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Battling Greeks earn draw with Spain
Portugal still alive, Russia out Nistelrooy spoils
Kahn’s day
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France to go all
out against Croatia
Sleep? Who needs
it, say football-mad Asians Anand leads Rest
to victory Miandad axed;
Woolmer steps in Kannan bows out,
Sunil moves up
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Battling Greeks earn draw with Spain Porto, June 16 A 66th-minute goal from Angelos Haristeas cancelled out a strike by Spain forward Fernando Morientes to leave the Greeks, who pulled off a shock 2-1 win over hosts Portugal in the tournament's opening match, top of the standings. Greece and Spain both have four points from their opening two games and retain serious hopes of reaching the quarterfinals. "We made our only error in the second half and it cost us a draw," Spain coach Inaki Saez said. "We attacked well but we just weren't able to finish off some promising moves. We had the game within our grasp." Midfielder David Albelda said: "We have one loss of concentration and against a tough team like Greece you can't afford to make those sort of mistakes. "Whatever happens now it's down to the Portugal game but then again that's what we came here for." Spain settled first and deservedly led at the break after Morientes's classy strike. His former Real Madrid team-mate Raul set up the goal after intercepting a loose ball from Michalis Kapsis on the edge of the penalty area. Raul, darting everywhere and causing the Greek defence problems throughout, back-heeled the ball to Morientes, who cleverly made space, gliding past two defenders before powering a drive past Greek keeper Antonis Nikopolidis. Greece's goal came out of nothing when a long raking pass from the right by midfielder Vassilis Tsartas found striker Haristeas, who controlled the ball well and fired past goalkeeper Iker Casillas for the equaliser. The match ebbed and flowed between both penalty areas in an exciting second half. Raul had a great chance to put Spain 2-0 ahead but sent his free header went high over the bar. In the main, though, Spain just about controlled the game and with Carles Puyol outstanding at the back and David Albelda anchoring the midfield, Greece were largely restricted to speculative long-range efforts. Typical was a 30-metre drive from Greek skipper Theodoros Zagorakis which just flew past the post. Spanish winger Joaquin was excellent for Spain when he replaced Joseba Etxeberria at half time but his team-mates failed to capitalise on a stream of dangerous crosses.
— Reuters |
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Portugal still alive, Russia out Lisbon, June 16 Portugal, playing with the fizz and freedom that was so markedly absent from their nervy opening defeat by Greece, won courtesy of a goal from midfielder Maniche after seven minutes and a late effort by substitute Rui Costa. A poor Russian team had their goalkeeper sent off for the second successive match, though the red card for Sergei Ovchinnikov at the end of the first half for handball just outside the penalty area seemed harsh. Russia's qualification hopes disappeared on the back of their ninth successive winless European Championship game — an unwelcome tournament record reaching back to the 1988 final. But while the Portugal fans went off into the Lisbon night full of cheer, the head-to-head qualification system means they will have to beat Spain in their final game in the same city on June 20 to reach the last eight. After Greece came back to draw 1-1 with Spain earlier on Wednesday both those teams have four points. Portugal have three and if they draw with Spain, Greece will go through thanks to their opening day 2-1 win -- even if they lose their last game against Russia. Wednesday's early result meant that effectively Portugal were playing knockout football from the kickoff against Russia. Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari had reacted to their poor display against Greece by bringing in three new faces and one of them, Brazilian-born Deco, had an immediate impact. Brought in to replace stalwart Rui Costa in midfield, he slipped a lovely pass into the feet of Maniche and the Sporting Lisbon midfielder swivelled to shoot low past Ovchinnikov. The relief felt by the crowd and players was almost palpable after the suffering in Porto last Saturday and the home side took control from then on. Deco sent a volley over the bar, Pauleta was inches away from connecting with a Henrik Larsson-style diving header and defender Ricardo Carvalho sent a header over the bar. Though they dropped off the pace later in the half, the result was effectively decided in the 45th minute when Ovchinnikov raced from his line to face Pauleta as the forward chased an errant back pass. The keeper got a fair touch with his feet but, seemingly inadvertently, touched the loose ball with his arm and was shown an immediate red card by Norwegian referee Terje Hauge. However, Portugal still found themselves forced to defend. Goalkeeper Ricardo was happy to punch out a stinging shot by Andrei Karyaka 10 minutes after the restart and only a brilliant tackle by Carvalho denied Alexander Kerzhakov a clear path to goal. The scares seemed to spark Portugal into life and Luis Figo thought he had scored when he finished of a superb passing move with a firm low shot only for substitute keeper Viacheslav Malafeyev to brilliantly touch it on to a post. But Rui Costa finally made sure of the victory when he knocked the ball home after a cross from fellow substitute Cristiano Ronaldo in the 89th minute.
— Reuters |
Porto, June 16 With time running out it looked like Torsten Frings’ strike on 30 minutes would be enough to clinch a win for Germany over their arch rivals yesterday, but van Nistelrooy had the last say as he hooked in Andy van der Meyde’s cross to volley the ball into the German goal. It spoilt the day of German captain and goalkeeper Oliver Kahn who had wanted to celebrate his 35th birthday with a win. Van Nistelrooy said: “We deserved that goal. You aren’t going to create many chances against the Germans, but we kept fighting and saved the point. “We finished the game on a high and got the most out of the game because defeat would have been disastrous.” German coach Rudi Voller yesterday said his side had lost their attacking edge in the second half. “We put in a very good performance in the first half and deserved to lead 1-0 at half-time but we were too defensive in the second half. The draw leaves the group wide open although the Czech Republic are in the box-seat having defeated tournament debutants Latvia 2-1 earlier. With two minutes gone a straight ball through the middle almost found van Nistelrooy but the striker could not control and the chance went begging. Giant defender Jaap Stam, bound for AC Milan, was detailed to mark Germany’s lone striker Kevin Kuranyi but lost track of the VfB Stuttgart man in the 22nd minute when he fired a fierce shot forcing Edwin van der Sar to tip over. In the 29 minute the red torch paper was lit with Dutch midfielder Phillip Cocu clattering into Philipp Lahm by the byline. German coach Rudi Voller leaped from the dugout to voice his frustration at the tackle on 20-year-old Lahm. Less than 30 seconds later Voller was jumping out of his seat with joy as Germany scored a bizarre goal. From the resulting free-kick Borussia Dortmund midfielder Torsten Frings curled an inswinging cross into the area and the static Dutch defenders failed to clear as the ball bounced into the net. Van Nistelrooy had claimed the team that had scored the first goal would win — but he was wrong. After a promising start the Dutch looked off the pace and manager Dick Advocaat responded by warming up a host of substitutes. It seemed to act as a wake-up call to the 1988 champions who almost levelled on 41 minutes with Ajax star Rafael van der Vaart, 21, drilled a left-footed shot narrowly wide of Oliver Kahn’s left hand post. Advocaat dragged off Edgar Davids and Boudewijn Zenden in the half-time interval with Ajax ace Wesley Sneijder and Marc Overmars taking their place. “We had to take risks to get back into the game,” explained Advocaat. “We could not supply our forwards as the Germans were so well organised.” Overmars tested Arne Friedrich with his blistering pace on several occasions but, like many of his countryman, his final ball was poor. In stark contrast Bernd Schneider’s delivery was pinpoint and on 52 minutes his centre almost found the onrushing Michael Ballack. Bastian Schweinsteiger came on to provide an impressive performance on the right, the 19-year-old probing at the Dutch goal and threatening on a number of occasions.
— AFP  |
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A solid start, says Voeller Almancil, Portugal, June 16 The frustration of conceding a late goal in a 1-1 draw against the Netherlands in their opening Group D game yesterday was small compared with the relief at producing a convincing performance. ''We are Germany, we are the World Cup runners-up and it showed,'' Germany coach Rudi Voeller said proudly after his team's encouraging start to the tournament. Worrying displays in the build-up to the finals had raised fears among their fans that Germany might make another embarrassing exit after failing to survive the group phase at Euro 2000. Whether they advance from a group also featuring the Czech Republic and Latvia remains to be seen but Tuesday's combative display strongly suggested they could. ''Few people trusted us before the game and we didn't really know ourselves where we stood,'' said Michael Ballack, referring to the damage done by a 5-1 thrashing by Romania and a 2-0 defeat by Hungary's second string before the team headed for Portugal. ''That was a solid start and it's good for our confidence,'' added the inspirational midfielder, who was named man of the match. Stepping up a gear when it matters is nothing new for Germany, who emerged from a lean spell with their surprise run to the 2002 World Cup final. However, the three-time world champions had struggled against top teams in recent years and were anxiously awaiting the test against a Dutch side blessed with talent to find out whether they had the right to be ambitious. The mood back home was rather gloomy and there were many pessimistic headlines but the Germany players had looked surprisingly relaxed and upbeat in the days before the clash with their old rivals. On the day, Germany played their best match in a long time, with plenty of discipline in defence and clever moves in midfield. There was one costly defensive mistake, that led to Ruud van Nistelrooy's equaliser, but overall Voeller had very little to complain about. It could also be argued that lone striker Kevin Kuranyi struggled to make an impression and that Voeller has a problem in that area but he has other options, with promising teenager Lukas Podolski impatient to prove his worth. With plenty of experience and also young talent in their squad, the three-time world and European champions could live up to their pedigree once again. ''If everybody keeps giving it his very best, we should not be afraid of anybody,'' said goalkeeper and captain Oliver Kahn, who celebrated his 35th birthday on Tuesday with a solid performance.
— Reuters |
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France to go all out against Croatia
Santo Tirso, June 16 Zinedine Zidane’s injury-time double against England got the champions off to a dramatic winning start on Sunday and another three points against Croatia would put Santini’s team through to the quarter-finals from Group B. “With a success tomorrow, we will be through,’’ he said. “It’s what the figures say. As Croatia and Switzerland drew in their first match, only one of them can make seven points at best. With six, we are qualified.’’ Santini believes if France are to retain their title he will have to rest players like Zidane and Robert Pires for at least one match and the energy-sapping win over England adds weight to that argument. He is unlikely to make any changes to his starting team for the Croatia match, with midfielder Claude Makelele expected to shake off a minor shoulder injury. Croatia looked ordinary against Switzerland, drawing 0-0, but Santini is expecting them to provide a formidable barrier to his French playmakers. “I don’t know if (Croatia coach Otto) Baric is going to opt for a strategy similar to the one he used against the Swiss,’’ said Santini. “But if so, we will have to find solutions to break the lock just like we did against England.’’ Croatia have made it clear they would be delighted with a point against the French, and Baric is already casting his mind ahead to the potentially decisive match against England. With several of his players on yellow cards, Baric could also change his team to avoid suspensions. Striker Dado Prso may be the one to miss out as Baric will want him up front against England. Experienced Juventus utility man Igor Tudor, suspended for the opening game, is available again and is likely to be recalled, possibly in a deep-lying anchorman role. “For sure he is going to save one or two but many of our key players have been cautioned so it is not easy to decide,’’ assistant coach Drazen Ladic said of Baric’s plans. “We have to play against France as England did — quickly,’’ Ladic added.
— Reuters |
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We’re going to hit Swiss hard, says Beckham
Lisbon, June 16 England's 2-1 injury-time loss to the European champions on Sunday has left them in desperate need of three points as they try to qualify from Group B. ''From the word go, we're going to try and hit them as hard as we can,'' Beckham told a news conference yesterday. ''Obviously, there will still be frustration from the other night for our team and with them drawing (0-0 with Croatia), they'll be looking to come forward. ''We are definitely looking forward to playing this game...and to attacking them as soon as the whistle goes.'' Beckham said England would treat the Swiss as if they were European champions in Coimbra, aware that defeat would make it very difficult for them to progress in the tournament. ''We're going into this game thinking we're playing the French again,'' said the midfielder. ''We're not taking lightly any team we come up against. We know every game in our group now is a tough one and we have to win. ''If we don't perform and don't get the result we need we're out of the competition.'' England enjoyed huge support in Sunday's game at the Estadio da Luz and Beckham knows that millions back home are counting on his side to show their fighting spirit. ''That's what's good about being English, because the English mentality is to come back straight away and want to prove people wrong,'' he said. ''If you can do that you're loved in the country. It's what people like to see -- teams bouncing back from things and that's what we're aiming to do on Thursday.'' Beckham accepted his role as captain was to rally the troops after Sunday's heartbreak and he insisted that team morale was back to normal. ''As a captain it's my job now to walk around the hotel with a big smile on my face and not worry about what's happened in the last game,'' he said. ''Players need to feel lifted...and I can assure that all the players now are in good moods.''
— Reuters |
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Sleep? Who needs it, say football-mad Asians
Bangkok, June 16 Matches beamed live from Portugal may not start before midnight in most parts of Asia, and some end just before dawn. But that has not dimmed ardour for the ‘beautiful game’ in a region where European stars are as big — if not bigger — than on their home turf. While this has mostly translated into bleary eyes at the office and a thirst for coffee, in Malaysia the tournament sparked a marital tiff after a salesman’s wife caught him watching Sunday night’s England-France clash against her orders. Awoken by her husband’s cry of anguish at French skipper Zinedine Zidane’s injury-time winner, the wife confiscated the TV remote control and satellite smart card and imposed a soccer ban. ‘’She refused to allow me to watch the game although I promised not to oversleep or shun my responsibility of sending the children to school,’’ the 46-year-old told the Star newspaper. ‘’My wife just doesn’t understand my passion for football.’’ Wives are not the only worried ones. Bosses in Singapore are alarmed at the prospect of fatigued fans after the obsessively efficient city state allowed more bars to stay open round the clock and screen matches broadcast between midnight and 5 a.m. Some companies have even sent reminders to staff doctors to watch out for patients feigning sickness to skip work during the tournament, according to state broadcaster Channel News Asia. Fans, though, don’t seem to care — football comes first. ‘’If I have to sleep late, very late, I don’t mind. I’ll sleep very late. Even if I’m working the next day, I’ll still catch the matches,’’ said one Singaporean. ‘’It’s only for a month.’’ Soccer truancy has even taken hold in straight-laced Vietnam, where the official Vietnam News daily said more than half the male staff at a number of offices in the capital, Hanoi, came in late to work on Monday. In a bid to beat the blues, state television has resorted to rebroadcasting the worst-offending matches, which start at 1.45 in the morning, at 6 a.m. so fans can catch the action before going to work on time. Thailand, which is meant to be buying a chunk of English Premiership club Liverpool, has gone into party mode, displaying almost as much fervour as those who have the advantage of actually being in Portugal — and actually being European. Huge TV screens have popped up in squares in Bangkok, where it is now difficult to enter a supermarket or massage parlour without being accosted by staff done up in football bras and skirts, or the strip of the various Euro 2004 teams. This is not enough for many betting-mad Thais, who are reported to be flooding to neighbouring Cambodia, where gambling is legal, to have a flutter on their favourite sides in casinos just yards over the border. Fans in China might be criticised for forgetting that soccer is still just a game. ‘Staying up late to see the games you want is an expression of manhood,’’ said Su Bahong, a manager for car giant Volkswagen in Beijing. “I keep the lights on all night and keep myself busy with stuff like food and coca-cola and the occasional cigarette.’’ Even isolated Myanmar, the former British colony which has been ruled by a military dictatorship for the last four decades, has caught the Euro 2004 bug, with TV satellite dishes flying off the shelves faster than a Beckham free kick. “We normally install four or five satellite dishes per week. But a few weeks before Euro 2004 started, sales went up to 10 to 15 a week,’’ said Khin Maung, owner of a satellite TV installation centre in the capital Yangon. Despite the diplomatically isolated junta’s war of words with its ex-colonial master, most soccer fans in the former Burma seem to retain a soft spot for England on the pitch.
— Reuters |
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Anand leads Rest to victory
Moscow, June 16 Despite a defeat in the sixth and final round, Rest of World held on to their lead, winning the match with a narrow 18.5-17.5 score at the Hyatt Ararat here yesterday. The Rest of the World began the last round with a cushion of two point lead at 16-14, while Armenia looked for two extra wins, without defeats. Playing the World No. 1 Garry Kasparov with white pieces, Anand snatched the precious half point with a comfortable draw. The Sicilian Pelican game between Anand and Kasparov, saw neither player willing to take the risk. A little out of the theoretical waters, Anand captured the center "d" pawn and offered a draw which Kasparov accepted. Just into the middle game, Anand held more than one even position on the queenside, but Kasparov's double bishop ensured splitting of the point. Anand completed the event with two wins, a lone defeat to Leko and three draws. In the
Vaganian-Adams game, the veteran Armenian brought in all his experience in the Queens Indian game to down the English Grandmaster. Giving it all, Vaganian went all out for the kingside attack, marshalling his pieces in quick time. Adams decision to hold on to the bishop against knight backfired as the white knight occupied vital squares, making inroads into black's territory. Holding a vice-like grip in the position, Vaganian found an nice intermezzo forcing Adam's resignation by 38 moves. Short draws occured in Valleo Pons-Leko and
Akopian-Svidler, where peace was signed in 18 and 16 moves, respectively. Dutchman Loek van Wely opened with white pieces against Armenian Grandmaste Lputian and the game moved in the Queens Gambit Tartakover variation. The players focussed on the queenside and van Wely was just pleased to sign a draw, as Lputian forced the
repetition of moves, by repeatedly attacking the white queen. With the lead narrowing down, it all boiled down to the it all boiled down to the Gelfand-Bacrot game. A student of former world champion Tigran
Petrosian, in whose memory this event is held, Gelfand held a minor advantage in the Slav game after the opening phase.
— PTI |
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Miandad axed; Woolmer steps in Lahore, June 16 Soon after its advisory council meeting at Karachi today, the Pakistan Cricket Board
announced its decision to replace Miandad with Woolmer. ''Miandad wanted to be relieved of the post and we honoured his wish. The good news is that Woolmer has agreed to replace him,'' PCB Chairman Shaharyar Khan said today. Earlier, PCB sources had revealed that the board was willing to replace Miandad with a new coach adept at handling modern coaching techniques and methods. The board was not happy with Miandad's demand for more power and a say in the selection process.
— UNI |
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Kannan bows out, Sunil moves up New Delhi, June 16 Vijay Kannan, who was trailing 6-7, 0-1 against Aqeel Khan of Pakistan, pulled out apparently due to fatigue and other discomfort brought about by the extreme humid and heat. But Sunil Kumar, playing a morning match, made short work of qualifier Rahil Syed 6-2, 6-2 to enter the quarterfinal. Like Sunil, another Indian Davis cupper, fifth-seeded Vishal Uppal, also maintained his winning form, defeating David Brewer of the UK 6-3, 6-4. Vishal and Sunil will meet in an interesting quarterfinal match tomorrow. However, eighth-seeded Ajay Ramaswami could not match the endurance and stamina of Ross Hutchins of the UK and lost by 4-6, 4-6, though he put up a stiff fight. In other pre-quarterfinal rounds, sixth-seeded Mait Kunnap beat Shahzad Khan of Pakistan 6-4, 6-4; third-seeded Vinod Sridhar outgunned qualifier Prahlad Srinath, a former national grass court champion, 6-2, 6-2; seventh-seeded Joshua Goodwall beat Jaco Mathew of India 6-4, 6-4 and second-seeded Norikaze Sugiyama beat wild card Ashutosh Singh 6-3, 7-6. |
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113 Punjab players attend camp in Himachal Noni (Solan), June 16 The camp was inaugurated by Punjab Sports Director Kartar Singh. Sixtyfive hockey players, 35 athletes and 13 judokas will undergo training. “Due to examinations, we could not invite players from other sports disciplines. Next time more disciplines will be included for the high altitude coaching camps,” announced Kartar Singh. Among those attending the camp are Jagdeep Kumar and Gurpreet Singh, who were members of the victorious Indian junior hockey team in the Asia Gold Cup in Dhaka. Mr Hazari Lal Sharma has been appointed commandant of the camp. He is being assisted by Jhilmil Singh, Hira Singh, Mohanjit Singh (hockey coaches), Rakesh Singh (judo) and Harkirat Singh and Ravi Partap Singh (athletics). Welcoming the Punjab players and the sports director, Dr A S Chandel, Director Students Welfare of Parmar Agriculture University promised to extend all possible help in conducting the coaching camps. The chief guest, Mr Ram Singh, an NRI from England, announced a grant of Rs 31,000 for the welfare of the trainees attending camp in Noni. Mr Kartar Singh said the main purpose of the camp was to improve the stamina and fitness of the players besides technical and tactical aspects of the game. The Sports Department is planning to organise such camps for other games in the near future. |
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