had this feeling during the African Nations Cup. We reached the final there and we proved that we could do pretty well at defending. We did not concede a goal even if we lost in a penalty shootout to Cameroon.’’ “Our (warm-up) match against Ecuador then boosted our confidence. We knew from then that we could challenge great sides without being afraid,’’ Metsu said. “During the training sessions before the opening game, we could feel something was phasing in gradually.’’ Metsu said the players did not spend too
much time celebrating their victory on Friday. Reuters |
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France shattered after shock defeat
Seoul, June 1 Four years of almost undiluted success meant the world and European champions were unused to defeat and yesterday’s shock 1-0 loss to Senegal seems to have shattered the squad’s self-belief. Lemerre, who has a reputation for not mincing his words, found it hard to explain the opening game defeat but seemed to gain solace from talking it all through quietly. “France’s performance was obviously not up to standard but did we really have the means to do much better?” “Yesterday, we suffered a setback we are not used to. We have lived in a culture of victory for the last four years. Now, our whole future in the tournament is under question.” Lemerre refused to blame one player for yesterday’s defeat to Senegal who were playing their first World Cup match. He reckons he will still be without injured playmaker Zinedine Zidane for Thursday’s match against Uruguay. “Physically there is a huge question mark hanging over us. We can’t say the team were firing on all cylinders - some players were far from their usual best.” “I didn’t feel the same desire (from the players) that I was used to, especially when there was just two minutes left. If you want to take part in world class games you must be ready to go beyond your limits.” The absence of Zidane, recovering from a torn thigh muscle, weighed heavily on the French performance. But Lemerre said the defeat stemmed first and foremost from a collective failure and he stressed a single player, even Zidane, might not have been able to change the whole picture. “We have finished the game with our three top scorers (Henry, Trezeguet and Cisse) on the pitch and it did not help much,” he said. Surprisingly, all the experience gained during the victorious campaigns at the 1998 World Cup and the 2000 European championship was not enough to overcome the physically fit and mentally strong Senegalese. “We played like first-timers,” captain Marcel Desailly said. “We made too many mistakes, particularly on dead-balls and corners.” “We should have been able to carry the ball up front more often. Every one of us should have been more available for the others. Now we have very little choice but to win our next two games.” Zidane’s continued absence would severely wound the French who do not seem to know where their inspiration will come from. “It would surprise me if he was fit to play against Uruguay,” said Lemerre. “Zidane is working hard to recover but he has not resumed training yet. There are just four days before the Uruguay game, it will be too soon to have him back.” For this do-or-die match, the French coach hinted he might opt to hand the playmaking to midfielder Johan Micoud and leave a disappointing Youri Djorkaeff on the bench. “I fielded Djorkaeff on Friday because I believed he was the right man in the right place. He has tried to do his best, but having Johan Micoud is something I’m really considering.”
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Brazil are on ‘zebra’ alert Ulsan, June 1 Scolari, who has repeatedly told his players about the dangers of underestimating the opposition, repeated his warning and said his team could also fall victim to a zebra — as shock results are known in Brazil — if they do not take their rivals seriously. “All the favourites are going to have the same sort of difficulties as France,” the man known as Big Phil told the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) website. “This has to be an alert for Brazil. If you don’t pay attention and don’t play seriously, you won’t achieve anything.” Brazil face Turkey, Costa Rica and China in first round group C and are expected to progress easily. Brazil full back Roberto Carlos said last week the four times world champions only needed to play at 40 per cent of their capabilities to beat Turkey, their first opponents on Monday.
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Strikers
tense as Trapattoni readies Italy
Sendai, June 1 Filippo Inzaghi is returning to fitness quicker than expected but Italy coach Giovanni Trapattoni still looks set to start with Christian Vieri up front supported by Francesco Totti against Ecuador in a 4-4-2 formation — assuming that is the case it would be a novelty for ‘Trap’ who has used a 3-4-1-2 line-up since succeeding Dino Zoff two years ago. Vieri said yesterday he was not interested in Trapattoni’s line-up — so long as he was in it. “Trapattoni can do what he wants,” said the Inter Milan forward who made his international reputation in France’98 with five goals. “I don’t mind what system he plays - so long as I play.” Vieri was clearly confident he has got the nod for Ecuador while Trapattoni has constantly said that Totti is the most important weapon at his disposal. Inzaghi, Italy’s top scorer under both Zoff and Trapattoni, knows he is also in favour and his four goals in Friday’s practice match proved that he was returning to fitness quicker than expected — team doctor Andrea Ferretti had ruled Inzaghi out of the Ecuador match because of a knee injury sustained against Kashima Antlers. But while yesterday’s four goals show he might yet make it to Sapporo, Trapattoni is unlikely to risk Inzaghi from the start. Inzaghi can relax in the knowledge that it is doctors and not Trapattoni who are counselling against him. The same can’t be said for Vincenzo Montella and Alessandro Del Piero — Marco Delvecchio is also out in the cold. Montella earlier this week crossed swords with AS Roma team-mate Totti when the latter said it was natural that he be paired with Vieri. Montella pointed out that, in his opinion, he had better credentials for that role — at Roma, Totti plays in another 3-4-1-2 system behind a front pair including Montella. “At Roma I play the second striker behind (Gabriel) Batistuta,” said Montella curtly. It was a characteristic outburst from Montella who has often publicly crossed swords with Roma coach Fabio Capello over team selection and whose remarks on Thursday came close to questioning Trapattoni’s judgement. Del Piero, competing in his fourth major tournament for Italy after failing to live up to expectations in the first three, would appear to be equally marginalised. Totti, Inzaghi and Vieri’s pre-eminence was amply illustrated in the negotiations for shirt numbers that took place at the Coverciano training camp before Italy departed for Japan. Del Piero had to concede to Totti the number 10 jersey that is usually given to the best player in the team, settling for seven. Inzaghi took the number nine that traditionally goes to the top forward while Vieri was happy to keep the number 21 that proved lucky in France ’98. But Montella and Del Piero can take heart from previous Italian campaigns where the hero has emerged during the course of a tournament. Rossi, reinstated in the national team in 1982 after a ban for match-fixing was reduced, only came into his own in the second phase while in 1990, Schillaci, a surprise squad selection, came off the bench in Italy’s opening match to score the winner. Both would go on to win the golden boot for tournament top scorer with six goals.
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Italians
attend special mass
Sendai, June 1 Trapattoni, whose sister is a nun, attended a special mass with Italy players and officials at the team’s hotel today. “The Lord has many other things to deal with but I pray that he looks over us as well,” said the Italy coach whose side face Ecuador in their opening group G match on Monday. A local priest, Takanohashi Tatsuo, carried out the service which was attended by goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon and midfielder Damiano
Tommasi. “There is nothing new about this, we are a Catholic group,” said
Trapattoni. Italy also play Croatia and Mexico. Reuters |
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Spaniards look to end jinx Gwangju, June 1 “Spanish players have mentality problems if their first rival isn’t a big name,” said Camacho, tacitly suggesting that his Eastern European opponents were not one of the world elite. “At the 1978 World Cup we lost to Austria, since then we have drawn on day one with Honduras, Uruguay and South Korea. Four years ago we lost to Nigeria,” added the former Real Madrid stalwart. However, since the Spanish domestic season ended two weeks ago, Camacho has gone to great lengths to convince his players to take Slovenia seriously, despite them being World Cup debutants. One of his tactics was to replay a video of their match two years ago at Euro 2000. On that occasion, Spain narrowly won 2-1 over the smallest nation at the 2002 World Cup. In the intervening time, shocked by what happened in the Netherlands and principally against a tenacious side like Slovenia, Camacho has made huge changes to the composition of the Spanish squad and its formerly predictable 4-4-2 style. Only four of the players in action in Amsterdam were expected to start against Slovenia in what is likely to be a 4-3-2-1 formation with Deportivo La Coruna’s Diego Tristan likely to form the top of the pyramid. The Spanish first division’s top scorer last season should be ably backed in attack by his team mate Juan Carlos Valeron and Real Madrid’s Raul Gonzalez, but who provides the midfield service is almost anyone’s guess with the only secure name being the Valencia playmaker Ruben Baraja. At the back, Real Madrid’s Fernando Hierro will marshall the side in his fourth World Cup campaign and is expected to be accompanied in the centre of the defence by fellow Real Madrileno Ivan Helguera. Barcelona’s Carles Puyol can be certain of his place as the right wing back but on the left side Camacho will have to choose between Torres or Juan Garcia.
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Now Slovenia think
big Kwangju, June 1 In one of the most remarkable fairy tales in international soccer, the tiny alpine nation that broke away from Yugoslavia in 1991 has gone from nowhere in a decade to a place in the World Cup as the smallest country ever to make the finals. That in itself is almost enough for
Katanec, who keeps telling his players that they have won just by qualifying. But after fellow first-timers Senegal pulled off a shock 1-0 win against defending champions France in Friday’s opening game of the tournament, Slovenia have taken heart.
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Football
fever grips Afghanistan
Kabul, June 1 Electronics shopkeepers say sales of satellite dishes have doubled this week as football-mad residents of Kabul decided they could not risk relying on the bombed-out local television station for reliable reception. The puritanical Taliban regime, which collapsed last November after six years of strict Islamic rule, had barred citizens from watching television on the grounds it was idolatrous, denying them chance to see 1998 World Cup. "It is like a festival here. Our sales have gone double. Last week I sold eight pairs of receivers and dishes, but this week I have sold up to 16 of them so far," said Abdul Tawab, a shopkeeper at the main Nader Pashtun electronics market in downtown Kabul. "There is enormous interest in the World Cup and the people are looking forward to the tournament," said Shah Mahmoud, the trainer of a local youth team. "I am sure 80 per cent of the population love to follow the matches if they can. But now I think only 20 per cent of them can do so due to lack of electricity in many parts of the capital," he said. And with satellite downloads and decoders still operating patchily, fans like Ahmad Eklil, an Afghan refugee who has just returned from Pakistan, were worried they might not be able to take in all the footballing action. "I am afraid I will not be watching them. In Pakistan, I was up until three in the morning watching the 1998 cup," he said. Before the religious militia took over, residents of Kabul stayed glued to their television screens during previous Cups which were relayed one day later through Moscow. The names of footballing legends like Pele, Platini, Diego Maradona, and Franz Beckenbauer are still very well known here. But many local residents said despite yesterday’s humiliating defeat of defending champions France at the hands of west African underdogs Senegal, their favourite player was French midfielder Zinedine Zidane. "Zidane is my favourite player. Because he proved himself with scoring two goals in the last World Cup final in 1998," said Eklil. Another resident, Mohammad Haroona, said he cut short his attendance at a wedding party to rush home and witness the start of the tournament, which saw France lose 0-1 to Senegal. "I was saddened to see France losing. It is a very good side and I hope they can recover from this situation. I think it was because of Zidane’s absence," said the ardent football fan. Shah Mahmoud said he hoped to have videotapes made of the Cup’s best matches to serve as training material for his team of under-16s who go through their paces on the dusty, uneven stadium in the capital. Barely taking his eyes from a match being played in the war-scarred Kabul stadium, the grey-bearded trainer said watching the world-class matches would acquaint his players with the game’s new styles and techniques. Although football is the most popular sport throughout Afghanistan, 23 years of non-stop conflict has taken a heavy toll and the national team has never qualified for World Cup. "We have lost several generations of our players, most of them have migrated to the west," Mahmoud said. "But if things go well as they are at the moment, our football could rise in four to five years at least in a regional level." The trainer, who was jailed by the Taliban for his political beliefs, said prospects for Afghan football looked bright after the collapse of the militia which had crippled sporting life with its bizarre rules. The religious militia barred spectators from cheering and clapping and all events had to be halted to "allow" players and fans to say their prayers at the appointed times. Athletes, including boxers, were forbidden to trim their beards and despite the hot conditions during summer, sportsmen were forced to cover their legs with long trousers. Squads of religious police raided football matches and viciously beat anyone caught violating the rules, and Kabul’s only football pitch became better known as the venue for weekend executions of convicted criminals.
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Beckham holds the key
Saitama, June 1 Facing a team they have not beaten in 34 years, England can ill afford to drop points from their opening group F clash if they are to progress from the group stages with difficult matches against Argentina and Nigeria still to come. But with dead-ball specialist Beckham making his eagerly-anticipated return after making a full recovery from the broken foot bone he suffered seven weeks ago, Eriksson is confident his talismanic captain can unlock one of the meanest defences in world football. “To have a specialist like Beckham is very good, its a weapon,” Eriksson said. “I think he is one of the best”. “I think 1968 was the last time (England beat Sweden) and before that 1947, I read it myself and of course that is incredible. Sweden are a very difficult opponent. They are very well organised, disciplined, hard-working and of course they have very good football players. “But I’m very optimistic and think we can do very well”. Tomorrow is likely to be an emotional day for Eriksson when his side come face to face with his native Sweden but insisted his loyalties would not be divided and was determined to come out on top against the country of his birth. “When game starts I won’t be thinking about who we are playing, just focusing on getting the right result for England”, he said. Eriksson has a fully-fit squad from which to choose his starting 11 after Kieron Dyer won his fitness battle earlier this week. Dyer was written off as a non-starter when he suffered knee ligament damage in Newcastle’s final Premiership match at the beginning of May.
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Zidane unlikely for second tie
Zidane sustained the injury in a friendly against South Korea last week and missed the shock 1-0 defeat to Senegal in the World Cup opener on Friday. “The injury is worrying,” said Lemerre after Zidane had been examined at a hospital in the South Korean capital. “We don’t know too much about it but he’s not back in training with only four days to go until the match. “I would be astonished if he returns for the Uruguay match.” World champions France now have a battle on to make the second phase.
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Koreans
hope to emulate Senegal Kyongju, June 1 “We are a good team but we are the little team in our group,” South Korean coach Guus Hiddink told reporters today after a training session. South Korea, co-hosting the tournament with Japan, hold Asia’s record for World Cup finals appearances as they prepare for their sixth showing, but they have yet to win a finals match. Playing at home has put the team under intense pressure to make the final 16 for the first time, but they face stiff opposition in Group D rivals Portugal, Poland and the USA.
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Paraguay, SA keen to avoid exit Busan, June 1 In-form Spain are clear favourites to win group B and Slovenia look to be well in contention for the second qualifying spot, so anything less than a point looks likely to put paid to the impossible dream for another four years. On paper, the sides are evenly matched, but in practice recent form suggests that neither is going into the game with confidence brimming over. South Africa’s star has been on the wane since they qualified for their first World Cup four years ago, culminating in a lacklustre showing in the recent African Nations Cup when they went out in the quarter-finals. That led the authorities to have a radical rethink in the World Cup warm-up and they appointed flamboyant former coach Jomo Sono as technical director over the head of incumbent coach Carlos Queiroz. The hope was clearly that someone like Sono, still a national hero from his playing heyday in the 1970s and 80s, could inject the passion into the side. There has been little evidence of the promised revival to date, but the young side make up in enthusiasm what they lack in experience.
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India bowled out for 123
Port Of Spain, Trinidad, June 1 India’s frontline batsmen perished trying to force the pace in a match reduced to 25 overs each after play started over four hours late due to persistent rain at the Queen’s Park Oval. Captain Saurav Ganguly cracked five fours and a six in his 44-ball 39, but wickets kept tumbling at the other end as the West Indies four-pronged pace attack made early inroads into a lineup that sorely missed the injured Sachin Tendulkar. The 29-year-old, who holds the world record for both runs and centuries in one-day cricket, was sidelined at the last minute due to a shoulder injury. Opener Virender Sehwag fell for a first-ball duck when he tried to hit paceman Mervyn Dillon over the infield but ended up lobbing a simple catch to Brian Lara at mid-on. Ganguly and fellow left-hander Dinesh Mongia — who had struck 74 at Barbados on Wednesday to give India a 1-0 series lead — raised a brisk 44 for the second wicket. The skipper cut Cameron Cuffy for a six over extra cover and pulled him to the mid-wicket fence for four more. Mongia joined in as he lofted Cuffy over long-off for four, but was bowled next ball by a slow full toss. Vangipurappu Laxman was run out for two off a direct hit from captain Carl Hooper at short square leg and Yuvraj Singh (1), promoted up the order, edged left-arm paceman Pedro Collins to Ridley Jacobs. Collymore then removed Ganguly, Mohammad Kaif (12) and Ajit Agarkar (0) to put West Indies in control. Scoreboard India Ganguly lbw b Collymore 39 Sehwag c Lara b Dillon 0 Mongia b Cuffy 13 Laxman run out 2 Yuvraj c Jacobs b Collins 1 Dravid b Hooper 28 Kaif c Gayle b Collymore 12 Agarkar c Jacobs b Collymore 0 Zaheer b Hooper 7 Harbhajan c Jacobs b Collins 6 Yohannan not out 2 Extras (lb-5 nb-4 w-4) 13 Total (all out, 25 overs) 123 Fall of wickets: 1-1 2-45 3-53 4-56 5-66 6-86 7-86 8-110 9-118 Bowling: Dillon 5-0-24-1, Cuffy 5-0-40-1, Collins 5-0-21-2, Collymore 5-1-14-3, Hooper 5-0-19-2. Windies 63 without loss |
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Srinath
retires from Test cricket Bangalore, June 1 Srinath, who made his Test debut in 1991-92
against Australia in Brisbane, announced his decision at a press conference here today. “It’s a hard decision... Now I will focus on the World Cup,” said the 32-year-old paceman, who took 232 wickets in 64 Tests. Srinath said he had been contemplating the move over the last six to seven months and had intimated the BCCI about his decision. He was advised to think once again over his decision by BCCI President Jagmohan Dalmiya but Srinath stuck to his plan. “I am open to one-dayers”, said the right-arm fast medium bowler, who has taken 276 wickets in the shorter version of the game. “I have some cricket left in me. I want to play objective cricket and channelise it properly,” he said. The fifth and final Test against the West Indies in Jamaica 10 days ago was his last appearance in the longer version of the game. |
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England on top against Lanka
Birmingham, June 1 England led by 383 on first innings and Sri Lanka were 85 for two in their second innings midway through the last session on the third day, with Marvan Atapattu 35 not out and Mahela Jayawardene on 27. Hoggard, enjoying success with bat and ball, fired out Sri Lanka captain Sanath Jayasuriya (12) and Kumar Sangakkara (1) in quick succession before Atapattu and Jayawardene began to repair the damage in an unfinished third wicket stand of 55. Left-hander Thorpe and Hoggard emerged as the central figures on a day of cloudless skies as they turned their side’s faltering progress before lunch into a compelling finale to the innings. England were 454 for nine and Thorpe 61 when Hoggard strode to the crease. The Yorkshire fast bowler proved a staunch ally in a last wicket stand of 91. Sri Lanka (1st innings): 162 England (1st innings): Trescothick c Tillekeratne
b Vaas 161 Vaughan c Jayasuriya b Muralitharan 46 Butcher b Muralitharan 94 Hussain b Muralitharan 22 Thorpe c Vaas b Fernando 123 Stewart c Tillekeratne
b Muralitharan 7 Flintoff c Tillekeratne b Muralitharan 29 Tudor c Tillekeratne b Zoysa 3 Giles c Sangakkara b Zoysa 0 Caddick c Sangakkara b Zoysa 3 Hoggard not out 17 Extras
(lb-19 w-6 nb-15) 40 Total (all out) 545 FOW: 1-92 2-294 3-338 4-341 5-368 6-426 7-436 8-444 9-454 Bowling: Vaas 41-3-141-1, Zoysa 24-3-93-3, Muralitharan 64-12-143-5, Fernando 21.5-2-92-1, Jayasuriya 6-2-27-0, De Silva 7-0-30-0 Sri Lanka (2nd innings) Atapattu not out 56 Jayasuriya b Hoggard 12 Sengakkara lbw
b Hoggard 1 Jayawardene not out 45 Extras: (1b-4 nb-14) 18 Total: (for two wickets) 132 Fall of wickets: 1-28 2-30 Bowling: Caddick 13-2-36-0, Hoggard 10-1 -41-2, Flintoff 5-0-18-0, Giles 16-3-21-0, Tudor 5-1-12-0.
Reuters |
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Match-fixing obliterated Hansie Cronje’s achievements on the field
Johannesburg, June 1 His achievements on the field as one of the leading players of his generation were effectively wiped away by the scandal and surrounding furore. Cronje at first denied his involvement when charges were levelled at him by Indian police in April 2000 but two days later, on what South African cricket writers dubbed “Black Tuesday”, Cronje confessed to having been “not entirely honest”. Disbelief was widespread. Could it be that this upstanding son of the Free State, the citadel of Afrikanerdom, was corrupt? Could he have fooled his family, his team mates, the public and the media into believing he had given of his best for South Africa in good faith when he was a puppet for shady bookmakers and overly enterprising punters? Sadly for all South Africans and cricket lovers everywhere, Cronje could and did. For weeks there seemed to be no other story on the front pages of South Africa’s newspapers, and a judicial commission was appointed to get to the bottom of the matter. Chaired by Edwin King, a retired judge, it became the most thorough investigation to date into cricket corruption. During 10 days of hearings in Cape Town in June 2000, Cronje confessed to taking approximately $1,00,000 in dirty money and to offering bribes of $15 000 dollars each to two team mates, Herschelle Gibbs and Henry Williams, to underperform in a one-day international against India in Nagpur. Contrition from Gibbs and Williams was palpable but Cronje failed to convince the public who had once paid money to watch him play that he was genuinely sorry for what he had done. He famously told the commission: “I tried to live a Christian life and walk the way the Lord wanted me to walk... I allowed Satan and the world to dictate terms to me.” Cronje was banned for life but in subsequent media interviews, for which he was paid handsomely, he repeatedly brushed off his conduct as “a mistake”, hardening many South Africans’ hearts toward him. Cronje had been offered indemnity from prosecution on condition that he told the King Commission the whole truth. But prosecuting officials said that King was unable to decide whether Cronje had been completely honest so the offer of indemnity did not apply. Cronje launched a legal battle in a bid to get the life ban overturned in October last year, saying he wanted to serve cricket at grassroots level, but the ban remained in place. Wessel Johannes Cronje was born on September 25 1969 in Bloemfontein and made his first-class debut for Orange Free State against Transvaal in Johannesburg in 1987. In 1992 he played his first one-day international, against Australia in Sydney during the World Cup, and made his test debut, against West Indies in Bridgetown. Cronje was appointed South Africa captain in 1994, taking over from Kepler Wessels for a home series against New Zealand. He lost the first test but then led his country to five successive test victories, a South African record. In 1995, Cronje played for English county side Leicestershire, scoring 1,301 runs at 52.04 in 15 county championship matches. The following year he led South Africa to a 1-0 home victory against England in their first five-test rubber since the nation returned to world cricket after apartheid. His dream of winning the World Cup for South Africa in 1999 was shattered when they were knocked out of the tournament in England when they lost a thrilling semi-final to Australia. In all he played 68 tests, scoring 3,714 runs at an average of 36.41 and taking 43 wickets. He also took 114 wickets in his 188 one-day internationals, and scored 5,565 runs at an average of 38.64.
Reuters |
Paris, June 1 Agassi, at 32 years the oldest man remaining at Roland Garros, came away 6-2 6-4 6-2 winner against 20-year-old Spaniard Tommy Robredo, the tournament’s youngest male competitor and tipped to make a major impact in the sport. Russian Marat Safin, seeded second, advanced past 29th seed David Nalbandian of Argentina 6-3 6-3 3-6 6-4 to set up a meeting with French wildcard Arnaud Di Pasquale, while 11th seeded Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero dismissed Argentine Guillermo Coria 6-2, 6-3, 6-3. Defending champion and top seed Capriati and Dokic, the seventh seed from Yugoslavia, stayed on course for a quarter- final showdown as both players eased through their third round matches. The day after it was announced that Capriati would lose her world number one spot to fellow American Venus Williams at the end of this tournament, she showed her determination to hang on to her title with a clinical dismissal of Australian Evie Dominikovic 6-3 6-1 in just 52 minutes. Dokic was on court for just two minutes longer before securing a 6-2 6-3 win against Elena Likhovtseva of Russia. They were joined by Williams, the number three seed from the USA, who took just 56 minutes to brush aside the challenge of Janette Husarova of Slovakia 6-1 6-3. AFP
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India blank
Malaysia
New Delhi, June 1 Jugraj Singh slammed in second goal just before halftime as India led 2-0 at the break. After changing ends, India kept the rival forwards at bay before Prabhjot Singh rounded off the tally making it 3-0. This was India’s first win over Malaysia in six encounters.
PTI |
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Eves’ hockey series in England Colorado Springs, Jun 1 The Americans were to have played in India next week, but the US field hockey team abandoned the series because of mounting tension between India and Pakistan. The US team left New Delhi last Saturday following a warning by the US State Department against Americans traveling to India and Pakistan.
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HARYANA CLAIM
TWO GOLD
Bangalore, June 1 Satbir Singh clocked 45.84 seconds, erasing the record that stood in the name of Lijo David Thottan of Kerala (46.35 s). Paramjit Singh (46.18 sec) of Punjab won the silver and Anil Kumar of Rajasthan (46.64 sec) the bronze. Haryana finished the day with two gold medals, the other being in women’s javelin throw which was won by Gurupreet Kaur with a throw of 47.35 mtrs. Suman Devi (UP) took the silver with a throw of 47.21m while Manish Mondal (WB) won the bronze. Hosts Karnataka, Delhi, Manipur, Punjab, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh won a gold each. In men’s pole vault, Jintender Sharm (UP) bagged gold with a splendid performance of 4.77 m followed by Geesh Kumar (Ker, 4.60 m) and Subaschandra Yadav (UP, 4.50m). Satish Kumar brought the gold for Delhi when he won the men’s long jump event leaping to a distance of 7.12 m. Venu Gopal (AP, 7.06 m) and Manoj Thomas (Ker, 7.04 m) took the silver and bronze respectively. Following heavy downpour in the evening, six events - 100 m men and women, 400 m (women), High Jump (men), Shot Put (men), and Long Jump (Women) had to be postponed to tomorrow. In Women’s discus, Andhra Pradesh’s Neelam J Singh bagged the gold with a 61.47 m throw while Seema Antil (Har, 58.63m) secured silver. Harvanth Kaur (Punjab, 58.56 m) took the bronze. While Manipur’s Gojen Singh won the gold in men’s 10,000 m clocking 30 minute 53.3 seconds, Beant Kaur of Punjab took 35 minute 17.1 seconds to complete the distance for her gold medal in the women’s section. T.M. Sajeev of Kerala claimed gold in 1500m men’s event and B. Hemlalatha brought the first gold for Karnataka in the 1500m women’s event.
PTI |
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Punjab Police
sportsmen promoted Jalandhar, June 1 The Additional Director General of Punjab Police, Mr R.S. Gill, said here today that those who had been promoted as regular inspectors were Dalbir Singh, Gagnesh Kumar, Mukesh Kumar and Harpal Singh, while Hemant Kumar, Balwinder Singh, Jarnail Singh and Nardev Singh had been promoted as ASIs. Besides, Manpreet Singh, Tejinder Singh, Sukhpal Singh, Charanjit Singh, Gabbar Singh, Gurmeet Singh, Navjot Chhanna, Mohinder Singh, Roop Lal, Harinder Singh, Mandeep Kumar, Parveen Kumar, Hardeep S. Sangha, Varinder Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Balkar Singh and Rajini Sharma had been promoted as Head
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Seoul, June 1
