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Swedes swamp Bulgaria Keepers star as Denmark hold Italy
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Zidane’s brace sinks English Lisbon, June 14 Zinedine Zidane proved once again why he is regarded as the finest footballer on the planet by firing France to a last-gasp victory over England in the defending champions Euro 2004 opener here yesterday.  Zidane is pure magic:
French media
Vieira blasts England Germany, Netherlands renew rivalry
Michael Ballack feels the burden
Thai gamblers Selectors reverse stand on Rawalpindi Express MacGill’s chances brighten
Hyderabad club beat TFA to lift football title PBA announces cash prize
for cagers
Punjab swimmers for national meet
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Swedes swamp Bulgaria Lisbon, June 14
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Keepers star as Denmark hold Italy Guimaraes, June 14 Buffon kept out shots from Martin Joergensen and Dennis Rommedahl while Soerensen made reflex-action stops from Alessandro Del Piero and Francesco Totti in the space of two seconds. Playing in 33° C heat at the Dom Afonso Henriques stadium, Danes opted for pace and muscle to try and unsettle the usually rock solid Italian defence and provided some early scares. But the Italians went close when Totti took aim with a 30-metre free kick which was bending in late before goalkeeper Soerensen pushed the ball round the post. In the 17th minute Inter Milan's Thomas Helveg, making his 85th appearance for Denmark, was left free to cut inside and power a 25-metre shot that the unprotected Buffon had to punch upwards. Fielding four stars who play regularly in the Italian league, the Danes continued to stretch the Italian midfield and put pressure on the Italian defence. But they were grateful to two stunning saves by Soerensen just before half time. The Aston Villa keeper leapt to his right to push out Del Piero's shot and recovered to push Totti's follow-up effort away with his right hand as favoured Italy almost took the lead in the final minutes of the first half. At the other end, Italian 'keeper Buffon dived low to his right to keep out a shot from Martin Joergensen to make sure the teams went into half time 0-0. The Italians should have gone ahead in the 53rd minute when they finally put together a slick move. Totti slipped the ball out left to the overlapping Gianluca Zambrotta, who had just Soerensen to beat from a tight angle but rolled the ball across the face of the goal. Christian Vieri had done little to threaten the Danish goal but he jumped to meet an inswinging left wing cross from Del Piero in the 54th minute only for Soerensen to push his powerful header over the crossbar. Buffon rescued the Italians again with a wonder save after Claus Jensen opened up the Italian defence and handed Dennis Rommedahl a shooting chance from the edge of the area. The PSV Eindhoven forward fired a low, hard shot that appeared on its way into the net but Buffon dived low to his left to push the ball away. Buffon also fisted away a 30-metre strike by Daniel Jensen before Totti had a chance to win the game for Italy. Helveg fouled him 25 metres out but the Roma star drove the free kick high into the crowd instead of into the net. — AP
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Lisbon, June 14 A majestic free-kick and a penalty, both in stoppage time, secured a 2-1 win that puts Jacques Santini's side firmly in control of group B. England had got within three minutes of a memorable victory thanks to Frank Lampard's first-half header and a disciplined defensive display. But they were made to pay a heavy price for David Beckham's failure to convert a 72nd-minute penalty - superbly saved by Fabien Barthez - and some sloppiness right at the end. French coach Jacques Santini hailed his side's refusal to give up. "I never stop saying it but the group is ambitious and gets on really well. This was the perfect reply." His England counterpart Sven-Goran Eriksson was left cursing his luck but insisted England had demonstrated they were good enough to earn a replay with France. "I would say it was bad luck tonight. Hopefully we will meet France on the fourth of July (in the final) and I don't think we'll have bad luck twice," insisted the Swede, who now must rally the troops for potentially nervy encounters with Switzerland and Croatia. Zidane said most of the credit for France's win should go to Barthez. "Fabien made the difference because he allowed us to stay at 1-0 and gave us the belief we could score at any moment. "We had not had a good match and then came a little bit of a surprise goal at the end. It is matches like this that forge the spirit of a team, especially ones that end like that." Beckham was a distraught figure after the match but vowed that England would take heart from the way they performed right to the end. "I've held my hand up. We could have gone 2-0 up and the game would probably have been over but that's football. "We can take a lot from this game - we've outplayed one of the best teams in the world for 90 minutes." Zidane's first goal came just seconds after the fourth official had indicated there would be three minutes of added-on time. A clumsy tackle by substitute Emile Heskey saw England concede a free-kick 25 yards out and the Real Madrid maestro stepped up to send an unstoppable shot over the wall and into the top corner. Shell-shocked, England were to suffer an even crueller blow. With barely 20 seconds remaining an under hit back pass from Steven Gerrard allowed Thierry Henry, who had been virtually anonymous until then, to find a yard of space in the box and he was pulled down by David James. The England goalkeeper was spared a red card but there was no mercy from Zidane: the penalty was drilled low to the England goalkeeper's right and France were left sitting pretty at the top of Group B. England in contrast now know any slip-ups against Switzerland and Croatia - who drew 0-0 earlier on Sunday -could leave them facing the prospect of a first round exit from a tournament they entered with high hopes of winning. France may have left it late to find the killer touch, but over the 90 minutes it was a deserved victory, despite a courageous defensive display from England. France made their technical superiority tell in the opening exchanges. Patrick Vieira blasted William Gallas's neat lay-off high over the bar and an outside-of-the-boot effort from Zidane span fractionally wide of James's left upright before France created their first clear cut chance. Allowed time to measure his cross from the right, Vieira picked out David Trezeguet whose header flew narrowly over the bar. It was not until the 26th minute that Gerrard, cutting in from the left at exhilarating pace, that England won their first corner, courtesy of Gallas's well-timed intervention. A half-chance for Scholes quickly followed when Bixente LizarAzu miscued a clearance straight to him on the edge of the box. The Manchester United midfielder's shot was wildly off target but England had given their first real hint they could breach a French defence that had not conceded a goal in its 11 previous matches. —AFP
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Zidane is pure magic: French media
Paris, June 14 L'Equipe's front page was devoted to a picture of Zinedine Zidane converting the winning penalty in the dying seconds. ''Incredible,'' was the only word used by popular newspaper Le Parisien on its front page with a picture of Zidane taking the free kick that had levelled the score two minutes earlier. ''Zidane's genius sends France to paradise,'', was Le Parisien's main headline in their sports section. The general mood was triumphant but French media also expressed relief about yesterday's result. ''The magnificent English supporters were launching into the clear sky of Lisbon a God Save the Queen full of bliss and pride (...) Les Bleus were worn down, short of ideas and on their last legs,'' reported L'Equipe soccer correspondent Vincent Duluc. ''To turn round a game like that, one needs a kind of supernatural event or a truly supernatural player. So, yes, Zidane is pure magic.'' Goalkeeper Fabien Barthez, who denied England captain David Beckham with a second half penalty save, was the other hero of the game. But on the whole, French media were far from impressed by the title-holders' performance. 'Equipe gave striker David Trezeguet a mark of 4.5 out of 10. Striker Thierry Henry got 5.5 and midfielder Robert Pires 6. ''Les Bleus did not play well,'' wrote L'Equipe. ''Zidane and Barthez have worked miracles. Such Bleus will live for ever but miracles will not last for ever, maybe.'' —Reuters
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England agonise over stunning defeat
London, June 14 The Daily Mail showed Romeo, wearing a replica version of his father’s shirt, being comforted by mother Victoria after the 2-1 result in which the French scored twice in injury time and captain Beckham had a penalty saved.
Britain’s biggest-selling tabloid, The Sun, used just one word on their front page — ‘’Gutted’’ — with a picture of the England skipper covering his eyes. The Daily Mirror, with the same shot, ran a banner headline of ‘’Broken Lionhearts’’. Although news of the European elections took prominence in the broadsheets, each of the country’s national newspapers covered the match prominently on page one, most with the picture of Beckham whose second-half penalty miss was generally described as the turning point of the match. Despite the disappointment of two late Zinedine Zidane goals, most papers looked for positives and pointed out that, with Switzerland on Thursday and Croatia next Monday still to play in group games, England were not out yet. In its comment column The Sun said: ‘’We frightened the life out of the French, and there are two easier games to come. So don’t be down-hearted. Let the flags flutter just as proudly today.’’ The Daily Telegraph’s soccer correspondent Henry Winter felt England had been robbed. ‘’How cruel, how unfair, how brutal. Just when England thought their gutsy defending and Frank Lampard’s fine header had guaranteed a Jour de Gloire, Zinedine Zidane struck two astonishing late goals,’’ he wrote. But Matt Dickinson of The Times feared the shock of Zidane’s goals, from a free-kick and then a penalty following an error by Steven Gerrard, could have derailed their campaign. ‘’So cruel and brutal were the blows inflicted on them by Zinedine Zidane in those amazing last few minutes that...last night’s loss could send them into the depths of despair,’’ he wrote. BBC Radio Five pointed out that now England fans knew how Bayern Munich supporters felt after their team was similarly sucker-punched to defeat by two goals in the 1999 Champions League final by Manchester United. The Daily Mail praised several of the England players for their performances, especially youngsters Ledley King in defence and striker Wayne Rooney, but also exalted Zidane and compared his performance to Beckham. The Frenchman, it decided, had proved he was ‘’The Real Master’’.
— Reuters
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Vieira blasts England Lisbon:
Arsenal skipper Patrick Vieira has accused England of below-the-belt tactics in denying France for all but three minutes in the Euro 2004 stunner.
“But we stayed calm and showed the strength of character we needed to win.” Match statistics reveal England conceded 21 free-kicks to France’s 16. “We were gutted physically but didn’t feel anything because we were so excited,” Vieira added. His Arsenal team-mate Robert Pires said the French had always believed they could pull off a win. “It was getting late but we just couldn’t swallow the idea of losing. We never gave up,” said the French forward who was substituted by Arsenal team-mate Sylvain Wiltord 15 minutes from time.
— AFP
Hooligans held London/Lisbon:
Police across England said Monday they made a total of 83 arrests after football hooligans vented their anger at England’s loss to France in their first match in the Euro 2004 competition. In Portugal, however, fans were reported well-behaved. There were serious disturbances last evening in Croydon, south London, a number of towns in Hertfordshire, Wakefield in West Yorkshire and Boston in Lincolnshire. Up to 400 people were involved in disturbances in Croydon town centre, where 12 were arrested. Missiles, including bottles, were thrown at police as several police vehicles were damaged, a Scotland Yard spokesman said, describing the events as “serious public disorder’’ which lasted for an hour. There were no serious injuries. Twelve people were arrested in Birmingham after more than 200 people ran amok in the city centre. Police said they planned to step up security for England’s next Euro 2004 match against Switzerland on Thursday.
— DPA
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Germany, Netherlands renew rivalry
Oporto (Portugal), June 14 In 1974, a flamboyant Dutch side felt they had a divine right to win the World Cup with their ‘total football’ spearheaded by the spellbinding Johan Cruyff, but Germany did not agree and triumphed 2-1 in the final. That rivalry intensified further in 1988 when the Dutch side of Marco van Basten, Frank Rijkaard and Ruud Gullit, triumphed 2-1 over the Germans in the European Championships semi-final en route to winning the trophy. “This team is good but cannot be compared to the 1988 team,” Cruyff told German sports agency SID. “They have world class stars but whether they will function as a team is questionable.” Then in the 1990 World Cup in Italy, temperatures boiled over with Rudi Voller, now the German coach, and Rijkaard involved in a distasteful spitting incident that underlined the animosity between the two nations. Eventual champions Germany won the second round match 2-1 but the dismissal of Voller and Rijkaard overshadowed the encounter. “There is certainly a rivalry between these two sides,” explained Dutch coach Dick Advocaat. “But we just want to win and improve our chances.” Both teams have had mixed results in the run-up to the Portuguese finals with Germany losing to Hungary (2-0) and Romania (5-1) while the Netherlands tasted successive 1-0 defeats to Ireland and Belgium. A tight game is expected as both sides seem to struggle to come from a goal behind so scoring first is on the minds of both teams. “The team that scores the first goal will win the match,” Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy said. This sentiment was echoed by Germany’s Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann. “We have to keep the score at 0-0 and try to grab a goal,” he added. The Dutch are set to start with a 4-1-2-3 formation with Van Nistelrooy as a lone marksman supported by wingers Andy van der Meyde and Wesley Sneijder. Tough-tackling midfielder Edgar Davids will cover for the defence, which is marshalled by new AC Milan signing Jaap Stam. World Cup finalists Germany opt for a 4-5-1 formation with the emphasis on allowing Bayern Munich midfielder Michael Ballack to break from deep off target man Kevin Kuranyi. “We have to get Michael in as many goalscoring positions as possible,” explained Voller. Ballack has scored 19 goals in 41 appearances for his country — more than any of the strikers in the squad. Germany have looked a shadow of the side that won Euro 96 and the media fear a repeat of the Euro 2000 nightmare in Belgium and the Netherlands when Erich Ribbeck’s team scored just one goal and failed to win a single match. There are just five survivors in the German squad from four years ago and they did after all reach the 2002 World Cup final after entering the tournament against a backdrop of similarly negative forecasts. The Dutch are looking to go one better than Euro 2000 when they were eliminated on penalties by Italy in the semifinal. — AFP
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Michael Ballack feels the burden
Almancil (Portugal), June 14 ‘’The team should not rely on one single player, thinking he will do it. That would be very dangerous,’’ Ballack said before Germany’s opening group D match against the Dutch on Tuesday. The 27-year-old midfielder’s playmaking skills and record of scoring important goals are vital to the team. He missed the 2002 World Cup final through suspension after sacrificing himself with a tactical foul in the semifinal. Ballack was cautious about Germany’s chances in Portugal. ‘’Personally I want to play well and I want the team to be successful but I’m not setting precise goals that we should achieve,’’ said Ballack. Ballack has been criticised this season for under-achieving for his club Bayern Munich, who failed to win a single title. The player said he had felt let down by the club’s bosses, who did not give him the freedom he needs by refusing to build the team around him. Barcelona have expressed an interest, though new Bayern coach Felix Magath has said he wants Ballack to stay. ‘’There’s a lot of speculation going on but I’m not getting into it,’’ Ballack said. ‘’I want to fully concentrate on the European Championship.’’ Ballack has been under fire lately not only for his performances at Bayern but also for his international displays. After scoring four goals in a 7-0 demolition of modest Malta, he looked indifferent in a 2-0 win over Switzerland and the embarrassing 0-2 defeat by Hungary. ‘’Sometimes you play great, other times you don’t,’’ he said. ‘’That’s only normal.’’ He sounded confident, however, that the better Ballack would turn up to shine in Portugal. ‘’I have demonstrated many times how important I can be to my team, and that goes for Germany and for Bayern,’’ he said. — Reuters
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Thai gamblers Bangkok: A clampdown by Thai authorities on illegal betting on Euro 2004 Cup soccer games has sent scores of people to neighbouring Cambodia where gambling is legal, a newspaper reported today.
Five of eight casinos in Poipet are offering bets on soccer, in addition to the normal games of chance. Besides, many enterprising bookies have set up makeshift betting stations on the street. Police spokesman Maj Gen Pongsapat Pongcharoen said 5,619 Thais went to Cambodia through the checkpoint near Poipet before the tournament’s opening match between Portugal and Greece Saturday _ an increase of about 1,000 people compared to other Saturdays, the daily said.
— AP
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Yuvraj prepares for role as opener
Bangalore, June 14 "It's going to be a change in the batting order, and I have to go up the order. I am going to prepare for it, I will practise with the new ball. It's a different challenge," he told reporters on the sidelines of the camp for Asia Cup probables here today. "I think it's an advantage because if one sees through the new ball, one can also score big runs. So, I am looking forward to the challenge," said the left hander who has played four Tests so far. Strongly backing him for the opener's role, Ganguly had said that Yuvraj was a class act, had the ability and mindset to open and should not be kept out of the team. Asked if he would be changing his batting style for his new role, he said, "It's not going to be much of a change about style. It's just to see off the new ball and (then) play your shots. I think it's the change of mindset (that's needed)." Yuvraj also said he would try to follow in the footsteps of Virender Sehwag, who was also promoted from the middle-order to the opener's spot. "He (Virender Sehwag) has set a very good example. He has done tremendously in the opener's slot. So, if I can do the same and be as successful as Sehwag, it would be good for the team," he said. Asked if he will return to the middle order if he did not succeed in the new role, he said: "When you play cricket at international level, you don't think about ifs and don'ts. Whatever the situation, you have to go through it, and be positive about it." Yuvraj paid credit to senior players for the success of youngsters like him, Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Ashish Nehra and Zaheer Khan, and said they took away the pressure from them. "They make us feel very good, and they don't put much of pressure on us. We gel together very nicely," he said. Yuvraj said he was not sure which of the series at home -- against Australia or South Africa -- would be tougher, as now his focus was only on the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka next month. —PTI
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Selectors reverse stand on Rawalpindi Express
Islamabad, June 14 While the list of probables was yet to be officially announced, newspaper reports quoting sources in the selection committee said Shoaib has been included subject to passing the fitness test. Local daily The News said the selection committee, headed by former cricketer Wasim Bari, had forwarded the probables list to the PCB, which was expected to release the same shortly. Shoaib's inclusion comes after the player protested the earlier decision by the Board to omit him on the ground that the English club side Durham, for whom he has been playing in the County championship this year, had said he was still nursing rib injury and should be used sparingly. It appears that the outburst by the paceman forced the Board to reconsider its decision. "His selection has been made on the presumption that he had very successful bowling stints for Durham but he has to prove his fitness to be selected in the squad," one of the selectors was quoted by the newspaper as saying. Among the notable names that have been omitted from the list are off spinner Saqlain Mushtaq and batsman Taufiq Umar. Saqlain was omitted as Pakistan already has two spinners -- leg spinner Danish Kaneria and part time spinner, Shoaib Mallik. Meanwhile, the PCB was still undecided on whether to hold the training camp in Karachi or Lahore for the Asia Cup's preparations. The PCB had picked Karachi for the camp as weather conditions there are similar to Sri Lanka. But the deteriorating law and order situation there refrained the PCB from taking a final decision. Lahore could be the second option, but the hot weather there is not suitable for any strenuous training. Earlier, the PCB had decided to hold the camp from June 20. The new date and venue for the camp is likely to be announced soon. The PCB has also advertised for the post of physiotherapist and trainer along with the post of internal auditor, media manager, marketing manager security and anti-corruption. —PTI
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MacGill’s chances brighten “I still think I’m one of only two match-winning spin bowlers in Australia and I’m proud of my place within Australian cricket,’’ a confident MacGill told the Sydney Morning Herald from England, where he remains on county assignment with Nottinghamshire. “I think I’ve done a lot of hard work to get where I am. I’ve earned my position,’’ said the right-arm spinner, overshadowed by someone as illustrious as Warne. — UNI |
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Hyderabad club beat TFA to lift football title Mandi, June 14 Today’s victory was a fitting climax to some consistently good performances by the team during the entire tournament. They were favourites as Jamshedpur team failed to raise their level of display and other known teams had already been knocked out before the summit clash. It was for the first time in three decades that no team from the north could qualify for the final. From the early stages of the match, Hyderabad team played an aggressive game but as the luck would have it the goal eluded them several times midway through the second half. Majid of Hyderabad team was guilty of frittering away possible scoring opportunities as he missed two headers from close quarters. Majid continued his attacking game despite failures and often split the rival defence. Abid moved to the right flank and crossed, but Zaki Raza’s header sailed over. Two free kicks threatened the TFA goal while a long ranger by Vimal was tipped over by Kauser. On the other end, an injured Hyderabad goalkeeper Umar was replaced by Adib. Shortly before the interval, Majid dribbled through the defence, but his shot rebounded off the advancing TFA goalkeeper. But the teams played equally well and kept the crowd spellbound. At half time, none of the team had scored a goal. Dominating the exchanges and having move possession of the ball the Hyderabad lads renewed their offensive role soon after the breather. Majid again attempted a header which was saved by Kauser. Majid made yet another futile attempt when he headed wide. The success came in the 22nd minute of the second half when his one shot from outside the area struck the target giving the TFA goalkeeper Kauser Ahmed no chance. There were a couple of hard and harsh tackles which led to fouls being committed quite often. Prakash, who played well for the winners in defence, was shown a yellow card. The Academy team from Jamshedpur had also participated for the first time in this tournament and were, in fact, a bit lucky to reach the final despite being unimpressive throughout. Irrigation and Public Health Minister Thakur Kaul Singh declared the tournament closed and gave away the trophy to the winners. Excise and Taxation Minister Rangila Ram Rao was also present. Both the ministers gave grant of Rs 25000 each to the tournament committee. |
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PBA announces cash prize
for cagers Ludhiana, June 14 According to a press note issued here today by the President, PBA, the boys’ team which has made sort of history by winning the title for the fifth consecutive year will be given a cah prize of Rs 75,000. The boys teams which had as many as seven hoopsters from the local Baba Lodhiana Academy being sponsored by an NRI, Mr Harijinder Singh from the UK, faced a little
resistance in the pool matches and the knock-out phase to emerge champions. The girls team, with two cagers from the local academy in their ranks, gave good account of themselves to finish runners-up. It was after a gap of six years that the Punjab eves team had entered the finals.
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Punjab swimmers for national meet Ludhiana, June 14 Boys (group-III) 11 to 12 years: Kamaljit Singh and Navdeep Singh from Patiala; Amrinder Singh, Jeetinder Singh and Karandeep Singh from Sangrur; Jashandeep Singh from Ropar and Kapil Dev from Hoshiarpur. Boys (group-IV) 9 to 10 years: Aman Ghai from Jalandhar; Harroop Singh from Sangrur; Adhiraj Sharma from Ludhiana and Abhinav Dudeja from Amritsar. Girls (group-III) 11 to 12 years: Mankiran Kaur and Arpanjeet Kaur from Sangrur. Girls (group-IV) 9 to 10 years:
Gargi from Amritsar; Junior diving- Smile from Ludhiana. |
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Football meet Ludhiana, June 14 |
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Sydney, June 14