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Thursday, June 6, 2002, Chandigarh, India
  
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Keane equaliser thwarts Germany
USA stun star-studded Portugal
Russia brush aside Tunisian challenge |
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Such things happen in soccer: Rivaldo Day of reckoning for France, Uruguay Flying the flag — for another country
Zidane: France keep world guessing Cameroon keen on salvaging pride
‘Taranga Lions’ ready to roar again
Rain plays havoc at French Open Paes-Cibulec duo
in semifinals Tyson gearing up for showdown
Cronje laid to
rest Malaysia beat India
3-2 Jeev qualifies for US
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Keane equaliser thwarts Germany
Ibaraki, (Japan), June 5 The Irish looked to have lost, sending Germany through to the second round, after striker Miroslav Klose scored his fourth goal of the tournament to give the Germans a 1-0 lead at the end of normal time in group E. But with seconds of injury time left, a nod-on by towering substitute Niall Quinn left Keane clear and he rapped the ball jubilantly home for a memorable equaliser. Irish manager Mick McCarthy said: “What’s the point of coming here and going out without a fight? Great result. I’m delighted for Quinny who got involved and, of course, Robbie gets his goal.
“We’ve given ourselves a chance, haven’t we? We have to go and play Saudi. I’ll be watching them tomorrow against Cameroon to see what happens. We’re in with a chance.’’ German midfielder Carsten Ramelow said: “At 1-0 it was not enough. We knew we had to get a second goal to feel safe. In the end they equalised with practically the last touch of the game. “It was a great shame for us. But we tried everything...I think we played well but that’s the sort of thing that can always happen. It shouldn’t but it did.’’ Earlier, Klose, who fired a hat-trick in Germany’s record-breaking 8-0 win over Saudi Arabia, had confirmed he could become one of the revelations of the tournament by scoring from a Michael Ballack cross in the 19th minute. After overcoming the departure of captain Roy Keane for a 1-1 draw with Cameroon in their first game, Ireland lived up to their fiery reputation. But they looked short of ideas and were hampered by defensive mistakes, most notably when Ian Harte failed to challenge Klose as he beat goalkeeper Shay Given for his fourth goal in the finals, the highest tally so far. Germany recovered from a nervous start to control the game from midfield despite Ireland’s best efforts to take the game to their opponents. Striker Keane missed a bicycle kick just before the break, blowing what would have been a spectacular equaliser. The combative Irishmen kept trying after the interval and were denied in the 57th minute by a brilliant save by Germany goalkeeper and captain Oliver Kahn from an close-range effort from striker Damien Duff. Germany, who relied on a faultless performance from defence marshal Carsten Ramelow to shrug off Ireland’s spirited but often clumsy challenge, came close to doubling their advantage when Jancker lobbed Given in the 58th minute, but the ball landed wide. Klose remained dangerous, as he proved in the 77th minute with a header that flew over the bar, but failed to inflict further punishment on Ireland.
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USA stun star-studded Portugal
Suwon (South Korea), June 5 The USA stunned the star-studded Portuguese side spearheaded by Luis Figo when they surged into a 3-0 lead after only 36 minutes of the first half through goals from John O’Brien, Brian McBride and a Jorge Costa own goal. “We said we had to come out and put pressure on them early on and take advantage of any chances we got. That’s what we did,” said US goalscorer and man-of-the-match Brian McBride. “We sat back in the second half but we buckled down and held them off,” said McBride, whose 36th-minute diving header was the pick of the US goals.
Portugal coach Antonio Oliveira said his side could still qualify for the second phase with group D matches against Poland and South Korea to come. “The USA played very well. They were very physical and they made it very difficult for us,” Oliveira said. “We displayed a lot of frailty at the back. This complicates things for us but all is not lost,” he said. “We created a lot of chances to score but for one reason or another the ball didn’t go into the net.” The technically superior Portuguese, playing in their first World Cup since 1986, piled on the pressure after going three goals down and spent much of the second half camped deep in US territory at the Suwon Stadium. They reduced the deficit to two goals through a Beto strike just before half-time, and made it 3-2 when US defender Jeff Agoos volleyed in a spectacular own goal on 71 minutes. But in strength-sapping heat Bruce Arena’s team of largely US-based players managed to withstand a series of Portuguese raids orchestrated by the skilful AC Milan star Rui Costa to hang on for a dramatic win. Victory was a dream start for the Americans, aiming to atone for their dreadful France 98 campaign when they lost every match. The Americans got off to a dream start after only four minutes with a goal resulting from a corner by Holland-based skipper Earnie Stewart. McBride leapt superbly to power a header goalwards, and when Portuguese ‘keeper Vitor Baia could only half-save, O’Brien was on hand to lash the ball into the roof of the net from close range. Moments later Baia was in trouble again, punching an inswinging Stewart freekick along the floor only as far as McBride. Luckily for the Portuguese ‘keeper the rebound ran wide. At the other end Portugal struggled to test Brad Friedel, Pauleta’s glanced header from a Rui Costa free-kick flashing wide on 22 minutes. But while Portugal had plenty of possession their defence continued to look vulnerable and it was failure to clear a USA attack properly that led to the second goal in the 29th minute. A Landon Donovan cross was whipped in from the right but deflected off Costa to beat Baia at the near-post to leave Portugal stunned. Just when America’s disbelieving supporters thought it couldn’t get any better, it did. A fabulously flighted 30-metre cross from the right flank by Tony Sanneh was met at the back post by a diving McBride for a spectacular header which gave Baia no chance. Portugal gave themselves hope of a comeback before the break. A header by Beto was half-cleared by O’Brien, and Beto made no mistake with the second attempt, hammering in from close range. Portugal controlled the second half and got a second when Pauleta’s cross was smashed into the US net by the experienced Agoos. But Portugal looked desperately tired in the final 10 minutes and America hung on.
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Russia brush aside Tunisian challenge Kobe (Japan), June 5 Both sides, playing their first match of the tournament, were looking for a win to take them above group rivals Japan and Belgium, who drew 2-2 yesterday. And it was the Russians who found a way through with two quickfire second-half goals from Egor Titov and Valery Karpin. Russia’s last appearance in the second phase was 1986 but this win means that another three points at the expense of co-hosts Japan on Sunday in Yokohama will end that poor run. The first half comprised 45 minutes of the dullest football served up at the tournament so far. But a vastly-improved Russian performance in the second half ensured that this year’s event has yet to produce a goalless draw after 15 matches, equalling the record start from the USA 94. Titov finally broke the deadlock on the hour when Tunisian goalkeeper Ali Boumnijel, in a mad moment, threw the ball straight to substitute Dmitri Sychev, who chested the ball down for Titov to drive home. Titov had come the closest for the Russians with a low drive in the dying seconds of the half. But the 26-year-old Spartak Moscow midfielder deserved his stroke of luck as he netted his fifth international goal. Sychev, on for the ineffective Vladimir Beschastnykh, won a penalty four minutes later after colliding with Radhi Jaidi and Karpin sent Boumnijel the wrong way with the kick. The double blow caused Tunisian heads to drop and their frustration grew only greater when Ziad Jaziri, whose overhead kick just after Karpin’s goal failed to trouble Russian keeper Ruslan Nigmatullin, picked up a yellow card for diving in the area with 15 minutes left. Ironically the North Africans had made a bright enough start despite the Russians enjoying the lion’s share of the possession. They almost took the lead when Yuri Nikiforov came close to putting through his own net in the 22nd minute attempting to prise the ball off two Tunisian strikers, the ball trickling just wide of Nigmatullin’s right hand post. At the other end Marat Izmailov forced Boumnijel to make a smart save away to his left with a rising snapshot. The match soon became bogged down in a midfield traffic jam and Igor Semshov went in the referee’s book for chopping down Jaziri. Nifikorov tried to raise the level above the soporific with a speculative drive from distance but was way off target in the 38th minute. The Russians left playmaker Alexander Mostovoi and central defender Alexei Smertin on the bench as both had been doubtful beforehand with injury and coach Oleg Romantsev elected not to risk either of them. Russian president Vladimir Putin had seen the team off to Japan calling on them to make the country proud by reaching the second round playing quality football — and some finally surfaced once they had taken the lead. The Tunisians, who crashed out in the opening phase at France 98, are playing in the event for only the third time, with the Russians making their ninth appearance - including those as the Soviet Union until 1990. The ‘Carthage Eagles’, whose starting line-up contained just four home-based players, were forced to leave defender Emir Mkademi on the bench as he also recovers from injury while fellow defender Jose Clayton was also not starting owing to a knee ligament problem.
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Such things happen in soccer: Rivaldo Ulsan (South Korea), June 5 FIFA’s disciplinary committee has fined Rivaldo 11,500 Swiss francs ($ 7,350) for the first major case of what referees call “simulation” in the group C match on Monday which Brazil won 2-1. “I’m calm about the punishment,” the Barcelona midfielder said ahead of a Brazilian training session at the Mipo Field in Ulsan. “I don’t want to talk much about it to avoid creating more headlines. This is something from the past. I’m now looking ahead. These things happen in football and if I spend time thinking about what happened it’s not going to help anyone.” Asked if he regretted the incident, he said: “No, no, no. I don’t regret anything. This (faking) is something that will never end in football. It is the kind of thing that is going to happen a lot in this World Cup.” He said FIFA had made an example of him. “I don’t know if everyone would be punished as I was,” he said. “Probably they wanted to make an example of me to make sure it doesn’t happen again. “But we need to respect the fine and what they decided. However I am not the kind of player that is normally fined or suspended.” Football’s international governing body had promised a clampdown on cheating during the tournament. FIFA spokesman Keith Cooper said in Seoul no further comment would be made on the case until a regular briefing on Thursday and would not even say what offence Rivaldo had been found guilty of. But a top FIFA official said the case had been the subject of “tremendous pressure” from all sides involved. Rivaldo admitted after the match that he had deliberatedly exaggerated an injury, holding his face after Turkish defender Hakan Unsal has kicked the ball at his legs, in a bid to get Unsal sent off.
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Day of reckoning for France, Uruguay Busan (South Korea), June 5 Anything less than victory would spell almost certain elimination and the titleholders will most likely have to try to overcome the steely South Americans without injured 1998 hero Zinedine Zidane as well as the man who replaced him in midfield against Senegal, Youri Djorkaeff. Uruguay, on the other hand, unlucky to be beaten by Denmark in their first game, can approach the match in the spirit of having nothing much to lose and can relax accordingly. Knowing they are not expected to win would make victory all the sweeter - and, paradoxically, makes it all the more possible because they can afford a freer approach to their game. The weight of expectation on France’s shoulders, on the other hand, could prove as much of a handicap as it did in Saturday’s opening clash with Senegal. All the attention has focussed on the absence of Zidane, which left France severely short of initiative going forward and highlighted once more that although one man does not make a team, when his name is Zidane he goes a very long way towards it, as his club Real Madrid will confirm. Zidane began kicking a ball again on Monday, eight days after tearing a thigh muscle in a friendly against South Korea, but the man who scored twice in the World Cup final in 1998 faces a major battle to be fit. With Djorkaeff also carrying a calf injury he picked up against the Senegalese, and not having adequately filled Zidane’s creative role in any case, the hole at the heart of the midfield is likely to be plugged either by Johan Micoud, the 28-year-old midfielder who has struggled at Italian Serie A club Parma this season, or Zidane’s side-kick at Real, Zaire-born Claude Makelele. There is nothing any coach can do about losing a player of Zidane’s stature, but an equally troubling problem for France’s beleaguered Roger Lemerre is how to shore up the central defence where captain Marcel Desailly and, particularly Frank Leboeuf are really beginning to show their age. The formidable figure of the skilful striker Sebastian Abreu and the awkward Dario Silva are sure to cause them problems. It has been touted that Lilian Thuram is set to be made the scapegoat for the failure against Senegal, his place to be taken by Vincent Candela, while Emmanuel Petit seems likely to continue on the left of midfield despite a performance he will want to forget - further ammunition for those who have suggested all was not well within the French camp. As far as Uruguay are concerned, it doesn’t seem to matter whether Zidane plays or not - they have chosen their system and they are intending to stick with it. They have to pick themselves up off the floor after Denmark delivered the killer punch just seven minutes from time in Ulsan. The only lingering injury worry is over Fabian O’Neil, who is still carrying the leg injury which forced him out of the Denmark clash. Silva, who was hurt in a clash with Denmark’s Thomas Helveg, has recovered and will play as coach Victor Pua makes two changes and shuffles his pack into a 3-4-2-1 line-up.
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Flying the flag — for another country Seoul, June 5 The first hat-trick to be scored at the World Cup was scored by Germany — but the man who notched it, Miroslav Klose, hails from Opole in Poland. Having missed out on claiming Klose’s talents for themselves the Poles dug a little deeper to come up with an unlikely hero — Nigerian-born Emmanuel Olisadebe. Nicknamed ‘Czarnecki’ — a Polish surname but czarny means black in Polish — the Panathinaikos striker fast-tracked to Polish citizenship by President Aleksander Kwasniewski carries his new nation’s hopes into their group D campaign. "When they first came to me I thought it was a joke," Olisadebe said. "But after giving it a bit of thought I said to myself ‘Why not?’. "I never got a chance with Nigeria and Poland wanted to give me the opportunity to play international football. So, it was an easy decision," says Olisadebe, who scored on his debut against Romania. "Many people said he wasn’t Polish. But he’s scored in almost every match — so he won over the supporters hearts that way," laughs team-mate Tomasz Waldoch. "Oli" isn’t the only African to have headed out east. Ghana-born Gerald Asamoah was another debutant scorer for Germany and now dreams of partnering Klose as the three-times world champions start to look ominously good. Asamoah, the first player of black African origin ever to wear the German international shirt, hopes that coach Rudi Voller will give him his chance alongside Klose even though Carsten Jancker got the nod for the demolition job on Saudi Arabia. Then there’s Patrick Vieira, a world champion with France but whose adopted country crashed to the one of his birth, Senegal, in the opening match of the tournament. Arsenal star Vieira is in good company with multi-ethnic France, whose skipper Marcel Desailly would once have been playing alongside Asamoah with Ghana while midfielder Claude Makelele hails from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Until only recently immigrants to Germany, Turkish "guest workers" in particular, used to complain about the near impossibility of having the Fatherland bestow citizenship upon them. So, it seems ironic that German-born Leverkusen midfielder Yildiray Basturk has opted to play for Turkey, the country of his origins. With competition ultra-hard to break into Brazil’s star-studded squad, Alessandro Santos decided to head a little further east than Olisadebe and Asamoah. He moved to Japan. Now, seven years after taking up residence, he has chance with the Land of the Rising Sun having put him in their squad. Ireland are, as ever, thankful to their usual strong contingent of English-born players — but England themselves have also got in on the act, selecting Canadian-born Owen Hargreaves — who plays his club football with Bayern Munich and towards whom the Germans also cast envious eyes. And of course, the ultimate in muti-cultural societies, the USA, have their own colourful collection of nationalities in their squad. Defender David Regis was born in the French Caribbean department of Martinique, Pablo Mastroeni was born in Argentina, Jeff Llamosa is Colombian, veteran Jeff Agoos hails from Switzerland and Ernie Stewart is of Dutch origin. The FIFA regulations merely require a player to hold a valid passport for the country concerned and not to have represented another nation before they are free to pull on the shirt of their new home.
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Zidane: France keep world guessing Busan (South Korea), June 5 Although Zidane has been struggling for fitness since picking up a thigh injury in the friendly with South Korea 10 days ago, coach Roger Lemerre insisted that nothing had yet been decided. But captain Marcel Desailly gave a broad hint that the team was preparing to face the steely South Americans without their 1998 World Cup-winning hero. A further indication came when Zidane failed to show for training in the Busan Asiad Main Stadium with the rest of the squad, at least while the session remained open, although he had started to run again on Monday. Lemerre said tersely: “If he wakes up tomorrow morning and feels able to play then it is up to him to decide.” He added: “He is still feeling the injury but it is getting better. There is no question of taking risks. When you are hurt, you are the only one who can say if you’re fit enough to work or not.” Desailly said: “We aren’t in the dark at all, the team knows exactly what is happening over Zidane. We’re quite entitled to keep quiet about it, possibly as a strategy against our opponents.” He added: “Zizou is not divulging his condition and it’s not up to anyone else to do so for him.” Desailly said the team had not yet been finalised and Lemerre was still working on his line-up. “We’ll all know at the last minute — even I don’t know if I’m playing.”
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Cameroon keen on salvaging pride Saitama (Japan), June 5 The Saudis were humiliated 8-0 by Germany in their opening match, managing just three shots at goal, while the jet-lagged Africans let a first-half lead slip to draw 1-1 with Ireland. “You must never underestimate them according to the match against Germany,” said Cameroon coach Winfried Schafer. “Of course they will try to play a lot better against us.” “We have to put pressure on them as the Germans did, attack very early, go inside the box, create many chances, and also play a lot more aggressively and focus on finishing. That’s more important,” said Schafer. The German coach said the Olympic champions blamed the tiredness in the second half on their mammoth trip to Japan from Europe. They arrived on May 23 after a bizarre four-day delay because of a dispute over bonus payments and the absence of permission to fly over several countries. “But our team has achieved a turning point and I’m very optimistic and I’m very confident that our team will have a much better game against Saudi Arabia,” Schafer said. Saudi coach Nasser Al-Johar said he and his squad still believe they could make the second round despite their drubbing by Germany. “All those people who are criticising me now are the same ones who wrote or said I was a hero after the Asian Cup in Lebanon and after the final stage of qualifying for this World Cup,” said al-Johar. “It’s not true at all that we went into the match without any strategy, the players trained hard to apply it — which was demonstrated prior to the finals in the good results from the warm-up matches. “What happened against Germany was abnormal and unbelievable.” The coach and players will have the words of prince Sultan Ben Abdel Aziz, the Saudi defence minister, ringing in their ears when they take to the field. “I wish you all good luck ... and ask you to deploy more effort in the remaining matches,” he said after the German debacle. Saudi Arabia need skipper Sami al-Jaber to recover from an ankle injury he picked up during the first match and al-Johar said he would make some changes to the side for tomorrow’s match. One will see Fawzi al-Shehri replace Abdullah Al-Shahrami as a link between the defence and midfield because of the latter’s lack of pace as they try to come to terms with the physical approach of Marc-Vivien Foe, Salomon Olembe and Geremi Njitap. One player who will not be dropped is veteran goalkeeper Mohammed al-Deayea. “I expect one or two players to be replaced against Cameroon but I insist that the goalkeeper should play because he remains one of the most talented goalkeepers in Asia,” team manager Faisal Abed al-Hadi said.
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‘Taranga Lions’ ready to roar again Daegu (South Korea), June 5 With Senegal producing one of the biggest ever World Cup upsets by toppling champions France 1-0 in the opening game and Denmark beating Uruguay 2-1 in their group A match, the encounter between the two teams is a virtual six pointer. Victory for either Senegal or Denmark would virtually assure them of a coveted spot in the second round against all the pre-tournament predictions. The ‘Taranga Lions’ of Senegal partied the night away after their amazing victory over France but have since gone back into serious training near here. The mainly France-based side, runners-up to Cameroon in this year’s African Nations Cup, are ready to roar again but down-to-earth coach Bruno Metsu has warned against expecting miracles. “I am not a better coach just because of the win against France,” he said. “It is a case of having faith and loving the game and results like the one against France will happen. “It is like a dream but it is not a miracle because the team worked very hard for it.” Lens striker El Hadji Diouf, the 2001 African Player of the Year, was a constant threat against France and his pace will test the Danish defence. Action man midfielder Stig Tofting, a likely candidate for a marking job on Diouf, is on the injury list but Denmark are hoping the Hamburg player, a cult figure in Danish football, will be fit for the clash. Midfielder Pape Bouba Diop, whose prodded goal against France gave him cult status back in Senegal, is influential and will be closely watched by the Danes. Denmark’s multi-million-euro striker Jon Dahl Tomasson scored both goals against Uruguay and looked sharp leading the attack. Tomasson has completed a move from UEFA Cup winners Feyenoord to Italian cracks AC Milan and with his future secured he is concentrating on producing the magic for Denmark. “I am playing with a lot of confidence after a good season with Feyenoord,” said Tomasson, who flopped with Newcastle in the English Premiership in 1997. To repeat his goalscoring feats against Senegal, Tomasson will have to unlock a Senegal defence which was magnificent against France. They are quick, solid in the tackle and read the game well. The duel between Tomasson and Senegal’s central defenders is sure to bear a huge bearing on the outcome of the clash of the underdogs turned heroes.
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Rain plays havoc at French Open Paris, June 5 Just 30 minutes play had been possible all day by 8.30 IST, raising fears that tomorrow’s women’s semifinals could be scheduled for Court Suzanne Lenglen, instead of the traditional Centre Court stage. Both 1999 champion Andre Agassi and twice-runner-up Alex Corretja have a match to finish on Centre Court, and poor weather is forecast for tomorrow too. Agassi’s quarterfinal against Juan Carlos Ferrero had lasted just seven games before the skies opened once again today. The fourth seed was trailing the Spaniard 5-2 on Centre Court when the pair were called off. That match had been due to be followed by Corretja and Romanian Andrei Pavel who were stopped yerterday evening because of bad light. Corretja was leading 7-6, 7-5, 4-5. Top seed and defending champion Jennifer Capriati faces Serena Williams and second seed Venus Williams meets Argentine Clarisa Fernandez in those semifinal matches. While refusing to call off play for the day today, organisers did announced that there would be no matches for the day on Suzanne Lenglen. Unseasonably cold weather and rain lashed the French capital. The start of action had been delayed for 90 minutes due to a violent storm and torrential rainfall. Fans huddled in corridors and under glistening awnings throughout the Roland Garros grounds in a bid to keep dry. Organisers must provide two hours of play to avoid a big pay-out and were hoping the rain would ease despite bleak forecasts. Organisers have already conceded that the third match on Centre Court between Sebastien Grosjean and Marat Safin will almost certainly not go ahead today. Finally faced with someone her own size, the physically overwhelming Serena Williams barely blinked, pounding Mary Pierce into submission 6-1, 6-1 to join elder sister Venus in the French Open semifinals yesterday. The brutality of the 49-minute mismatch made a mockery of local hopes that Pierce could repeat her triumph of 2000 and win the trophy for France. “Playing Mary here you have to play perfect because she can be so dangerous,” the 20-year-old American said, explaining her spectacular form. Neither Serena nor Venus, with two Wimbledon titles and three US Open crowns between them, had reached the last four at Roland Garros before, but are now firmly on track to contest Saturday’s final. First, though, Serena will have to beat defending champion Jennifer Capriati, who overcame stern opposition and a second-set scare to beat Yugoslav dynamo Jelena Dokic 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 in Tuesday’s dying daylight. The top seed will certainly be no pushover. “I think I am playing good tennis... I came up with some really great shots and hopefully I haven’t used them up for the next match,” Capriati said. “This is the kind of situation that really feeds my fire.” The Williams siblings battled out the first Grand Slam final between sisters since 1884 at the US Open last year, when Venus triumphed. From the moment the bell sounded to start her contest with Pierce, an uneasy feeling of a farcical mismatch swept the Suzanne Lenglen arena. It was like pitting a bodybuilder against a blood-thirsty boxer. Pierce may be as broad and slightly taller than Serena, but these days she lacks the American’s ruthless streak and court-craft. You have to be something special to wear golden shoes and avoid ending up with egg on your face. Serena knows that and, without a shadow of doubt, lived up to her golden shoes, golden trim and dyed golden tresses in a sparkling, breathtaking 49-minute performance. US Open champion in 1999, but so often second fiddle to double US and Wimbledon champion Venus, Serena dominated Pierce from the start. The shouts of “Allez Mary” from the crowd were unable to divert Serena from her path as each blow she delivered knocked great lumps off the Pierce armour. The 27-year-old was left defenceless and slightly embarrassed by the drubbing she was suffering as Serena allowed her just two games in booking a semifinal spot.
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Paes-Cibulec duo in semifinals New Delhi, Jun 5 Paes and Cibulec came from behind to take the match 3-6, 7-6, (8/6), 6-4 yesterday, according to information received here. The pair of Mahesh Bhupathi and Belarussian Max Mirnyi has already booked a berth in the semifinals with a 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 victory over Martin Damm and Cyril Suk of the Czech Republic. While Paes and Cibulec meet Mark Knowles and Daniel Nestor in the semifinals, Bhupathi and his partner will take on Paul Haarhuis and Yevgeny Kafelnikov. The results mean, the Davis Cup team-mates may be just one match away from another appearance in the men’s doubles final of the French Open, though with different partners this time around. Meanwhile, AFP quoted Paes as saying in Paris, “It will be interesting to see what happens if we get to the final.” “I was disappointed and surprised when Mahesh didn’t want to carry on because we had a commitment to play this year,” said Paes, referring to his second split with partner Bhupathi in three years. “Our results at the start of the year weren’t very good and I think the pressure was getting to us. But I’m not blaming Mahesh for pulling the plug.
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Tyson gearing up for showdown
Tunica (Mississippi), June 5 Former world champion Tyson worked out in front of reporters for about 15 minutes here yesterday, sending rapid-fire blows at a punching bag and practicing his dodge and attack techniques before departing without comment. He didn’t want to talk. He wants to stay focused, trainer Ronnie Shields said. “You guys irritate him. You all ask him some crazy questions. When it comes to Mike you come out with all the bullshit. That’s why he won’t come out and talk to you.” That left Shields and assistant trainer Stacy McKinley to throw down the final taunts to British champion Lewis for their meeting Saturday in nearby Memphis, Tennessee. “You tell Lennox Lewis all hell is coming,” McKinley said. “We’re not worried about Lennox Lewis. Lennox who? Who has he beat? Frans Botha. Michael Grant. I can beat them. “He gets out there and hesitates. He hesitates against Mike Tyson, he’s going to get knocked out. You all know he has got a lot of bitch in him. He’s a real bitch.” McKinley, who predicted a Tyson knockout within five rounds, also ripped Lewis for insisting upon contract terms for pre-fight scheduling that will keep the fighters separated until the bell rings. That precaution was made after a January news conference turned into a brawl during which Tyson bit Lewis on the left thigh, nearly wiping out any hope of the long-awaited fight. “When you are a coward, you put a lot of things in the contract. He’s a coward,” McKinley said. “A coward dies 1,000 deaths. He doesn’t want to see Mike. He’s a coward. It takes guts to get into the ring but it takes heart to stay there.” Tyson’s trainers said they did not know if the fighter is taking anti-depression medication as he had in the past. But they do know his skills and fitness are where they want them to be. “He punches hard. Speed is power,” Shields said. “He is doing everything. When I saw that I thought, ‘Wow.’” Tyson sparred briefly in private with Cisse Selif, a Lewis-sized stand-in. “I just try to make it hard for him. But he is ready to go,” Selif said. “His body is hard. His speed is there. He is focused.” Tyson looked fit and fast, but there was little to support or challenge his trainers’ claims that he is mentally fit as well. “Mike Tyson is in the best shape of his life,” McKinley said. “He is physically strong, mentally strong and technically sound.” Tyson does appear to be preparing to attack Lewis, some thing Shields said he must do to have a hope of overcoming Lewis’ longer reach and winning. “Lennox is a good fighter. He has to stay close to Lenox. He can’t win the fight on the outside,” Shields said. AFP |
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Cronje laid to rest Bloemfontein, June 5 “All our hearts are aching,” Pastor Dave Hooper told the mourners at a church at Grey College in Bloemfontein, Cronje’s alma mater. “The world has lost a great cricketing hero.” More than a thousand people filled the church. A large-screen television and rows of seats were set up outside to accommodate the overflowing crowd. The audience included Cronje’s family as well as several members of the nation’s cricket team, wearing their team jackets. Ali Bacher, the former head of South Africa’s United Cricket Board, who had strongly criticised Cronje, was there as well. Cronje 32 had been an international cricket star until a match-fixing scandal destroyed his reputation. The charismatic Cronje, who took over South Africa’s national team at 25 to become its youngest captain, led South Africa to possibly its greatest triumph, a five-run win over Australia in the Sydney Test of 1994. But South African fans felt betrayed by their hero six years later after Indian officials announced they had tape recordings of Cronje talking to a bookmaker during the team’s tour of the subcontinent. Several teammates later told a government commission that Cronje once conveyed to them an offer of up to $ 350,000 to lose a one-day game against India. Cronje denied that, but admitted receiving $ 100,000 from gamblers in exchange for match information and conveying other offers from gamblers to teammates. Cronje was punished with a lifetime ban from the sport. Cronje, a deeply religious person, dealt with the controversy by turning to his faith. He was killed on Saturday when the cargo plane he was travelling in crashed into a mountain range outside the city of George, about 500 km east of Cape Town.
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Malaysia beat India 3-2 Melbourne, June 5 Chairil Anwar Abd Aziz opened the scoring for Malaysia before India took the lead following goals by Jugraj Singh and Gagan Ajit Singh. Azran Misron levelled for Malaysia before Abd Aziz scored his second goal of the game with six minutes left to give his team the win. Yeo Woon-kon scored an early goal for South Korea but Australia came back with second-half goals by Troy Elder and Andrew Smith to lead the home side to victory. Australia lead the tournament with a 4-0 record. India are 2-2 and South Korea and Malaysia are 1-3. Tomorrow, Australia play Malaysia and India take on South Korea.
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Jeev qualifies for US
Open New Delhi, June 5 Jeev shot rounds of two-under 69 at the Century Country Club and at level-par 72 at the Brae Burn Country Club to aggregate two-under 141. Both the rounds were played on Tuesday. Jeev secured a tied fourth place along with five others. There were 22 spots up for grabs from Purchase. "I am so excited that I can’t wait for the Open to start", said Jeev. "I had always dreamt of playing in the US Open and it has finally been realised. The import of the sitution is yet to sink in", he said. Jeev said he had missed the cut in the last three European PGA Tour events despite playing solid golf. "I was getting too eager for results and made a conscious effort not to be bothered by my scores", said Jeev, who will become only the fourth non-Japanese Asian player to feature in the main draw of the US Open. Arjun Atwal and Harmeet Kahlon, the other Indians in the fray, missed out after tallying seven-over 148 and 11-over 152 respectively. Both Atwal and Kahlon were playing on the same course as Jeev. "This is a fantastic achievement by Jeev and he deserves all the accolades", said Mr Pawan Munjal, president of the Professional Golfers Association of India
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Ulsan (South Korea), June 5
Hundreds of relatives, fans and former teammates today packed a funeral service for former cricketer Hansie Cronje, who died in a plane crash on Saturday.
