Yugoslavia downs Japan; enters final

By Amitabha Das Sharma

KOLKATA, JAN. 23. Yugoslavia justified its favourite status defeating Japan 1-0 in the second Sahara Cup semifinal here at the Salt Lake Stadium on Tuesday.

The path to the final was realised as Yugoslavia successfully preserved the lead it earned in the fifth minute through Igor Duljaj. With Bosnia-Herzegovina making into the final winning the first semifinal on Monday, the battle lines have been drawn for what could be dubbed as a re-match of the friendly clash for Balkan supremacy. It thus gives both the teams the best opportunity to resolve the deadlock that saw both the teams tying 1-1 in the league stage.

Going by the assertion of the Yugoslavian coach, Ilija Petkovic, who had declared the final berth for his team much ahead of the match, the ninth ranked country in the world shook off the opposition, composed of the university recruits from Japan, without much ado in the clash for the final berth on Tuesday.

The Japanese missed the services of their suspended forwardline pivot Ota Keisuke, as the finishing remained a big problem for the team. It came close to scoring the equaliser at least twice in the match. However, entering the last-four stage was the greatest tribute to the abilities of the youthful side which is here on a preparatory tour for the World universities' soccer to be held this summer.

The Yugoslavians with a professional approach gradually withdrew into a defensive shell as the opposition appeared undecided on its offensive. The European flair was evident only for a limited time as the Yugoslavians reaped an early reward and retreated into a defensive shell. The physical supremacy too worked in favour of the European nation, which muffled the comparatively slighter built players of Japan by effectively checking their speed going in for early tackles.

The Yugoslavians, at the same time, ensured a free access on the flanks with the opposition struggling to put together a cohesive approach. The very first opportunity fetched the reward which remained more a tribute to Duljaj's intelligence. Playing as a central midfielder, Duljaj received a provision from the left and, locating Japanese custodian Takahara Toshiyasa relinquishing his charge, lobbed it over to create a fine spectacle of perfection and mental alertness.

It would have been a comfortable 2-0 lead for the Yugoslavians 14 minutes later had not Vladimir Ivic - the other forward - not seen his header come off the upright with the opposition custodian thoroughly beaten. Ivic was, however, replaced by midfielder Boris Vaskovic who came in to strengthen Yugoslavia's defensive ploy.

Japan saw Hanyu Naotake and forward Fukai Masaki come closest to scoring once in the 22nd and 53rd minutes respectively but the Yugoslavian goal survived both the attempts. Naotake's lob was cleared from the goalline by stopper-back Dusan Petkovic while the Yugoslavian custodian Zarko Lucic was there to stop Masaki's tap.

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Section  : Sport
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