Friday, May 31, 2002
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Football
Group A Barring a major surprise, defending World Cup and European champion France will finish top, leaving Uruguay, Denmark and Senegal to fight it out for second place. France will not have the home-field advantage it enjoyed four years ago and — as an automatic qualifier — has not played competitive games in the run-up to the tournament. But its rich array of talent from across Europe's top leagues should see them through. Denmark, quarterfinalist in 1998 and champion at Euro '92, cruised through its qualifying group ahead of the Czech Republic and Bulgaria and look like the second-best team in Group A. Two-time World Cup winner Uruguay will be led by Inter Milan striker Alvaro Recoba and should prove a tough opponent despite a lack of success on the international stage in recent years. But never underestimate South American sides — just ask Spain, which finished third in its first-round group four years ago after a goalless draw with Paraguay. Senegal is an up-and-coming African team. The Dakar Lions made a name for themselves when they qualified for their first-ever World Cup finals last year, and then made people really sit up after finishing second to Cameroon in this year's African Cup of Nations. Group B Three of the four teams in Group B qualified easily for the World Cup. But might unknown Slovenia spoil the party for Spain, Paraguay or South Africa? The strongest teams in the group are Spain, which has yet to win soccer's biggest prize despite extremely high expectations, and Paraguay, coached by former Italy coach Cesare Maldini. At the World Cup four years, these two teams played to a 0-0 draw, which was enough to send Paraguay into the second round and send Spain home early — again. South Africa, which was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the African Cup of Nations earlier this year, is hoping it can continue the strong play that made it one of the first two teams to qualify for the 2002 World Cup last July. Spain, playing in its seventh consecutive World Cup and 11th overall, is led by a slew of stars, including Raul Gonzalez, Fernando Hierro, Diego Tristan and Carles Puyol. Paraguay reached the World Cup under the direction of Uruguayan Sergio Markarian. He was fired after the team lost its final two qualifying matches — even though the team qualified despite the losses. The team is led by 36-year-old colorful goalkeeper Jose Luis Chilavert. Slovenia's top player is Benfica striker Zlatko Zahovic. Group C The chances of four-time World Cup winner Brazil missing the second round of this year's tournament appear slim, especially considering its Group C opponents. Turkey, making its first appearance in the finals since 1954, and Costa Rica look to be the teams battling for second. But it'll be difficult to count out World Cup debutant China, coached by soccer legend Bora Milutinovic. Milutinovic has coached four different teams in four different World Cups — and made the second round each time. He's also led Mexico, Nigeria, Costa Rica and the United States. Brazil may not be the team it used to be, having lost six games in qualifying, but it's still a team deep with talented players and outright stars, including Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Roberto Carlos. Costa Rica easily won the six-team CONCACAF group, edging traditional powers Mexico and the United States. Turkey boasts several players from some of Europe's top leagues, including Hakan Sukur, Muzzy Izzet, Okan Buruk and Alpay Ozalan, and Galatasaray midfielder Hasan Sas. Fenerbahce's Rustu Recber will be in net. Group D The two European clubs in Group D — Portgual and Poland — are the picks to reach the second round of 16. Portugal, which had its best finish in a World Cup in 1966 in England (third), will be relying on what's known as its ``golden generation'' — stars who came of age a decade ago. They include midfielder Luis Figo, Rui Costa, Vitor Baia, Abel Xavier, Fernando Couto, Joao Pinto, Jorge Costa, and Nuno Capucho — all of them standout players on the senior side. Poland, behind defender Tomasz Hajto and Liverpool goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek, will be difficult to beat as the Poles try matching their third place finishes in 1974 and '82. South Korea and the United States round out the group, but few see either side going through to the final 16. The Americans had the worst record of the 32 clubs in France four years ago and, as expected, are saying they are improved. Reaching the second phase would be a moral victory for the Americans, who are led by Sunderland midfielder Claudio Reyna. South Korea, the co-host, has reached the finals for the fifth straight time and will have the advantage of home support. The team's best known name is probably Dutch coach Guus Hiddink with Seol Ki-hyeon (Anderlecht) the leading striker. Group E Germany is expected to win Group A, but it will face stiff challenge from Cameroon. Germany, the 1954, 1974 and 1990 titlist, is confident it could go far. The team will rely on midfielder Michael Ballack's goals and its traditional stamina and determination. Cameroon's Indomitable Lions will be competing in their fifth World Cup, a record for an African side, and again go into the tournament with high hopes. Many of the team's young stars have already tasted success with the triumph of the country's under-23 side at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. Ireland, which reached the quarterfinals on its maiden trip to the World Cup in 1990, faces an uphill struggle to get out of the group. The Irish have been hit by the absence of their only undisputed star, Manchester United's Roy Keane, who was sent home last week after an argument with the coach. Saudi Arabia, an inexperienced team consisting of players based in the domestic league, is the outsider of the group. Group F Predicting who will advance to the second round of the World Cup from Group F is easy: It's unpredictable. Known as the ``Group of Death,'' Argentina, England, Nigeria and Sweden each has a chance, but it'll be hard to imagine a second round without Argentina and England. Argentina, which easily won the South American qualifying group, is the pre-tournament favourite. The two-time World Cup winner is so strong that AS Roma star Gabriel Batistuta may have to settle for time on the bench. England is also slated to go far, but a spate of injuries could make things more difficult for the English, which have won just one World Cup — and that on home soil. Nigeria proved a huge disappointment at the recent African Cup of Nations — losing in the semifinals to Senegal — and a coaching change soon after combined with infighting could prevent the Super Eagles from repeating a trip to second round. Sweden may get the least amount of international press in the group, but it's a team with several players spread around Europe's top clubs, including Glasgow Celtic's scoring ace Henrik Larsson and Arsenal's Fredrik Ljungberg. Group G Italy is the odds-on favourite to win this group with Ecuador, Croatia and Mexico carrying about the same possibility of being the second team to the final 16. Italy, the three-time champion (1934, '38 and '82), is always expected to be a contender. The Italian defence got it to the finals of Euro 2000, but this time success may rest with forwards like Vincenzo Montella and injury-prone Christian Vieri. Other strikers who could be in the mix are Alessandro Del Piero, Filippo Inzaghi — likely to miss the opening game due to injury — Francesco Totti and Marco Delvecchio. Mexico, quarterfinalists in 1970 and '86, is an experienced team playing in the World Cup for the 13th time and will be led by striker Cuauhtemoc Blanco. The Mexicans are unpredictable but, if you needed to pick one side from the three to advance, they could be the ones. Croatia, the surprise team of the 1998 World Cup with a third-place finish, may have already peaked with young players needed to take over for aging stars like Davor Suker. Ecuador, coached by Colombian Dario Gomez, a first-time qualifier that got the world's attention with a victory over Brazil during qualifying. Group H Japan debuted at the World Cup finals at France '98 and didn't win a match, yet the Japanese expect to reach the second stage here on a wave of fervent hometown support. The co-hosts open June 4 against Belgium at Saitama, while Russia meets Tunisia at Kobe the next day. Frenchman Philippe Troussier has molded Japan into a cohesive, attacking lineup spearheaded by midfielder Hidetoshi Nakata. Under Troussier, the Japanese have held France, Brazil and Italy to draws and beaten the likes of Poland and Cameroon. Belgium, semifinalist in 1986, is in soccer's quadrennial showpiece for the sixth consecutive time. Marc Wilmots drilled seven of Belgium's 25 goals in qualifying, but coach Robert Waseige has concerns with a large injury toll in his traditionally strong defensive line. A lack of depth was exposed in a recent 3-2 loss to Greece. Russia topped European qualifying Group 1 with Vladimir Beschastnykh scoring seven goals. The former USSR, which made the quarterfinals from 1958-70 — placing fourth in '66 — hasn't gone beyond the second round since then and didn't qualify in '98. The Russians are coming off an upset 2-1 loss to Estonia and a 2-0 defeat to Ireland. Tunisia was unbeaten in its North African qualifying group and has been at two previous World Cups, but was ousted in the first round of the African Nations Cup in January and lacks the arsenal to trouble the powerhouses.— AP
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