The Hindu : Poland banking on made-in-Nigeria weapon

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jun 04, 2002

Sport

Sport - Football

Poland banking on made-in-Nigeria weapon

Gwangju (South Korea) June 3. The waiting is finally over. China, the country with more football fans than any other, finally make its World Cup debut on Tuesday against Costa Rica, in a match vital for both teams.

To add still further to the occasion, the game sees master take on pupil — China's vastly experienced coach Bora Milutinovic will be pitting his wits against Alexander Guimaraes, a player when Milutinovic led Costa Rica through its first World Cup in 1990.

As many as 700 million people could watch the Group C game on television in China, according to estimates, cheering a side long on organisation but lacking global experience and stars of the sort who can turn a game.

With a tough Turkish side and Brazil to follow in the first round, both coaches are painfully aware that victory is vital to maintain hope of a place in the latter stages.

And although China — which first tried to qualify for the World Cup 44 years ago — has a virtually injury-free squad to choose from, at the back of its mind is certain to be the 8-0 humiliation of fellow Asian qualifiers Saudi Arabia at the hands of Germany.

``If I was one of the Saudi Arabia players I would pack my bags and go home now,'' admitted centre back Li Weifeng, one China's top stars. ``I think the Costa Rican team is very strong, they have very good players, but we feel confident in our team,'' said Li, who will be keeping a close watch on Costa Rica's star strikers Paulo Wanchope and Rolando Fonesca.

China's trump card is the fact that whatever happens, Milutinovic has seen it all before.

The Chinese are the record fifth country the 57-year-old Yugoslav has led out at successive World Cups, and nothing has been left to chance with the squad.

Li agreed the training was meticulous. ``What I am thinking about now is what Bora has been teaching us,'' he said when asked for his pre-match feelings.

"It is like a film in my mind, I can recall every moment,'' the 24-year-old Shenzhen player told reporters at the team's training base on the island of Jeju. ``Even in my dreams, football is on my mind.''

Another bonus for China will be the hordes of fans making the short trip to Korea to cheer them on, up to 40,000 according to official estimates.

Against Costa Rica, China will be heavily reliant on its extremely well-drilled defence, including veterans of English football Fan Zhiyi and Sun Jihai alongside Li.

However at the other end, likely Chinese strikeforce Hao Haidong and Yang Chen will have to work hard to end China's enduring goal drought in warm-up games.

Both Milutinovic and the players have tried to downplay public expectations at home amid a media-led football fervour, even releasing an open letter to supporters before they left China warning people not to expect miracles from their young and at times limited squad.

Work cut out

In Busan, co-host South Korea is planning to make its own little piece of history at Poland's expense in its Group D match, but it has an enormous task ahead.

While no strangers to playing on the world stage, the winning feeling is something that has eluded it so far. In five previous World Cups it has yet to taste victory, let alone make it to the second round.

It will never have a better chance to change that with massive home support behind it on Tuesday and a run of encouraging warm-up results, including a 1-1 draw with England and a narrow 2-3 defeat to France.

But Poland, which won its qualifying group at a canter and is considered one of the best Polish sides in years, has other ideas and believe it knows where to hit Korea where it hurts.

``What we think is that the host team's defence is not their strongest point and we see our chances in it,'' Polish coach Jerzy Engel said. ``Korea could let in a number of goals.''

South Korea's Dutch coach Guus Hiddink is well aware of this and will be praying his captain and defensive lynchpin Hong Myung-Bo is fully recovered from a foot injury he picked up in the France game.

Hong, who has played 126 times for his country, only resumed training late last week and there has been no word as yet from the Korean camp as to whether he will start. Without him, Korea will have its work cut out closing the door on Poland's Panathinaikos striker Emmanuel Olisadebe, on whose shoulders so much rests.

Fast-tracked into the set-up after an application for Polish citizenship was accepted in July 2000, the powerful Nigerian centre-forward has already achieved iconic status in his adopted homeland.

His eight goals in qualifying helped Engel's squad top its group ahead of the likes of Ukraine, Wales and Norway, securing Poland's first World Cup appearance since 1986 — when it was a communist regime.

The 23-year-old is the crucial figure for Poland as the East Europeans seek to emulate their successful campaigns of 1974 and 1982 when they finished third on each occasion.

``I scored eight times in qualifying, so I guess it's no wonder that fans believe in me and wish me luck,'' Olisadebe said recently, but insists he doesn't care about finding the net as long as the team does well.

``I believe in myself but scoring is not the most important thing for me.''

He warned that South Korea had the natural advantage of playing at home in a climate it is used to.

Judgement day

Meanwhile judgement day arrives for World Cup co-host Japan in Saitama when the Asian champion launches its quest for a place in the last 16 against injury-plagued Belgium.

Since its winless World Cup debut in 1998, Philippe Troussier's youthful side has spent four years plotting a successful course through the 2002 finals.

Troussier, appointed soon after Japan flopped in France with three defeats, has steadily strengthened the team in the intervening period, guiding it to the 2000 Asian Cup and some good results against respectable opposition.

Now Japan faces the ultimate test, knowing that failure to qualify from Group H — which also includes Russia and Tunisia — will make it the first World Cup host not to reach the second round.

So far fate appears to be doing all it can to help Japan get off to a winning start, as Belgium face a mounting injury toll.

Schalke 04 defender Nico Van Kerckhoven reportedly hurt his groin in training over the weekend while four other players have been carrying knocks.

Derby County striker Branko Strupar has been battling an ankle injury for several days, St. Truiden midfielder Danny Boffin has a bruised right knee and defensive linchpin Glen De Boeck of Anderlecht has an ankle injury.

Captain Marc Wilmots, dogged by fresh pains in his injured left knee, is expected to make the opening game in Group H which also includes unpredictable Russia and unfancied Tunisia.

Wilmots, 33, who scored the last-minute winner in a shock 2-1 victory away over world and European champion France two weeks ago, dribbled fast and tackled hard in weekend training at Belgium base camp in remote Kumamoto.

Wilmots' experience apart, Gert Verheyen and Wesley Sonck lead an attack that will be without injured top striker Emile Mpenza.

In defence Japan's speedy attack are expected to opt for a series of low level lightning raids to nullify the physical superiority of Belgium's defence.

Central to Japan's plans will be Hidetoshi Nakata, its midfielder from Parma who first made his name at the World Cup four years ago. Nakata believes an early goal will be vital.

Brazilian-born midfielder Alessandro ``Alex'' Santos join them in leading Japan's mission to prevent first round elimination.

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