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Inexperience let us down: Aragones
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Records raining for Brazil
‘WAGS’ fly the flag for England
No sweat for top women
Federer humiliates Henman
Laxman ought to play in World Cup
Sachin slips out of top 20
Aditya emerges surprise leader
England lose again
Harikrishna settles for draw
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Hanover, June 28 Spain took the lead with a penalty from David Villa before Frank Ribery levelled, with Patrick Vieira and Zidane finishing off a memorable night for Les Bleus. France had promised to show her true face after making heavy weather of her opening group matches and she kept her word as Raymond Domenech’s ageing side produced their prettiest football since arriving in Germany and arguably the best since he took over after Euro 2004. But it was Spain who went ahead in the 26th minute after defender Lilian Thuram tackled Pablo Ibanez from behind, stepping on the Atletico Madrid defender’s ankle. Up to then France were matching Spain step by step for pace, constructing some deft moves with Zidane at the heart of most and Ribery keeping the Spanish defence on their toes on the right. Ribery had France's best early chance after Henry squared the ball from the right only for the young Marseille midfielder to fluff his lines from in front of Casillas’ goal. But Ribery then showed why they’re calling him the next Zidane as he drew France back level in the 41st minute as he latched onto a through ball from Vieira, beat off two Spanish defenders, sidestepped the onrushing Casillas and shot into an empty goal. The 23-year-old, who has made a rapid rise through the Gallic ranks, celebrated his first goal for his country on his seventh appearance with a flying leap into les Bleus’ substitutes bench. The Spaniards went into the break aggrieved at not being awarded a second late penalty when Fernando Torres hit the deck after a challenge from Willy Sagnol. With extra time looming tension was evident and Spain’s Carles Puyol picked up a yellow card for a foul on Henry, though, replays showed that there had been no contact but the Arsenal striker’s theatrical collapse fooled the referee. Zidane fired the resultant freekick high into the box with Vieira leaping over the Spanish defence to head low towards Casillas but Spanish defender Sergi Ramos attempt to deflect it only helped to turn it away from Casillas and into the right hand corner of the goal. Zidane then picked up his third yellow card of the competition and promptly celebrated by adding France’s third, receiving a perfect pass from Sylvain Wiltord, eluding Puyol’s desperate challenge and slotting it past Casillas. Their date with Brazil is a repeat of the 1998 World Cup final which France won’t need reminding they won 3-0. — AFP
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Inexperience let us down: Aragones
Hanover, June 28 “Our aim was to get close to the level of teams that win the World Cup and France are one of those, but we made two important errors and paid for a heavy price for them.” Spain were in impressive form in the early stages of the World Cup, opening their campaign with a 4-0 win over Ukraine and beating both Tunisia and Saudi Arabia. But despite being tipped to end their reputation as perennial underperformers they came unstuck when they were outwitted by an older and more experienced French side. “Their second goal came from a refereeing error and then we made a mistake by not covering Vieira,” said
Aragones. “We’ve got a young team that needs to learn how to get further. They could be a good team one day, but when players give everything you can’t ask any more of them. “We lost a game that was very evenly balanced, but we can’t blame it on bad luck. Our players will have another chance in the future.” Striker Fernando Torres echoed the comments of his coach. “Everyone is destroyed by the defeat, but we are a young team with a bright future and we have
shown that we can play at a high level. “Nearly all of us will still be around at the next World Cup. When the team matures it will do some great things.”
— Reuters
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Dortmund, June 28 The defending champion broke several records yesterday in its second-round match in Dortmund. Ronaldo netted his 15th World Cup goal, becoming the all-time leading scorer in the tournament. Cafu became the Brazilian player with most World Cup appearances, with 19, and Carlos Alberto Parreira moved up to fourth on the list of most matches as a coach at the World Cup, also with 19. In addition, Brazil scored its 200th and 201st goals, and increased its winning streak in the tournament to 11 matches. Ronaldo entered the match level with Gerd Mueller of Germany with 14 goals. He netted the milestone in the fifth minute after a brilliant step-over that beat goalkeeper Richard Kingson and a defender. The Real Madrid striker broke through the offside trap near midfield after a perfectly timed pass from midfielder Kaka. He had netted twice in Brazil’s 4-1 victory against Japan, surpassing Pele as Brazil's leading scorer in the competition. Cafu, after being rested for the Japan match, returned against Ghana to set the Brazilian mark. The 36-year-old winger was even with Dunga and Claudio Taffarel with 18 World Cup matches before Tuesday. Germany’s Lothar Matthaeus holds the overall record with 25 appearances from 1982 to 1998. Cafu has a chance to break other records during the competition. He can become the first man to play in four finals, and the only captain to lift the trophy twice. With 16 victories, Cafu already has won more World Cup matches than any other Brazilian, and has played a record 149 games for his country. He has lost only lost 19 times. Brazil scored goal No. 200 in World Cups when Adriano scored in first-half injury time, using his left thigh to connect with a cross from Cafu. Ze Roberto netted the goal No. 201 in the 84th after beating Kingson and finding the open net. Brazil began the competition with 191, adding seven others in its first-stage victories over Croatia, Australia and Japan. It also picked up its record 11th consecutive win in the tournament. Parreira, who led Brazil to its fourth world title in 1994 in the United States, coached his 19th World Cup match and is now six short of the record held by Germany’s Helmut Schon, from 1966 to 1978. He already shares with Bora Milutinovic the record of coaching teams in five World Cups. Parreira had Kuwait in 1982, the United Arab Emirates in 1990, Saudi Arabia in 1998 and Brazil in 1994 and 2006.
— AP
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Berlin, June 28 Ronaldo becoming the World Cup’s greatest goalscorer was not a “surprise” as even before the tournament started “it was obvious that he would get at least two goals and draw level, if not three and set a new record,” Muller told the official website of the championship. Muller, who scored 14 goals in the 1970 and 1974 editions of the Cup, hailed Just Fontaine of France, who had 13 goals in just one tournament in 1958 as “the best in my book” but also had warm words of praise for Ronaldo. “Although Ronaldo is now in his third World Cup, this is nevertheless still a great achievement on his part. Playing at such a high level over such a long period of time, always managing to be fit at the right moment is unusual nowadays.” “In my opinion, he’s the best, most complete attacker there is at the moment.” Asked about the criticism the Brazilian striker had to face over his fitness level and weight, Muller said Carlos Alberto Parreira’s team need the 29-year-old Real Madrid star. “Brazil need Ronaldo, they haven’t got anyone quicker than him up front. Ronaldo is still pacy. He wasn’t on top of his game in the first two matches, but against Japan, he could have got about five goals.” Muller said from a footballing point of view, he was not totally satisfied with the matches played so far in this tournament but was “pleasantly surprised” with the way Germany have been playing. “The defence has been amazing. In the pre-World Cup warm-up matches, that was the real cause for concern, but now the Mannschaft have gone three games without letting a goal in,” he said. Germany has also got two dangerous attackers in Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski, Muller said. “Klose had a great season for Werder Bremen and has brought his good form into the World Cup. He’s really improved as a player. Lukas Podolski’s also doing a job, and that means that German have two dangerous attackers.” — PTI
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‘WAGS’ fly the flag for England
Baden-Baden, June 28 The antics of the “WAGS” (wives and girlfriends), as they have become known, have been classic tabloid fodder and the British dailies have been lapping it up, eagerly reporting on the nights out, the rifts and the shopping sprees. More used to retired German millionaires shuffling into the spas that it is famous for, the population of Baden-Baden has been knocked sideways by the arrival of the women and their designer handbags and fake tans. They are staying at the £1,000 a night Brenner’s Park Hotel and the paparazzi with their long lenses have followed them. Leading the pack is Victoria “Posh Spice” Beckham. At 32, Victoria is the doyen of footballers’ wives having been there and done that. While her appearance here in skimpy shorts sparked debate about whether she is too thin, she has otherwise maintained a low profile, looking after her three children and cheering on husband David. The other WAGS have been more conspicuous, competing in the fashion stakes while seeing who can drink and spend the most. “They swilled drink, smashed glasses, roared raucous chants and belted out bawdy sing-songs,” yelled the Daily Mirror after some were spotted in one of the few late-night bars here where most of the other customers were reporters. The shopping sprees, meanwhile, have become legendary. Mass market German daily Bild said six of the WAGS, including Posh and coach Sven-Goran Eriksson’s girlfriend Nancy DellOlio, spent $101,000 in one hour in the town’s luxury boutiques. The women blew 4,395 euros in 10 minutes alone on shoes and T-shirts, with the rest going on creations by Dolce and Gabbana, Prada and Versace, according to the report. Ashley Cole’s pop star fiance Cheryl Tweedy has become close to Posh and DellOlio, and Wayne Rooney’s girlfriend Coleen McLoughlin, who brought her own tanning consultant with her, has also sided with them. Such has been the sideshow that Britain’s “high-brow” media has also waded in, with the Sunday Times citing a survey by Carma, an international media analysis company, on which WAG has got the most press coverage.
— AFP
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Sania falls at first hurdle
London, June 28 Sania was leading 5-2 in the first set after the two players traded breaks of serve. A spurt of unforced errors from Sania’s racquet then allowed Dementieva to win the next four games and make it 6-5. The 19-year-old Indian then won the 12th game with an ace and pushed the set into the tiebreaker. Sania was 5-4 up in the shootout before she put a backhand wide and the Russian followed it up with a forehand winner to go 6-5 up. A Sania forehand then went just wide to give the set to Dementieva. In the second set, the Hyderabadi teenager saved two break points in the very first game but could not stop her opponent from gaining a 3-2 lead. She then fought back to level the scores at 4-4. A tiring Sania then sprayed her shots to lose serve once more and went down 4-5. But Sania kept fighting as she forced three break points when Dementieva served for the match and converted the third when her rival hit a forehand long. But Dementieva hit back to force two break points of her own and went up 6-5. Dementieva then made no mistakes when she served for the match for the second time and won the tie after one hour and 25 minutes.
— PTI
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London, June 28 Monday’s rain meant the high-powered trio had to wait longer than expected to stride out on the plush All England Club lawns, but they came out firing on all cylinders, as did former men’s champions Lleyton Hewitt who thrashed Italian Filippo Volandri. Third seed Andy Roddick, runner-up for the last two years, was given a scare, though, before breaking the resistance of tenacious Serb Janko Tipsarevic. Williams, looking for a fourth title here, beat fellow American Bethanie Mattek 6-1, 6-0 with a performance of controlled aggression that will give her plenty of confidence after a frustrating stop-start year. Mauresmo, the top seed for the first time at Wimbledon, was even more impressive with a ‘double bagel’ 6-0, 6-0 defeat of hapless Croatian qualifier Ivana Abramovic, conceding just five points in the second set. Sharapova, marked her return to her favourite hunting ground with a high-octane 6-2, 6-0 victory over Israel’s Anna Smashnova, while Kim Clijsters reached the third round after getting a walkover against a sick Viktoriya Kutuzova. Williams has played in only four tournaments this year because of arm and elbow injuries but the 26-year-old showed no sign of rustiness, giving the 103rd-ranked Mattek the runaround on Centre Court. Mattek’s main contribution to the occasion was her unusual court attire that resembled that of a competitor from a 1970s high school sports day, complete with knee length white socks, tight shorts and bandana. Australian sixth seed Hewitt, the last men’s champion before Roger Federer’s three-year reign began, celebrated his return to the world’s top 10 with a ruthless 6-1, 6-1, 6-3 first round win over Volandri. While Hewitt was scuttling into the second round, Roddick lacked inspiration against Tipsarevic and lost a first set tiebreak before posting a 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 6-2 victory. Former runner-up David Nalbandian moved into the third round with the minimum of fuss, the Argentine fourth seed beating France’s Arnaud Clement 6-4, 6-4, 6-3. Ivan Ljubicic, seeded five, survived his delayed first-round against Spain’s Feliciano Lopez by the skin of his teeth, winning 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 3-6, 11-9. There were some high-profile casualties on day three. Russian Nikolay Davydenko, the men’s ninth seed, lost 6-2, 6-7, 7-6, 6-3 to Colombian qualifier Alejandro Falla, while women’s 11th seed Francesca Schiavone of Italy was bundled out by British wildcard Melanie South, the world No. 305.
— Reuters
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Federer humiliates Henman
London, June 28 The much-hyped battle between the world No. 1 and the four-times Wimbledon semi-finalist turned into a one man show after Federer floored Henman with a breathtaking display of grasscourt tennis. “It’s a big relief for me to come though this match against Tim today,” said Federer, who had been beaten by Henman in their only previous meeting on the slick surface in 2001. The home favourite had been expected to challenge Federer’s record run of 42 successive victories on grass as he is one of few players on the tour to hold an advantage over the Swiss maestro in their head-to-head meetings. Before the tournament started Federer had admitted that he wanted to avoid Henman in the early rounds as the Briton, unseeded here for the first time in a decade, would be dangerous floater. — Reuters
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Laxman ought to play in World Cup
Rahul Dravid could take a leaf out of his own book. He wasn’t initially deemed good enough in the limited format of the game but is now one of the mainstays of the team. Laxman too deserves a run. Laxman played a magnificent knock and his team owes him a debt for bailing them out on that messy fourth morning. India’s best were in the hut; the huge chunk of West Indies’ run-mountain still needed to be negotiated. And five full sessions remained. In the overall context, it was a critical stretch of game. We can only ponder if Laxman had failed and the tail not wagged. Then, perhaps then, the follow-on could have been enforced. Strangely, unlike most of the rest, I am not too critical of Brian Lara’s decision to not ask India to bat again. He doesn’t have a dynamic set of bowlers. They would have always struggled to get hold of India in the second knock. However a target on the final day could have acted as a bait. India, who knows, might have gone for it and West Indies could have found an opening. I am with Lara on this issue. I guess one could also pick on the field placements but then Lara has always chosen to do it his way. The issue of batsmen dropping shutters and making just 20 runs from 14 overs on the third morning has also riled some. But it was a case of delicate balancing — pushing for runs while still making sure India were not left with too much of time at their disposal. As I mentioned in the previous column, this set of West Indian batsmen is not incompetent, they are just inconsistent. Most of the top order showed a rich vein of form at Warner Park. Gayle, Ganga, Chanderpaul, Morton all came to the party. Ganga has shown good resolve to recover from the debacles of the first two matches. He has now got the monkey off his back. The team selection, I guess, would also open a debate. The West Indies had just three frontline bowlers and this must be viewed in the backdrop of home captain pleading for extra ammunition at his disposal. Who could the selectors have gone for? Daren Powell obviously doesn’t meet their approval since it is Tino Best who is talked about as possible induction. I have a feeling it is Powell’s personality and not cricket which they sense they can’t control. It’s the same thing with Wavell Hinds — he has a no-nonsense style and can’t be controlled. It is not necessarily they are wrong but just they hold strong views. India should be happy with the return of Harbhajan Singh. He is a kind of bowler who thrives on extra workload. Since he was coming from a break, he needed to be given a defensive field to start with and then given the attacking set once he had regained his poise and control. India clearly missed him in the first two Tests. One common thread running through this series has been the extra cushion of protection in batting which the teams have sought. And of course, about the pitches! We would have to wait and see if Sabina Park at Kingston can help alter the balance. — PTI
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Sachin slips out of top 20
Dubai, June 28 Tendulkar has managed to remain among the top 20 batsmen since 1992 and the fall in his rankings had as much to do with his missing the tour of West Indies due to a shoulder surgery as his poor run in the past few months. While missing the series in Caribbean counts against Tendulkar, his Test match form in the last couple of years has been well below his career peak, his world record 35th Test ton against Sri Lanka late last year notwithstanding. The Mumbai batsman averages just 28 in his last 10 Tests compared with an overall average of 55.39. And while Tendulkar’s mark of 650 rating points may have been enough to put him in the top 20 in times gone by, it is not enough now with other batsmen in world cricket scoring heavily. The good news for Tendulkar is that he appears to be regaining fitness after surgery with two effortless centuries for English club Lashings. India still have two players in that elite group, captain Rahul Dravid, who remains in second place behind leader Ricky
Ponting, and Virender Sehwag, down one place to 13th in the latest LG ICC rankings released today.
— PTI
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Aditya emerges surprise leader
Tehran, June 28 Vikas defeated P. Amirreza in the fifth round and followed it up with a win against second seed S. Nitin to take his tally to five points half a point ahead of B. Adhiban, S.
Nitin (both India) and Mars Ulu Dan of Kyrgyzstan. Erstwhile leader B. Adhiban could collect only half point from his two games, losing to S. Nitin in the fifth round and drawing against Mars in the sixth. It was a good day for top seed Y. Sandeep who staged a partial recovery by winning both his games and took his tally to four points. In the girls u-14 championship, top seed Bhakti Kulkarni lost her lead in the sixth round when she suffered defeat at the hands of compatriot Pon. Krutthika. Krutthika now shares the lead with Hejazipour Mitra (Iran) on five points. They are followed by Bhakti and Pallabi Roy, who are half-a-point behind them. Prasanna Rao emerged sole leader in the boys u-12 category by defeating Fenil Shah as Vidit Gujarathi and Hosseinipour Mitra drew their sixth round match. Prasanna has collected 5.5 points from six rounds while Vidit and Mitra are in second place with five points. Padmini Raut continued to dominate the girls u-12 group and leads the field with 5.5 points out of six games, a full point ahead of compatriot Priyanka Kumari and Nguyen Thi Mai Hung (Vietnam). Padmini drew with Priyanka Kumari in the fifth round and defeated Mohana Priya in the sixth. Her seventh round encounter against Nguyen will be crucial. G. Vijaysai Krishna continued his winning spree in the boys u-10 group and leads the field with a perfect score after six rounds. Utkalranjan Sahu is in second place with 5 points after winning against Shiven Khosla in the sixth round. He will play the leader in round seven. Sahaja Sri matched Vijaysai’s feat in the girls u-10 section and has a perfect score of six points in six rounds. Sahaja Sri defeated B. Prathusha in the sixth round. She is followed by Do Hoang Min Tho (Vietnam) and Soumya Shrivastava (India) on five points. In the boys u-8 group, Prince Bajaj grabbed the lead by defeating Ch. Mohineesh in the fifth round and hung on to it with a sixth round victory over Asgarizadeh Ahmed (Iran), taking his tally to 5.5 points. Mohineesh had a very bad day as he also lost the sixth round to second seed M. Satvik. Satvik and Moosavi Khalil (Iran) are closely following the leader on five points.
— PTI
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England lose again
London, June 28 Jayawardene made a sparkling 100 off 83 balls, following his 126 not out at Chester-le-Street on Saturday, as his side went 4-0 up in a one-sided five-match series. The touring side, opting to bat, posted a formidable 318 for seven before England were dismissed for 285 in 48.4 overs. Jayawardene, dropped twice, and Upul Tharanga (60) set the foundation for the win, putting on a lightning 137 for the second wicket. — Reuters
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Harikrishna settles for draw
Crimea, June 28 Five other games also ending in stalemate meant status quo was maintained with regard to players’ position in category-18 tournament in which one more round remains. Harikrishna and Ponomariov signed the peace treaty after 36 moves. Tournament leader GM Sergei Rublevsky of Russia and second placed Ukrainian GM Vassily Ivanchuk drew after repetition of moves.
— PTI
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If India is keen to pick the hints from the drawn third Test against the West Indies, they need to keep VVS Laxman in the mix for the World Cup. I know his fielding and mobility does not meet everyone’s approval but he is too good a batsman to be ignored.