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Domenech hails Zidane
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Portugal should have won: media
Goa mourns Portugal’s defeat
Scolari wins battle of the benches
Six vie for Best Young Player award
Makers of concrete balls held
Henin beats Clijsters, enters final
Gambhir stars in India A win
Sachin hits ton
‘Negligence’ causes death of footballer
Ignace, Harpal among World Cup probables
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Domenech hails Zidane
Munich, July 6 The French legend set up this glorious last twist to his glittering career with a 33rd minute penalty against Portugal to give Les Bleus a 1-0 victory and a second shot at the title eight years on after Zizou’s two bullet headers lifted them to their first in the 3-0 win over Brazil. “Zidane is a world champion, his photograph adorns a wall in Marseille, he’s a true star, a true star in the sense that he brings something to this team and enables the French public to go on dreaming,” purred Domenech. “But it’s been that way for years.” “This game really is his last, people were talking about other games here could be his final one, now it’s actually arrived,” Domenech said. “But for me I’m not regarding it as Zidane’s last match. For me it’s the World Cup final, and he regards it like that as well, he doesn’t see it as his swansong. It’s the World Cup final, and even better.... it’s against Italy. “We shouldn’t mix things up, he would agree with that — he’s proved that throughout this whole competition,” the French coach said. Domenech’s own stock — like Aime Jacquet in 1998 — has risen sharply throughout the competition. As France struggled through their group his name was jeered, now he’s regarded as a hero, with one sign held up at the Allianz Arena declaring: “Thanks Raymond, you were right... July 9 (the date of the final)”. France, marshalled by Zidane’s genius, had powered past Brazil in the quarter-finals but Domenech reckoned the test set by Portugal was a lot more exacting. “Portugal put us in more difficulty than Brazil, it was harder at every level. They gave us lots of problems right to the end, congratulations to them for that.” At one stage he was seen having words with Portugal manager Luiz Felipe Scolari but he declined to divulge what had passed between them. “I don’t want to talk about the behaviour of a rival, it’s not my concern, my only concern is the France team.” Domenech then turned to France’s opponents in Sunday’s final in Berlin. “For me there have been two exploits at this World Cup. Ours, in beating Brazil, and Italy’s in beating Germany in Dortmund. That was an exploit accomplished with style, bravo I say, I take my hat off to them. “Now we have a date on July 9.”
— AFP Zizou in race for Golden Ball
Berlin: Zinedine Zidane has been shortlisted for the prestigious FIFA Golden Ball award. The prize is awarded to the most valuable player in the 32-team tournament. The decision will be announced on Monday. Of the 10 nominees, four are Italian and three French. The nominees: Fabio Cannavaro (Italy), Maniche (Portugal), Michael Ballack (Germany), Andrea Pirlo (Italy), Gianluca Zambrotta (Italy), Thierry Henry (France), Gianluigi Buffon (Italy), Patrick Vieira (France), Miroslav Klose (Germany) and Zinedine Zidane (France). — Reuters
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Two decisions that made the difference
Munich, July 6 France goes on to the World Cup final thanks to Zinedine Zidane’s masterly spot kick. Portugal goes home feeling aggrieved. And everyone in soccer knows that no one remembers the beaten semifinalists. France plays Italy for football’s biggest prize in Berlin on Sunday after Zidane’s 33rd minute penalty in yesterday’s semifinal in Munich was the only goal of the game. The French players ran to celebrate the 1-0 victory with their fans in one corner of the 66,000 capacity stadium. Many of the Portuguese players were in tears. Ecstasy at one end of the ground, heartbreak at the other. Although there were many chances at both ends, it really came down to two incidents. With the game still up for grabs, Thierry Henry collected the ball three feet inside the Portuguese penalty area with defender Ricardo Carvalho behind him. The French striker skillfully turned inside to head for the goal and Carvalho tried to tackle him. His right leg missed — but his left made contact with Henry’s right foot and the Frenchman went down flat on the turf. “There was contact,” Henry told reporters. “I thought I had gone past him and he caught me. I didn’t ask for the penalty, but it was given.” An accident, or a foul? TV replays from various different angles suggested either but TV directors don’t give penalties. Referees do. Uruguayan referee Jorge Larrionda had a perfect view and wasted no time blowing his whistle and pointing to the spot. Carvalho looked at him in disbelief, holding his two hands together as if in prayer that the referee might change his mind. He didn’t and, despite Portuguese protests, Zidane slammed the penalty kicked expertly past goalkeeper Ricardo. Minutes later, the Portuguese were convinced they had their payback. Cristiano Ronaldo, who’s has a reputation in England for going down too easily to get penalties, moved to meet a rightwing cross from teammate Luis Figo. Along the way, he was convinced he felt a push from French defender Willy Sagnol. As the ball sailed over his head, Ronaldo went down. The French fans behind the goal were furious. Then they went right back to jeering when Larrionda waved away Portuguese appeals for a penalty. Maybe Cristiano’s reputation as a diver had reached Uruguay as well as France.
— AP
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French celebrations claim two lives
Paris, July 6 Across France the night’s celebrations were mostly peaceful — if noisy — with firecrackers and fireworks competing with drums and car horns to fete France’s 1-0 victory over Portugal, courtesy of a Zinedine Zidane penalty. The situation turned unruly in the small hours in Paris, Lyon and Zidane's home city of Marseille, where police used teargas to disperse groups of youths, arresting 189 people in Paris alone. Several people were seriously injured in brawls and traffic accidents as well as the two confirmed dead. In central Paris, an 18-year-old man was crushed to death as he tried to jump between the roofs of two metro trains at Opera station, the police said. A young man was also missing feared drowned in the southeastern city of Lyon after jumping off a bridge into the River Saone with a group friends. And in the northern town of Lens, a 20-year-old woman was killed in a car accident minutes after the French win, the police said. She had been leaning out of the car window to celebrate, and was crushed when the driver veered off the road to avoid a pedestrian. But for most French people it was a night of joyous celebration, with cries of “Zizou! Zizou!" — as France captain Zinedine Zidane is known here-ringing out late into the night. Half a million people flooded the streets of the capital to celebrate, with many converging on the famous Champs-Elysees — which was filled with a million revellers when France won the World Cup on home soil in 1998. The Champs-Elysees festivities turned nasty shortly before 2 am (midnight GMT) when small groups of youths threw bottles and other projectiles at the police who responded with teargas and charged forward to make arrests. One shop window was smashed along the avenue, but the overall damage was minor and calm returned within two hours. There was more trouble at a sports stadium in the south of Paris, where an 18-year-old man was stabbed as he watched the match on a giant screen. He was hospitalised with serious injuries, and an inquiry has been opened. The police used tear gas to disperse the stadium crowd after several fights broke out, and several people were led away by stewards for letting off smoke canisters. Elsewhere in Paris, three people were injured when a motorcyclist lost control of his bike and ploughed into them. The bike rider and his passenger were also injured. South of Paris in the Essonne department, firefighters were called out for dozens of minor arson attacks, as youths torched around 40 garbage cans and 15 cars, and two police officers were slightly injured by a firecracker. And in southeastern Grenoble, 12 people were arrested after hurling beer cans at the police — and 14 people were hurt in street brawls. There were similar scenes between police and youths in Lyon where telephone booths and cars were damaged in the city centre and some people suffered slight injuries in the confusion. And in Marseille, the police made 20 arrests during the post-match celebrations, firing teargas to disperse a crowd which threw beer cans and other projectiles.
— AFP
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Portugal should have won: media
Lisbon, July 6 “Portugal deserved more,” read the headline in daily Jornal de Noticias after the 1-0 loss against France. “The enormous effort of the Portuguese was not enough to beat the cold French.” The loss was especially bitter as it means Portugal will at most repeat their World Cup third place in 1966 — the country’s best performance in the tournament. Forty years ago, Portugal lost the semi-final to England, who went on to win. Portugal will play Germany on Saturday to contest third place. “Never, not even in 1966, were we so close to reaching the World Cup final,” said sport daily A Bola. “At the end of the day it wasn’t just a dream. We were not worse.” Disappointment still filled the pages of many newspapers though, with some pointing out that the referee’s decision to give France a penalty was at best questionable. “Once again it was an unfair end,” said Diario de Noticias in an opinion piece. “There is little consolation in saying it but this time we really had a moral victory.”
— Reuters
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Goa mourns Portugal’s defeat
Panaji, July 6 Football fans, most of them donning Portugal jersey held celebrations and beat drums all evening prior to the match but were heartbroken early this morning after Portugal’s exit from the World Cup. “Adieus (goodbye) Portugal.. we never expected you to lose... but everything is fair in a game... we accept the defeat,”
commented a depressed fan. Calangute-Candolim-Baga belt was abuzz with activities last evening which culminated into fans gathering near big screens to witness the semi-finals. Portugal should not have lost.. now for me at least, World Cup is over”, said 24-year-old Mateus Fernandes at Candolim.
— PTI
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Scolari wins battle of the benches
Munich, July 6 The respective coaches could not be more different. While Luiz Felipe Scolari — who saw his record run of 12 successive wins in the World Cup finals come to an end — prowls up and down like a caged lion in Munich zoo, his Gallic counterpart Raymond Domenech stands stock still, sphinx-like, reflective, thumb and finger joined as if he’s contemplating a work of art back home in the Louvre. Being Scolari — whose likeness to Hollywood great Gene Hackman is unreal — must be an exhausting business, just watching him leaves you short of breath. The Brazilian, who could have auctioned his seat on e-bay such was the little use he made of it, would lose a fortune on the poker table, his feelings as transparent as a sheet of cling film. On the 28th minute Domenech was the target of his ire. Big Phil, his moustache twitching in the warm night, pointed and shouted in his direction after the Frenchman made diving gestures following a fine piece of theatrics from Cristiano Ronaldo bang smack in front of the French dug out. Nine minutes later the master motivator was barking at referee Jorge Larrionda for not awarding a foul in Portugal’s favour. His mood darkened when Zinedine Zidane slotted home the 33rd minute penalty, thrusting his hands angrily into his pockets as former France legend Michel Platini raised his aloft in the stands. And Scolari’s humour hardly improved when a member of the French bench executed the international ‘up yours’ sign at him when Portugal’s claims for a penalty were denied three minutes later. If he ever gets tired of the day job Scolari should consider the metier of traffic policeman such is the skill with which he directs his men left and right, front and back. Little wonder that as well as Big Phil he’s known as the Sergeant Major. But the tough guy has a softer side, as he was seen with tears in his eyes when Portugal qualified for the knock out stages, although he moved quickly to deny any Ronaldesque display of emotion. “Maybe my eye colour changed, but that’s it,” insisted the man who once told a referee after a row over a decision: ‘I’ll wait for you outside’. On 75 minutes Scolari did something completely out of character. He sat down. But it was only a temporary lapse and seconds later he was back up on his feet, his face dripping with frustration as a Figo header flies high after a messy clerarance from Fabian Barthez.
— AFP
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Six vie for Best Young Player award
Berlin, July 6 Portugal winger Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Valencia of Ecuador, Argentina’s ‘wonder boy’ Lionel Messi, German striker Lukas Podolski, Switzerland midfielder Tranquilo Barnetta and Spanish star Cesc Fabregas make up the shortlist announced by FIFA for the honour, sponsored by Gillette. The first three were selected in an online poll on the official website of the tournament while the others were chosen by FIFA’s 14-member Technical Study Group (TSG). The list of six has been whittled down from an original field of 40 young players, born on or after January 1, 1985. The TSG will now decide the eventual winner who will be announced in Berlin tomorrow by German great Lothar Matthaus. The criteria for the award include style, charisma, fairplay and appetite for the game, as well as pure technical skill.
— PTI
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Makers of concrete balls held
Berlin, July 6 Two young men suffered slight foot injuries in recent days after kicking concrete-filled balls chained to lamp posts and trees in the capital. The words “Can u kick it” were sprayed in pink paint close to each of the balls, at least six of which were left in the streets. The police said they arrested yesterday two men aged 26 and 29 who apparently had set up a workshop to produce the offending balls. Officers found three new concrete-filled balls, spray cans and chains.
— AP
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Henin beats Clijsters, enters final
London, July 6 Henin-Hardenne, runner-up to Venus Williams in 2001, won 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) to advance to a final meeting with either Amelie Mauresmo or Maria Sharapova. Second seed Clijsters, who has now fallen at the semifinal stage of all three Grand Slam tournaments this year, had plenty of chances but wavered under a barrage of fierce hitting. US Open champion Clijsters has now lost her last five Grand Slam meetings with Henin-Hardenne, including the semifinal at Roland Garros last month. Marcos, Nadal reach semis
Cyprus’s Marcos Baghdatis sent former champion Lleyton Hewitt crashing out of Wimbledon with a 6-1, 5-7, 7-6 (7/5), 6-2 quarterfinal win. Baghdatis, who will face Spanish second seed Rafael Nadal for a place in the final, proved in thrilling fashion that his run to the Australian Open final in January was no fluke. Hewitt, the sixth seed and 2002 champion, was subdued throughout the two-and-a-half-hour Centre Court clash and his service was broken in the opening game in each of the first three sets. Nadal ground down Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in the quarterfinal. The match was held over from Wednesday because of rain. Double French Open champion Nadal, looking more and more comfortable on unfamiliar grasscourts, wore down Nieminen’s resistance in long baseline rallies, breaking his serve in each set. Paes-Stosur in quarterfinals
The fourth seeded pair of Leander Paes and his Australian team-mate Samantha Stosur today thrashed Argentine Sebastian Prieto and his Italian partner Flavia Pennetta 6-3, 6-2 to enter the mixed doubles quarterfinals. Sania Mirza’s Wimbledon campaign came to an end after the Hyderabadi teenager and her Czech partner Pavel Vizner went down 3-6, 7-5, 2-6 to fifth seeds Daniel Nestor of Canada and his Russian team-mate Elena Likhovtseva in the third round of the mixed doubles event here today. Sania had earlier crashed out of the singles event in the first round and then was beaten in the second round of women’s doubles.
— Agencies
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Gambhir stars in India A win
Sydney, July 6 Put into bat, India A openers Robin Uthappa (72) and Gambhir treated the rival bowling attack with disdain and their experience of playing at the senior level made all the difference as India amassed 313 for three in 50 overs. Pakistan A lost wickets at regular intervals and never had any significant partnership which could take them close to the mammoth 313-run target. Rafatullah Mohmand (85) was the lone face of Pakistani defiance but and only three other of his team-mates could reach double figures as their innings folded for 183 in just 39.3 overs. Piyush Chawla was the pick of the Indian bowlers, claiming three for 34 in his 10 overs.
— UNI
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Sachin hits ton
London, July 6 Lashings rode on tons by Tendulkar (101) and Aravinda De Silva (100 not out) to reach 223 for three. Taunton finished their innings at 197 for nine with Joe Cooper hitting 52.
— UNI
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Armaan sets sights on F1
New Delhi, July 6 His ambition got a big boost when he was signed up by oil major Elf as their brand ambassador for a three-year period. Armaan is currently racing the Formula Renault UK Championship, widely regarded as one of the world’s foremost junior single-seater categories championships. Armaan is racing for “Position I Racing” team, which is one of the leading teams of Formula Renault UK Championship.
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‘Negligence’ causes death of footballer
Kolkata, July 6 Twenty year-old Bhaskar Adhikary, who played a stellar role under the bar in the tournament, was admitted a few days ago to the SSKM Hospital following complaints of acute stomach pain. Bengal’s under-21 coach Raghu Nandy alleged that initially the doctors said there was no cause for worry. “On Tuesday, a scan revealed an infection in the appendix. But by then it was already late. Had he received proper treatment, Adhikary would have survived,” Nandy said. The hospital has already ordered an inquiry into the player’s death.
— PTI
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Ignace, Harpal among World Cup probables
New Delhi, July 6 Probables: Goalkeepers: Adrian D’Souza, Bharat Chetri, PR Sreejesh; Full-backs: Dilip Tirkey, Sandeep Singh, Kanwalpreet Singh, Harpal Singh; Midfielders: VS Vinaya, Vikram Pillay, Viren Rasquinha, Bimal Lakra, Nitin Kumar, Ignace Tirkey, Prabodh Tirkey, Ajmer Singh; Forwards: Arjun Halappa, Hari Prasad, Tejbir Singh, Tushar Khandekar, Shivendra Singh, Rajpal Singh, Gagan Ajit Singh, V Raja, Roshan Minz.
— UNI
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