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Ukraine cruise past Saudi Arabia 4-0 |
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Germany seek win to top Group A
South Korea hold ‘30-plus’ France
South Korea grabbed a 1-1 draw with stuttering France in their vital Group G encounter here yesterday to edge closer to a spot in the last 16 of the World Cup.
Five bowlers can do the trick Sania Mirza’s preparations for the Wimbledon received a setback when she lost 6-7 (7-9), 6-2, 4-6 to Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic in the first round of the $ 175,000 Ordina Open at Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, yesterday. Mamaroneck, June 19 Done in by the treacherous back nine for the third day running, Jeev Milkha Singh finished tied 59th in the 106th edition of the US Open golf championship which was won by Australian Geoff Ogilvy.
Harikrishna holds Ivanchuk
Nine-medal haul for junior shooters
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Togo go down to Swiss
Dortmund, June 19 Togo, whose players had threatened yesterday to boycott the match over a long-running internal pay dispute, seemed unhampered by the unorthodox build-up as the game finally got under way. Aside from Frei’s goal, there was little to distinguish the two teams during the first half with Switzerland enjoying plenty of possession but Togo looking the more dangerous on the break. Just as Switzerland were starting to look shaky, top scorer Frei came to his side’s rescue once again, finishing off a well-worked move to claim his 26th international goal. Right back Ludovic Magnin pressed forward before crossing the ball to Barnetta who deftly flicked a first touch pass across the goalmouth for Frei to turn in. In the 35th minute, the Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor was involved in the half’s most controversial moment when he attempted to swerve around Patrick Mueller in the penalty area before seeming to be caught by the Swiss defender’s flailing leg. To Togo’s disgust, the referee ignored their penalty appeals. It was only when the second half got under way that Switzerland finally started to look worth their lead, with Barnetta, Frei and half-time substitute Hakan Yakin all going close shortly after the re-start. In the 64th minute, Yakin again had an opportunity to double Switzerland’s lead but his sizzling shot was well saved by Togo goalkeeper Kossi Agassa. Barnetta finally made sure of Switzerland’s win with two minutes left, latching on to a ball on the right of the Togo box and lashing in a low, accurate drive into the far corner.
— Reuters
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Togo defender shines as masseur
Berlin, June 19 Midway through the second half, and with the game in the balance at 1-1, Korean Lee Eul-Yong went down with cramp when Tchangai came to his help and gave him an impromptu leg massage which drew widespread praise from the Korean media, said the FIFA World Cup website. A Yonhap News headline read: “Togo: undisputed champions of sportsmanship”. “It was really moving to see such true sportsmanship from the Togo players, transcending victory or defeat. I hope they go on to get a good result at the World Cup,” said a supporter. The Togolese media were also pleasantly surprised to hear their players receiving such good Press. Mondial Togo, the West African nation’s most popular football website, noted: “The Korean people have applauded Togo’s footballers for their unconditional fair play, good manners, and warmth towards their fellow players”.
— UNI |
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Ukraine cruise past Saudi Arabia 4-0
Hamburg, June 19 Shevchenko set up midfielder Maksim Kalinichenko for the fourth in the 84th minute. The eastern Europeans dominated throughout, with coach Oleg Blokhin’s change to a 3-5-2 formation after last week’s 4-0 drubbing by Spain offering plenty of width to generate a series of crosses which troubled a nervous Saudi defence. The Saudis showed promise going forward in patches, but created little by the way of clearcut scoring chances. Victory puts Ukraine level on three points with Spain, who play Tunisia. Tunisia and Saudi Arabia both have one point after an opening 2-2 draw. Determined to recover their self-respect after being outclassed by Spain, the Ukrainians played with energy and patience on a slippery pitch. They had already gone close when centre-back Rusol burst on to a Kalinichenko corner to give them their first goal in a World Cup finals after just fourh minutes, kneeing home from close range. Saudi keeper Mabrouk Zaid fell victim to the pitch in the 36th minute, slipping as he tried to block a dipping long-range drive from Rebrov which made it 2-0. Shevchenko added the third within a minute of the restart, heading home another well-hit Kalinichenko centre to mark a return to form after a month blighted by injury. Linking well with Andriy Voronin up front, the new Chelsea signing could also have scored when his header was cleared off the line by Ahmed Dokhi in the 13th minute before Rebrov blazed the rebound over the bar from six metres.
— Reuters
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Germany seek win to top Group A
Ballack already has a yellow card and one more against the in-form South Americans would see Germany’s captain ruled out for the next game. Ecuador and the hosts have already made certain of places in the last 16 but Germany need a win to top the group. The second place would leave them facing the Group B winners and as that is likely to be England, the hosts are willing to gamble. “Ballack will play whatever the circumstances,” Germany’s assistant coach Joachim Loew confirmed in a news conference. “We’ll just have a word with him and tell him to avoid making unnecessary fouls.” Ballack’s importance was evident when he returned against Poland after missing the opening 4-2 win over Costa Rica. With the captain back running the midfield, Germany played a much more disciplined game and clinched a 1-0 win with a goal from Oliver Neuville in stoppage time. Germany have played much better than England, who just need to draw with Sweden to clinch the first place in Group B, but they would still rather avoid their old rivals at this early stage. “England haven’t been convincing but they would raise their game for a one-off match,” Loew warned. Germany may make a couple of changes as they seek the win they need. Christoph Metzelder is recovering from a knee injury and may have to be replaced by Robert Huth. Bastian Schweinsteiger and Lukas Podolski, disappointing against Poland, could lose out to Tim Borowski and Neuville. Germany know they will have to play very well to beat Ecuador, who qualified behind only Brazil and Argentina and looked good in beating Poland 2-0 and Costa Rica 3-0. Ecuador’s hopes of maintaining a perfect start could be hit by an ankle injury to striker Carlos Tenorio. Ivan Kaviedes, who scored the third goal against Costa Rica, looks set to come in. Coach Luis Fernando Suarez, who may rest players on yellow cards, was clear where the main German danger would come from.
— Reuters Pride at stake for Poles
Hanover: Poland coach Pawel Janas must gamble on whether to save his own career or help kickstart a new era in Polish football, which may not include him, when his country plays Costa Rica in their final group match tomorrow. The Poles, like their opponents from Central America, are facing the possibility of finishing at the bottom of Group A and heading home with no points in the bag. Such a result for Poland would almost certainly seal Janas’s fate. Polish soccer chiefs said last week that they would wait until mid-July before deciding on whether to stick with Janas for the European Championship qualifiers. With their team already knocked out of the World Cup, many coaches would field a second-string team to give some players the chance to play at the finals or to blood future talent. But, on past evidence, the conservative Polish coach is unlikely to do that and will be going all out to finish the finals on a high in what could be his last game in charge. “There are a number of variations being tried in training,” Poland striker, Maciej Zurawski said. “The coach has 23 players to choose from. For the moment, even we don’t know who he will choose. It really does look open.” Tomorrow’s game could also spell the end of Alexandre Guimarae’s tenure as Costa Rica coach after leading them to a second successive finals and will definitely be captain Paulo Wanchope’s swansong. Costa Rica’s all-time leading scorer has decided to call it a day at 30 after notching 45 goals in 71 appearances.
— Reuters
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South Korea hold ‘30-plus’ France
Leipzig, June 19 The 2002 semifinalists went behind to an early Thierry Henry goal but Manchester United midfielder Park Ji-Sung got the equaliser nine minutes from the end as South Korea staged a grandstand finish. The win puts South Korea, who beat Togo in their opener, on four points with the under-pressure French on two and perilously close to a second-straight exit from the World Cup in the first round. French coach Raymond Domenech, under fire in some quarters for sticking with an ageing team, put out the country’s oldest ever international side with an average age of 30 years and 289 days. One of the old stagers, 34-year-old defender Lilian Thuram, equalled Marcel Desailly’s record of 116 appearances for Les Bleus. “They really pushed really hard in the second half and we didn't keep the ball long enough,” said Domenech. South Korea coach Dick Advocaat said it was a highly creditable result. “France have a lot of quality and this was a good result,” said the Dutchman. France opened brightly with Lyon midfielder Florent Malouda, in the side for Frank Ribery, looking dangerous down the right flank. The South Korean defence had to look smart in the sixth minute when Henry found Sylvain Wiltord with a neat ball but the Lyon striker’s effort was blocked by a defender. France contined to stream forward and they opened the scoring after just nine minutes following a defence-splitting move. Wiltord found Henry in the box and the Arsenal striker guided the ball past Korean goalkeeper Lee Woon-Jae from six yards out. It was the quicksilver Henry’s 34th strike for France and broke a goal drought for the national team in the World Cup finals stretching back to the victory over Brazil in the 1998 final. South Korea were quicker to the ball than in the first half and the French front line was being given precious little room despite the promptings from midfield maestro Zidane. With the clock ticking, South Korea piled forward and were rewarded with the equaliser in the 81st minute.
— AFP
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India hammer Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur, June 19 After being beaten 1-4 by Australia in their opener yesterday, India needed a win to keep up the morale and they did it in style by taking a 2-0 lead at the break. Malaysia did fight back by scoring twice but India kept up the scoring rate and even after being reduced to 10 men in the 63rd minute — after Vikram Pillay was shown the yellow card — they kept the Malaysians at bay to romp home. For India, the scorers were Arjun Halappa (13th), Gagan Ajit Singh (22nd and 56th), Sandeep Singh (38th) and Tushar Khandekar (54th). Malaysia reduced the margin through Azlan Misron (41st) and Jiwa Mohan (43rd). India attacked from the first minute itself though Malaysia would have gone ahead but for Adrian D’Souza, who saved a stunning shot from Chua Boon Huat. Shivender Singh, Khandekar and Hari Prasad had the Malaysians rattled upfront but errors in the midfield and the Indian defence gave Malaysia four penalty corners in five minutes. However, Adrian was in tremendous form. India took the lead in the 13th minute after a dazzling run by Arjun Halappa who went past three defenders and after drawing the goalkeeper out, flicked into an empty goal. The second goal was a brilliant piece of play by Kanwalpreet Singh who feinted on the penalty corner shot and after the goalkeeper had fallen in anticipation of a grounder, he shot powerfully that went off the latter’s pads. Gagan, who was virtually standing next to the goalkeeper, shot in from close. In the 34th minute, Gagan had a wonderful run down the left flank but his cross, after beating the entire defence, couldn’t be deflected into the Malaysian goal despite Shivender and Hari Prasad angling their sticks. Three minutes after the break, India increased the lead to 3-0 when Sandeep Singh flicked in India’s second penalty corner. Malaysia fought back and taking advantage of an erratic Indian defence scored twice in the space of two minutes. Azlan Misron deflected in a penalty corner in the 41st minute and then Jiwa Mohan shot home from close in the 43rd minute. India threw men upfront with Khandekar a constant threat to the Malaysians. In the 54th minute, he picked up a pass and without any delay shot past the Malaysian goalkeeper Kumar Subramanian. India were awarded a penalty stroke in the 56th minute after the Malaysian goalkeeper brought down Shivender Singh when he was all set to push the ball inside the goal. Gagan Ajit made no mistake from the spot as he placed the ball in the top left corner of the goal. Pakistan beat Holland
Pakistan goalkeeper Salman Akhbar brought off some remarkable saves to enable the former world champions beat European powerhouse Holland 3-2 here today. Pakistan had taken a 3-1 lead at the break through Rehan Butt (fifth), Imran Warsi (19th) and Shakeel Abbasi (24th). For the Dutch, the scorers were Floris Evers (14th) and Roderick Weustoph (69th). Koreans stun Aussies 3-0
Korea turned in a superb performance to upset Olympic champions and holders Australia 3-0 in a crucial Pool A match here today. The Koreans scored thrice in the first half with Jang Jon Hyun converting two penalty corners (17th, 23rd minutes) and Kang Seong Jung sweeping home a Seo Jeong Ho pass in the 19th. The Aussies, who appeared rather overconfident at the start, paid dearly for their complacency and with three goals in arrears, left themselves far too much to do in the second session against the determined Koreans, who were unrecognisable from the side that drew 2-2 with Malaysia less than 24 hours ago. The difference between the teams was that the Koreans utilised the few scoring chances that came their way while the Aussies wasted theirs. Australia had a few opportunities, but Troy Elder found the crosspiece with a 35th minute penalty corner and then skipper Brent Livermore hit wide from close with the goalkeeper out of position.
— Agencies
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Five bowlers can do the trick St Kitts, June19 India, too, can accomplish their task of winning a Test series in the Caribbean after 35 years with some assistance from its constituents, for in the hosts’ current weakness lies their unwitting co-operation. Of course, the Indian scheme was somewhat scuttled by the setback in the one-day internationals. Irfan Pathan was suddenly a shadow of his former self. Yuvraj Singh has failed to take advantage of beautiful batting tracks. And VVS Laxman failed to capitalise on the starts he got in the first Test. Some of today’s bowlers argue that the aggression of modern-day batsmen catalysed by the one-day mindset render them more expensive than in earlier eras. The fact is Glen McGrath averages 21.55 as compared to 20.97 of Joel Garner, recently voted as the greatest bowler of all time. Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan average 25.15 and 22.47, respectively, in relation to Clarrie Grimmett’s 24.21. And Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh’s mean of 27.98 and 27.87 are better than those of Kapil Dev (29.64), Bishan Bedi (28.71) and Bhagwat Chandrasekhar (29.74). In short, 35 plus runs per wicket is unacceptable. Zaheer Khan, the only contemporary Indian medium pacer to capture 100 test wickets, averages 36.25. Indeed, it is unimaginable that a quicker bowler will concede six runs an over as Sreesanth did in the first innings at Antigua. Pathan’s figures are rather boosted by rich dividends against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. It’s a cardinal error to be swayed by spurious success at the one-day level, where batsmen often gift their wickets. Japan’s opponents at the IWC have accused it of foul play. India can justifiably be aggrieved about foul weather. So, do they now gamble - as in the casinos that abound in this island? In other words, drop a batsman to accommodate a bowler. The spread betting option is to play a potential all-rounder, namely Ramesh
Powar; but this would be a bit harsh on Harbhajan.
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New Delhi, June 19 The 19-year old Hyderabadi, who jumped three places to 38 in world rankings after reaching the third round of DFS Classic in Birmingham last week, was at the receiving end of some dubious overrules by the chair umpire, according to information received here today. Sania, leading 4-2 in the first set tie-break, served an ace which was belatedly turned into “fault” by the chair and the point awarded to Benesova. The chair umpire made another overrule against Sania when she hit a clear winner on the far side of the court on set point in the same tie-break. The Indian bounced back to wrap up the second set before conceding the next set and the match. Meanwhile, Sania will be partnering Holland’s Michaella Krajicek in the women’s doubles of the Wimbledon beginning next week.
— PTI
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Jeev finishes tied 59th
Mamaroneck, June 19 Saddled by bogies on three of the last four holes, the Indian pro signed off with a six-over-par 76, which contained two birdies and eight bogeys. Ogilvy was rewarded with his first Major for a par on the final hole, which claimed Phil Mickelson and Colin Montgomerie as victims with double bogeys. Jim Furyk bogeyed the 18th and Ogilvy beat the trio by one shot. Jeev earned $ 16,767, which would come in handy for his money list position on European Tour. This was the second time that Jeev had qualified and played in all four rounds at the US Open, which was one of the toughest ever this time. Not a single player broke par after four rounds, with Ogilvy totalling five-over-par 285.
— PTI
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Harikrishna holds Ivanchuk
Crimea (Ukraine), June 19 After his first-round draw with Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu of Romania, this turned out to be another good result for Harikrishna in the category-18 round-robin tournament between 12 players. The Indian is seeded eighth in this tough tournament. The second day of the event was marred by draws as not a single game ended decisively.
— PTI
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Nine-medal haul for junior shooters
New Delhi, June 19
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Berlin, June 19