The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Cheers and tears
Some stars consolidated their reputation while others came a cropper at the football World Cup, writes Ivninderpal Singh

Zinedine Zidane was named the best player of the World Cup despite the ugly head-butt episode; England’s star striker Wayne Rooney had a miserable tournament, culminating in his ‘send-off’ in the match against Portugal. — Photos by Reuters

Every World Cup has its share of hits and misses and Germany 2006 was no exception. Many superb performances marked the tournament, but there were some disappointments too.

Zinedine Zidane rediscovered his game in Germany, while Ronaldinho left his in Barcelona. Miroslav Klose won the Golden Shoe for scoring the highest number of goals, but Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard failed to find the net even once. Italy shotstopper and Juventus star Gianluigi Buffon won the coveted Lev Yashin Award, given to the best goalkeeper at the World Cup, while Wayne Rooney failed to live up to all the hype and did nothing for his team.

Zidane’s youthful feet fired on all cylinders and he took France to the final even though they began the tournament saddled with worries about the ageing legs in the team. The 33-year-old, who led France to victory at the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000, performed superbly against Spain, Brazil and Portugal. Even the shocking head-butt episode in the final could not stop him from winning the Golden Ball for the best player of the tournament.

He eclipsed World Footballer of the Year Ronaldinho in midfield and became one of only four footballers to achieve the feat of scoring in two World Cup final matches (he scored twice in the 1998 World Cup final), sharing the honour with Pele, Paul Breitner and Vava.

Italian custodian Buffon let in only two goals — one was an own goal by team-mate Cristian Zaccardo against the USA and the other from Zidane in the final from a penalty kick. Buffon kept his goal intact for 453 minutes, putting him on the fifth spot in the all-time ranking for unbeaten goalkeepers.

Klose, too, showed his exceptional ability with five goals in seven matches and carried the Golden Shoe award as the top scorer. Though Klose’s five-goal tally is the lowest winning total since the 1962 World Cup, that does not it makes his achievement any less worthy.

With two goals each against Costa Rica and Ecuador and a fine header in the quarterfinal against Argentina, Klose moved into third place on the list of top German goal scorers at the World Cup. He also became the only player to score at least five goals in two consecutive World Cups (2002 and 2006).

Among the young guns, Germany’s Lukas Podolski won the first Best Young Player Award. He scored his first ever World Cup goal in Germany’s group match against Ecuador, and two goals against Sweden in the round of 16.

But there were several others who failed to replicate their club success. It was usually due to poor form or injuries, while in certain cases, teams went out of the tournament before their top players had a chance to prove their worth.

Ronaldinho came to Germany with two successive World Player of the Year awards (2004, 2005), European Footballer of the Year Award (2005) and the inaugural FIFPro World Player of the Year award (2005) to his name. The playmaker’s much-touted artistry was largely conspicuous by its absence as he failed to score even once in Germany.

England midfielder Lampard was second to Ronaldinho in the last World Player of the Year poll of national coaches and captains. He went into this World Cup having scored 20 goals for Chelsea last season and 10 for England in his previous 22 games. But he came a cropper at the World Cup. He played every minute of England’s five matches but did not score or set up a goal.

Lampard’s England team-mate Wayne Rooney also struggled to live up to his billing, although it was always going to be a tall order for the striker to reach top form after a broken foot ruined his build-up to the tournament. Rooney’s World Cup ended in ignominy when he was sent off against Portugal in the quarterfinals.

Italy’s unsung ‘hero’
Vikramdeep Johal

Cristian Zaccardo contributed to Italy’s success in a weird way

Everyone is going gaga over Italy’s World Cup triumph, heaping praises on their rock-solid defence, their 10 goal scorers and their astute coach. No one has mentioned the name of full-back Cristian Zaccardo, who played a key role in the Azzurri’s success, albeit unintentionally.

This “defender” became the team’s black sheep when he scored an own goal in the first-round match against the USA. In an attempt to clear a cross from a US player, Zaccardo swung a leg ineptly, only to see the ball land into the net. Even Gianluigi

Buffon, who went on to win the best goalkeeper award, could do nothing to stop it. The goal enabled the USA to level the score, and the match ended in a 1-1 draw.

Zaccardo’s blunder failed to stop Italy from topping their group, but coach Marcello Lippi lost faith in him. He was promptly replaced by Fabio Grosso. It was a move that did wonders for the Italians. Grosso dived in the box to earn a penalty against Australia (Francesco Totti

converted it), scored a brilliant goal against Germany, and converted the match-winning penalty in the shootout against France. Zaccardo’s defensive lapse proved to be a blessing in disguise, to say the least.

Ironically, Italy had made it to the World Cup finals thanks to a goal scored by Zaccardo. During the qualifying campaign, his poor show enabled Scotland to hold the Azzurri to a draw. Despite being under pressure to drop him, Lippi persevered with the Palermo player in the crucial match against Slovenia. Zaccardo rose to the occasion and his goal booked Italy’s berth for Germany 2006.

This time, however, Lippi made him sit out after the USA match. Zaccardo did not get a chance to redeem himself but he was able to lay his hands on the World Cup trophy, in stark contrast to the fate

suffered by Colombia’s Andreas Escobar, who was killed for gifting a goal to the USA in 1994.

Two of a kind
K.R. Wadhwaney

Rahul Dravid (top) and Anil Kumble are gentlemen cricketers with an indomitable spirit

Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble, both from Bangalore, are endowed with similarities in talent, temperament, tenacity and, above all, team spirit. They have earned more victories or saved more Tests than most other Indian players. However, they have not been received half as much recognition as other renowned cricketers, including Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar. Despite getting a raw deal, they have remained unaffected and have served the cause of the team.

Both Dravid and Kumble have the spirit that does not admit defeat. If Dravid possesses ascetic self-discipline and modesty in compiling runs with an insatiable appetite, Kumble has mastered an art that can immortalise him. The majesty of the man can be estimated by his deeds even when he is growing in age. In his experience, there is hidden youthfulness and intense will to perform and deliver.

Professional yet thoroughly humane, Dravid has scored even more run abroad than at home. He has already reached 9,000 Test runs without much ado. Going by his recent performances, he should soon be in the 10,000-run club along with a few master batsmen.

Dravid is not a touch-artist as was his city-mate Gundappa Vishwanath. He is not stylish either, but he is one of the most beautiful of stroke players cricket has ever known. He is an all-weather, all-wicket player. He adjusts his technique according to the texture of the pitch. He can drive the fastest of bowlers with ease. He is a unique batsman, who can be presented with an impressionist sketch of an eagle in a monocle.

Regarded as a genius, Kumble possesses phenomenal accuracy. His ability to bring about delicate change of speed in his otherwise crafty spin bowling is quite deft. A better version than his illustrious predecessor, B.S. Chandrasekhar, also his city-mate, he possesses a cool, calm and analytical mind. He possesses more guile than any one in this country at present. He deserves better treatment than he has got so far despite being an excellent team man and exceptional in his behaviour and etiquette.

Cricket, it is said, is a team event. But some stars shine more brilliantly than many others to alter the course of the game. Skipper Dravid laid a firm foundation with his two masterly innings and Anil Kumble destroyed the West Indies on a tricky surface at Kingston to help India win the series.

Kumble’s 23 wickets, including six in the last innings, in four Tests showed that he is still a spinner of great craft and ability. He will be an asset in the next year’s World Cup, provided the selectors keep him in the squad.

Roll of honour
G. S. Paul

Roller skater Dhruv Gautam covered a 39.5-km stretch on the world’s highest motorable road in record time. — Tribune photo by Pradeep Tewari

He is on a roll, literally. Fifteen-year-old Dhruv Gautam, accompanied by his brother Sub-Lt (Navy) Vijayant Tyagi, has traversed the world’s highest motorable road on roller skates.

Dhruv covered 39.5 km from Leh Bazaar (11,300 ft above sea level) to reach Khardungla top (18,380 ft above sea level) in record time (seven hours and 27 minutes).

He beat the previous record of the Jammu and Kashmir police personnel team to become eligible for a place in the Guinness Book of Records.

On September 7, 2003, a team comprising Sub-Inspector Rajesh Anand, former captain, Indian Roller Skating team, Sub-Inspector Sanjiv Mehendru, an international skater, and Dy SP Nasir Ahmad, a national skater, undertook this arduous task. Rajesh was the first to reach the finishing point of this world’s highest motorable road on roller skates in nine hours and 15 minutes, thereby entering the Limca Book of Records.

Dhruv and his brother had to go through an eight-day acclimatisation process under medical observation. This process includes complete bed rest for the first three days, followed by 200-300m slow walk and two-day climbing practice. The last two days’s programme includes drilling practice with war load.

“We requested the Army squad to let us skip the last two days’s activities as we wanted to save time. The one-way Leh-Khardungla road is opened for a limited time for public commuters. The road from Leh to Partapur is reserved for Army convoys only, who commute on alternate days”, said Dhruv.

Talking about this amazing journey on skates, Dhruv said, “It was undoubtedly the toughest journey uphill amid sleet, with lack of oxygen, poor visibility and a slippery path being the main obstacles. We started the journey from Leh Bazaar amid mild rain with the temperature being 9°C.”

“The fierce weather conditions could not deter us from attempting to do this challenging job. We had to take a number of breaks due to heavy snowfall and rain. At one point of time, I had to pause for five minutes as my skate broke,” said Dhruv.

Born on December 14, 1990, in Faridabad, Dhruv started to skate when he was less than two years old and participated in the National Games held at Pune when he was just seven.

At the age of nine, Dhruv won his first gold medal in the National Roller Hockey Championship held at KB DAV, Sector 7, Chandigarh, in 1999. Two years later, he bagged a bronze in the sub-junior category during the National Games held at Hyderabad in 2002.

In June, 2004, he participated in the 10th Asian Roller Hockey Championship held at Akita, Japan, where he was the youngest ever to compete. The same year he got the National Child Award for expertise in roller skating. He has represented Haryana in roller skating for seven consecutive years. He has been the captain of the junior national roller hockey team for the past year. He is looking forward to representing the country in the World Roller Skating Championship to be held in Berlin.

Dhruv, a student of plus one at Delhi Public School, Faridabad, is equally proficient in studies. He aspires to become an IAS officer.

IN THE NEWS
Red stars

China’s maiden Wimbledon title won by Zheng Jie and Yan Zi along with Li Na’s historic advance in the premier tournament has signalled the arrival of China on the international women’s tennis circuit.

Zheng and Yan captured China’s first Wimbledon title when they beat Virginia Ruano Pascual and Paola Suarez 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 in the women’s doubles final.

The fourth-seeded pair claimed their second major title of the year after winning the country’s first Grand Slam trophy at the Australian Open in January.

At the Australian Open early this year, Zheng and Yan captured China’s first Grand Slam title in women’s doubles before becoming the first Chinese players to rank in top 10 in doubles.

Their win capped a successful run for the Asian sports giant after Li became the first Chinese player to reach the singles quarterfinals at a Grand Slam event, where she was eliminated by Kim Clijsters of Belgium.

Li’s historic advance at Wimbledon has boosted the belief of Chinese tennis that to keep playing the world’s elite players is the best way to catch up with them.

Since Li Ting and Sun Tiantian’s victory in women’s doubles at the 2004 Athens Olympics, China has made big achievements in international women’s tennis.

Experts say Chinese female players have benefited from the government’s ample support to outstanding women’s tennis players in time for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. — PTI