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Saturday,
June 8, 2002, Chandigarh, India
  
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Beckham is hero of England victory
Morientes puts Spain in second round
Sweden eliminate Nigeria |
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Italy ready for Croatian onslaught Germany defiant despite injury to Klose Brazil favourites against China Week of upsets ‘Translate only
what is good’
Costa, Ferrero in final of French Open All-Williams final at Roland Garros Mark Butcher faces disciplinary
hearing BCCI turns down players’ plea Lewis-Tyson weigh-in incident free
Pakistan team for
SAARC cycling Five games allotted
to Haryana
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Beckham is hero of England victory
Sapporo, June 7 Famously sent off when England lost on penalties to Argentina in the second round of the 1998 finals, Beckham sent keeper Pablo Cavallero the wrong way with a driven spot-kick on 44 minutes after Michael Owen was brought down by Mauricio
Pochettino. In the highlight match of the first round between two of soccer’s greatest rivals England just about deserved their victory and could have scored more especially when striker Owen hit the post halfway through the first half.
But Argentina dominated after the break, laying siege to the England goal but couldn’t avoid suffering their first defeat in a competitive match since they lost 3-1 to Brazil in a qualifier in Sao Paulo in July 2000.
England have four points, the same as Sweden who beat Nigeria 3-1 earlier today. Argentina have three points and Nigeria have already been eliminated. Asked how it felt to beat Argentina Beckham said: “Better than it did four years ago. it’s just unbelievable. This just tops it all off.” He said it was terrifying when he stepped up to take the penalty which won the match in the 44th minute because of the Argentine “antics”. England coach
Sven-Goran Erikssson said he thought his team deserved the victory. Argentina made the better start, though any rhythm was continually checked by a string of fouls which brought yellow cards for Gabriel Batistuta and Ashley Cole. But the clash sparked into life in the 24th minute when Owen scampered on to Nicky Butt’s long upfield ball and smacked a shot through defender Walter Samuel’s legs which beat Cavallero — only to rebound off the post. A minute later, Argentina should have been in front when Gabriel Batistuta failed to beat David Seaman with a point-blank range header from a Kily Gonzalez cross. England’s growing confidence was rewarded though just before the break, when Argentina defender Mauricio Pochettino tripped Owen in full stride and Beckham smacked home the penalty. Sensing their chance, England kept the chances coming after the re-start. A breakaway by Owen, two booming shots from Emile Heskey and Paul
Scholes, a spectacular volley by substitute Teddy Sheringham, plus a Beckham flick into the side netting, all battered the Argentina defence in the opening minutes. However, the South Americans soon recovered their composure and laid siege to the England goal, with Pochettino nearly making amends for his trip with a header which Seaman parried. England midfielder Owen Hargreaves injured his knee in an early tackle and was substituted by Trevor Sinclair after 20 minutes. In 1998, Alan Shearer scored from the spot to equalise for England after a Gabriel Batistuta penalty had given Argentina the lead. Owen then seared past the defence to score a wonder goal to put England ahead with little more than 15 minutes on the clock. Argentina equalised through Javier Zanetti on the stroke of halftime. Minutes into the second half Beckham was sent off for a petulant foul on Diego Simeone and although England held on until the end of extra time, they lost the penalty shootout. Ironically, both players captained their countries today after Juan Sebastian Veron was substituted at half time.
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Friends, not foes Sapporo, June 7 The Manchester United team-mates, regarded as the key players for their respective countries, exchanged warm smiles and then hugged after bumping into each other on the touchline less than two hours before kick-off. Both players had added motivation for performing at their best in today’s match. Beckham is desperate to wipe out the memory of his sending-off when the two sides met in the finals four years ago while Veron has a point to prove to the English public after what he has described as humiliating criticism of his performances during his disappointing first season in Manchester. Beckham, who is both a friend of the Argentinian and an avowed admirer of his technical qualities, warned last week that Veron could seek to make his critics eat their words by destroying England’s chances of advancing in the World Cup.
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Morientes puts Spain in second round
Jeounju (South Korea), June 7 The charismatic veteran had vowed to keep a clean sheet — and also score twice himself — after returning from a four-game suspension earned for spitting at Brazilian defender Roberto Carlos during a qualifier. But Spain, having let Chilavert wind them up all week, dramatically turned the tables after falling behind to an early own goal from Puyol. It was sweet revenge for the Spanish as a goalless draw with the Paraguayans helped to wreck their campaign at France 98 in the first phase. They now qualify for the knockout stage having earlier beaten Slovenia 3-1, while Paraguay are struggling following an earlier draw with South Africa. Chilavert, who had decried Spain as nothing special in the run-up to the match — the Spaniards rose to the bait — failed to add to his tally of eight international goals as Spanish substitute Fernando Morientes rescued his side with two second-half efforts and Fernando Hierro added a late penalty. Paraguay, clad in a paler version of Dutch orange, started brightly with Francisco Arce producing dangerous runs and crosses down the right. But it was a stroke of luck which put the Paraguayans ahead in the 10th minute. Arce decided for once to go it alone. Although Spanish keeper Iker Casillas pawed the effort away Puyol was standing right in front of him and the ball ricocheted into the net. Real Madrid keeper Casillas could only glare at his unfortunate international colleague from domestic rivals Barcelona. Spain showed a greater sense of urgency after the goal as Raul turned sharply to fire over from a tight angle and hooked a second acrobatic effort goalwards before Luis Enrique missed a free header which he sent high over the bar. Coach Jose Antonio Camacho threw on Morientes, left off the starting line-up for an ankle strain, for Diego Tristan for the second period and he made an immediate impact, heading home from a corner in the 53rd minutes - his 15th goal in just 21 Spanish appearances. Another of Real Madrid’s Champions League winners, Ivan Helguera, also came on, replacing Luis Enrique. Morientes should have scored again on 63 minutes but chipped just over as Chilavert rushed out - but when Francisco Xavier De Pedro curled in a cross from the left, the eccentric keeper groped fresh air and Morientes nudged the ball past him. After 82 minutes Spain wrapped things up when Raul was impeded in the area and Egyptian referee Wagih Farag awarded a penalty. Hierro, yet another Real star, coolly picked his spot to take his Spanish record goal tally to 29 as he sent Chilavert the wrong way. He had also netted against Slovenia. The downcast keeper’s only contribution in attack was a curling freekick which Casillas smothered easily.
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Sweden eliminate Nigeria
Kobe (Japan), June 7 Two goals from Henrik Larsson cancelled out Julius Aghahowa’s 27th-minute header and the Swedes managed to survive enormous Nigerian pressure in the last quarter of an hour. The result leaves Nigeria pointless from two games and lifts the Swedes to four points. The Nigerians had been unlucky not to equalise — John Utaka had a shot cleared off the line with seven minutes remaining in the match and Joseph Yobo hit the post with a 25-yard drive just afterwards. Aghahowa became the leading candidate for celebration of the tournament after greeting his glancing header past Swedish goalkeeper Magnus Hedman with a spectacular mutliple backflip that delighted the crowd. But Larsson and Freddie Ljungberg combined to equalise seven minutes later. A perfectly-timed pass split the Nigerian defence and Larsson cut inside to plant the ball past keeper Ike Shorunmu. Sweden took the lead in the 62nd minute when Larsson earned a penalty when he was tripped by Ifeanyi Udeze. The Bolivian referee Rene Ortube immediately pointed to the spot and Larsson converted the penalty himself, although although Shorunmu got a hand to the ball. Nigeria brought on Nwankwo Kanu in a bid to draw level but Sweden wasted a chance to tie up the match when Anders Svensson drove his shot straight at the keeper from a good position. Veteran Nigerian defender Taribo West, who had returned to the action wearing a bandage after five minutes of treatment to a head wound, sent a header narrowly wide from a Jay Jay Okocha cross. And Larsson then wasted a chance of a hat-trick by losing the ball in the Nigerian area. Still Nigeria pushed, Okocha blasting wide with 15 minutes left but it was not to be for the two-time African champions. They had almost taken a half-time lead with five minutes of the first half remaining. The in-form Jay Jay Okocha dribbled round almost the entire Swedish defence and his goalbound shot was cleared off the line by Teddy Lucic, but the ball rebounded off his team-mate Johan Mjallby and hit the post.
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Italy ready for Croatian onslaught Ibaraki (Japan), June 7 Croatia, who finished third in the 1998 World Cup, lost their opening match with Mexico 1-0 and need to get some kind of result from the match with three-times world champions Italy, who got off to the perfect start, eclipsing Ecuador 2-0. And that simple factor means that Italy must batten down the hatches, according to striker Filippo Inzaghi, who returns to the starting line-up after missing the Ecuador match through injury. “We are expecting Croatia to come at us because if they lose they are virtually out,” said Inzaghi. “I think it will be a very tough match. “If we win we are virtually through but if we don’t then (Italy’s last group match) the Mexico game will be a nerve-wracker.” Coach Giovanni Trapattoni agreed. He said: “They (Croatia) are coming out of a defeat and will want to show us and show their fans that they don’t deserve to be out of this tournament. It’s a delicate match.” But Italy will not be sitting back against the Croats with Trapattoni fielding a more attacking formation than he did in the opening 2-0 win over Ecuador in Sapporo. He dispenses with a defender to allow striker Inzaghi to partner Christian Vieri up front with Francesco Totti dropping back into the playmaker’s role. Christian Panucci moves up from defence to midfield where he will replace Cristiano Doni. Croatia coach Mirko Jozic was less forthcoming about his plans although he will be obliged to replace defender Boris Zivkovic — sent off against Mexico - and is said to be pondering leaving Davor Suker on the bench. Suker, whose six goals in France 98 made him tournament top scorer, has been a thorn in Italian flesh in the past and scored both goals in 1994 when Croatia beat Italy 2-1 in a Euro 96 qualifier in Palermo.
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Germany defiant despite injury to Klose Miyazaki, Japan, June 7 “One of the two teams will qualify and I’m convinced it will be us,’’ assistant coach Michael Skibbe said today ahead of his side’s final group E match against Cameroon next week. The triple world champions, who compromised their chances of reaching the knock-out stage by conceding a late equaliser in Wednesday’s 1-1 draw with Ireland, need at least a draw with the Olympic champions to be sure of surviving the first round. They had to begin their preparations for Tuesday’s match in Shizuoka without Klose, who bruised his right knee after opening the scoring against Ireland with hi s fourth goal in the tournament — the highest tally so far. The Kaiserslautern forward, who started with a hat-trick in Germany’s 8-0 demolition of Saudi Arabia, missed training for the second day in a row today. “He’s still got problems with his knee and he should be able to resume proper training tomorrow (Saturday) or Sunday at the latest,’’ said Skibbe. Defender Christoph Metzelder was also forced out of training after receiving a knock on his right ankle in Wednesday’s match but Skibbe said he should be fit to play against Cameroon. Germany captain Oliver Kahn was furious after his team, who would have made sure of going through had they beaten Ireland, were held to a draw. The Bayern Munich goalkeeper, who preserved his side’s lead with a string of brilliant saves until Robbie Keane struck, said after the game that his team only had themselves to blame. By saying costly mistakes had allowed Ireland to fight back, Kahn raised fears that clouds might gather over the Germany camp. “After such a match you are so upset that you have a tendency to over-react, which is very normal,’’ Kahn said on Friday, looking calm and determined. “The next day already you see things differently. We were all able to get over the disappointment and pick ourselves up. Optimism has returned and we are confident that we will beat Cameroon.’’ Kahn was not the only one to stir controversy after the Ireland match since Germany’s all-time great Franz Beckenbauer said the team he once graced lacked a true leader. “We don’t give too much importance to these comments made from the outside,’’ Kahn said about the remarks. “I’m not persuaded we need a leader because our strength comes from our team spirit and the fact that we all stand closely together.’’ After their shaky run in qualifying and the loss of several valued players in the build-up to the finals, Germany named reaching the second round as their minimum aim. But Skibbe said he saw no reason why the Germans, who are desperate to bounce back after failing to get past the first round at Euro 2000, should not go further. “I’m sure we will be in the second round and after that the chances will be 50-50, whoever we meet,’’ he said. “That goes for the round of 16, the quarter-finals and the semi-finals,’’ he added, dreaming that the once awe-inspiring side might appear in the Yokohama final on June 30.
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Brazil favourites against China Seogwipo (South Korea), June 7 But while the Chinese may have begun the long march to soccer respectability, the present still belongs to Brazil. An abyss divides the two. Brazil, with a record four World Cup titles, are ranked second in the world after seven years at No 1. China have never been to a World Cup before and is the lowest-ranked team here, at 57th. Tomorrow, Brazil will be playing for a spot in the next round, after a 2-1 win over Turkey in their Group C opener. China simply hope to avoid elimination, following a 0-2 loss to Costa Rica. So is this essentially a workout for Brazil? "We have a certain edge," admitted midfielder Juninho. "Not that Brazil will win because of it. We will win if we show the same spirit we did against Turkey." Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari recalls the painful lessons of the qualifying round, when Brazil lost to modest teams and nearly didn’t make the cut. He vows it won’t happen again. "We do not underestimate anyone," he said. "The Chinese play the ABC, all very simple, and that’s why they qualified." For Roberto Carlos, the strong point of the Chinese is their tireless running, although they tend to leave room for counter-strikes - a potentially fatal error against the "triple R" attack of Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldinho. Still, caution is the byword. "Everyone, big teams and small, wants to beat Brazil," the Real Madrid defender said. "China didn’t play well against Costa Rica and will try to play better against us. We can’t give them anything." To face the fleet Chinese, Scolari replaced centre defender Edmilson with Gremio’s Anderson Polga, a robust marker who reportedly is headed for Roma after the World Cup. Gilberto Silva again will fill in for injured captain Emerson, who dislocated his shoulder and was cut from the squad at the start of the tournament. Ricardinho, summoned to replace him, arrived from Brazil on Wednesday and will be on the bench. Brazil’s biggest concern at training camp this week was off the field. Rivaldo was punished with a fine of $7,000 for faking an injury against Turkey. The FIFA, soccer’s governing body, warned that the punishment would be harsher if it happened again. Rivaldo said he had no regrets about what he did and wouldn’t change his style of play. Ronaldo, struggling to get back into shape after an absence of nearly two years for knee surgery, practiced his shooting yesterday well after practice had ended. The Inter striker said he hoped to play more than the 70 minutes he turned in against Turkey.
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Week of upsets Sapporo, (Japan), June 7 The 51 goals scored in the 20 matches so far represent 2.55 goals a match — slightly down on the final 1998 average of 2.67 goals a game and the 2.71 average registered in 1994. After 20 matches four years ago 47 goals had been scored at an average of 2.35 goals a match — and there had also been two goal-less draws. Apart from Nigeria’s 3-2 win over Spain in Nantes, there had also been no upsets to compare with has happened here beginning with the opening game between Senegal and France in Seoul which has set the tone for one of the most exhilarating weeks in World Cup history. Ireland coach Mick McCarthy observed: “It has been an unpredictable start which has added to the excitement for everyone, and one of the reasons for that is because its not in South America or Europe. “None of the big teams have home advantage and I think that is opening it up for everyone. Psychologically that is very important for the underdogs. I think you are going to see more surprises in the remaining first round games at least.’’
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‘Translate only
what is good’ Seogwipo, June 7 The Yugoslav coach, who speaks no Chinese, was discussing the situation of Slovenian star midfielder Zlatko Zahovic, who was sent home after yelling deeply personal abuse at the team’s coach. "It is easy for me. I tell (my translator) never to translate things which are bad, only things which are good," joked Milutinovic, who speaks to his players in Spanish, a legacy of years spent in Mexico. "That is always my excuse: I do not understand." He added that translator Yu Huaxian, who has shadowed Milutinovic throughout his time with the Chinese, had similar instructions not to pass on the coach’s curses.
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Costa, Ferrero in final of French Open
Paris, June 7 Juan Carlos Ferrero forged his way into his first Grand Slam final, barging past second seed Marat Safin 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 in the second semifinal tonight. The final will be played on Sunday. This year's French Open is Costa's 26th Grand Slam event. The 26-year-old has won 11 titles in his career -- all on clay -- and is the eighth Spaniard to reach the final at Roland Garros in the last 10 years. Seeded 20th, Costa beat defending champion Gustavo Kuerten in the quarter-finals. He looked set for an easy victory against Corretja after taking the first two sets comfortably, but his compatriot fought back bravely to win the third. But Corretja — losing finalist here in 1998 and 2001 — lost momentum at the beginning of the fourth when he was treated for a hand injury. Despite saving two match points in the eighth game of the fourth set, he finally succumbed in three hours and 10 minutes.
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All-Williams final at Roland Garros
Paris, June 7 Venus Williams overpowered unseeded Clarisa Fernandez 6-1, 6-4 in the semifinals yesterday, right after her little sister, Serena, rallied to beat defending champion Jennifer Capriati 3-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-2 at Roland Garros. It will be the second meeting of the siblings for a Grand Slam title in nine months. Venus beat Serena 6-2, 6-4 at last year’s US Open. “I want to win the French Open and I’m sure she does, too,” Serena said. “We go out there, it’s just another match for us. Obviously, a tougher opponent. But that’s about it.”
Venus Williams broke Fernandez’s serve four times in a 19-minute first set. She survived a momentary lapse after building a 5-2 lead in the second, finally winning with a backhand down the line to end the 56-minute match.
Serena’s fifth straight win over Capriati also means she will take over the No 2 spot, right behind Venus when the rankings are released next week. They will become the first siblings to hold the two top spots. After losing first set, Serena had a 5-2 lead in second before Capriati broke twice and won four straight games. Serena then held her serve at love and won tie-break’s final four points, clinching it on Capriati’s double fault. The third set was on serve until the sixth game when Capriati handed over a break by missing a drop shot on the 20th stroke of a rally. That gave Serena a 4-2 lead. “She definitely played a lot better toward the end and that was the difference,” Capriati said. “I think I probably got a little bit tired in the third set.”
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Hingis withdraws London, June 7 The 21-year-old Swiss star, who won Wimbledon in 1997, also missed the French Open following the May 20 operation to repair ligaments in her left ankle. “We have received official notification that Martina Hingis is withdrawing from Wimbledon due to her left foot injury and subsequent surgery,” Wimbledon referee Alan Mills said in a statement. Wimbledon runs from June 24 to July 7.
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Mark Butcher faces disciplinary hearing London, June 7 Butcher’s remarks, which appeared in his local newspaper column, are being investigated by the ECB’s discipline and standing committee for a breach of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) code of conduct. The ECB originally imposed a fine on Butcher, believed to be around £ 1,500. However, Butcher has chosen not to pay up. While he could still escape with a reprimand Butcher now faces the prospect of more severe punishments including either a maximum fine of £ 2,000 or a suspension of up to five playing days. Surrey batsman Butcher said of Perera, whose action was reported to the ICC by the umpires following the Lord’s draw, that he “definitely straightens his arm”. Under the Laws of Cricket bowlers are not permitted to do this in the final movement of their delivery action. Butcher added: “It’s not so bad when the ball is pitched up but when he bowls short, he just runs up and throws it at you — I can’t believe someone gets away with it!”
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BCCI turns down players’ plea Kolkata, June 7 The cricketers — Rahul Dravid, Javagal Srinath, Anil Kumble, Ajay Ratra, Harbhajan Singh and Virender Sehwag — had sought the board’s green signal to shoot for a high-profile South Korea-based company in South Africa soon after returning from the Caribbean tour which ended earlier this month. Confirming this, BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya told PTI here today the board ‘advised’ the players to cancel the trip. “We advised them not to go ahead with their programme as the gap between the gruelling series in the West Indies and England was too short.” Dalmiya said the players acceded to the board’s advice and decided not to leave for South Africa.
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Lewis-Tyson weigh-in incident free Memphis (USA), June 7 Stepping on to the scales yesterday at the Memphis Convention Centre three hours after Lewis, a smiling and chatty Tyson weighed in at a beefy 234 1/2 pounds (16 stone 10 1/2 pounds) as a woman’s screams of “I love you Mike” echoed through the packed hall. Only once before in 52 fights, when Tyson entered the ring at 239 pounds last October against Brian Nielsen, has the former champion weighed more. An expressionless Lewis, who will defend his WBC and IBF titles against Tyson on Saturday, had earlier weighed in at a muscular 249 1/4 pounds (17 stone 11 1/4 pounds) before quietly exiting the stage under armed police escort. “The scales were six pounds over and I don’t think Lennox weighed that much either,” said Tyson’s trainer Ronnie Shields afterwards. “Mike wants this fight, he wants it for himself. Just look at him. He’s in shape.” In a departure from boxing tradition whereby both fighters usually weigh in at the same time, Lewis was back at his training base in Tunica, Mississippi, by the time Tyson made his appearance three hours later. “The networks have a lot at stake and they have insisted on certain precautions and I’m not going to argue with them.” “We were willing to appear with Mike, television didn’t want that and we accept that.” Lewis arrived for the weigh-in from his Mississippi training camp in a motorcade escorted by police cars and motorcycles. The convention centre was under Olympic-type security with metal detectors, bag searches and police posted in elevators and garage entrances.
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Pakistan team for
SAARC cycling New Delhi, June 7 Cycling Federation of India (CFI) president Sukhdev Singh Dhindsas, said here today that the Pakistan team wanted to bring a 20-member team for the meet, but since the government did not allow them entry through the Wagah border — only diplomatic passport holders are now allowed to pass through the Wagah border — the whittled down Pakistan team would fly to India via Dubai. Mr Dhindsa announced that over 70 cyclists representing 70 SAARC countries — India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal — would participate in the four-day championship. Five games allotted
to Haryana Chandigarh, June 7 This was disclosed by Mr M.S. Malik, DGP, Haryana, and Secretary HOA. He was presiding over a meeting of the Range Inspectors-General here today. He directed them to make necessary preparations to hold these games in a fitting manner. Coaching camps for Haryana teams for participation in these games be started immediately so as to achieve maximum medals. He also directed them to select two villages in each district for the promotion of sports. |
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Sapporo, June 7
