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Podolski does it for Germany
France rise to the occasion
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Storm after the lull
Agassi to retire after US Open
Pak finish fifth
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Munich, June 24 The 21-year-old striker scored after four minutes with a deflected drive and then again eight minutes later with a precise finish from a clever pass by Miroslav Klose as the three-times champions took masterful control. Germany, performing with great power and belief and backed by extraordinary support, will meet Argentina or Mexico in the last eight in Berlin on Friday. Sweden were out-fought and, for spells, out-thought. They had a man sent off and Henrik Larsson missed a second-half penalty on an afternoon they will wish to forget. Stunned by the Germans’ high-tempo opening spell, they were reduced to 10 men after 35 minutes when central defender Teddy Lucic was sent off. The luckless Lucic, who with partner Olof Mellberg struggled to contain the movement and interchanges of Klose and Podolski, was dismissed for two yellow cards in eight minutes for fouls on Klose. Sweden scrapped their way back into the game before the interval when Zlatan Ibrahimovic, with a low shot on the turn from eight metres, forced an athletic low save from Jens Lehmann. But the Germans, buoyed by their two-goal blitz, were in command and this allowed Torsten Frings and Michael Ballack to dictate the pace and shape of their game from central midfield where the Swedes were mostly outnumbered. The opening goal was made by Klose who won a ball in the air, collected it again and turned past two defenders. His shot was blocked, but Podolski followed up and though Lucic dived to try to head clear the shot flew in. The second came when Klose drew three defenders with a diagonal run and then played a reverse pass across the area for Podolski to fire in his third goal of the tournament. Apart from the goals, the German fans, heavily outnumbering the Swedes in a 66,000 sell-out crowd at the Allianz Arena, enjoyed a series of near-misses by their team as they basked in warm sunshine and the 32 degrees Celsius heat. Sweden were awarded a harsh-looking penalty after 52 minutes when Christoph Metzelder made a late challenge on Larsson but the 34-year-old striker blazed his spot kick over the bar. Ballack drove a 23-metre shot against Andreas Isaksson’s left post as the Germans regained their composure but Sweden, to their credit, refused to give up and created more anxious moments before the end. — Reuters
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France rise to the occasion
Cologne, June 24 The Juventus midfielder celebrated his 30th birthday in towering style, putting the 1998 champions into an early second-half lead, then setting up Thierry Henry for the second as France slew the demons of 2002. Raymond Domenech’s side, missing suspended Zinedine Zidane, were facing a second successive first-round exit and went into this must-win game seeking their first World Cup victory since the 3-0 triumph over Brazil eight years ago. But with Vieira inspiring them they rose to the challenge. “It was long and difficult after we drew our opening two matches but we had some cards in our hand and we knew if we got the two goals we would be through, fulfilling our first objective,” Vieira said. “This team has a lot of potential,” he added. Domenech admitted that the game was difficult. “I’ll not deny that. But this team can dig deep. I am happy for the team. The next match against Spain will be super.” Fighting for their World Cup lives, Les Bleus were unable to convert a hatful of first-half chances, largely thanks to the heroics of one man — Kossi Agassa in the Togo goal. Agassa, who plays his club football for newly demoted French side Metz, got an early sign that he was in for a busy night when he had to tip a David Trezeguet header over the bar. Vieira’s Juve team-mate, teaming up for the first time in the competition with Henry in attack, had the ball in the back of Agassa’s net in the 14th minute after some neat work between Frank Ribery and Henry, only for the effort to be ruled offside. Ribery, winning only his second full cap, then shot into the stands from the left of the box on the half-hour mark, causing Henry to hit the turf in frustration. Close to the break, Agassa performed a near miracle to first block Florent Malouda’s shot then scrambling around like a demon to keep out Trezeguet’s attempt to knock in the rebound inches from his line. But while France will have felt aggrieved not to be ahead at the break, already knocked out Togo were fulfilling their promise not to make up the numbers, the African debutants looking dangerous on the counter attack with Fabian Barthez having to move smartly to punch clear a shot from Mohamed Kader. With France’s record goal-scorer Michel Platini watching on, Togo went close shortly after the break when Emmaneul Adebayor picked up Kader’s lob into the box but the on-rushing Barthez smothered the danger. Down at the other end, Ribery was at fault again when his effort from in front of goal went sailing into the Cologne night. But the young Marseille tyro made amends in no uncertain fashion in the 55th minute when he beat the Togo defence to find Vieira who sent French fans wild when he flashed the ball into the top right hand corner of Agassa’s net. Henry made a point of going over to hug the one they call the new Zidane. Their nerves settled, France doubled their lead six minutes later when Vieira, rising to the occasion, headed to Henry who rifled in low and left. The Arsenal striker celebrated by cupping his hand over his ear to savour the cheers from the crowd. Vieira’s night ended painfully when he came off after a nasty elbow to the face, but the reception he received and the knowledge that France now have a second-round date with the Spanish in Hanover on Tuesday will have eased his evident discomfort.
— AFP
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Hanover, June 23 Arsenal defender Philippe Senderos put Switzerland ahead in the first half before striker Alexander Frei killed the hopes of the Koreans with a hotly disputed goal in the 77th minute. The Korean defence stopped after the assistant referee flagged Frei offside but the striker slid the ball home and was delighted when Argentine referee Horacio Elizondo allowed the goal to stand despite furious protests from the South Korean team. The Swiss topped the group while South Korea were sent packing as France grabbed the runners-up spot thanks to a 2-0 win over Togo in Cologne. Frei understandably praised Elizondo for his decision to over-rule his linesman. “It came off their defender after the through ball,” noted the 25-year-old, who has made the right sort of headlines here as opposed to Euro 2004 where he was in disgrace after being found guilty of spitting at another player. The Rennes centre forward, who covets a move to the Bundesliga, said the Swiss had more than merited finishing top of the group. “We played well over the three games, we didn’t concede any goals and we scored four. Now we’ll try to conquer the world!” Switzerland, who reached the second round in their last appearance in the World Cup finals 12 years ago, will play Ukraine, with France taking on Spain. France win
Cologne: Man of the match Patrick Vieira helped lift France into the last 16 with a 2-0 win over Togo in their concluding Group G fixture here yesterday. The Juventus midfielder celebrated his 30th birthday in towering style, putting the 1998 champions into an early second-half lead, then setting up Thierry Henry for the second as France slew the demons of 2002. Raymond Domenech’s side, missing suspended Zinedine Zidane, were facing a second successive first-round exit and went into this must-win game seeking their first World Cup victory since the 3-0 triumph over Brazil eight years ago. But with Vieira inspiring them they rose to the challenge. “It was long and difficult after we drew our opening two matches but we had some cards in our hand and we knew if we got the two goals we would be through, fulfilling our first objective,” Vieira said. “This team has a lot of potential,” he added. Domenech admitted that the game was difficult. “I’ll not deny that. But this team can dig deep. I am happy for the team. The next match against Spain will be super.” Fighting for their World Cup lives, Les Bleus were unable to convert a hatful of first-half chances, largely thanks to the heroics of one man — Kossi Agassa in the Togo goal. Agassa, who plays his club football for newly demoted French side Metz, got an early sign that he was in for a busy night when he had to tip a David Trezeguet header over the bar. Vieira’s Juve team-mate, teaming up for the first time in the competition with Henry in attack, had the ball in the back of Agassa’s net in the 14th minute after some neat work between Frank Ribery and Henry, only for the effort to be ruled offside. Ribery, winning only his second full cap, then shot into the stands from the left of the box on the half-hour mark, causing Henry to hit the turf in frustration.
— AFP
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England pin hopes on Rooney
Baden Baden, June 24 Rooney, who played 32 minutes against the Soca Warriors after breaking a bone in his foot in April and a further 69 against Sweden, has only given glimpses of his true ability. With striker Michael Owen at home with a ruptured cruciate ligament and the knockout phase upon them, England need their best player to come good in a game that really counts. Rooney has shown part of his repertoire with some nice passing and link-up play with the midfielders, but there has been little sign of his surging runs at defenders. Coach Sven-Goran Eriksson will hope to have the 20-year-old in even better shape by tomorrow as he prepares to pair him with Peter Crouch. Eriksson could also do with midfielder Frank Lampard rediscovering his scoring boots. Having hit 20 for Chelsea last season and 10 for England in his previous 22 games, Lampard came to Germany as a proven marksman. Nothing has gone right for him so far, with his shots either soaring over the bar or straight into the goalkeeper’s arms. The defence also needs to improve after conceding two goals against the Swedes to set-pieces, the bread-and-butter of a Premier League defender’s life. Eriksson may need to reshuffle if Rio Ferdinand fails to recover in time from a groin problem, with Owen Hargreaves likely to play at right back and Jamie Carragher switching to central defence. If they are not on song, England are destined to struggle against an Ecuador side whose 3-0 drubbing by Germany should not be taken at face value. Coach Luis Fernando Suarez made five changes from the team who booked them into the last 16 with a classy 3-0 win over Costa Rica after they beat Poland 2-0. Defender Ivan Hurtado and midfielder Segundo Castillo were rested, due to yellow cards and the risk of a ban, while defender Neicer Reasco should also return. Strikers Agustin Delgado and Carlos Tenorio, who had previously scored two goals apiece, made way as Suarez experimented with Ivan Kaviedes and Felix Borja. “I don't think it was the real Ecuador we saw against Germany,”said Eriksson. “The real Ecuador was against Poland and Costa Rica.”
— Reuters
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Portugal, Netherlands evenly matched
Nuremberg, June 24 Portugal, led by Brazilian World Cup-winning coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, have won all three group games as they reached the World Cup second round for the first time since 1966. They also have an impressive record against the Dutch, losing only once in their previous nine meetings. Portugal’s midfielder Maniche shrugged off past performances, arguing: “The statistics tell you nothing.” “It will be good if we can add to these victories against the Dutch...(but) this is a totally different game. It is going to be very difficult. Holland have excellent players, but so do we,” he said. Neither team has arguably been tested to the full in the tournament so far. Portugal faced an unfancied Iran and World Cup debutants Angola in Group D, needing only to turn up against Mexico to book their spot in the last 16. The toughest challenge for the Dutch was against favourites Argentina in their final Group C game, but by then they, too, were already in the second round after wins against the Ivory Coast and Serbia & Montenegro. Portugal will be back to their usual line-up, bringing back big names such as Deco, Cristiano Ronaldo and Pauleta after Scolari decided to play safe and leave them out against Mexico. Defender Paulo Ferreira, who could face the formidable Arjen Robben, his Chelsea team-mate, said there were no favourites. “The Dutch team is strong but we are too. We will try to do whatever we can to make it to the next round,” he said. The Dutch have a great World Cup tradition, having reached the final in 1974 and 1978. But some are questioning whether coach Marco van Basten’s young team are good enough to match those feats. Van Basten is contemplating leaving out below-par striker Ruud van Nistelrooy. “The central position up front is a point of discussion and the chance that Dirk (Kuijt) will start tomorrow has increased,” Van Basten told reporters. He has also had his team practising penalties, hoping to end a series of shootout defeats in major tournaments.
— Reuters
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Storm after the lull
Berlin, June 24 The first-round matches were essentially goodhearted, with only the occasional player tantrum, brutal foul or coach’s outburst to spoil the show. Then discipline went out the window. English referee Graham Poll, used to high-octane clashes in England’s Premier League, clearly felt physically threatened in the Croatia-Australia match that decided the second team to advance from Group F. Poll appeared to be pushed a couple of times and, at the end of the match, did something he’d probably never done before. Croatia’s Josip Simunic said something that upset Poll, because he pushed Simunic away with his hand. In the cauldron of the last 10 minutes of the 2-2 draw with Australia, when two players were sent off, Poll committed the biggest blunder of his career. He failed to send off Simunic in the 90th minute when he showed him a yellow card for the second time. Three minutes later, after he had blown the final whistle, Poll showed Simunic a third yellow — apparently for dissent — and then the red card. For Poll, the damage is likely done. FIFA rarely announces these decisions, but the Englishman is unlikely to find himself officiating any of the big matches left in the tournament. In the first 48 matches in Germany, 18 red cards were handed out. That’s one more than in all of the 2002 World Cup. And 258 yellows have been produced, 5.37 per match, one more per game than in Japan and South Korea four years ago. In 2002, a total of 272 yellow cards were shown. Many of the ejections have been for receiving two yellow cards for the likes of dissent or trips. Generally, there has been no violence. Tunisia received the most yellows, 14, and Ghana has fouled the most, 76 times in three matches. Iran, eliminated from the tournament, was the most fouled with 66.
— AP
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— Vikramdeep Johal
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Windies in command St Kitts, June 24 Unscathed in the morning session, West Indies were 536 for five at lunch. Indeed, they had surprised observers by showing no sense of urgency in the hour before the break. But they made amends thereafter by dispatching Harbhajan Singh for three sixes in his first over of the afternoon - two of them brutally executed by Samuels and the other with effortless ease over extra cover by Chanderpal. But the Sikh eventually polished off the tail to finish with figures of five for 147, with the hosts losing their last five wickets in a mere eight overs and less than 40 minutes. On a pitch evolving as the most heartless for bowlers in the current series, the West Indians attempted to grind India to the dust, but at the same time didn't seem to demonstrate any desire to win. This would have been understandable if the home side were protecting a lead, but to be so negative where the issue was still wide open, reflected a cynicism on the part of captain, Brian Lara's and, perhaps, a message to his selectors that he doesn't have the armoury to force victory. The victims of this internecine squabbling were India. As play got into its strides on the third day, 55 overs of the proposed 180 overs had been lost to inclement weather or ground conditions in the first two days. On a sporting pitch, given aggressive intent, it is not unfeasible to obtain a positive outcome in 294 overs - which is what can be unfolded if there are no further interruptions (rather too much to ask for in this hurricane season in the Caribbean). However, the wicket is still heavily loaded in favour of batsmen; and India cannot be expected to traverse in a one-day mode, confronted, as they are, with a mammoth West Indies total. Only if the tourists succumb to the psychological pressure of the West Indian score can any drama be expected. Munaf Patel and Sreesanth kept the overnight batsmen, Chanderpaul and Samuels relatively quiet, but as the former gave way to Anil Kumble, the normally obdurate Guyanese left-hander caressed him through the cover for four and then chipped him to long-off for six off the wrist spinner's first two deliveries. Soon, the Jamaican right-hander joined the frolic by hoisting the same bowler toweringly over long-on. Scoreboard
West Indies (1st innings) Gayle b Patel 83 Ganga b Patel 135 Sarwan lbw Sreesanth 116 Lara lbw Patel 10 Chanderpaul not out 97 Bravo c Dhoni Samuels c Harbhajan Ramdin c Jaffer Taylor c Yuvraj Collins c Dravid Collymore b Harbhajan 0 Extras
(lb -14, w -1, nb -11) 26 Total (all out; 170 overs) 581 Fall of wickets:
1-143, 2-346, 3-356, 4-371, 5-406, 6-562, 7-570, 8-576, 9-581. Bowling: Patel 32-4-134-3, Sreesanth 31-8-99-1, Kumble 47-8-140-0, Harbhajan 44-6-147-5, Sehwag 16-3-47-1 India (1st innings) Jaffer not out 23 Sehwag not out 29 Extras
(nb 5) 5 Total (0 wickets; 9 overs) 57 Bowling: Taylor 5-1-30-0, Collins 4-0-27-0.
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Agassi to retire after US Open
The American, who has been struggling with a chronic back injury in recent seasons, won the first of his eight Grand Slam singles titles at Wimbledon in 1992 when he beat Goran Ivanisevic in five sets in the final. Agassi said he had made his decision to retire several months ago but explained: “I waited until now to say something as it is only right that I say it at the place it all started.” The US Open starts on August 28 in New York. Agassi plays Serbian Boris Pashanski in the Wimbledon first round in what will be his final match at the grasscourt Grand Slam if he loses. One of tennis’s most flamboyant personalities, Agassi won the Australian Open four times, the US Open twice and Wimbledon and the French Open once each. His triumph at Roland Garros in 1999 made him only the fifth man in history to win a career Grand Slam of all four major tennis tournaments.
— Reuters
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Pak finish fifth
Today’s
matches India vs New Zealand Australia vs Holland
Kuala Lumpur, June 24 Earlier, Argentina bounced back from 0-2 down to post a 3-2 win against Malaysia and finish seventh. The result came in extra after the two teams were locked 2-2 in regulation
time. — PTI
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London, June 24