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Monday,
June 24, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Semis
line-up shows shift in power
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FIFA
admits ‘major’ refereeing mistakes
Ronaldo
improving Expert comments — Gary
Linekar England
team dodges fans Beaten
but not disgraced
Sachin,
Nehra fashion win Windies
dismissed for paltry 107
Anand
trails Kramnik Contest
of another kind Haryana,
Punjab boxers shine
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Semis line-up shows shift in power Yokohama (Japan), June 23 It could happen again on June 30 in Yokohama, Japan — a signal that soccer’s center of gravity may be shifting away from the old continent and toward Asia, Africa — and even North America. With the quarterfinals completed yesterday, the World Cup semifinals look like this: South Korea vs Germany on Tuesday in the South Korean capital, Seoul, and Brazil vs Turkey on Wednesday in Saitama, Japan. A Brazil vs Germany final is not out of the question. But neither are the other three possibilities: Brazil vs. South Korea, Turkey vs Germany, or even Turkey vs South Korea. For the first time since 1978, there are only two European teams in the final four — three-time champions Germany and Turkey, hardly one of the usual European suspects. Turkey are appearing in only their second World Cup and their first since 1954. The other two semifinalists again represent the old and new. Four-time champions Brazil are the tournament favourites, a role they assumed when defending champions France were knocked out in the first round without scoring a goal. South Korea — the first Asian team to ever reach the semifinals — is the sentimental favourite. By reaching the semifinals, South Korea went one better than their northern neighbours, who made it to the last eight in 1966. In yesterday’s two quarterfinals, South Korea defeated Spain 5-3 on penalties after a 0-0 draw, and Turkey beat Senegal 1-0 on a golden goal in extra time. Tuesday’s Germany vs South Korea semifinal is a repeat of a group game in 1994 in the USA, which Germany won 3-2. The two starting goalkeepers — Germany’s Oliver Kahn and Korean Lee Woon-jae — were on the bench in the match. Lee came in as a substitute when Germany ran off to a 3-0 lead after only 20 minutes. Current German coach Rudi Voeller was still playing for Germany in that match and came on as a second-half substitute. Brazil and Turkey have only played twice — in a friendly in 1951, which Brazil won 1-0, and again in the first round of this World Cup, when the Brazilians won 2-1 on a goal from a controversial penalty three minutes from time. Earlier this year, Turkey tuned up against two South American teams in friendlies, beating Chile 2-0 and losing 0-1 to World Cup qualifiers Ecuador. Strangely enough, four-time champions Brazil and three-time titlists Germany have never met in the World Cup. That could happen if the Germans get by South Korea and Brazil escape Turkey. “Astonishing as it may seem, two of the World Cup’s most regular teams have never played each other,” said FIFA spokesman Keith Cooper. The shift in power away from Europe has been gradual but seems to be gaining speed. In the previous five World Cups going back to 1982, Europe claimed 16 of the 20 semifinal places. In 1982, they claimed all four semifinal spots. The semifinal line-up this time is the most diverse since the first World Cup was played in 1930 in Uruguay when one North American team USA, two South Americans (Argentina and Uruguay) and one European (Yugoslavia) reached the final four. Seventy-two years after the first tournament, three continents again will be represented in the semifinals. Nobody is happier to be the semifinals than Turkey and South Korea. For Turkey it means a chance to get even for the loss to Brazil in the first round, which the Turks blamed on poor officiating. “Right now, a final with Turkey vs. South Korea? Why not?” said Turkey coach Senol Gunes. “Teams with less World Cup experience and success have shown a great impact. “Brazil is one of the biggest teams in this tournament, but we didn’t deserve to lose the first game. It was a mistake by the referee,” Gunes said. “We also showed at other games our strength. We deserve to be in the semifinals right now.” South Korea’s Dutch coach Guus Hiddink knows he’s the underdogs against Germany. “The schedule is not in our favour,” Hiddink said, upset the team must play again on Tuesday with only two days rest. “We approach the next game against Germany like, once more, a bunch of young dogs. We have nothing to lose. We are going to play as we like to play.”
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Now Koreans plot German downfall Seoul, June 23 The Koreans had never even won a World Cup match before this tournament but they now stand one match away from the final in Yokohama next Sunday. The co-hosts are one of two rookies in the last four along with Turkey who face four-time winners Brazil on Wednesday in Saitama, Japan, after a remarkable performance in their first appearance in the tournament for 48 years. Three-time champions Germany will face a cauldron of nationalistic fervour when they play Korea in the 65,000-capacity Seoul World Cup Sangam Stadium on Tuesday. It will be the first time that the Koreans have brought their stunning run to the capital and millions are expected to turn the city and the rest of the nation red once again. South Koreans celebrated their team’s penalty shootout over Spain into the early hours today, their joy undimmed by Spanish claims that refereeing mistakes played a major part in the Asians’ victory. Korean striker Hwang Sun-Hong said he had no doubt that the scalp of a physical German team could be added to those of Portugal, Italy and Spain. “Now we can beat any team if we maintain this kind of spirit and momentum,” enthused Hwang. “The German defence has got to be attacked from the wings.” Coach Guus Hiddink, the Dutchman who has become a national hero for the way he has transformed the team’s fortunes, is more cautious. “The players are looking forward to playing in the capital. Germany will have a little bit of an advantage because they have had one day extra. My players are not fresh and I hope they will recover,” he said. “I hope we can match the German team for fitness. They are a smart team and a team that needs only one or two chances to bring them victory.” Germany’s outstanding goalkeeper Oliver Kahn paid tribute to Hiddink. “He has done a huge amount and got the team very well organised. You have to respect what he has done. To get the team to the semis is tremendous,” said Kahn. Happy Turks also thronged the streets of their nation to toast their golden goal win over another surprise package, Senegal, in Saturday’s other quarter-final. Turkey’s victory dashed Africa’s hopes of having a first representative in the last four, but Senegal’s French coach Bruno Metsu said his men would depart with heads held high. “Senegal’s performance here gives us a lot of hope for the future, for us and for Africa in general,” said Metsu. “I am very proud that a small country like Senegal can come to the World Cup and rock the hierarchy of football.” But if Senegal left with fond memories, the Spaniards were in no mood for pleasantries, Jose Camacho and several players claiming they were the latest victims of poor refereeing, having two “goals” chalked off against the Koreans before losing in a penalty shootout. “What happened here was robbery,” said Spanish player Ivan Helguera. “The goals were completely valid.” The Spanish ire followed similar angry broadsides from Portugal and Italy, who both lost earlier to the co-hosts adding fuel to a row over referees which has taken on major proportions.
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Germany
‘ready for refereeing errors’
Sogwipo, South Korea, June 23 “We may have one or two refereeing decisions against us,” said the Germany goalkeeper, who has been instrumental in the triple champions’ run to the last four. “That’s normal. It’s called home advantage. If it happens, we must not let it demoralise us. If we have a goal disallowed, we must concentrate on scoring another one.” Italy and Spain were incensed by the refereeing when they lost to South Korea in the second round and quarter-finals respectively. Spain had a goal that looked perfectly valid from a television replay disallowed by the referee when they were eliminated by the co-hosts on penalties yesterday. FIFA said today that referees had made “one or two major mistakes.” Kahn has been instrumental in Germany’s run to the last four with a string of crucial saves, notably in Friday’s 1-0 quarter-final victory over the USA. While the team were slammed by observers and media for their sluggish performance, the goalkeeper won unanimous praise. “I try not to take too much notice,” he said. “The media like to name an outstanding player but I think that’s not fair. I’m only a small part of the team. I saw how the guys in the team fought in front of me and it was remarkable.” One of few who had predicted that Germany could have a great World Cup, Kahn could not have missed German all-time great Franz Beckenbauer’s comments that their showing against the USA had been “very inadequate.” “There has been some criticism from the media and so-called experts but the people in Germany are celebrating,” Kahn said. “It’s for them that we play.” South Korea, who have displayed plenty of the fighting spirit that is Kahn’s trademark, naturally impressed the German goalkeeper. “They have an incredible collective strength and also several dangerous individuals,” he said. “They have knocked out Portugal, Italy and Spain, which says it all. “They will run until they drop and we have to be ready for a marathon. But we will win this match.” The co-hosts will be boosted by incredible crowd support but it takes more than that to intimidate Kahn.
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FIFA admits ‘major’ refereeing mistakes Yokohama (Japan), June 23 Spain and Italy were incensed by the refereeing of their games against co-hosts South Korea, who beat the Italians in the second round with a golden goal and the Spanish team in the quarterfinal after a penalty shootout yesterday. Sepp Blatter, President of world soccer’s governing body, has taken the unusual step of attacking the officials’ performances, infuriating referees at the sport’s most prestigious event. The FIFA dismissed out of hand allegations by Spanish and Italian fans that their games may have been fixed. But, quoting the words of Turkey’s Senes Erzik, the chairman of FIFA’s referees’ committee, FIFA spokesman Keith Cooper said today: “There have been one or two major mistakes which are cause for concern.” “The referees have been very well prepared. (But) Referees are only human and errors can never be entirely discounted. Emotions have bubbled over which is understandable.” “Conspiracy theories crop up in all walks of life and in 99 per cent of cases they are unfounded. This one is one of the 99 per cent.” Cooper said the FIFA had received a large number of e-mails from Spanish fans after the controversial quarterfinal with Korea, but not as many as the 400,000 irate messages they got from Italy following their second-round exit. Spain coach Jose Antonio Camacho was unhappy with Egyptian referee Gamal Ghandour who ruled out a goal from Fernando Morientes when his linesman flagged that the ball had gone out of play. Television replays showed the ball was clearly in play.
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Turkey unfazed by Brazil Yokohama (Japan), June 23 In its first-ever appearance in the last eight, Turkey knocked out Senegal with a golden goal yesterday. Tens of thousands of people spilled into the streets in Turkey, savouring the team’s stunning run in its first World Cup since 1954. “Brazil is a very good side, but we are improving,” Gunes said after the game. “We have a 50-50 chance against Brazil.” “God willing, we will lift the cup,” he added. The Turks were delighted to get a re-match with Brazil which will give them a chance to avenge their Group C opener which the South Americans won 2-1 with a hotly disputed penalty. The two teams will play Wednesday in Saitama, Japan. “The first game, we didn’t deserve to lose. It was a mistake by the referee. We don’t want that to happen again. We want to be in the finals,” Gunes said. The Turks believe they are performing as well as anyone in soccer’s showcase event. Gunes said yesterday that his team had given a “recital of football” against Senegal. Substitute Ilhan Mansiz, who scored the golden goal in extra time, has heightened Turkish hopes of a stronger frontline against Brazil. Gunes replaced Turkey’s all-time top scorer Hakan Sukur with Mansiz in the 67th minute, pairing him with veteran striker Arif Erdem. The Mansiz-Erdem duo worked out well. Sukur, who had started every World Cup match as the sole striker, had earlier missed several opportunities. He has yet to score at the World Cup. Asked about whether Mansiz could start against Brazil, Gunes would not reveal his tactics. “Ilhan, Arif and Hakan all have chances to start,” he said. Brazil also will have to reshuffle its attack. Ronaldinho, the star of the quarterfinal victory over England, is suspended, while Ronaldo is nursing a sore left thigh muscle that forced him out of the game against England. But Gunes said the Turks would be wary of whoever puts on a Brazilian jersey. “If there is no Ronaldinho or Ronaldo, there are others,” he said. “Brazil is a very strong side.”
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Ronaldo
improving Saitama, June 23 Runco had said Ronaldo was doubtful for Wednesday’s semifinal against Turkey after the striker was substituted in Friday’s 2-1 quarter-final win over England. But the doctor said on Sunday that the pain had subsided after Ronaldo underwent physiotherapy and took anti-inflammatory treatment over the last 48 hours. Ronaldo has scored five goals in five games and his performance at the World Cup has surpassed expectations following his two-and-a-half years of injury problems. Runco has said the problem is something which could affect any athlete and insists it is not connected to any of Ronaldo’s previous injuries. Luizao will replace Ronaldo if he cannot play against the Turks.
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One-match ban for Ronaldinho Yokohama (Japan), June 23 The Paris St Germain player was red-carded in the quarter-final match against England and was given an automatic one-match ban which rules him out of Wednesday’s semi-final against Turkey. But FIFA’s disciplinary committee could have extended the suspension to two games if they deemed the tackle on England’s Danny Mills to have been serious enough.
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Expert comments
— Gary Linekar I have always been a terrible viewer when England are involved and I gave up with 10 minutes left against Brazil because I just couldn't see where a chance was going to come from, let alone a goal. I hate to say it but I thought England blew it. They looked out of sorts, out of energy and for the first time, one or two players didn't seem to want the ball. In the final half-hour, with Brazil reduced to 10 men. I was screaming for us to send everyone forward and to sling a few crosses into the box. We saw America play with one at the back and move everyone else up front looking for an equaliser in their quarter-final against Germany and England should have done the same thing. But Emile Heskey was getting deeper and deeper when he should have been going further forward and I would have taken him off earlier to get on Teddy Sheringham, because we needed someone to at least hold on to the ball for a minute or two. England were chasing the ball the whole game in hot, challenging conditions and it is always more draining doing that than keeping possession. Brazil defended by passing it around midfield and we never pressed them enough to threaten. England's players will be kicking themselves all the way home because you're always aware in those situations that you might never get a better chance of winning a World Cup. You can't say that we would have gone on to win the trophy if we'd gone through, but the players would have fancied themselves against Germany or Korea in the final. I was gutted after Germany beat us on penalties in the 1990 semi-final but at least we played and could easily have won in normal time. But England looked uncomfortable from the start on Friday and I can't remember them creating a single chance, with Michael Owen's goal coming from a defensive error. Brazil's first goal came after a piece of brilliance from Ronaldinho and then a cracking finish from Rivaldo. And I believe the second goal, which everyone is calling a freak, was also a piece of brilliance. We had a big argument in the studio and everyone shouted me down but I spotted David Seaman creeping out as the kick was about to be played and I was thinking "this could be on here." Ronaldinho's reaction seemed to suggest he meant it, too, because he turned straight to the bench as if to say, what do you think of that, then? Seaman shouldn't be too hard on himself because he's had a great tournament and a great career. It is just a shame that his international career should end like that, and one has to think it is over with two more years before the next big tournament. We couldn't have let the goals in at a worse time - just before half-time and just after. At least Sven-Goran Eriksson had a chance to rally the lads after Rivaldo's goal but when the second one went in, anything he said in the half-time team talk went out of the window. It was difficult to know whether Owen was fully fit because he got so little service, despite showing once again that he only needs one opportunity to put the ball away. If we had held on to the lead until half-time, it could have been a different game, but you always fancy Brazil to get at least one so I didn't see Owen's goal as a potential match-winner. Whether or not Owen was fit, Beckham was certainly struggling for fitness. I don't think there is anything wrong with his foot now but he looked tired and struggling for proper match fitness. After such a long time out, you can get away with it for a game or two but then it catches up with you. When Brazil went down to 10 men, it was a golden opportunity for England to chase the game. But you have to get the ball to do that and when we did get it, we were playing too deep. It was frustrating but overall you have to concede England had a good tournament. Realistically, the expectations were not high going into the World Cup, but you get swept along with the emotions after a couple of good wins and start believing in the impossible. Once everyone is over the disappointment, I'm sure that Eriksson will see this as boding well for the future and especially the World Cup of 2006, which was his initial target when he took over. In a tournament he could not have expected to be in, he'll see this as good experience and groundwork for his real goal. Rio Ferdinand emerged as one of the world's best defenders, Nicky Butt had a terrific tournament and offered an alternative to Steven Gerrard, and by and large, the full-backs Danny Mills and Ashley Cole have done well. And Owen and Beckham confirmed their class. So there is a framework there, something to build on. The nation should be proud of them.
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England team dodges fans London, June 23 After a 12-hour flight, the team merely posed briefly for photographers on the steps of their Boeing 777 after it drew to a halt away from terminal buildings. Airport workers cheered and waved red-and-white St George's flags as the team, led by coach Sven-Goran Eriksson and captain David Beckham made their way to five waiting buses on the tarmac. Beckham grinned at the crowd and even goalkeeper David Seaman, whose second-half error sealed England's fate in the 2-1 defeat by Brazil on Friday, managed a smile. But fans waiting in the airport terminal to welcome home their heroes were disappointed and Sunday newspapers were scathing about the low-key return. “Our heroes are home — but where was the heroes' welcome?” asked the News of the World. “The Football Association was wrong to insist our boys skulked back into Heathrow on a night plane,” it said, adding that Prime Minister Tony Blair should hold a spectacular party with Eriksson's men as guests of honour. The Sunday People said: “The England team were a credit to themselves, their families and their country. They played their lion hearts out for us and today our grateful hearts are with them. Happy homecoming.”
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Beaten but not disgraced Gwangju, June 23 After raising expectations yet again, the hotly-tipped Iberians tumbled out in the quarterfinals, becoming the third European powerhouse to fall victim to the Korean machine in 2002. But this time it was hardly a disgrace. No team has managed to get past the Koreans with full points and many have sustained a stinging defeat in the attempt. If in doubt, ask Portugal and Italy, who suffered a 1-0 and 2-1 bashing respectively, that sent them home on early flights. But Spain were in no humour to praise the co-hosts and openly blamed their exit on questionable refereeing decisions. Spain went into yesterday’s game looking a lot more confident and in better physical shape than any of Korea’s previous opponents but came away puffing. “We’re going home without having been beaten by the better side,” said a bitter Spanish coach Jose Antonio Camacho afterward. In a drab match of 120 minutes, Spain had three goals disallowed while Korea only managed a handful of lukewarm chances. In the penalty shootout, the Spaniards flunked the fourth allowing the Koreans through. “We scored two perfectly legal goals and if Spain didn’t go through it’s because they didn’t want us to,” said midfielder Ivan Helguera, echoing the team’s sentiments over what they saw as bad refereeing by Egypt’s Gamal Ghandour in disallowing two goals in the 90 minutes of regulation time. Spain arrived in South Korea with their head modestly bowed, its reputation badly burned after entering so many recent tournaments as favourites only to fall flat on their face in the early stages. Prior to 2002, Spain’s furthest World Cup placing was fourth in 1950. A regular champion in junior categories on world and European levels, the senior side has only one bit of silverware, from the European Championship in 1964 when none of its current players were even born. Their record of poor tournament debacles has been all the more difficult to understand given Spain’s pedigree as one of the great soccer nations, boasting one of the toughest soccer leagues and many of the world’s most successful clubs. But this time there was a different air about the team.
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Sachin, Nehra fashion win London, June 23 The master batsman also showed that the Indian batting line-up - even without their captain Sourav Ganguly, recovering from a flu - has the capacity to be awesome, when he is in this sort of mood. After winning the toss, Sussex struggled against the brisk left-arm pace of Ashish Nehra (four for 27) and managed to put on 203 for eight at the end of 50 overs. But it was not all one-way traffic after that, as Sussex, pressing hard, made a fight of it, and India eventually squeezed home with seven balls to spare, thanks to Tendulkar. Tendulkar and Dinesh Mongia (56) put on a rapid 57 for the third wicket before the latter fell victim to a brilliant catch by Jamie Carpenter, who dived to his left at short extra-cover. But Mongia, who had also played a part in an opening stand of 60 with Virender Sehwag, before being dismissed completed a fine half century that contained eight boundaries. Showing no ill-effects from the head injury he suffered in the tour’s first nets, Sehwag replied with typical nerve and verve. He took 18 minutes to find the first boundary and then pulled Will House for the game’s first six. Indian innings suffered a mid-innings blip but that did not deter Tendulkar. He lofted Billy Taylor and Will House for sixes on his way to the match top score of 75 and against a background of flag-waving and whistles from Indian supporters in a 4,000 crowd. However, at one stage it looked as if Tendulkar might run out of partners as the tenacious Sussex whittled through the Indian batting order, and seamer Mark Davis conceded only 23 from his 10 overs. Scoreboard Sussex: Yardy b Nehra 5 Montgomerie c Sehwag
b Zaheer 44 Goodwin b Sehwag 49 Carpenter not out 43 Zuiderent b Nehra 13 House c Laxman b Nehra 3 Ambrose b Nehra 3 Innes run out 10 Davis b Agarkar 12 Taylor not out 3 Extras:
(lb-11, w-6, nb-1)18 Total: (for 8 wkts, 50 overs)203 FoW: 1-24, 2-75, 3-118, 4-141, 5-149, 6-155, 7-174, 8-199. Bowling:
Nehra 10-0-27-4, Khan 10-0-45-1, Agarkar 9-1-30-1, Kumble 10-0-43-0, Tendulkar 3-0-15-0, Sehwag 8-0-32-1. India: Mongia c Carpenter b House 56 Sehwag c and b Innes 26 Kaif c Ambrose b Yardy 2 Tendulkar not out 75 Dravid b House 6 Yuvraj c and b Davis 4 Laxman b Innes 18 Agarkar lbw b Innes 5 Zaheer not out 6 Extras:
(lb-2, w-5) 7 Total: (7 wkts, 48.5 overs) 205 Fall of wickets:
1-60, 2-69, 3-126, 4-144, 5-155, 6-185, 7-193. Bowling: Lewry 4-0-32-0, Taylor 10-2-33-0, Innes 10-2-35-3, Yardy 6-1-30-1, Davis 10-0-33-1, House 8.5-0-40-2.
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Windies dismissed
for paltry 107 Bridgetown, Barbados, June 23 Scoreboard New Zealand (1st innings): Richardson b Sanford 41 Vincent c Jacobs b Dillon 14 Fleming c Gayle b Hooper 130 Harris c Lara b Collins 0 Astle c Lara b Dillon 2 McMillan lbw b Sanford 6 Hart not out 57 Vettori c Hinds b Collins 39 Tuffey lbw b Powell 28 Bond b Powell 5 Ian Butler run out 3 Extras:
(lb-8, nb-4) 12 Total: (all out, 125.4 overs) 337 Fall of wickets:
1-38, 2-88, 3-89, 4-106, 5-117, 6-225, 7-278, 8-323, 9-333. Bowling:
M Dillon 28-6-73-2, P Collins 24-5-80-2, D Powell 21-6-41-2, A Sanford 28.4-7-101-2, C Hooper 13-5-21-1, C Gayle 10-3-12-0, R Sarwan 1-0-1-0. West Indies (1st innings): Gayle c Vettori b Bond 3 Hinds c McMillan b Tuffey 10 Sarwan c Butler b Bond 0 Lara b Vettori 28 Hooper c Tuffey b Butler 6 Chanderpaul not out 35 Jacobs c Astle b Vettori 4 Collins c Vincent b Butler 8 Sanford c Hart b Butler 1 Powell c Harris b Vettori 0 Dillon c Fleming b Vettori 0 Extras:
(lb-4, nb-8) 12 Total: (all out, 42.1 overs) 107 Fall of wickets:
1-6, 2-6, 3-31, 4-47, 5-62, 6-73, 7-90, 8-93, 9-103. Bowling:
S Bond 12-1-34-2, D Tuffey 7-3-16-1, I Butler 11-2-26-3, D Vettori 12.1-2-27-4. New Zealand (2nd innings): Richardson c Lara b Collins 0 Vincent batting 1 Tuffey batting 1 Extras: (lb-1, w-1) 2 Total:
(for one wicket, 7 overs) 4 Fall of wickets: 1-0. Bowling: P Collins 4-2-2-1, D Powell 3-2-1-0.
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Anand trails Kramnik Leon (Spain) June 23 Having lost the third game rather timidly, Anand tried hard to settle the scores in the fourth game but did not quite manage to break through the solid defences of Kramnik. Playing white, Anand yet again employed the Queen Pawn game but this time Kramnik opted for the Queen’s Gambit Declined that turned out to be a smart choice. Showing clearly his intentions of a fightback in the match, Anand castled on the queen side quite early to launch an offence against the king on the other wing. However, Kramnik’s king side found defenders in doubled pawns and Anand’s King’s position became vulnerable once Kramnik invaded with his queen.
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Contest
of another kind Patiala, June 23 Bhutan, who are ranked 202 by FIFA, will square off with tiny Caribbean island of Montserrat who are ranked 203, the lowest ranking given to any football playing nation. According to information available on the official FIFA website, the match will be played just two hours before the action starts in Yokohama on June 30. Although it is just a friendly, yet the match to be played in capital Thimpu is expected to be watched by more than 10,000 people. |
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Haryana, Punjab boxers shine Kanpur, June 23 Haryana won five of the seven bouts concluded in the morning session here leaving one each for Uttar Pradesh and Punjab while in the men’s finals Punjab returned victorious in three of the six morning session bouts. One boxer each from Delhi, Chandigarh and Haryana won in the final of their respective categories. In women’s section Sharmila Yadav of Haryana thrashed rival Jamila of Punjab with the referee having to stop the contest. In the light featherweight Purnima of Haryana won the event on points against Navita (Punjab). In light welterweight Kavita of Haryana defeated Suman Rawat of UP-A team on point and in light middleweight Renu of Haryana knocked down Anita of Punjab with the referee shopping the contest in the first round.
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