Quotes of the Day
Physical Germany Will Overpower Brazil
You can't score if you don't shoot, and like England before them, Turkey treated the Brazilian 18-yard line like it was a steel fence. Hakan Sukur, apart from one marvelous moment, was anonymous. The conventional wisdom that Ilhan should have been on all through the game is right; in injury time, he had Turkey's clearest chance. Hasan Sas lived up to his reputation as the indisciplined bad boy of Turkish football, and all the great work done by Basturk, Emre and Alpay came to naught. Germany will have been interested to see that Brazil couldn't put the game away after Ronaldo's goal, and also that Route One — down the middle — gets snared by the Brazilian defense. (One reason that both Turkey and England resorted to the long ball up the middle is often overlooked. Roberto Carlos and especially Cafu are terrific defenders on the flanks; Cafu is playing as well as he ever has.)
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Purists will hope that Brazil score early, so that the Germans come out of their defensive shell. But I think that Germany will hang on through the first half, and then snatch a goal after the break. So it will be Germany 1 - Brazil 0. And less than a year after Stevie Gerrard took them apart in Munich, who would ever have dared predict that?
Rivaldo, a Magician from Deep
I agree with Mike's summation of the German game plan — don't let Ronaldo and Rivaldo turn, and inflict a little pain early on. (That may sound cynical, but hey — Rudi Voller even singled out Ballack for special praise on Tuesday for the professional foul that earned him his suspension.) The Germans will note that Brazil looked a little iffy early on against Turkey, struggling to find their rhythm with a new lineup. Germany would have worked hard to extend and deepen such discomfort. In the absence of Ronaldinho, neither his replacement Edilson nor substitute Denilson made any impression, and that forced Rivaldo to drop back in search of the ball. His deeper role, however, allowed him to work many a magic moment, and he was easily Brazil's man of the match. His close control is breathtaking, and his ability to unleash snap shots without first steadying himself has to worry even Oliver Kahn. With Ronaldhino back for the final, the Germans are going to have their hands full, particularly in light of the effectiveness of Cafu and Roberto Carlos on the flanks. Just hope the Real Madrid left back isn't getting tired, because he was beaten for pace at least once by Fatih.
The most worrying thing for the Germans, though, will be the self-confidence the Brazilians displayed once they'd found their stride midway through the first half. From then on, it was only a matter of when the goals would come, and how many there'd be. Once they catch fire like that, even being a goal down won't be enough to stop them. We're in for a final matching two teams who carry on their shoulders the weight of their more illustrious forebears, against whose standards both are deemed mere pretenders. But the great Brazilian teams and the great German teams, both of whom seemed to own the World Cup for decades at a time, never actually met in a game that mattered. What we're going to see on Sunday, in football terms, is nothing less than an epic clash of cultures. And ultimately, the world is a better place when the "beautiful game" is played in the style of the sunshine countries. My heart says Brazil; and with a few reservations, my mind says, why not?
Brazil Gives as Good as it Gets
I think we overestimate the Germans' ability to intimidate Brazil physically.
This is not a team of ballerinas — Rivaldo is a target of many a La Liga
defender and he knows how to protect himself. It's been my experience that
when a match gets filthy, the Brazilians get as dirty as anyone else; in
fact, they are viciously great at retaliation. Which brings us, again, to the
ref. Look for an early card to sort things out — then Germans will have to
play football. And they're not too shabby at it.
Korean Lessons in Sporstmanship
I'd be interested to hear how the fans reacted in Korea after their team's loss. From what I saw on telly the fans were disappointed but still ready to congratulate Germany. Sky television crossed to a crowd of Koreans in Trafalger Square who were waving a few Korean flags as well as a GERMAN flag. Hard to see the Italians or Spaniards waving the flag of their opponents. In the end old firm teams may have made the final but perhaps the newbies can teach a thing or two about sportsmanship.
German Organization Trumps Korean Stamina
(June 26, 9am)
Why did Germany beat Korea when other European giants like Poland, Italy, Spain and Portugal couldn't? Maybe because, in the sixth game over three weeks, the Koreans were finally unable to run with the zeal that they'd shown in the group stage. But mainly, surely, because this German side is as well-organized as the (somewhat unlovable) teams that got to the final in '82, '86 and '90. They know when to foul and when to draw a foul; they don't panic; they have Kahn in goal; and in Hamman, Schneider and Ballack, they have midfielders who will run all day but also have great technical skills. Hamman was doing delightful stuff deep into injury time. Credit to Rudy Voeller for putting the team together in a year and — Spain and Italy, please note — for continuing to push forward after the goal. Ballack really deserved it; he was huge for Bayer Leverkusen in their golden season last year, and will add to Bayern Munich's strength in the fall. A real shame he'll miss the final; he would have been a worthy opponent for the Brazilians. Assuming, that is, they win tomorrow; a friend of mine thinks we should all be rooting for Turkey on the grounds that it would be good for an Islamic country to win a "western" event. But as Korea have brilliantly showed us, the World Cup isn't a western preserve any more.
An Unrelenting Attack
You're dead right Michael: the key to Germany's success is that they kept going forward after scoring, even bringing on Asamoah late in the game to keep the Korean defenders busy.
And So To the Last Four...
(June 24, 12.10pm)
Despite all the shocks in the Cup so far, I'd find it hard to bet against Brazil or Germany. The Germans, after their drubbing by England last year, have turned themselves into a good, solid side, with a decent defense, an excellent keeper, and good playmakers in Hamman and Ballack. They haven't yet had the credit they deserve, because (apart from thrashing the Saudis) they have tended to eke out narrow wins. But as Gary Lineker once so memorably said, "Football is a game played over two halves of 45 minutes, at the end of which the Germans win." This is a better side than in '98, and despite South Korea's speed, it seems to me that it's Germany for the final.
Brazil are the class side left. Yes, Turkey are good — much better than their reputation — but I don't see them winning this. The three Rs plus Cafu and Roberto Carlos add up to a half a side of true excellence, even though Roque Junior, Lucio and Marcos (another in the line of weak Brazilian keepers) look shaky. Rivaldo is a wonder; shame that he's also a cheat. Turkey can hold their heads high whatever happens; in England, they're called "Germany B," which just about gets it right. On the back of Germanic influences and the success over the last few seasons of Galatasaray (whose fans, thank God, seem to have stayed in Istanbul) in the Champions League, they have deservedly done well. They meet England in Euro 2004 qualifying and will be no pushover.
Of course, as we've learned, nobody is. Of the 32 teams in the tournament, only Saudi Arabia and China were completely useless. Nobody can stroll through the first-round groups now, and those who thought they could — Portugal and France — found themselves on the early plane home. At the end of a long European season, speed kills — and it was the speedy, fit sides like South Korea, Japan, and the USA who provided most of the shocks.
It takes nothing away from the Koreans, who have been brilliant since they massacred Poland in their first game, to say that they've been the beneficiaries of two awful decisions, both by linesmen rather than by referees. (The famously controversial calls by referees against the USA, Italy, and others, have been much less clear-cut.) Tommasi scored an onside goal for Italy, and Spain — as all the world doth know — was robbed in the quarter-final by a terrible linesman's call. That was a pity; throughout the tournament, the Spanish had looked the most attractive European side, even if they found it hard to score goals. Sadly, age will now break this team up; I would have liked to see them win something.
Instead (you read it here first) Germany will.
Beware Davala's Ferret
At least Senegal can't complain about the refereeing. No, they were beaten fair and square by a Turkish team that outplayed them in the midfield, and created so many scoring chances that those prone to seeing the hand of God on the football field might have deduced that he was playing sweeper for Senegal, as Turkey's strikers repeatedly failed to make contact along the six-yard line. But the more influential "outsider" in this first-ever quarter-final clash between two Muslim nations appeared to have been the ferret perched atop the bald pate of Turkish midfielder Umit Davala. (That broad, flat swathe of dark hair that runs the length of his scalp is no a Mohican; it's a furry creature with a fine footballing mind that tells him exactly where he has to be and where and when to pass.) Although Senegal had a number of opportunities to steal the match on the breakaway, Turkey always looked in control. And in the 94th minute, the ferret decided it was time to exploit the softness at the center of Senegal's defense by curling in a well-time cross from deep on the right which found substitute striker Ilhan racing in to convert. A well-deserved victory, and that goal must sound a warning to Brazil — Lucio's gift to Michael Own was but one illustration of a vulnerability in the middle of the back four, and that's exactly where Davala and his ferret like to hit quick, high passes to release their strikers. Hakan Sukur is still obviously carrying an injury, but if they start Ilhan in the Number 9 spot, Brazil could have a few problems.
Who Are These Refs?
(June 24, 9am)
Can somebody tell me who plays in the Ugandan, Egyptian and Trinidadian leagues? I am trying to understand what kind of preparation the officiating corps at the Korea-Spain game received.
Despite the Ref, Spain Didn't Do Enough to Win
Enrique: Ask the Italians. The worst part was not the bad line call — refs miss calls all the time, as the U.S. team can tell you — but that the linesman was not in the proper position to make any call. That said, Spain, as Italy before
them, did not do enough to win this game, and once again I blame the coach
for what seemed to me to be an odd lineup. Were they playing for penalties?
It's Not About the Nationality of the Ref
The nationality of the refs has nothing to do with anything. The worst ref in
the World Cup was, ironically, from Spain: Senor Lopez Nieto, who was sent
home (repeat, sent home) after his ham-handed handling of Cameroon vs.
Germany. Let's also remember that Camacho and Co. also complained
vociferously about Swedish ref. Anders Frisk, who (rightly) gave Ireland a
late, late penalty after Mr. Iron Hierro tried to exchange shirts with Niall
Quinn before the final whistle.
Nieto and Frisk are supposed to be among the best in Europe, and if they can bungle then why not refs from Egypt, Trinidad or Burkina Faso?
Oh yes, and who were the ref in the Italy vs. Croatia game, where two Italian "goals" were disallowed? Not some unknown from some little country, but England's best: Graham Poll. And his linesmen were from... wait for it... England and Denmark.
So let's lay off the officials from obscure (in footy terms) countries. Their nationality doesn't prevent them from being good refs. Every country's national league has its own pressures and problems, and the men officiating them are no less qualified than refs from Europe.
From personal experience, I know that the Calcutta derby (Mohun Bagan Club vs. East Bengal Club) is a great deal more ferocious than, say Rangers vs. Celtic, Barca vs. Real, or Boca vs. River Plate. The men who officiate in Calcutta must endure the screaming insults of 140,000 fans in India's biggest stadium — and cope with the stress of knowing that angry mobs can (and sometimes do) descend on a ref's homes after the derby to protest decisions, perhaps by setting fire to his car, or by beating up his children.
So what if India has never played in a World Cup? Anybody who can be an impartial referee in the Calcutta derby has as much skill and cojones as Pierluigi Collina — and as much right as he does to officiate a World Cup game.
Nobody was more crushed by Spain's departure than I, but Camacho's protestations are excessive. The first of the so-called goals that Spain were denied was a good call by the ref. If you look closely at the replays, the first Spanish player in the line jumping for the free kick (the first man, who you tend to overlook because you usually follow the arc of the ball, which was heading for the fifth, or sixth man in the line) clearly backed into the Korean defender behind him: That's a foul.
As for the second goal, the linesman made a wrong call about whether or not the ball had crossed the line, yes. But the instant he raised his flag, the Korean keeper straightened up and made only a casual attempt to stop Morientes's header. The defenders running in to intercept, likewise, perceptibly slowed down. Had the linesman not raised his flag, keeper and defenders would have tried harder to stop Morientes. Would they have succeeded? We don't know, but it's silly to call that a "disallowed goal." As Hiddink says, it was a CHANCE, not a goal.
As for the linesman's call, it's a common enough mistake: I've seen it happen dozens of times in La Liga (and elsewhere). His view of the ball was obstructed by the player on it, Joaquim, and he may have been influenced by the spectators behind the goal, who all shouted that the ball had gone out. This happens every day in football, and it's part of home-field advantage.
Spanish anger is understandable, but it is better directed at Camacho, whose defensive game-plan (and he, above all people, should have known better after the near-disaster against the Irish) was the real reason for the side's failure to create and convert more opportunities.
Team USA: The Joke's Over
(June 22, 11.30am)
Phone call for Landon Donovan. It's Bayer Leverkusen on the line. When can
you come back? Four years after the Germans kicked them around the pitch,
the US demonstrated that it belongs here. None so more than Donovan — the Leverkusen reject — who toyed with Christian Ziege in the first half, and, but for Kahn's spectacular keeping, would have put the US ahead. The good news is that the joke's over — the US is going to kick some butt and take names in the next 10 y ears. Sure, sure, America has been all hat and no cattle, as they say in the West, since its surprising performance at the cup in 1994. But this team clearly demonstrates the need for a pro league to develop a talent pool that can get through such a grueling schedule. Bruce Arena used
18 field players in his mix-and match lineup, and his selection of MLS
veterans, even the unfortunate Jeff Agoos, was pivotal to this team's
success. Oddly enough, the MLS stands to suffer, as European teams swoop down on phenoms such as DaMarcus Beasley and revelations such as Pablo Mastroeni, a Premiership player if ever there was one.
Germany proved nothing if not reliable: It has lived off its air force for the entire tournament, and Ballack's header off a Ziege corner was right out of their textbook. They are probably praying they face the shorter Koreans, rather than Spain, in the semi.
England Outclassed
(June 22, 9am)
"Let's go find a Brazilian pub and 'ave a ruck, you know, sort it out..." The English lads were walking dejectedly through SoHo in the dawn's early light, and those of us in their proximity who had taken delight in Brazil's emphatic outclassing of England chose silent discretion as the better part of valor. Not that they were serious, of course. These were "new lads," Beckham boys, ironically intoning the hard-man mantras of the past as in a Guy Ritchie movie. But no matter what progress the British media claims Beckham has made in shedding the worst instincts of English masculinity, out on the football field they still looked like England. Quick and strong, but no match for the skill and vision of Brazil — even after the referee had finally stepped in and done Nicky Butt's job, which was to neutralize Ronaldhino. Warned you all about him, foraging for the ball deep behind Ronaldo and Revaldo and relishing nothing more than running it into a packed defense, as he did to set up Rivaldo's equalizer. The jheri-curled wonder managed to win the game for Brazil in the first 60 minutes, before that incomprehensible red card. David Seaman will, sadly, spend years studying the video of Ronaldhino's exquisite curling free kick that dropped out of the sky and into the top right corner of his goal, wondering whether things would have turned out different if he'd stayed on his line. But Brazil took the third-R's ejection into their stride, maintaining their dominance by passing the ball around and creating space, playing it out of defense rather than hoofing it upfield, attacking till the 85th minute with Roberto Carlos covering every inch of the pitch at breakneck speed, and always making England look vulnerable despite their extra man. England had scored the early goal demanded by their game-plan — a wonderful opportunist effort by Michael Owen punishing a poor first touch by Lucio — and the Brazilian defense always looked decidedly shaky in the middle (Heskey always had more time to turn than he'd ever get in the Premiership.) But they never managed to stop Brazil stroking the ball around the midfield, which was their only chance of victory. England went as far as it deserved to go in these finals; hopefully FIFA will turn Ronaldhino's red card into a yellow so that we're not deprived of the spectacle of him applying his skills all the way to the trophy.
Valiant England Lacked Midfield Flair
Okay, Okay, England sucked in the second half. But not in the first. After
Owen scored, they played some of their best football of the tournament,
using Heskey well, and, had Beckham not bottled out of a tackle in the
last minute of the half, they would have gone in a goal up, and it would
have been Brazil making adjustments. When England came out for the
second half they looked busted, and so they were. Throughout the
tournament, their lack of creativity in midfield let them down, but even
they cannnot have imagined that it would be Seaman who made the crucial
mistake. Mind you, that was some free kick.
Fire the Ref
Knew there was some reason I continued watching the Cup after France's ouster... Turns out the English side was as overrated and hyped as Beckham's "let's shut up about it, shall we?" coif. Though Brazil wasn't necessarily overpowering — and certainly not the death-on-studs past sides have been — the English could just never fully get into the match. Owen (even I gotta love that Englisher) scores on a defensive boner that probably caused Bill S. to apply for Brazilian citizenship, and that was all she wrote for England. The Ronaldhino-Rivaldo combo was pretty straight ahead, and Ronnie's free kick was a master piece that Zidane probably wouldn't mind calling his own. I was a bit surprised that the English threat remained approximative even after the scandalous red card reduced Brazil to 10, but having witnessed the never-say-die steel of English sides in the past (I still have nightmares about the Manchester United-Bayern Munich Champions' League final...), I couldn't bring myself to exhale till the incompetent referee whistled the end. How to explain it all? England just didn't seem to be at its top today — sometimes you feel like a nut; sometimes you don't.
Meanwhile, in addition to the other considerable house cleaning that the corruption-sclerotic FIFA must attend to is the horrific level of officiating that even Pele has called "alarming" at this level. Today's ref — the same, don'tcha know, who decided to become Player Of the Game in the France-Uruguay match — shouldn't be allowed to cut grass, much less reign over it. Ronaldinho's foul on Mills was ugly to see, but just as clearly unintentional — he got ball, rolled off it, and nailed ankle. Fair enough to suspect he didn't exactly tread softly once he hit tibia, but I don't think it constituted the kind of attack that merits instant red. Still, why expect any better from Mr. Ramos Rizo today than we saw during the first round (which is best described as "sub-sucky"?). The man shouldn't be in Asia at all, and the fact he is — and that folks like Pele feel compelled to lament his kind — is a testament to FIFA's idiot selection policy. Ditto the Jamaican referee who entirely changed the Brazil-Belgium match with his stunning ineptitude. If we all understand the regional nature of qualification for teams, it's less clear why FIFA insists on regional quotas for referees. Why invite an incompetent from Mexico when you might have 10 more qualified candidates from another country, or region? The supposed "fairness" of quotas in officiating evaporates once the succession of errors begins on the pitch. If FIFA insists on quotas, why not go the whole hog: let's create official minimum for women referees (which'd be a very good idea, actually), for the lame, blind, criminally demented, and insane. After all, what's good for FIFA leadership should be good for the folks in black.
History Sweetens Korea's Triumph
(June 18, 10am)
South Koreans really thought they could beat Italy. Imagine! Somebody forgot
to tell to them that soccer giants like Italy roll over soccer squirts like
South Korea. Somebody forgot to tell them, okay, you beat Portugal somehow
but now your luck has run out. Somebody forgot to tell them the soccer world
was going back to normal but in this most extraordinary of World Cups, maybe
it isn't. Guess what — I can't believe I'm writing this — Korea just beat
Italy. Two goals to one. South Korea, which had never won as much as a match
in five previous World Cups, just beat Italy, a three-time World Cup winner.
Upsets don't get much bigger than that. South Korea is going into the quarter-finals against Spain. And you can bet the Spanish aren't laughing. When Ahn Jung Hwan, who had missed a crucial penalty early in the game, redeemed himself by heading in that incredible golden goal at 117 minutes, the entire country exploded in delirious rapture, people crying, cheering wildly, some literally speechless. The revelry went on into the wee hours.
The victory was extra sweet for South Korea. Knocked out earlier in the day by Turkey, rival Japan didn't advance to the quarter finals. That will put a little bounce into the step of Koreans everywhere — World Cup co-host Japan was also once Korea's colonial master. But there is another reason Koreans relish this victory. Many remember that communist North Korea beat Italy 1-0 in 1966 to get to the quarter finals. Korean television replayed highlights of that match after today's game. Now, as one South Korean put it: "We beat them again."
Korea Wins, and So Does Football
Awesome. Just finished witnessing one of the greatest upsets in history. And the way it happened. Magnificent. I said that anything could happen. And it did. Italy played Italian football — that is defensive, boring, basing everything on the magic of Totti and Vieri, and the rest running from one side to the other with no intention of passing the midfield with conviction. Korea left their guts there, but they also played well, with calm, opening the ball to the wings. They did not rush and they obtained their deserved prize. Football won, stone handling lost. I am happy. And Spain better get ready if they don't want to be utterly embarrassed against Korea. For all I have to say about Italy, at least in overtime they tried to win, even with 10 players. It seemed they were playing at full force. When Spain played with 10 against Ireland it looked like they were playing with 9. It was embarrassing. If they come out with the same attitude against Spain, Korea will win. Period. What a great night.
Snatching Defeat from the Jaws of Victory
And a heartfelt congratulations to Italian coach Giovanni Trapattoni for once
again extracting defeat from the jaws of victory. This old man doesn't get
it. He takes out Del Piero in the 60th minute to switch to that vaunted
'catenaccio' of the 1970s. All Del Piero is doing is sweeping down the left
wing with half the Korean defense after him, creating huge gaps for Vieri to
run through. Instead, he brings in Gattuso to do — just what exactly was
Gattuso doing? Didn't Trap watch the Koreans swarm the U.S. and Poland?
Didn't he watch a 9-man Portugal nearly pull out a miracle by going at them?
The arrogance of this man — he should resign for the good of football.
And so, brave Korea, on to Spain, a team which had better learn the lesson of their match with Ireland. Once again, the Europeans are the class team. Once again, if they don't attack, and keep attacking, they too will be put to the sword.
Football Democratized: The End of Entitlement
World Cup 2002 has been nothing short of a football revolution, as the game's aristocrats have followed one another out to the guillotine for unceremonious beheadings by those traditionally deemed their inferiors. Italy, Argentina, France and Portugal came to Asia pretty much assuming that they'd make at least the quarter-finals, after a few warm-up games against the colorful peasantry. And they're all going home, leaving an unprecedented four Cinderella teams in the last eight. Given that two of those, Senegal and Turkey, face each other, at least one will make the final four — and frankly, I wouldn't bet against Korea upsetting Spain, too, given how badly the Irish rattled the rather too aristocratic Spaniards last weekend.
The current tournament's long-term impact on the international game will be profound. The string of upsets in Korea and Japan — which has grown so long that the term 'upset' may have to be retired, because at least half the time, traditionally fancied teams have failed to best the arrivistes — highlights two contingent truths. The first is that the gap between football powers and minnows has narrowed considerably, and there are now very few 'easy' games at World Cup level. Ask Italy. Or France. Or Portugal. Even Germany struggled against both Ireland and Cameroon. By 2006, every group will potentially be a "Group of Death." The second lesson from Korea-Italy, Senegal-Sweden and Spain-Ireland is that one goal is never a safe margin, and teams that play the traditional Italian away-game of defending a one-goal lead are the architects of their own doom. Fitting that the Italians should be the victims of the demise of that game.
Revolution? No, Just a few Upsets
Bah. Winning is winning is winning, and I certainly don't contest that Korea did just that. Nor do I deny it was particularly satisfying to see the exasperating Squadra (and their equally irritating tifosi) silenced by the never-say-die hosts. But I'd advise against any dramatic declarations of universal equality, new footballistic world orders, or forever changed sporting realities. The amazing falls of faves, and just as spectacular successes of outsiders, has made this Cup exciting and unpredictable. But it can't revolutionize the realities of the game — or dismal Adam Smith refereeing of it in most parts of the world.
As Korea is promising — and indeed, in many ways France showed in 1998 — a healthy, rested, motivated, unified, and psychologically studly unit can get on a roll, stay on a roll, and reverse bad bounces that threaten that roll over the duration of a seven-game tournament. A good team needs to win three of those handily, can lose or draw one, and be both good and lucky in taking the three others (with perhaps the will-generated miracle along the way for good measure). That mix can get a side a long way in a limited competition. A great footballing nation needs to produce contending teams year in and out, and prove capable of not only winning (or continually contending for) international titles over the longer haul, but also turn out individual players who will draw top dollar from pro clubs at home and abroad. African nations are beginning to do that. Asia and the US — Turkey, for that matter — still have quite a way to go to that end — their success (and who knows, perhaps victory) if this Cup notwithstanding. I'm not saying these budding nations won't get there — but I am saying I'm not going to make them dotcom billionaires of football on the weight of one, seven-game campaign. Let's see how long these start-ups flourish over the longer-haul.
This Cup may be the Cup of all upsets. Hell, we may even see an almost exclusively underdog final four. Announcing the end of the football world as we knew it is getting considerably ahead of ourselves, if not voluntarily giddy. If memory serves, of the eight teams that made it to the 1/4 finals in 1998, only one — Brazil — has gotten that far this time around. Of the 16 teams in this year's elimination round, six — Brazil, Germany, England, Italy, Mexico and Denmark — were present in 1998. Point being, "stuff" happens, things change, but while winners in 90 minutes become champions over "seven 90 minutes," they only become forces to be reckoned with over a much longer period of time.
I agree that this is not yet the dawn of a new football era. I am thrilled that Korea left the Azzuri out in the blue. It's also very interesting that Senegal or Turkey will be in the semis, but Bulgaria was also in the semis in US '94 and Croatia in '98, if we are talking about "surprise" teams. Almost every Cup there is a Cinderella story. In this Cup we have two or three. Fantastic, but that is due as much to the game displayed by those teams as it is to the luck of the draw in some cases (Argentina and England and Sweden in the same group, for example). I think the fact that the Cup is being played in Asia, outside the Euro center of influence, has something to do with the revolution of the (up to now) invisible. Certainly, Korea (and Japan) have played a great tourney, but I doubt they would be able to duplicate it in Europe. Not yet. The "home effect" is huge in football (and not just for refereeing purposes). As much as the Italians are used to playing in front of hostile crowds, it must have been mentally challenging for them to have to confront Korea — which, by the way, were physically superior at the end, despite having played constantly on the offensive, surrounded by a roaring, tireless, sea of red.
And Spain has to watch out. I am afraid, though, that Mr. Camacho is already thinking of the excuse list he is going to put out in the press room, after Kwangju's game.
Defense, Pace Can Beat the Best
(June 17, 12pm)
I caught the Ireland vs. Spain game at an Irish pub in London, and of course we all cried into our black stuff afterwards. You can say all you want about the Irish doing little more than pumping it to Niall Quinn's head, but at least they tried to win the game in the Golden Goal period; Spain didn't. But you can't hope to win if you convert only three penalties out of seven taken. Bit of a shame to see this Irish side go out, because they're actually quite good — they've beaten excellent teams like the Netherlands, deserved to beat Germany and Spain, and have a ton of skillful young players, like Duff and Holland. If I was a Spain fan, I'd be wondering why they created so few scoring chances after Morientes' soft goal. The Irish defense was fine, but no better than — say — that of Italy, who Spain may meet next.
Man-of-the-match: referee Anders Frisk, not only for giving the last minute penalty when Hierro tried to undress Quinn, but for sensibly letting play carry on after tough but fair tackles. The ref of the final, if Italy get there and Collina can't do it?
Watched Mexico vs. USA over breakfast at the world famous Groucho Club of London. Mexico terribly disappointing; US showing once again that a great defense — Sanneh and Pope outstanding — allied to pace, can beat the best teams. A tip of the hat to Bruce Arena, the US coach. Bill Saporito has been saying what a clever guy he is, and boy, did he prove it today. Used the enforced absence of Agoos (thank God...) to switch to a 3-5-2, with Reyna and Lewis out wide. I thought that was a waste of Reyna; then the first time he goes forward he sets up a beautifully-worked goal for McBride. Kudos for O'Brien, too, who has been a terrific presence in the midfield even if he does sometimes give the ball away. But I'll be glad to see Hejduk back for Berghalter, who should have been called for a stupid handball in the box.
Form merchants would pick Germany in the quarters; but who knows what look Arena has up his sleeve next?
Senegal? Great, Tony, of course. But man, what a goal Andersson almost had in the Golden Goal period. Incredible skill.
Exorcising the Ghost of '98
Only a few genuine sombreros punctuated the 36,000-strong crowd gathered in Jeonju to watch the Mexicans take on the U.S. But even when the final score favored the Americans in a remarkable 2-0 upset, the overwhelmingly Korean crowd was still ole-oleing for the South of the Border squad. The Koreans, it seems, have taken cheering against the U.S. as their second-favorite activity — behind supporting their ascendant home side, of course. Old feuds die hard, and the Koreans are still irked by a controversial decision to award a gold medal to an American short-track speed skater instead of the Korean favorite. On Monday, the Koreans were cranking up the mariachi. Except for a small American contingent dubbed Sam's Army, which was cordoned off by watchful armed Korean police, the U.S. heard nothing but boos whenever they touched the ball.
But the adverse conditions brought out the best in the US. They looked like they'd downed their Red Bull, popping up for headers and dashing in for tackles with ferocious speed. Within the first eight minutes, Brian McBride had kicked in a goal, leaving the Mexicans stunned and out-of-breath. And despite dominating possession, the Mexicans never recovered from the lightening strike. That the Americans left Jeonju with a 2-0 victory is all the more surprising, given their 3-1 drubbing by the Poles just three days earlier. After the Poland match, the Americans were subdued, as if they knew they didn't quite deserve to advance. Despite the fact that they had successfully exorcised the memory of their last-place showing four years earlier in France, the team exited the pitch quickly, eschewing the usual group hugs and showboating.
After Monday's match, however, the Americans reveled in having advanced on their own merits. Donovan, who was named the player of the match, raced up to Friedel and jumped on his back. Then leaped on Pablo Mastroeni and Tony Sanneh, the outstanding pair who formed the backbone of the solid US defense. The joyful scrum teetered for a few seconds before collapsing on the grass. As the American players picked themselves up from the pitch, Cuauhtemoc Blanco watched from the sidelines. This time, his glum expression wasn't just play-acting (as when he'd tried to garner an unearned penalty during the match, and won a yellow card for his performance). The Mexicans, who had topped a group filled with powerhouses Italy and Croatia, had fallen, while the Americans, who had just squeaked into the round of 16, had advanced. Under such circumstances, it's even harder to say adios to World Cup dreams.
What Works for England Works for US
France '98 has been officially expunged from the USA record. What a bold strategy the Red White and Blue played, too — let Mexico pound the ball down our throats for, oh, 85 minutes, and pull off two crisply executed counterattacks. Football's a bitch, isn't it Mexico? But then again, if that strategy's good enough for Sweden or England against Argentina, why not the U.S.
Frankly, I never understood what Bruce Arena saw in Brian McBride, other than a guy who can head the ball. But there he was again for the critical first goal. Arena is amazing. He will be coaching in the Premiership before long. He benches Mathis again, despite a good showing against Poland, moves O'Brien back and gives a start to Wolff , Berhalter and Mastroeni, the latter two being very tough guys. Mastro won't take any guff from anyone — he should get the nod against Germany. Wolff drove the Mexicans crazy in the last February's qualifying game against Mexico in Ohio. And then there's Eddie Lewis, who was basically the last man on board when Arena picked his team. What a quality cross on the second goal.
As for the quarter final matchup, keep in mind that a second string German team destroyed the US in a friendly earlier this year, 5-2 I believe. Importantly, the U.S. scored first — and they are learning big lessons in protecting leads in this Cup. If they can score first again, this game will get very interesting.
Never Mind Ronaldo, Watch Out for Ronaldinho!
David Beckham and the lads watching from the stands will have drawn comfort from Brazil's lackluster performance against Belgium. Despite the 2-0 scoreline, it was hardly a rout, with Belgium's smothering of the midfield denying Brazil's rhythm and the Brazilian defense looking characteristically leaky. More than once, it was the reflexes of 'keeper Marcos that kept them in the game, and relying on your goalie is never a good idea when you're Brazil. But the most important difference between the two teams was undoubtedly Ronaldhino, the attacking midfielder who regularly brought the ball into the box, beating two or three men at a time, whenever the Belgian defense retreated to crowd out Rondaldo and Revaldo. The Paris St. Germain player stood out for many reasons: In a tournament dominated by shaved heads, bottle-blond curls and dreads, the man has the man has the retro-cool to sport a jheri curl! And he clearly enjoys himself, always smiling like a free spirit enjoying a good game of beach soccer. But mostly it's his close-control ability to draw and quarter the defense that must, right now, look like England's biggest headache. They'll be running hard in those early minutes in search of a lead.
Magnificent Senegal now flies the flag for all of Africa, and they'll go from strength to strength. After all, four top players missed the Sweden game through injury and suspension, and three of them should return against Japan or Turkey. My only concern is that in that game, Senegal will start as the favorite, and that's a psychological shift from all its previous games. Still, Africa looks set for its first-ever semifinal. At the outset, Senegal was my "in my dreams" pick to the win the World Cup. I failed to wake up for their victory over Sweden. Now the dilemma is whether to stay awake and take my dreams out of the equation in their semifinal showdown with Brazil. (Okay, or England?)
A Triumph of Liverpudlian Efficiency
One horrible mistake by the Danish goalie, two clinically efficient pieces of finishing, and Engl
and stroll through. I'm impressed; they remind me (don't laugh) of the Liverpool team that Houllier has built, with a solid central defense, a space-hogging midfield, and the patience to wait for Owen to score on the counter-attack. The problem: as Liverpool found out against Leverkusen, a side truly committed to going forward and scoring goals nullifies all the calculations of the counter-attacking game.
Sure, it's easy to find the weaknesses in this team:
1. The fullbacks. Mills just doesn't convince me and Cole (who may have been carrying an injury) was skinned by Ommedahl more than once.
2. No creativity in midfield; they still miss Gerrard, their most explosive player.
3. Heskey is more of a distraction than someone who can really hold the ball and lead a line. (Though better him than Fowler.)
But the more I see this team, the more I begin to appreciate their virtues:
1. An experienced goalie playing at the top of his form; one goal in four games, and that one not his fault.
2. The best central defense pairing in the tournament. In fact, is Rio Ferdinand the player of the World Cup so far?
3. Owen — from 12 yards or less, the best chance-creator/goal-scorer in the world. His goal today was a little gem.
4. (I never thought I'd say this.) Beckham. There's a really strange thing going on here. He is so at one with the mindless juvenilia of British pop culture, so obviously happy to be an icon of it, that he's actually become an effective leader. That is to say, British leadership is now epitomized not by stiff-upper-lip cavalry officers or sozzled, Churchillian toffs, but by a rather dull (have you ever heard an interview with him?) Peter Pan who managed to marry Wendy. What Beckham's role as leader says about modern Britain I don't know. (Actually, I do know, but it can wait for another time.) But it's bloody useful for this football team.
If Brazil beat Belgium, it should be one hell of a quarter-final.
The English Anacondas
The British Lions? No, they should change the name: British Anacondas.
England didn't maul Denmark so much as squeeze the life out of them. Given
England a goal — another Beckham corner — and the lads just cut off the
oxygen, not to mention the field for the Danes. The same team that stretched
France to the breaking point looked as if they were playing on a postage
stamp. Denmark is a fluid team whose players know each other well, but
England was all over their short passing game, living in the lanes, covering
the runners on the one-twos — just a smothering performance. Denmark's lack of star power was telling — there was no one to take on England's defenders one-v-one. Then again, it's the same stifling D that repelled the
star-studded Argentines. Had Danny Mills not coughed up the ball against
Sweden, England would have four clean sheets. Now, it's probably on to
Brazil. And they have a real chance if they can stifle Brazil as they did
Argentina, because Brazil doesn't defend well in its own box, and England
has thrived on corner kicks.
England's Unlovely Triumph
Uh, the British Lions are the rugby team, Bill (and then only when they fold in the Irish, Welsh and Scots, which for some oddball reason FIFA has never required). And England-Denmark certainly looked, a lot of the time, like a loose scrum. I agree with Mike Elliott that Rio Ferdinand has established Serie A credentials as a defender in this tournament, and he appears to have the useful knack of being able to scare opposition goalies into what would otherwise pass as unforced errors. But there was little to like in England's sound but mostly pedestrian performance — no spark or sparkle, just old-school doing the business. They deserved their win, but football is none the richer for it.
Indeed, the most enriching bit of football so far in this world may have been Portugal's performance in the last 20 minutes against South Korea. A goal down and only nine-men strong, watching their World Cup dream disappear, they refused to lie down and die. Inspired by the magnificent Figo, they never stopped running, and running intelligently, till the final whistle. Their depleted numbers meant they had to rely on their superior ball skills to even up the odds, and that meant taking men on, which they did that in spades. Portugal had nothing left to lose and a World Cup to gain, and they showed their best selves (perhaps for the first time in the tournament) — and the game at its finest. When Conceicao's brilliant volley struck the woodwork in the dying minutes, the world (except, of course, fans of South Korea and the USA) wept with him.
Where Was Denmark?
Thanks for nothing, Denmark. The time to demonstrate collective pass
ineptitude, yellow card virus, goal phobia, and a keeper with serial epilepsy
was last Tuesday, NOT against St. George's Inflatable Dolls. Had the Danes
played like that against France, les Bleus might'a made it through (or would
have if they could have scored...Okay, so maybe this entire thing is a moot
point). Despite the score, I think England's chances to take it all are
flaccid at best. The white and red-hearted must quiver at the idea of having
to face Brazil — and for good reason. We'll see.
Now For Mexico...
(June 14, 11am)
Okay, so the US were lucky. A Polish side that unaccountably had been hiding for the first two games outplayed them, with solid defense and a great counter-attacking game. USA has (as we all knew) a weakness alongside Pope in the central defense, and at times showed a little inexperience; Donovan should have scored early in the second half when he had far more time than he seemed to realise, and the team as a whole threw too many high balls into a Polish defense that just gobbled them up. But over three games, this is a great US performance; Beasley and Donovan are real stars, and if the US can use its speed to unsettle Mexico, they might yet get a result. I'm worried that Hejduk's out of the next game, though; he's been huge.
South Korea continue to impress; Hiddink has done a superb job, and if I was an Italian, I would be really worried about the next game. The speed of the Korean attack is not what Cannavaro, Nesta and Maldini are used to. As for Portugal, I suppose everyone will blame the curse of high expectations. Personally, I blame the length and competitiveness of the European club season, which has done not just for Portugal but also for Argentina and France. It's the teams with fewer key players involved in Champions' League games — Denmark and Sweden — who have done better than expected. Sweden should coast to a semi-final place (look at that quarter of the draw.) Oh my God; so could Belgium....
Usual Suspects for the Semis?
Brazil-Sweden-Germany-Italy. Sound familiar? Looks like we're heading that
way, unless Japan and Korea continue their exciting performances. But now
they're going to play the grownups. Sure, Italy doesn't have the fastest of
defenses, but they have vast amounts of experience, and the Koreans will
find them a tougher nut to crack than Poland or Portugal — particularly if Italy
plays with 11 men.
The Japanese could well get past Turkey, a team that played Brazil tough. But the home field advantage, not to mention Nakata's magic, should see them through. That would mean Japan will face Sweden or Senegal. An Asian-African matchup would be a delight, since these two teams haven't learned how to play with the requisite 8-man defensive front, but Senegal is without key players Khalilou Fadiga and El Hadji Diouf due to suspension.
As for Belgium in the semis, Michael, there is that team from Brazil in the way. It's actually an intriguing matchup, since Belgium has demonstrated an ability to find the net. Costa Rica lit up Brazil for a couple of goals. There's no reason Wilmots and company can't do the same. The Belgian team I saw in Euro 2000 was quite impressive and offense-minded, and failed only because of some spectacularly bad goalkeeping by DeWilde. This could be a 4-3 or 5-3 contest, since Brazil's game plan seems to be: If you score four, we'll score more.
Meanwhile, the winner of the USA-Mexico game figures to get Germany, unless Paraguay can pull a USA. The second half of the Paraguay-Slovenia match was an absolute thrill ride, led by the Para substitute Nelson Cuevas, who slinked through the Slovenes for 2 goals. It is unlikely that Cesare Maldini, Paraguay's Italian coach, will let his horses run against Germany. Too bad.
As for the NAFTA playoff, the USA is incredibly lucky to be here despite a 3-1 spanking from Poland. Some day US Jeff Agoos will look back on his performance in this tournament and laugh about it, although I certainly won't. The Agoos nightmare: He's been a factor in five goals the opposition has scored while he was on the pitch. To be fair, if you play in the back, you know that sooner or later you are going to (a) be called for a penalty and (b) score an own goal. Agoos has done both on this trip. I would not get on the bus with this guy. Now, with Frankie Hejduk out through suspension, US Coach Bruce Arena has some hard choices to make. Not Mexico. The Tricolores have had a relatively calm trip to the second round, and they are playing well, as they always do — they are almost European at times. But these teams know each other well. The US beat them 2-0 in the qualifiers, on a game that played in sub-freezing weather in Columbus, Ohio. The weather is now in Mexico's favor, and so is the MO. Look out, Yankees.
Has Everyone Forgotten Spain?
Somewhere along the line it seems people have lost track of Spain. Can somebody explain to me what better credentials Senegal and Sweden have over Spain? If, and that's a big if, Italy beats Korea they will have to face Spain (or Ireland). Some time the Azzuri's luck has to reach a non-renewable point. They will not reach the semis. And if Germany plays Mexico, it won't either. On the other side of the bracket Brazil has a clear path and either Sweden or Japan could make it. My semis are Brazil, Sweden, Spain and Mexico.
I thought about the excuse of playing tough competitions in Europe as the bail-out alibi for France, Portugal and Argentina. However it does not sustain itself. Spain's players compete in the toughest league in the world and practically all of them were involved in European competitions, unlike most of the Argentines, French and Portuguese. A bunch of Germany's players have had longer seasons as well. I think expectations and psychological adjustments (or lack thereof) had more to do with it.
Guus for President!
Koreans had been tying themselves in knots for days. No host country had
failed to advance to the second round and here they were facing Portugal,
ranked fifth in the world. Worse still, rival Japan was sailing through. Deep
down, even the optimists knew Korea needed a miracle. But 21-year-old Park Ji
Seong provided it, banging home the crucial goal 25 minutes into the second
half. Portugal, short-handed by two red cards, poured it on at the end and
came painfully close to scoring. It wasn't pretty and both sides missed
chances. But miraculously, when the whistle blew Korea had beaten Portugal
1-0, topping their group with 7 points and putting one of the World Cup
favorites on the plane back home. And the party was on in Korea.
Nobody can remember a bigger, wilder, more exuberant celebration. There were never this many people on the streets even in the days of the big demonstrations against the country's former military rulers. Certainly there has never been a street party anything like it. Downtown, where people had been watching the game on giant outdoor television screens, the crowds started dancing to a rock band in front of city hall, waving flags and cheering wildly. Koreans were singing, prancing around draped in Korean flags, lighting firecrackers, cheering and roaring, then roaring some more. Across town in trendy Apgujong, the scene was even wilder. Cars with kids piled on the roof paraded along wide avenues like mardi gras floats, honking out the chant "Taehan Minguk" (Republic of Korea). Strangers high-fived strangers and guys up and down the lines of traffic holding outstretched flags. When a crowd swarmed across the road and blocked some buses, a dozen kids jumped on top and started waving flags and cheerleading the crowd. It wasn't rowdy, just rambunctious and gleeful and fun. Soccer madness somehow brought Korea together in a way that few things ever have.
But pity Korea's poor politicians. They tried to capitalize on the World Cup fever gripping the country but voters mostly ignored them in Thursday's local elections. About the only guy who is really popular in this country right now is Korea's Dutch soccer coach. Guus Hiddink's face seems to be everywhere — in newspapers and magazines, in TV documentaries, looking rugged in Samsung ads on the giant outdoor screens in downtown Seoul. There are Guus Hiddink dolls and and even a cocktail (the "Guus Hiddink" is pineapple juice, vanilla syrup,Curacao and peach brandy).But it's not just his success in turning the Korean soccer team into a plucky contender that's made him an instant icon. For Koreans, he seems to embody qualities many feel are missing among their politicos — strong leadership, the guts to ignore outside pressure and the wisdom to choose people based on talent instead of family, school or other "connections." Business think tanks are busy analyzing Hiddink's leadership style — one university plans to launch a research project on "Dutch leadership" — and companies are dishing out nuggets of Hiddink leadership wisdom to employees. Koreans have started joking coach Hiddink should run in this December's presidential poll. After Friday night's victory, he'd probably win.
Italy's Luck is Astounding
Italy's luck is worthy of a Ph.D dissertation. How can that happen, over and over again? Although a big part of the blame has to go to Croatia. They had it the easiest and choked. If they couldn't tie Ecuador, they deserve to go home.
A Brazil-Italy final is possible. Any time an Italian team is playing, anything is possible. But is the same with Brazil, in perhaps the opposite way. Yesterday they were magnificent, but so were they in Spain' 82 and then they run agains..oops, Italy (who had barely qualified by goal-average over Cameroon) and got their butts whipped in Barcelona in a quarter final game.
Bottom line, it's too early to know. Let's see what happens in the round of 16 and we will have a more clear picture.
Italy Stumbles Towards Another Cup
(June 13, 10.10am)
I suppose Italy will win the whole thing now — they have a habit of scraping into the knock-out phase and then doing well — and they are in the weaker half of the draw. Plus, those two disallowed goals against Croatia looked pretty clean to me. But let's give some credit to Mexico. This is the third consecutive Cup in which they've exceeded expectations, and this year's team is neat and determined, with a genuine selflessness in its play. Borgettti's goal was one of the most technically difficult seen so far. They won't win it all, but I like them a lot.
Some press comment I've seen suggests that we should be sorry that Argentina are out; all that talent we won't see in the next two weeks, etc etc. Nuts. This was a side that had way too much of a sense of entitlement, as if clodhopping north Europeans like England and Sweden didn't deserve to be on the same field as them. They were a dirty, cynical bunch, who couldn't get the job done — two goals, of which the one against Sweden should have been disallowed. I'm glad to see the back of them. France is another matter; had they got through the group, and had a fit Zizou, they would surely have done well in the knock-out phase — Henry and Trezeguet would surely have scored, eventually. Blame not Lemerre but Petit and Vieira, who couldn't or wouldn't step up when Zizou was sidelined.
And so to tomorrow. Both USA vs. Poland and South Korea vs. Portugal are great games in prospect. The first one pits Friedel (whom Liverpool released) against Dudek (whom they signed). Dudek had a great season, but behind a woefully porous Polish defense has looked less than convincing. Friedel has been huge. I love the way he now speaks with a thick Lancashire accent and does such a good job of Britspeak commentary ("All credit to the lads, etc etc.") If the US doesn't get through, I hope he has the decency to say he's as sick as a parrot.
A Brazil-Italy Final?
Mike Elliot may be right about Italy, although having finished second in their group their route to the final will be a testing one. The Italians have to be hoping for a U.S. victory over Poland tomorrow (and at least a draw between South Korea and Portugal) because they'd rather face the Americans than the Portuguese in Round 2. And they ought to be waving shamrocks on Saturday, because Spain would be a tougher quarter-final than Ireland. The winner of that game would probably face Germany, a side that may not trouble this Italian team as much as Portugal or Spain could.
But Brazil's 5-2 romp against Costa Rica suggests we're in for a treat. Despite all the protestations about this team being too dour when measured against the Samba soccer that has thrilled us for generations, the Brazilians have scored 11 goals in their three matches thus far — a feat matched only by Germany (which, of course, scored six of theirs by repeating the same simple move against a Saudi defense with no learning curve). They don't even look their best yet, but the flashes of glorious pinpoint first-time passing and exquisite control at high speed suggest they'll be the most entertaining team all the way to the final. And, of course, the Costa Rica result confirms their Samba-soccer pedigree — glorious going forward (even if they don't shoot from deep nearly as often as their forebears) but decidedly airy at the back. Think about it: Who do we remember as the great Brazilian defenders? Carlos Alberto? Junior (meaning the man who owned the moniker in '82 rather than the current edition)? The reason we remember them is for the goals they scored, not the ones they prevented. Add Edmilson to the list for today's acrobatic volley. Suddenly, the Brazilians appear to be resurrecting their traditional reliance on attack as the best form of defense. Problem is that Costa Rica could have had at least three more (and Brazil even more). Still, presuming they can overwhelm either Russia or Belgium, Brazil will get a quarter-final date with either England or Denmark, and a semi-final against either Sweden or Senegal. But if they're facing Italy in the final, we could be in line for a repeat of their 1982 semifinal heartbreak, where some of that Samba soccer defending threw it all away. Still, we're in for some entertainment.
The Ferrari Connection
Speaking of mal aria, what was the last few minutes of Mexico-Italy about? If they call it simulation when a player goes down to try to milk a penalty awhat's it called when 22 playes kick the ball between each other to kill time? Not stimulation, that's for sure. Talk about a way to kill the spirit of the game. If the motor racing federation can strip Michael Schumacher of his first place in Austria for conniving to come first with team mate Rubens Barichello then surely FIFA can start dishing out some yellow cards for such negative tactics. Perhaps Ferrari are sponsoring the Italian team and handing out cheat sheets at training.
What Was Trapattoni Thinking?
So, Giovanni Trapattoni is a genius now, I suppose. Italy's iron-willed
supremo inserts Del Piero out of desperation and is rewarded with a late
goal that sees Italy through. The Opera plays on, but Trap doesn't deserve
it. Italy has spent the tournament dialing long distance, because there's
absolutely nothing between Vieri in the front and Nesta in the back. The lack
of creativity in the center of the pitch is absolutely telling, and may still
prove the Azzurri's demise. One thing we know for certain: Doni, Tommasi,
Zambrotta, and Zanetti won't have post-football career as waiters, since
they can't serve anyone. And how can Del Piero be denied a start against the
USA or Portugal. As for Inzaghi, he should be back in Milan modeling clothes.
Which leads me, of course, to the Il Codino Divino, Roberto Baggio. Trap is so damn smart he leaves the only guy with a brain at home. Sure, Robby is slow, and recovering from injury, but he can conjure more ideas in two minutes than that entire midfield can in three days. Yes, Baggio plays where Totti sometimes does, in front of the midfield, but why not take him as a backup? But why take Di Livio, the Florentine Ferret, or a butcher like DiBiaggio when you can have real class?
As for the last few minutes, what do you guys expect: had one of these teams taken a chance and then been scored on, you would have been writing endless criticism of how stupidly they played. Sometimes, you've got to kill the game off. It's just rare when BOTH teams have to do the same thing.
And a tip of the sombrero to the Tricolores, by the way. Mexico had a really rocky qualifying round, but today they looked absolutely cool out there.
The Agony and the Irony
I like Enrique Zaldua's likening of modern pro football (and ergo
football) as quasi-Enronique (which is not meant to be ironique). That said,
Spain of all national sides (apart from expat-dominated France) shows the
worst signs of post-dotcom football economics. Spanish players who aren't
birds from Real's gilded cage are playing for Spanish sides trying to keep
pace with Perez's neo-Reaganian "Spend now, feel good, and die tomorrow"
mania. Sweden may be boring, Croatia may be an enormous-shot, and Turkey may be about as palpable as 11 Mike Tysons trying to break your shins, but
they're all low on stars and high on grit. I'd watch out, top-billers,
including Spain...
Meanwhile, Spain showed impressive offensive muscle during its win over South Africa, but also contrasting defensive iffiness. No knock on the Bafana Boys, but Spain leaked two relatively quick goals to South Africa, and largely got them back due to do post-goal lapses of attention by SA that drives coaches fruit. Spain is tough — and it was playing for nothing to speak of in yesterday's game — but definitely looked take-able.
Sweden's Gain is Football's Loss
(June 12, 12pm)
There can 't be anyone left in Sweden, because the entire population was in
the Swedish box defending against Argentina. You can't blame Sweden, I
suppose, but you can't like them very much either. There's no point in
sending up biplanes against a fleet of F-16s, but the CUP took a retro turn
to the bad old days when boredom ruled. You can envision the Swedish
practice now: 10 minutes of scrimmage and an hour of penalty kicks. That
must be the strategy against Senegal, a team with tremendous flair and speed.
We need flat-out attacking teams such as Argentina, and bless little
Paraguay for hanging tough. But Sweden, England, Ireland and Germany is not
my dream draw for the quarters out of that bracket. Spain, we really need
you not to choke.
World Cup as Enron
Spain is in, and in good fashion. Now we will here the usual cries about how easy the group was (or more likely we will hear nothing about Spain and will keep reading about England). Anyway, here are my two cents. Spain has earned the right (or the curse) to be considered a favorite to win it all. No other team, except possibly Brazil, will win its three qualifying matches. Talking about easy opponents is nonsense, unless we include Saudi Arabia in the sentence. There are no easy sides in this Cup (beware US; Poland will have an axe to grind). Any team that makes it to the second round has earned it, and in Spain's case it had to overcome also bad starts with Slovenia and Paraguay. I am not saying that Spain has suddenly sprung to main favorite, but they certainly should receive more attention, at least until Ireland proves them wrong. Any bets?
Argentina is going home, just like France and possibly Italy. All of those who bet on a Franco-Argentine raid on the cup will have to reconsider our prognostications. Personally I believe that this World Cup is a victim of the Enronization of the world. Nothing is like it appears to be, football assets are in reality liabilities, high salaried players transfer from club to club automatically inflating the market capitalization of their national squads. But it's all a pure broad band-like switching scheme.
It seems that the real value is in the unacclaimed, small and the mid-caps, i.e. Sweden, Senegal, Denmark, Ireland and the likes. England and Spain are quietly doing their thing; I'd love to see those two meet. I really like the Irish but I can't see them going past Spain.
South Africa's Goalie Was Spain's Most Effective Player
Inspiring though Bafana Bafana's exploits may have been at World Cup 2002, South Africans will wonder what might have been had coach Jomo Sono chosen to play the more established Hans Vonk in goal rather than the second-string Andre Arendse. Spain's first two goals came from unforgivable errors by Arendse — the first, a bizarre rugby scrum-half's pass from the ground into the path of an oncoming Spaniard; the second a repeat of the gift he presented Paraguay in an earlier game by failing to properly position his wall against a free kick. (He did, of course, keep South Africa in the game with a great reflex header to deny Raul's header, but at the World Cup you can't afford a goalkeeper whose basic positioning and handling errors gives away four unecessary goals.)
Bafana Bafana came back magnificently from Arendse's first blunder, Benni McCarthy's close-in volley from Nomvete's target-man header being South Africa's best goal of the tournament. Then Arendse made his second offering to the King of Spain, and again, Zuma, Fortune, Sibaya and fullback Cyril Nzama exposed weaknesses in the Spanish lines until Lucas Radebe headed a well-deserved equalizer from a corner. Raul's second was a great goal, and we had no reply, not for lack of effort. In the end, though, it was Nelson Cuevas's second goal for Peru against Slovenia that sent us packing on goal difference.
We could have gone further, but it was a fine performance considering the parlous state of the national team following our humiliation in March at the African Nations Cup. But on the Spanish performance, I'd say the Keane-less Irish have a fighting chance of making the quarterfinal. And I agree with Saporito about the unfortunate triumphs of some pretty negative teams at this tournament — that commentator's cliché, "football was the winner," hardly applied in Sweden-Argentina. Still, you've got to admit Svennson's free kick whipped over the wall and low into the near corner was probably the finest we'll see at the tournament. For better or worse, I think we're going to be seeing a lot more of the Swedes in the next couple of weeks.
Requiem for Les Bleus
All Bets Are Off!
England-Argentina: It's Anybody's Cup
France-Uruguay: Adieu, Les Bleus?
Team USA: Who Knew?
Ave, Korea!
England Sticks to a Sad Script
Europe vs. Africa
Requiem for a Dream
(June 11, 9am)
Well, it took me an hour of grinding my teeth into ground-teeth-dust to
admit it, but it's probably for the best that France was emphatically shown
the door by a far better, dominating Danish side whose technical soundness,
solidity, strategic set, and sheer "oomph" highlighted the sad reality (for
me, anyway) of World Cup 2002 : Les Bleus either came to Asia unprepared to
play, or ready but unable to do so. They just were never in it.
Mind you, this isn't sour grapes. I still love my Bleus to death, and will stand by them as a great side — both past, and (I confidently maintain) future. But the honest, gut-check demonstrated that despite the apparent signs of rebound versus Uruguay, France was dominated by two clearly better teams in this Cup — and for all intents and purposes undone by a Uruguayan squad at least as good, and which showed more desire than the French. Indeed, had the Zizou-enhanced team in Match 3 bowed out of the Cup after beating Denmark 2-1 or 1-0 — with a couple of posts, a few crappy refereeing decisions, and perhaps another scandalous red carding for good measure — there'd be mighty bitterness to digest, with lots of "what ifs", "almost was" , and similar second-guessing. As it is, the Bleus come home having been thoroughly mastered in all three games, with no blame or regrets to hang on anyone but themselves. Kudos to Denmark and Senegal — and best of luck in the next stages.
Meanwhile, how 'bout them Bleus? I probably won't provoke much taunting by repeating that — in post-for-post terms based on past individual performance of players — France still is probably one of the most impressive, star-studded line-ups around. But as the retarded Wall Street obsession with "paper value" also demonstrates, none of that matters when you can plunk down cash on the sporting barrel-head. France's problem was — tired, hurt, or just lacking sufficient motivation or preparation — its individual stars never played like the seamless, synchronized unit they have in the past. And even on the individual level, something was off. Zidane's return provided an excellent example of how even the stellar technicity that has characterized French stars and teams in the past was lacking across the board, down to the very last man. Indeed, I'd love to see how many balls and passes the masterful Zizou lost against Denmark — it'd probably close to a personal record.
For whatever reason, France's fine footballing ingredients showed signs of turning a bit even before les Bleus left for Asia; by the time the dish was served up against Senegal, the souffle was in full collapse. Talk about lousy timing to go into a slump of collective decline and doubt. But that'd be sport, for better and worse. I don't think the dismal French performance is an indication — Rob Hughes' Alzhemerian assertions to the contrary notwithstanding — that les Bleus are in dire need of massive rejuvenation, nor the palace coup to throw of the admittedly weird and bean-up-the-buttish Roger Lemerre that many national Federations would respond with. They've got to go back and find out what from 1998 and 2000 was so flagrantly lacking in 2002, and work out a way to turn what seemed like bad voodoo in Asia back into "magique". In other words, and to paraphrase Albert Camus: I came into this Cup looking to win, but leave preferring my Bleus over the eventual victor.
What a Wonderful World
If your name didn't go in the referee's book, you probably weren't in the game. Cameroon-Germany was an unsightly but thrilling affair, in which the champions of Africa rattled Germany's composure for a half hour in which they should have had a couple of goals — and the Germans were lucky to have only one man sent off. (Goalkeeper Khan would have been a prime candidate for that forearm smash to the face of Rigoberto Song.)
Although Germany's 'vorsprung durch techniek' (that's an old Audi ad, for those who don't recognize it) game dominated for the first 20 minutes, once Cameroon settled and Geremi began regularly splitting the German defense with pinpoint passes for the always-dangerous Eto'o and Mboma, Germany were in tatters. And although Cameroon failed to capitalize — and then threw the game away as discipline went out the window and a couple of German defenders looked in danger of being decked by sheriff Song — the Germans won't be as lucky against more composed sides. A scrappy affair in which the hapless ref at times appeared to confuse his yellow card for his whistle, booking a World Cup record 16 players in his vain attempts to stamp his authority onto a game always one shove away from a brawl. And then, at the end — to my disbelief — players that had spent most of the game at each other's throats exchanged shirts. Like that shirt-swapping Adidas ad says, what a wonderful world?
Other observations
Death to Divers!
Okay, maybe I'm speaking for the fullbacks' union, but I'm
tired of games being decided by strikers whose sense of balance comes unglued
as they step over the 18 yard line as if some magnetic force field suddenly
repelled their cleats. Today's Senegal-Uruguay contest featured El Hadji
Diouf doing a two and half with a full twist without the formalities of
Uruguay keeper Carini actually laying a finger on him. Referee Wegereef went
for it like a frog on a fly. Penalty. Curiously, Carini only earns a yellow
card — if that's a takedown, the only shade that should be shown is red.
Sure, Uruguay made a brave comeback and turned the tables when Morales collapsed under the weight of certain dispossession. But the first penalty changed the game, unfairly. (The last time this happened to me I took the SOB down well outside the box at the next opportunity. "I wanted you to have the benefit of a REAL foul," I told him.) And consider that Brazil, those faux foul aficionados, are yet to step onto the board. FIFA needs to suspend floppers like Diouf after reviewing the tapes.
Which leads us, folks, to the need for a videotape referee. It works well enough in rugby, american football and hockey, and it's worth a try in football. Italy could bounce out of this thing because of an incredibly bad decision on Vieri's "second" goal. Linesmen screw up; fine, it happens, but why not take the opportunity to right a wrong. Give each coach one protest a half on a scoring play such as that one. And by red-carding the pretty-boy forwards as they go into their a third roll after another air tackle (does this sound familiar, Inzaghi), we'll eventually make the ref's job easier. And judging by the refs' performance in this Cup, they need it.
Requiem for Les Bleus
All Bets Are Off!
England-Argentina: It's Anybody's Cup
France-Uruguay: Adieu, Les Bleus?
Team USA: Who Knew?
Ave, Korea!
England Sticks to a Sad Script
Europe vs. Africa
Korea's Revenge for Ohno?
The light rain started a few hours before the USA-Korea match
on Monday was probably a good thing. Taegu in southeastern Korea was
already baking. Tension over the match was also running at fever pitch, at
least on the Korean side. In a country with a long love-hate relationship
with the U.S., this match was always going to be about more than just soccer.
But anti-American sentiment has been running higher than usual here since the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, when American short-track speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno won the gold after Korean star Kim Dong Song was disqualified for blocking his way. That race may be long forgotten by most Americans but it seemed to light a fuse under Korean anger over what many here see as America's bully-boy ways (Koreans are convinced the U.S. somehow fixed the race, never mind that it was an Australian judge who disqualified their hero). For the millions of Koreans who stayed away from school or office to watch Monday's soccer match up with the biggest bully on the block, this was a chance to even the score. There was loud, sullen booing as the Americans strode onto the field and more booing as their names were announced: this was a match that could have turned ugly if Korea had lost on a bad call. As it was, the Koreans outplayed the Americans but could have lost.
Pumped by deafening crowd support, the Koreans attacked and pressed, stole the ball and outran their opponents. Time after time, they created danger around the goal for U.S. keeper Brad Friedel. But it was U.S. star Clint Mathis who skillfully punched home the first goal 24 minutes into the first half. Shortly after, Friedel made a huge save against a penalty shot hit by Korea's Lee Eul Yong. The Koreans stayed on the offensive in the second half, constantly creating opportunities but always coming up just short. Finally, Korean coach Guus Hiddink sent on star striker Ahn Jung Hwan, who headed home a desperately needed goal at 78 minutes. Ahn made for the corner of the pitch but instead of somersaults, shirt-over-the-head routines or a Senegal-style celebratory dance, Ahn pretended to skate on the grass while teammate Lee Chun Soo stood behind him mimicking Ohno, throwing his hands in the air as Ohno did after Kim supposedly blocked him. (Koreans think Ohno was just trying to get the attention of the judge and the gesture has become a standing joke in Korea). The crowd, roaring approval, didn't need any explanation. Later, Ahn told the Korean media: "People felt bad about the Ohno incident. I wanted to fix that feeling."
Who knows what another Korean goal could have done for U.S.-Korean relations? It would certainly have done wonders for Korean's hurt pride. But the goal never came. The Koreans came excruciatingly close: Choi Yong Soo had a clear shot in the closing minutes and popped it high. But they couldn't close before the whistle blew. In the press briefing room, they marched through stone-faced, too angry to speak to reporters. Coach Guus Hiddink tried to put a good face on it but he was clearly frustrated: "We deserved to win 3 or 4 to 1. We created such beautiful chances." But, he added, "from 5 or 6 chances, you have to score at least one." The Americans, for their part, seemed pretty happy to have hung on. Said Mathis: "It was good to get out of here with a point."
Korea had almost shut down for the match, with schools letting out early and businesses closing or at least letting their employees out to watch the game. President Kim Dae Jung presumably watched it from the safety of the presidential Blue House ? fear of embarrassing and possibly violent anti-Americanism apparently him away from the stadium. In the center of Seoul, thousands watched on giant outdoor screens, despite the torrential rain that descended on the city during the match. Everybody had been ready to party, as they had after the heady 2-0 victory over Poland last week. But for countless Koreans, the tie against the U.S. had the empty, aching feel of a loss. The crowd, soaked with rain and disappointment, dispersed quietly. Said 16-year-old Chung Woong Shik, who escaped the rain to watch the match in the basement of a downtown office complex: "We really should have won." Then, after listing the reasons he doesn't like the U.S., he concludes: "The most important thing is I don't like Ohno." Skater Kim Dong Sung hasn't commented yet.
Korea Team Fighting!
Thus the war cry of the hosts. And if the USA had a patron saint, they would do well offering him/her a bunch of flowers tonight for having watched over them. The USA is definitely making it into the upper echelons of world soccer, along with the Italys, the Germanys and the Englands, who can win by doing nothing and taking advantage of a lonely chance. Mathis is a crack shot, and thank God he is back! If Korea had scored half of their clear chances, the score would have been 4-1.
Portugal blew past Poland, literally. The poor Poles thought that scoring a goal early would bring down Portugal; that's why they came out with 3 forwards. Nobody told them, apparently, that Portugal loves open spaces and free pastures to roam. Ole Pauleta!
Ohno Who?
Hey Korea, whatever floats your boat, but nobody on the U.S. team, or in the
country, gives an ice chip about Ohno incident. And just what are the Koreans
use going to motivate them against Portugal? Did they get some bad olives on
their last European tour?
The U.S. were indeed fortunate to get a point — and fortunate that a clearly intimidated referee didn't award another penalty for playing defense. And under this kind of pressure I tip my hat to them — and to Freidel, their great GK. And what is Arena going to do with Jeff Agoos? Here is Goose's two-game summary: one own goal, one penalty kick called against him, and one goal scored by his man to give up the lead against Korea. I guess things can't get much worse, can they?
Decline of the Empire?
Is this the end of Empire? Europe and South America have dominated the World Cup since the first competition was held in 1930. Odds are that a team from one of those two continents will win the latest competition. But the last week has shown that the Big Two's dominance is on the wane. At USA ?94 four teams from outside the Europe-South America footballing axis made it through to the final 16 — a record. At France '98 only two "outside" teams made it. This year we could be looking at eight. Okay, so it probably won't end up being that many. My bet is 4 or maybe 5 will get through. Still, it shows that the power, while not shifting altogether, is being spread around a bit more. Just take a look at Group D. Portugal, who many (including me) tipped as an outside chance of going all the way this year, and Poland, the first European team to qualify for the tournament, are languishing in the bottom two places (irrespective of their encounter this afternoon). On top are USA and South Korea, both given only outside chances of making it beyond the group stage. Then there's Group A topped by Senegal with current champs France just holding on to position 3. Mexico tops group G, ahead of three-time winners Italy and last Cup's third place getters Croatia. And Japan top Group H ahead of Russia (who they beat) and Belgium (who they drew with). The critical tests will come this week. France, Portugal, Poland, Germany, Russia, Argentina, and Italy — past winners or teams tipped to do well in this Cup — are all teetering on the brink of elimination.
Some talking points:
Amandla, Ngawethu!
Amandla, ngawethu! (as we used to say in the old anti-apartheid struggle days — "the power is ours!") Bafana Bafana continued to confound expectations with an emphatic win over Slovenia on Saturday, South Africa's first ever at the World Cup finals. To be sure it was, at times, a characteristically seat-of-the-pants affair. Take Siyabonga Nomvete's winning goal, for example: He rose majestically to head home Quentin Fortune's cross, but our celebrations turned to nervous giggling when the replay showed he'd completely missed with his head and the ball had luckily cannoned in off his thigh. Inelegant, but decisive. And Fortune worked his magic on the left side of midfield for most of the 90 minutes, while Sibusiso Zuma showed flashes of brilliance on the right and my man Macbeth once again owned the middle of the park. Benni McCarthy created a couple of scoring chances he should have put away — like the great Liverpool striker Ian Rush, Benni can be quick and deadly on the deck, but don't expect him to head past the keeper. Suddenly, it's not inconceivable that we make it as far as an encounter with Germany in Round 2.
Talking points:
In Praise of Duds
The frequently-aired criticisms of soccer —and the primary explanation for
its failure to enter the big time of American Sports Biz — are the
low-scoring, and its frequency in producing what many pundits consider the
ultimate dud in sporting events: the tie game. But while that logic may be
true in the categorical-loving mindset of many in the U.S. (and even in
Europe), today's World Cup matches — and indeed, this entire first round of
Play — are proving that stand-offs not only create some of the most
impassioned play in this World Cup, but are also making the struggle to make
it into the elimination round a real cliff-hanger.
Both the USA-Korea and Tunisia-Belgium games were examples of draws — the scratching to preserve them, and furious scramble provoke them — making "micro" play as well as group competition far more interesting than the more final, definitive win/loss. Ditto, in many ways, the France-Uruguay tie, and Senegal's dramatic battle to equalize against Demark. In both groups, virtually anything remains possible (providing Group D's Portugal doesn't lose its current three goal lead of Poland. For the record: I told you all you Pauleta was a god). Costa Rica-Turkey, Germany-Ireland, and England-Sweden were all games whose tension was owed not so much due to a thirst to win, but rather the urgency to tie (or avoid that from happening). Not sure what previous Cups turn up, but by my count, there've been nine draws in the first 31 games (again, pending the Poland-Portugal encounter) — a 29 percent — rate that largely explains why the race for the elimination round is still wide open in most groups. Gimme more duds like this any day.
I know none of this is anything my football-savvy comrades here will not have already known and appreciated on their own, but I figured it was high time someone stand up and hail the excitement being produced by "les matchs nuls" (which in colloquial French means "lousy games", but which have been anything but). At this rate, we may well see the finalists being not teams who won the most games, but who lost the fewest thanks to ties.
The Happiest People in Japan
The four happiest people in Japan Sunday night?
INAMOTO'S AGENT. Junichi Inamoto, the pudgy-faced 22-year-old bottle-blonde bomber of Japan coolly smacked a goal high into the net from close range, six minutes into the second half Sunday night — the only score Japan would need to defeat a bigger, stronger Russian squad. Suddenly, with two goals in two games for Japan, Inamoto is a hot property again. He nearly vanished after warming the bench for the English Premier League's Arsenal team this past season. So invisible had Inamoto become that the English took to calling him "T-shirt" since his only real contribution to Arsenal appeared to be boosting sales of soccer jerseys. There was some poetic justice to Inamoto's triumph on Sunday; Arsenal manager Arsen Wenger was watching from the media section. Is Inamoto having such a fabulous World Cup simply because he is hungrier? "Yes, yes, say that, yes," the 180-meter tall midfielder said smiling after Sunday's game. "The Japanese fans haven't been able to see me play for a long time," he added, "so I am very happy they can see me perform so well now."
No one is happier about Inamoto's redemption than PHILIPPE TROUSSIER. The melodramatic, megalomaniac French manager put his career on the line when he took charge of Japan's team four years ago, after its feckless showing in France. Expectations were huge that Japan would make history and win a game in this World Cup, and qualify for second round, especially after the co-hosts (with South Korea) were placed into one of the weaker groups. Troussier was dancing on the sidelines after Sunday's victory, relieved, no doubt, that his charges had turned up the intensity volume and finally figured out how to score a goal. But the win, and Japan's tie last week against Belgium, also boost his bargaining position when he goes looking for his next job.
Job preservation probably wasn't far from the mind of JUNICHIRO KOIZUMI, either. The beleaguered Prime Minister nearly leaped from the rafters in Yokohama after Japan's victory. His popularity has sunk so low he is desperately hoping the soccer team's success will give him a residual boost. It doesn't hurt, either, that the victory came against Russia. Although the historical enmity isn't as well known to soccer fans as the animosity between Argentina and England, like the Falkland Islands that t divide those two rivals, there are islands — the Kuril Islands off the coast of Japan's northernmost Hokkaido prefecture — which both nations have claimed as theirs since the end of World War II.
So those are three happy people in Japan. The fourth? My TAXI DRIVER. Inexplicably, Japan Railways didn't run any late trains from Yokohama to Tokyo Sunday night. So hundreds of fans — and me — found locked gates at one of the main stations. Instead of taking the one-hour train trip home, I had to hop in a taxi. The driver grinned the whole way back to Tokyo, and was still smiling after I paid him the 8,820-yen fare (about $70). Who says the World Cup won't help the economy in Japan?
Azurri Blues
How is any self-respecting football expert expected to do his job is the best
teams in the world won't do theirs? You spend months tracking the form of
individual players, analyzing the performance of teams, watching qualifying
games, friendlies and practice sessions. You pore over all manner of
statistics, factor in heat and humidity, injuries and fatigue. Then, and only
then, do you stick your neck out and pick your likely semifinalists. But all
that research goes down the tubes when a team of players — highly trained, in
full command of their powers — decides that it is too damn good for the
opposition, and that victory is a foregone conclusion.
Hubris, humbler of France, Portugal and Argentina, completed the quartet of likely Final Four teams by handing the arrogant Italians an unexpected defeat at the hands of Croatia in Ibaraki. Okay, let's be fair: the Balkan boys raised themselves off the floor after a supine performance against Mexico, and came out swinging against the Azurri. The Croatians played with a verve and inventiveness and a sense of purpose reminiscent of their 1998 fairytale run to the semis. But in the end, it was the Italians who threw the game away.
It's almost as if they used the first half to practice for the letdown of the second. After an opening 20 minutes of near-total domination, during which Francisco Totti showed off the full range of his beguiling skills, the Italians inexplicably sat back and invited the Croatians to attack. This they did, taking 7 shots at goal, to just three by Italy. Buffon didn't have to make any spectacular saves, to be sure, but the Croatians were given time and space to find their range. This would come home to roost in the second half.
After some ear-bending from coach Trapattoni, the Italians came out of the break with a sense of determination: this paid off in quick time, with Doni setting up Vieri to head home in the 55th minute. But then, just as in the first period, the Italians pulled back and let the Croatians play. Big mistake.
Allowed the freedom of the midfield, Milan Rapaic, Davor Vugrinec and Robert Jarni began to call every shot; and up front, Alen Boksic and Niko Kovac began to find gaps in the fabled Azurri wall. It had to happen: in a two minute period halfway into the second period, sub Ivica Olic and the superb Rapaic scored.
The Italians never recovered from the shock of it all. Trapattoni brought on Pippo Inzaghi to try and unlock the red-and-white defense, but non even his subtle runs could bring Italy back from the brink. In the end, Totti and Co. were left ruing the two occasions when they had the ball in the net, just to be called off-side. But it was their own fault: they should never have put themselves in a situation when they needed an equalizer.
So Italy go into their final game needing to beat Mexico, who must be
expected to beat Ecuador along the way. The Ecuadorians then meet Croatia,
who should win comfortably. Should the Italians win, too, that would leave
three teams in the group with six points apiece, with goal difference
deciding which two go into the next round. But there I go, sticking my neck
out again.
Requiem for Les Bleus
All Bets Are Off!
England-Argentina: It's Anybody's Cup
France-Uruguay: Adieu, Les Bleus?
Team USA: Who Knew?
Ave, Korea!
England Sticks to a Sad Script
Europe vs. Africa
Reimagining England
Well. We'll have to rethink that England side won't we? For the first 20 minutes, I thought they were going to get skinned alive, real men-against-boys stuff. Then you started to see what was going on; Ferdinand and Campbell were holding the line, and Scholes and Butt were closing down space in midfield. The turning point, I thought, was Owen's shot against the post, which forced the Argentines to play a little deeper than they may have liked. Then came the penalty, followed, in the second half, by one of the best 15 minutes play I can remember from any English team.
Some points:
One really great thing about this World Cup. We're still not out of the first round and we can look forward to at least three mouthwatering games: France vs. Denmark, Germany vs. Cameroon, Sweden vs. Argentina. Brilliant.
Listen to Ladbrokes!
Blimey, as they used to say in those British war comics I devoured in my youth. Argentina appeared to control the midfield for much of the game, and yet England produced the best scoring chances — and plenty of 'em — for a well-deserved win. The effortless magic of Michael Owen was often in marked contrast to the grittier efforts of many of his teammates — like a World War II Spitfire pilot taking on and beating three Messerschmitts, while Messrs. Heskey, Cole and even Scholes and Beckham looked on from the infantry trenches below. There were little flashes of inspiration — I particularly enjoyed Trevor Sinclair doing a bit of Sinclair-inho down the left early on. And the most influential England midfielder turned out not to be (the, uh, overrated?) Beckham, but a terrier named Butt. (Never mind the name, Monsieur Crumley — Les Bleus could use one.)
Argentina looked composed, skillful and well-organized, but no matter how elegant your first-time passing and defensive cool, at the end of the day it's about getting the ball to your strikers in scoring positions, and them putting it in the net. Argentina proved unable to do either, not least because England's defensive anchor Rio Ferdinand and that man Butt gave them little opportunity. By the second half, Argentina still had most of the possession, but had simply run out of ideas. A nasty match, in which both sides left the pitch without any thought of swapping shirts.
But the result turns the World Cup on its head. The esteemed British betting house Ladbrokes has shaved the odds on England winning the World Cup from 16-1 to 7-1, and that's not patriotic fervor getting the better of the wizened old bookmakers. All bets are off now that original contenders such as Argentina and Portugal have been bloodied, and France may be going home before Round 2. Italy tops the Ladbrokes odds, followed by Brazil, Spain and England. Spain certainly have the only 100 percent record so far, but haven't yet been seriously tested. But a note of caution for all you England fans. Sweden were saved by the woodwork more than once, as Aghawowa, Kanu, Okocha and Yobo rained shots on their goal. The Super Eagles are going home whatever their result against England next week, but there's a scary precedent (for England) in Scotland vs. Holland in 1978. So much had been expected of Messrs. Sounness, Gemmil, Dalglish and company, and yet they'd been humbled by Peru and Saudi Arabia. Then, when all that was left to play for was their honor, Scotland pulled off a magnificent 3-1 win over the world's best team.
Poetic Justice
Ho-ho! The Argentinians are this Cup's version of Bonny and Clyde, but
nary a word was said about the hateful play of Osama bin Uruguay. I still
wanna burn that *@?!! ref's house down! Here I'd figured few people in
South America would have even heard of Ty Cobb, and Uruguay goes and manages
to find 11 of them to field.
Although my disdain for the English side — all English sides — is documented, I have to admit finding poetic justice not only in the English win, but also in the way it came about. The Future (Owen) provokes a penalty with his sparkling play, and Beckham drives the nail of vindication and revenge home for himself and his people. Almost beautiful if the lot of them weren't the bastard children of Maggie Thatcher.
England also gets the tourney award for best named player. I mean, Nicky
Butt sounds like the moniker of a male porn star...
Requiem for Les Bleus
All Bets Are Off!
England-Argentina: It's Anybody's Cup
France-Uruguay: Adieu, Les Bleus?
Team USA: Who Knew?
Ave, Korea!
England Sticks to a Sad Script
Europe vs. Africa
Demise of the Usual Suspects
Zut alors! We should remember that the French started slowly in '98, too — and that they won the Cup without ever finding a reliable scorer. But I wouldn't pick them over Denmark — and they need a two-goal win — on form so far. The best team in that group, though, is Senegal, another bunch of speed merchants. Diouf — who will be playing for Liverpool next season — is a natural. Does everyone appreciate that it is quite possible that none of England, France and Germany will qualify for the second round? I caught the whole of the Germany v. Ireland game on tape delay, and the Germans — Didier Hammann apart (what club does he play for?) — looked very tame. Mind you, Cameroon, who will play the Germans next, didn't look so hot this morning. But Rigobert Song had one of the best 'dos seen so far; he wouldn't have dared show it when he played for.... (Editor's note: deleted; repetition.)
One thing about this year's tournament that's clearer than ever before: the long European season really hurts, even with the top clubs having 20-man squads. No Pires or Gerrard; Zidane and (I maintain) Figo crocked; Reyna plainly banged up. The competitiveness of the European domestic leagues and the Champions League is a wonderful thing, but it comes at a price.
Bleus World Cup Ain't Over Yet
The good news is, it still ain't over for France, and despite the loss of
Henry and Petit for two (here's hoping) and one game respectively, les Bleus
are looking a bit better — even at 10 against 12 (I love lousy refs). If my
math is correct, a French victory over Denmark next week, and a Senegal
victory (or even scoreless tie) to get into the next round. Both scenarios
very do-able, though France will have to change one little thing in its play
thus far: PUT THE BALL IN THE DAMNED NET. Ah, but let's not forget they'll
also have Zizou back. Lemerre played craps today and damned near lost big. He may have lost yet — we'll know after the Denmark match — but France should get a lift from dodging the elimination bullet today down a man, and with Zidane on the way back.
Just a few notes:
French Lack Leaders
As soon as the Mexican ref was announced I told my fellow viewers the French
were in trouble. I just didn't think it would be so blatant, so hideous. If I
got red-carded for every such foul I've committed I'd have missed years
worth of game in suspension. In Scotland, they'd have played on.
I realized too that the issue goes deeper than replacing Zidane. There's no leadership up the whole center of the park. Blanc and Deschamps also served as team leaders, and filled in for Zizou when needed. But Michoud, Veira, and Manu don't want to lead. Les Blues need someone with les balls.
Requiem for Les Bleus
All Bets Are Off!
England-Argentina: It's Anybody's Cup
France-Uruguay: Adieu, Les Bleus?
Team USA: Who Knew?
Ave, Korea!
England Sticks to a Sad Script
Europe vs. Africa
Speed Trumps Skill
(Wednesday June 5, 10am)
Here's the story of the Cup so far: It's ball control vs. speed, and speed is winning. USA's deserved win against Portugal depended on the speed of Donovan and Beasley giving the Portuguese defense all kinds of problems that they had plainly not anticipated. Add to that the pace of Tony Sanneh — who had a blinder of a game — in setting up the third goal, and you had all the elements of an upset. Eddie Pope continued to show why he is one of most under-rated center-backs in the world — in '98, he handled Oliver Bierhoff better than anyone — and Friedel, though not good enough for Liverpool, looked the epitome of safety.
Luis Figo, surely, wasn't fit — difficult to believe that if he had been he would have spent so much time so wide. But this Portuguese team is really good — Rui Costa was wonderful — and will beat Poland. So, however, should the USA, which may be enough to put them through in second place to Korea. (I can't believe I just wrote that sentence.)
Biggest yell of the morning, though, for Robbie Keane, sneaking in for Ireland's equalizer with seconds to go. Nice that the Germans are going to have to work for qualification. I hear Russia were lousy; that's it for the east Europeans, then.
The Miracle on Grass
To my mind, USA over Portugal stands not just as the greatest victory in
American soccer history, but also one of the most unlikely American
performances in any international competition. It takes it place alongside
wrestler Rulon Gardner's gold-medal triumph over Alexander Karelin in the
2000 Olympics, the 1-0 U.S. win over England in the 1950 World Cup and, of
course, the U.S. hockey team's upset of the Soviet Union in the 1980 Winter
Olympics. In some ways today's win was even more remarkable than the Miracle on Ice: as in 1980, a young and untested American squad was given absolutely no chance to defeat a powerful, experienced opponent; but this time, Team USA did not even have history to lean on (the U.S. had won hockey gold in 1960), and was missing the services of its two best players. And yet a way was found.
What impressed me most was the team's fortitude against Portugal's Figo-led second half barrage; the Americans showed they were capable of playing sound defensive football — the sign of a mature, disciplined unit that has already established itself as the most skilled the U.S. has ever fielded. I'm sure skeptics will point to the first-half owned goal, Portugal's sizable advantage in time of possession, its unrelenting pressure in the American end and the wondrous skills of Figo and co. and call this U.S. win an undeserved, one-time fluke (as U.S. over Colombia in 1994 proved to be). But the U.S. played a brilliant strategic game worthy of the game's greatest stage — protecting a two-goal lead for 30 minutes, giving Portugal room to run but few real opportunities to score, and then, by dominating the final 10 minutes with precise counterattacks and expert clock management, the U.S. showed it was the fitter, tougher and, yes, better team. This could prove to be yet another false spring for American football, but I doubt it; if Reyna and Mathis return this hungry, talented team should make it out. The silence in Suwon wasn't the sound of shock, but dread, because the United States has shown it finally has what it takes to win the World Cup. Maybe not this year, but someday soon.
Speed is the Key for Underdogs
The USA played a good, inspired match, and demonstrated the kind of
plucky, underdog-football that makes World Cup competition exciting and memorable. They got out in front — way out — and held on. A deserved win.
That said, I'm far from convinced this shows the first signs of a the US soccer bud starting to blossom. I'm more prone to Elliot?s view (regarding other games) that speed and getting down to business right out of bed had more to do with the USA downing Portugal than technical excellence. The U.S. side had put three into the Lusitanian net by the 36th minute — a goal every 12 minutes! Any team that can do that isn't going to lose a lot of games. What amazes me is it took Portugal so long to wake up and get the bean out: they seemed to respond to the first goal as an act of god, the second as a wake up call, and the third (three minutes later) as this shot in the foot that (ironically) finally got them running. The U.S. seemed to come into the game realizing their hopes rested with getting on the board first, and they fulfilled that plan in spades. But I think that was more a function of the Americans hitting the pitch already running, and surprising the Portuguese with their audacity and punch. Indeed, they probably tempted fate by falling back and playing defense in the second half, where the flair and flamboyance of Portuguese play punched holes almost at will.
I'd also agree with Elliot that the most entertaining and exciting matches (Japan, Korea, Senegal, USA) have involved both great explosion and speed with physical presence and solidity. The legendary blend of speed and power coveted in most sports. The U.S. deserved the win, though I must say I'm disappointed for Portugal.
The upside of that loss is at least France wasn't the only team to be upset in first-game encounters. The downside of that upside is this'd be the second of two teams I've publicly applauded that took big-time, defeat-reeking gas. Uh, "Go England...??!!"
Welcome to Arena Ball, Folks
USA's Bruce Arena is a bit of a nut-job, but he has a great instinct for picking players, and you're right, Mr. Elliott, he clearly went for speed — Frankie Hedjuk for David Regis was a big surprise, and so was Pablo Mastroeni. These guys were afterthoughts coming into this thing. Cobi Jones for the hobbled Earnie Stewart at halftime proved a great choice. Cobi looked like Ariel Ortega out there. Sure, Figo and Rui Costa were dribbling fools — but they had to beat two or three defenders at a clip because the Yanks were flying at them.
Portugal are used to playing from behind (England in the Euro Cup, for instance) because their defense is Jello, but making up a three-spot is too much to ask — although certainly Jeff Agoos made the job easier. He looked like a dog lifting up his hind leg. At least we won't shoot him.
I just hope the U.S. doesn't make the mistake of thinking they have a genuine attack. (Certainly, Ireland would never make that mistake.) Next week sure got interesting.
USA Are No Puppies
The USA played a very solid game, and there is nothing to diminish that. I don't think it can be ranked ahead of all those great American sports events. A lot of the U.S. players compete in good European sides, so they have international experience. Portugal was heavy favorite and I agree with that, but nobody can say these players were a bunch of puppies left out in the middle of the street. Arena's plan was smart, and Portugal's wasn't. They were conservative — only one real forward, Paulta — and they came out over-pressured and overconfident, if such thing is possible. They were surprised by the early goal; after that the excessive pressure took over. Figo did not exist. We only saw his shadow, in one of the most embarrassing performances I have seen of a star player; disappeared for large chunks on the game and never took responsibility. It was Rui Costa and Sergio Coceicao who tried the hardest. One of the most telling plays of the game was an attack led by defender Jorge Costa, I believe, and nobody from the vaunted offensive players would offer himself to receive the ball, basically relinquishing the responsibility. The play ended in a corner kick and an infuriated Costa, who chastised his teammates.
Portugal has internal quarrels that have contributed to his poor showing. The USA was smart and lethal when it had the chance, a proof that it's become a serious international team. It was a great victory and they should be very happy. But let's keep things in perspective. The USA still has a long way to go to win any Cup.
Germans Eased Off Too Soon
What a cracker! The Irish never stopped trying, never gave up hope — and the
Germans decided, just a couple of minutes too soon, that they had the game
all wrapped up.
The boys in green simply outlasted their more experienced rivals: when was the last time anybody did THAT to a German team? As the game progressed into the second half, the Irish began to run harder — just as the Germans began to slow down. Their fans, too, never flagged. Robbie Keane's at-the-death equalizer was no more than they deserved, and the roar almost took the roof off the Kashima Stadium.
The lesson of the night for Ireland is that they need Niall Quinn's height and muscle from the get-go, not just in the last 10 minutes. The game turned from the moment he was brought on, as a substitute. The Germans were obliged to put two men on him, opening up gaps in their rock-solid back line. Quinn is a bit long in the tooth, but if he can't run for 90 minutes, he should be employed for the first 60. Little Robbie Keane thrives in the bigger man's presence, running into space for Quinn to find with his headers.
German coach Rudi Voeller won't be overly disappointed by the night's result. Yes, his boys should have had the three points, but they played well — and well within themselves. For much of the game, the team kept its shape on the pitch, with Ramelow and Hamman dominating the midfield. Oliver Kahn had a superb night, pulling off two pointblank saves and reminding us why, even at 33, he is the best 'keeper of his generation. And although Carsten "Tank" Jancker was kept out of it with surprising ease by the Irish, his strike partner was excellent: Miro Klose was full of clever running and industry — already, he's Germany's find of the tournament. With four goals in two games, he is the leading contender for the Golden Boot.
But the best outcome of the match is that, for the second game running, the Irish have rubbed Roy Keane's face in the mud. "Are you watching, Roy Keane?" the fans sang at the final whistle. But surely even a man as uncouth as the Manchester United bruiser would be too ashamed to watch.
Ireland must now outscore Cameroon against the Saudis and hope the Germans beat the Africans in the final game of the group. Can the pluck of the Irish hold?
England-Argentina: Just Don't Talk About the War
Tactical switch from the Argentina camp on Tuesday. Earlier this week, it was all chest-thumping nationalism, invoking the bitter memory of the 1982 Falklands War (or Malvinas War, as Buenos Aires would have it), and warning England that Friday's encounter is "more than just a game." Said stand-in captain Veron, "This match is about more than the men on the pitch — it's also important in the historical context." Goalkeeper Cavallero was even more forthright: "Maybe you shouldn't mix things like football and the war, but it's really hard not to do it." But Veron and Cavallero weren't even sent to Tuesday's presser, and the players who represented Argentina had only the nicest things to say about the English. They were at pains to stress that Friday's encounter is nothing more than a game of footie.
So why the switch? After all, we know that Cavallero is onto something — international football is often, if not the continuation of war by other means, then at least a satisfying simulacrum for the same jingoistic passions. (Good thing India and Pakistan aren't playing...) And even Argentina's president has made a point over the past couple of months of ratcheting up the anti-England rhetoric over Las Malvinas. One reason for tamping it down could be that the nationalist rhetoric creates unnecessary pressure on the players. After all, they're a far better soccer team than England, so why remind them of an episode in which Argentina was hu
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