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Zidane poised for ultimate farewell
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In Graphic: Final
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Rooney banned for two matches
Goals dry up
Jeev jumps to tied fourth
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Germany thrash portugal, finish third Stuttgart, July 8 Schweinsteiger fired home his first goal of the competition from long range in the 56th minute to put Germany ahead. Five minutes later, a Schweinsteiger free kick was deflected into his own net by Portugal midfielder Petit, a halftime substitute. Schweinsteiger added a third with a similar effort to his first in the 78th minute, the ball flying into the top right corner. Substitute Luis Figo created Portugal's consolation, crossing perfectly from the right for Nuno Gomes to head home from close range two minutes from time. Both sides had chances in an evenly balanced first half after Portugal surprisingly left captain Figo out of the starting line-up and Germany made six changes to their team. Germany midfielder Sebastian Kehl saw his shot deflected narrowly wide in the fifth minute and then produced a 25-metre chip which back-pedalling goalkeeper Ricardo did well to tip over. Ricardo also turned away a piledriver shot from Lukas Podolski following a free kick. At the other end, Germany goalkeeper Oliver Kahn, making his first appearance at the World Cup after being relegated to the bench for the serious part of the tournament, denied Pauleta in the 15th minute. Pauleta was sent clean through by Simao Sabrosa's pass but Kahn rushed out of his goal to block the Portugal striker's side-footed effort. Pauleta, who has managed only one goal, also wasted an excellent chance in the 53rd minute when he shot weakly at Kahn with Ronaldo free and screaming for the ball to his left. In the 56th minute, Schweinsteiger broke the deadlock as he skipped past two challenges and scored with a screaming 30-metre shot as the flight of the ball appeared to deceive Ricardo. Five minutes later, Germany won a free kick on the left and another Schweinsteiger rocket was deflected into the net by the hapless Petit. Germany striker Miroslav Klose, the tournament's leading scorer with five goals. was substituted in the 71st minute without adding to his tally. Figo, whose international future is the subject of speculation at the age of 33, came on for Pauleta in the 77th minute. He had barely come on to the pitch when Schweinsteiger struck again to add further fuel to the German party mood which was barely dampened by Gomes's late diving header.
— Reuters |
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Zidane poised for ultimate farewell
Berlin, July 8 “He is one of the players who is worth the price of the ticket to see,” Italy midfielder Gennaro Gattuso, as scruffy as Zidane is elegant, said of the player he will try to stop from shining on the pitch of the Olympic stadium. When the midfield maestro announced in April that he would retire after the finals, France coach Raymond Domenech said Zidane’s finest hour may still come. Few suggested then, however, that the man who scored two headed goals when les Bleus stunned Brazil 3-0 to lift the most coveted of all trophies for the first time in 1998, would sign off by playing a second World Cup final. France had struggled to qualify and Zidane, who came out of international retirement last year to help France win a ticket to Germany, had looked rusty for months in sluggish performances for Real Madrid. The gifted son of Algerian immigrants was past his prime, it seemed, and his first matches in the tournament confirmed the impression. Two anonymous performances and as many yellow cards in two dismal draws meant he was suspended when France played Togo in their Group G decider. Had France failed to reach the knockout stage, Zidane, who watched that match from the dressing room on his 34th birthday, would have left by the back door. Instead France beat Togo 2-0 and the man his fans call Zizou returned for a second-round match against Spain, orchestrating play with calm authority and scoring a superb goal in added time in a 3-1 win that was the turning point in France’s campaign. “Retirement? I’m sorry to have to tell them (the Spaniards) that it won’t be after this match,” Zidane said then. “The adventure continues.” Then came Brazil in a rematch of the 1998 final and Zidane was pure magic in a 1-0 win, rolling back the years and pulling out all his old tricks in one of the most magnificent displays of his entire career. “Watching Zizou play must make others feel they should stop,” France midfielder Patrick Vieira said after that match. “It also makes you wish he would carry on.” Another age-defying performance in a 1-0 semi-final victory over Portugal in which he drove home the winning penalty followed, Zidane’s 30th goal in his 107th appearance for France setting the stage for the ultimate farewell party. “He means so much to the French people,” Domenech said of his captain in the build-up to the final curtain. “He gives them something to cheer and he has done that now for 10 years. And we hope there is another day to come tomorrow.” — Reuters
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Wanted: A great final
It’s here — the biggest match of “the greatest sporting spectacle on earth”. Surely, every football lover expects the World Cup final to be a cracker of a contest. In fact, an edge-of-the-seat summit clash is long overdue. Barring Argentina’s thrilling 3-2 victory over (West) Germany at Mexico ’86, every World Cup final in the past 20 years has been a letdown in one way or the other. Beginning with Italia ’90, no runners-up team has scored a goal in the final. The Argentina-Germany encounter in 1990 is remembered for the wrong reasons. It is regarded as one of the nastiest World Cup games of all time. Mexican referee Edgardo Codesal gave a number of dubious decisions, the most crucial being the penalty he awarded to Germany in the dying minutes of the match. Andreas Brehme slotted the ball past goalie Sergio Goycochea to give his team a 1-0 victory over nine-man Argentina (Monzon and Gustavo Dezotti were sent off). The 1994 clash between Brazil and Italy in Los Angeles witnessed something unprecedented in a World Cup final — both teams failed to score even after 120 minutes. Brazil finally emerged champions after winning the penalty shootout 3-2. Roberto Baggio was the culprit-in-chief for the Italians as his kick sailed way over the crossbar, while Claudio Taffarel did Brazil proud by saving a penalty from Daniele Massaro. Hosts France made mincemeat of a listless Brazil in the 1998 final at St Denis. Zinedine Zidane’s two headers gave France a 2-0 lead, while Emmanuel Petit rubbed salt into Brazil’s wounds by scoring the third goal. The 2002 encounter between Brazil and Germany in Yokohama was again a one-sided affair. Ronaldo got the better of super goalie Oliver Kahn twice to seal a facile win for his team. Incidentally, Germany played in the final without Michael Ballack, who had to sit out after being yellow-carded twice. Twenty years after Mexico ’86, it would be great if we are treated to another riveting final. In that remarkable match, Jose Luis Brown and Jorge Valdano put Argentina two up, but Germany restored parity through goals by Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Rudi Voller. Eventually, Argentina got the match-winner, not through Diego Maradona, but via Jorge Burruchaga. Let’s hope France and Italy, who are both in superb form, won’t disappoint us all.
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Rooney banned for two matches
Berlin, July 8 FIFA also banned Argentine defender Leandro Cufre for four matches and fined him 10,000 Swiss francs for his part in the melee that followed his team’s quarter-final exit on penalties to Germany.
— Reuters |
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Goals dry up
Berlin, July 8 France and Italy contest the final here tomorrow having conceded just three goals between them in their 12 matches to date. And if Italy win, and prevent France scoring in the process, they will set a new record having let in just one goal during the tournament — and even that was scored by one of their own players. A total of 141 goals have been scored so far in 62 matches, an average of 2.27 per game, only marginally above the record low of 2.21 from the 1990. — AFP |
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London, July 8 The world number one, who also took this year's Australian Open when a sick Henin-Hardenne retired, is the first Frenchwoman to win here since Suzanne Lenglen in 1925. French Open champion Henin-Hardenne won the opening set in 31 minutes but Mauresmo shook off the nerves to win the second set with some eyecatching passing shots. Mauresmo got the early break in the decider and held herself together, completing an emotional victory when Henin-Hardenne thrashed a forehand into the net on her first match point. Earlier, Belgian Henin-Hardenne had come out firing on all cylinders on a sunlit Centre Court to blaze through the first set 6-2 in just 31 minutes. The third seed, a runner-up here five years ago, seized control when she broke an edgy Mauresmo in first game of the match with a flowing volley. Triple French Open champion Henin-Hardenne dominated the early rallies from the forecourt, striking the ball cleanly and punching away winners as Mauresmo was given a baptism of fire in her first Wimbledon singles final. The top seed settled her nerves with a sweet drop volley to get off the mark and the 27-year-old had a chance to break back when trailing 3-2 but Henin-Hardenne snuffed out the opportunity with a simple volley. Mauresmo, who won her first grand slam title at this year's Australian Open when Henin-Hardenne retired in the final with illness, continued to look second best and was broken again to fall behind 5-2. Henin-Hardenne then served out a one-sided first set to love in 31 minutes with a flashing ace. The crowd were willing Mauresmo to shake off the tension that was strangling her natural flair. They got their wish when the Frenchwoman earned two break points at 1-0 in the second set with a grass-cutting sliced return and angled volley. Henin-Hardenne saved the first with a cute drop shot, but she then hit a forehand long to give Mauresmo a foothold which she strengthened by holding for 3-0. Mauresmo had points for 4-0 and 5-1 leads as Henin-Hardenne's game went off the boil but the Belgian dug herself out of trouble on both occasions. Bryan brothers complete career slam Americans Bob and Mike Bryan today completed a career doubles grand slam when they beat Frenchman Fabrice Santoro and Serb partner Nenad Zimonjic to win their first Wimbledon title. The twins’ 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory means they are only the third doubles team to win all four grand slam titles in the professional era. They join Dutch duo Jacco Eltingh and Paul Haarhuis and Australian pair Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge. They were also competing in their seventh successive grand slam final, having become the first men’s doubles team in the professional era to reach six at this year’s French Open. — Reuters
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County Kildare, July 8 Jeev, the current Asian Tour’s UBS Order of Merit leader following one win and two runner-up finishes this season, showed some wonderful form with seven birdies against three bogeys at The K Club. He is three strokes behind Welshman Bradley Dredge, who holds a single shot over compatriot Stephen Dodd. — UNI
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