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Ecuador first to enter second round
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Tunisia survive Saudi scare
Upbeat Argentina wary of fiery Serbia
Dutch aiming to ride Elephants out
Hooliganism rears its ugly head
Kalam meets FIFA fair play flag bearers
Dravid back at No. 2 in Test rankings
Malaysian Open
Sania goes down fighting
India assured of 9 boxing medals
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Ecuador first to enter second round
Hamburg, June 15 Germany are also through, having beaten Poland 1-0 in Dortmund yesterday. Delgado and Tenorio were also goalscorers against the Poles. The group winners will be decided when Ecuador meet the hosts Germany next Tuesday. The Ticos, meanwhile, head home after the first phase for a second successive finals. Ecuador coach Luis Fernando Suarez was already looking forward to that match after the convincing victory. “It will be very difficult against Germany because the players are going to be tired. They played two games. They want to play a very good match against Germany. It will be a historic match,” he told reporters. Despite early pressure from Costa Rica, Ecuador opened the scoring after eight minutes when Tenorio headed home from a nicely floated cross by Luis Valencia. Costa Rica came out fighting once again in the second half, but their enthusiasm was short-lived as Ecuador doubled their tally in the 54th minute with a superbly taken goal. Edison Mendez won the ball on the right hand corner of the box before Delgado pounced on to the loose ball, controlled it with his chest, before rifling home from a tight angle. Two minutes into injury time, Kaviedes turned the ball in with a volley after a cross from the right to make it three. The early goal in the first half seemed to settle the South Americans and they began to take control of the game, stringing together long pieces of passing play Their opponents were reduced to long range shots which never really troubled Ecuador. Costa Rica coach Alexandre Guimaraes told reporters: “The game is like that when you miss chances the other side have no mercy. That is the story for us in these two games.” — Reuters
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England defuse T&T
Nuremberg, June 15 Captain David Beckham floated a perfect ball from the right to the far post where 6ft 7inch Crouch headed the first powerfully into the net. With a minute remaining, Gerrard made sure with a left-foot drive from the edge of the box. The three points followed a scrappy 1-0 win over Paraguay on Saturday and ensures England will finish first or second, depending on their final match with Sweden on Tuesday. Until their late charge in the last seven minutes, England had looked likely to follow in the path of the Swedes who had proved unable to break down the Caribbean outsiders. England were boosted by the long-awaited return of Wayne Rooney from a broken foot. His 58th minute arrival, met with loud cheers by England’s fans, came hours after two medical experts had pronounced him to fit to play after a faster than expected recovery from a broken foot. England looked sharper with Rooney and fellow substitute Aaron Lennon on the pitch, but their finishing remained poor and the well-organised Soca Warriors defended in numbers attempting to get a draw. Striker Michael Owen, who lasted only 55 minutes against Paraguay and is far from his best after long-term injury, ballooned an early chance when Frank Lampard’s shot was only parried by Shaka Hislop. England, looking much better than on Saturday, kept stringing their passes together but could only create half-chances against some determined defending. — Reuters
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Last-gasp goal chokes the Poles
Dortmund, June 15 Germany had spurned countless chances, with their Polish-born strikers Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski the main guilty parties, but Neuville popped up to score in the second minute of stoppage time, sliding in David Odonkor’s cross. Germany coach Jurgen Klinsmann said his side had done him proud. “I am proud of the team, the way they kept trying to force the goal,” he said. Neuville said that he was not a hero, merely the man who had made up for an earlier bad miss. “I am not a hero. We should have scored more. I missed a great chance 10 minutes earlier,” he said of an effort that hit the bar. It was heartbreak for Poland, who had been reduced to 10 men in the final quarter hour, and who are virtually out of the tournament after successive defeats. Skipper Michael Ballack said the team deserved a pat on the back for its persistence. “It was a good performance as we kept on putting them under pressure. We controlled the game in the first half and produced a number of chances,” said the captain. Germany had their first of many chances in the 21st minute when Philipp Lahm delivered a perfect cross with his weaker left foot but Klose, scorer of two goals against Costa Rica, headed narrowly wide of the post. As the first half progressed Ballack, back after missing the Costa Rica win with a calf injury, got a stranglehold on the match and Podolski missed a glorious chance on the stroke of half-time. With the goal at his mercy Podolski, the new golden boy of German football, sliced his effort wide of the target. Five minutes into the second half it was more suffering as Klose failed to connect with a Ballack cross and his header trickled wide. Poland were on the ropes and were saved by a series of stunning saves by goalkeeper Artur Boruc but a Ballack back pass then almost put in Ebi Smolarek, who plays on this ground for Borussia Dortmund, but Jens Lehmann read the danger. Ballack was then booked for a cynical foul after 58 minutes and must now watch his step. Polish midfielder Radoslaw Soboloweski did not watch his, collecting a second yellow on 75 minutes for a body check. Germany pushed on and hit the crossbar twice before Neuville took the roof off with a last-gasp strike. It was a sweet moment for Neuville who was a surprise choice in Klinsmann’s World Cup squad ahead of Schalke 04 striker Kevin Kuranyi.
— AFP
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Tunisia survive Saudi scare
Munich, June 15 After a defensive mix-up, forward Zied Jaziri put a high ball into the six-yard box, which Jaidi nodded home. It was relief for Tunisia, who had led for nearly an hour before Saudi Arabia equalised and then went ahead through veteran striker Sami al-Jaber in the 84th minute. Tunisia have not won a World Cup finals match since their debut in 1978, and Saudi Arabia have not won since their debut in USA 1994. The North Africans led after a dour first half, but the game came alive on 57 minutes when Saudi Arabia equalised with the move of the match. Defender Ahmed Dokhi played a peach of a ball down the right channel for Mohammed Noor, whose early cross fell perfectly for Yasser al-Qahtani who scampered clear of two defenders and buried it first time. Saudi Arabia made changes as they pressed for a win, with midfielder Nawaf al-Temyat coming off for forward Malek al-Hawsawi, Noor making way for Mohammed Ameen and Qahtani being replaced by Jaber. And Jaber, who has now played in four World Cups, made an immediate impact as he was put clear by Hawsawi, calmly sliding a left-footed finish past Tunisia ‘keeper Ali Boumnijel — a fellow veteran and the tournament’s oldest player at 40 years and 62 days. However, the Saudis were not able to hold on to their lead and Jaidi equalised in the second minute of injury time. The North Africans had gone ahead in the 23rd minute after captain Riadh Bouazizi was fouled in front of the Saudi box. Saudi defender Redha Tukar headed on the resulting free-kick Jaziri on hand to ram the loose ball home with an acrobatic volley. Tunisia were worth their lead with clear-cut chances few and far between for the Saudis, despite winning a number of corners and free-kicks in dangerous positions. Tukar curled one free-kick over the wall but it was a simple stop for Boumnijel, and Saudi forward Qahtani could also have done better with a high ball which he headed wide. Saudi Arabia also survived an early penalty appeal when Jaziri went down under a challenge by Tukar.
— AFP
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Upbeat Argentina wary of fiery Serbia
Gelsenkirchen, June 15 The tall, 24-year-old Manchester United defender, who helped his team keep a virtually clean sheet during the final stages of qualifying, suffered torn knee ligaments during training on Monday. Meanwhile, star players in the fiery Balkan team squabbled with coach Ilija Petkovic about tactics in the wake of their lacklustre opening 1-0 Group C defeat against the Netherlands. “If we begin the match with the same team as that of Sunday, we do not have any chance against Argentina,” midfielder Ognjen Koroman said. Yet, the Serbs have little choice but to pull together and win against one of the strongest teams in Germany if they want to maintain their chances of qualifying from the “Group of Death”. By contrast, Argentina’s squad — who suffered similar bickering when they failed to get beyond the first round in 2002 and recorded their worst World Cup performance in 40 years — are fit, united and focused. “We must be thinking of collecting three points,” said full back Roberto Ayala, one of Argentina’s best players in the 2-1 defeat of Ivory Coast in Hamburg last week. We must draw out the best of the strengths we showed against Ivory Coast,” he added. The experienced “Albiceleste” striking duo of Sevilla’s Javier Saviola and Chelsea’s Hernan Crespo were ruthless up front, pouncing on only a handful of opportunities against the West Africans. “Serbia won’t be as physically strong, but they have players who are technically very accomplished,” cautioned midfielder Pablo Aimar yesterday. The Argentinians are conscious that with Mateja Kezman, Dejan Stankovic, and Savo Milosevic, their opponents can still rival their incisive finishing. Argentina, who were shaken by the “Elephants”, are aiming to remedy problems with maintaining possession and the flow of the ball up field, which Ayala found was lacking against Ivory Coast. Coach Jose Pekerman’s taste for strategy means he prefers to adapt the team to each adversary. He has so far given little idea if he will maintain the measured tactics for the tie that could secure Argentina’s place among the last 16, despite pressure from the Argentine media for something more flamboyant.
— AFP
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Dutch aiming to ride Elephants out
Stuttgart, June 15 After recording a vital 1-0 win over Serbia and Montenegro on Sunday, the Dutch will be hoping for a repeat of the inexperience the young west Africans showed in their 2-1 loss to Argentina in their opener. “In our group, all points are very vital,” admitted Dutch playmaker Giovanni van Bronckhorst. “It’s clear that we’ve got four very strong teams (in the group). There’s been a one-goal difference in both games so far. For our next game against Ivory Coast, if we win that we are almost in the second round. We want to qualify as soon as possible, and don’t want to have to go into the third game having to secure a win.” Ivory Coast will no doubt be buoyed by the mothers of the 23 players in the squad holding a three-day fast and prayer sessions before tomorrow’s game in Stuttgart, but more realistically will be aiming to inject some ruthlessness into their play. Coach Michel Henri, lambasted in the Abidjan press after the Argentina game, was disappointed after that match but remains confident. “I believe we paid for our inexperience at this level,” said the Frenchman who guided France to the 1986 World Cup semifinals and who has also coached Morocco and Cameroon. Ivory Coast striker Arouna Kone, who has spent three seasons in the Dutch league, the last with PSV Eindhoven, has earmarked left-winger Arjen Robben as the dangerman. Robben turned in a scintillating, goal-scoring, man-of-the-match performance against the Serbs. Among the biggest concerns for the Netherlands are the Ivory Coast strike force of Didier Drogba, Kone and Bonaventure Kalou.
— AFP
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Mexico looking for quick qualification
Hanover, June 15 But they may have their work cut out against the Black Antelopes, who won plaudits for a battling 1-0 defeat to Portugal on their World Cup debut. “The game was more competitive than expected,” commented Portugal coach Luis Felipe Scolari. Mexico will be without Bolton striker Jared Borgetti, who limped off in the second half against Iran and may not reappear in the group stage. But they are not without attacking options, a point rammed home by Omar Bravo’s match-winning double and Brazilian-born Zinha’s scintillating second-half cameo, in which he set up one goal and scored another. They will also take heart from the tactical wiles of coach Ricardo Lavolpe, whose double-substitution at half time turned the game against Iran. Lavolpe is expected to deploy Bravo in a two-man strike partnership with Argentinian-born Guillermo Franco. Angola’s very appearance at the World Cup is a near-miracle for a country, which only recently emerged from three decades of civil war. But Angola showed their World Cup credentials with a spirited display, which largely frustrated their former colonial masters. “My players played with pride but we are a humble team,” said coach Luis Oliveira Goncalves. The performance also went down well at home, with Angola’s sole newspaper hailing the team’s “fighting spirit”. “A great show”, said the Jornal de Angola, adding that Portugal would “never forget this night of fear.” The Black Antelopes will again rely on two players without clubs, captain and top striker Akwa and goalkeeper Joao Ricardo, as they vie to overcome massive odds to reach the last 16. — AFP
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Hooliganism rears its ugly head
Dortmund, June 15 For much of the day, German police worked with their counterparts from neighbouring Poland to identify and arrest travelling troublemakers without incident. It was homegrown hooligans who lashed out about two hours before the late evening kickoff after police confronted them in a central square. By the time rain began falling after midnight, the police said it had arrested 240 German hooligans — at least 120 in the central square — and 60 Polish hooligans. The threat of fan violence had been a theme ahead of the month-long soccer tournament. To head off trouble, authorities across Europe confiscated passports of known troublemakers, increased border patrols and drew up extensive policing plans for the dozen game cities. While much of the focus was on the English, Dutch and Polish, some German officials worried about thugs who wouldn’t have to travel. “What gives me headaches sometimes is thinking about how we are going to keep our own 10,000 hooligans in line,” Michael Endler, who heads Germany’s office for sports information, warned before the competition. Tranquility in World Cup-hosting cities had allayed much of the fear over widespread hooliganism at soccer’s biggest event and even surprised police who had braced for the worst. The trouble began yesterday when police spotted about 40 men, later described as hardcore hooligans, and blocked the route between the outdoor area where they sat drinking and a nearby big screen where games are shown for free. As the police began apprehending the men they screamed, “We are Germans, too. We want to go to the big screen,” according to witness Cristel Lorenz. Some started throwing bottles and chairs and shooting fireworks; backup police arrived, as did more hooligans, said Lorenz, who was rushed to the safety of a nearby restaurant. The police hauled handcuffed men into a bus outfitted with individual cells. No officers were injured, the police said. At least one hooligan was seen receiving treatment for facial cuts.
— AP
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Kalam meets FIFA fair play flag bearers
New Delhi, June 15 Kalam said, “Fair play is not only important in sports but also in life. You should become good citizens not only of the nation but of the world.” The President, known for his fondness for children, had a free discussion with the children, who were given the opportunity after they won a contest organised by ESPN-Star Sports and Adidas. The children were visibly happy after the meeting. “Going to the FIFA World Cup is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Meeting the President is a dream come true,” they were quoted as saying by a press release issued by the organisers.
— PTI
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Victory eludes India again
St Lucia, June 15 In the 18th century, the British and French fought for decades over control of this island. Remnants of Francofone influence can be detected in a name like Beausejour, the cricket ground where India dominated for as long as play occurred in the Test match, but could not inflict defeat on the West Indies. The home side, thus, escaped for the second time running, although credit must be extended to Brian Lara for batting out most of the final day. Was he lucky to survive an lbw appeal from Irfan Pathan? The latter will probably think so. But that’s the way the cookie crumbles. Besides, you don’t do yourself any favour by bowling at a pace which allows the wicketkeeper to stand up to you, even if this was tactics to prevent Lara from taking his stance outside the crease. India’s failure to force a win can, of course, be attributed to the whole of the fourth day being abandoned due to rain. Indeed, it’s a miracle the Indians are not 2-0 in the series, having held the whip hand for seven of the nine days of play in the first two Tests. But the responsibility with which the 37-year-old veteran played was marvellous. In one of his slowest hundreds — his 32nd — and having grabbed the bull by the horn by promoting himself to number three, he made sure he stayed long enough to ensure a draw. After tea, Munaf Patel and VRV Singh bent their backs to present some chin music to Lara and Dwayne Bravo. One wondered why they hadn’t demonstrated this earlier. Patel’s decent line and length notwithstanding, he seemed to mostly operate within himself — a laidback trait he needs to rectify. As for the Punjab paceman, in exhibiting greater discipline, he sacrificed velocity. One was also perplexed as to why Rahul Dravid didn’t attack more in the first two sessions. After Lara departed, he crowded the batsmen. Had he done so from the first session he might have reaped greater dividends. Even if the batsmen had cashed in on the untenanted run-saving areas, this would not have made a difference, as runs were immaterial. He could afford to buy wickets. Moral victories don’t count. At the St Lucia Carnival, which is under way, there are Calypso Tents, which serve as forums for humorous but scathing comment on topical issues. The lyricists were sharpening their knives to have a dig at the West Indian team in what had been billed as a “make or break” series for them. In the event, the Windies are not broken yet. They live to fight another Test. India, on the other hand, may have to re-think their strategy to break the deadlock. Scoreboard India (1st innings) 588 for 8 West Indies (1st innings) 215 West Indies (2nd innings) Gayle c Dhoni b Pathan 2 Ganga b Kumble 26 Lara lbw Sehwag 120 Sarwan c Dhoni b Patel 1 Chanderpaul c Pathan b Kumble 54 Bravo c Yuvraj b Kumble 47 Ramdin not out 19 Bradshaw lbw Patel 1 Taylor not out 0 Extras (lb-4, nb-15, pen-5) 24 Total (7 wkts, 119 overs) 294 Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-51, 3-52, 4-181, 5-252, 6-277, 7-291. Bowling: Pathan 15-2-50-1, Patel 21-7-50-2, Vikram Rajvir Singh 11-0-39-0, Kumble 42-10-98-3, Sehwag 30-9-48-1.
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Dravid back at No. 2 in Test rankings
St Lucia, June 15 Dravid has moved back up to second place in the rankings for Test batsmen after his 146 against the West Indies during the drawn second Test in St Lucia. Dravid’s 23rd Test hundred has lifted him above Inazamam-ul Haq of Pakistan and South Africa’s Jacques Kallis and now only Ricky Ponting is ahead of him on the list. Sehwag is also moving in the right direction in rankings, up two places to 12th position after his blazing 180. Mohammad Kaif has risen 19 places to 63rd on the list. The match has seen little movement among the top places in the rankings for Test bowlers, although Anil Kumble has moved up. Kumble grabbed six wickets in St Lucia to climb one spot to the seventh position while Irfan Pathan, recalled for the Test after missing the match in Antigua, remains in 12th place.
— UNI
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Bhat, Saina bow out
New Delhi, June 15 Bhat, who caused a major upset earlier in the day toppling world No.6 Kenneth Jonassen of Denmark, failed to make his giantkilling act count, going down 14-21, 17-21 to the German. Spitko, whose win against Bhat also avenged his defeat at the hands of the Indian in the Thomas Cup in April, will meet Lee Hyun II of Korea in the quarterfinal. In the men’s doubles, Rupesh Kumar and Thomas Sanave beat Malaysia’s Yung Jin and Abdul Rahman Rafiz 21-17, 21-19 to move into the quarterfinals, where they will meet another Malaysian pair of Lin Won Fui and Mohd Fairuzizian. World No. 61 Bhat, regarded as a talent to reckon with but prone to choking in crunch moments, played a fiercely attacking game to cost for Jonassen. The mechanical engineer from Bangalore showed scant respect for the reputation of his opponent, thrashing the fifth seed 21-16, 23-21 to set up a clash with Spitko. India’s teenage prodigy Saina Nehwal was also well on her way to a big upset against World no. 7 Jie Yao of the Netherlands but lost the gruelling first round battle 21-9, 19-21, 11-21 to bow out of women’s singles draw. Other Indians in the men’s singles charts — Chetan Anand and Rohan Castelino — made their exits after losing in straight games. However, national champion Anup Sridhar did manage to give a scare to world No 2 Lee Chong Wei before going down 21-12, 17-21, 13-21. Bhat had pulled off a big win in the first round also, against James Chua of Malaysia. In women’s doubles, Sayali Gokhale and Aditi Mutatkar exited after a first round loss to Sabrina Chong and Chin Sook of Malaysia 13-21, 10-21. Ruth Misa and Saina Nehwal also lost to local pair of Chiou Haw and Anita Raj 21-13, 21-19. — PTI
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Sania goes down fighting Birmingham, June 15 Sania, ranked No. 40 in the world, frittered away the advantage of being one set up and later lost steam when it mattered the most to end up as a loser in a tough battle which lasted for over two hours at the Edgbaston Priory Club. Sania won the first set, in which she dropped one game, without much trouble before conceding the second narrowly to the 119-ranked Tu. In the decider, Sania had an upper hand twice as she was serving while leading 5-4 and 6-5. But each time she could not manage to hold her serve and allowed the match to go into the tie-break. The American held her nerve in the tie-break and outplayed Sania 7-3 to advance to the quarterfinal where she will meet Marion Bartoli of France.
— PTI
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India assured of 9 boxing medals
New Delhi, June 15 In the women’s meet, Jahanabi Gogoi (54kg) and Chhoto (50kg) have reached the finals and are eyeing gold. In the Asian Cadet event, Bhoopender (48kg), Sunil (50kg), Roshan Singh Kongkham (52kg), Akshay Kumar(54kg), Manjeet Singh (75kg) and Balwinder (54kg) have reached the final and are just one step away from individual gold medals. Only Nanao Singh Thokchom bowed out in the semifinals of the 46kg category, even though that earned him a bronze, an Indian Amateur Boxing Federation release said here today.
— UNI
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Bhutia signs for Mohun Bagan
Kolkata, June 15
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