Telegraph:
Euphoric Ghana rue loss of Essien
By : Duncan Whitein Nuremburg, 23/06/2006

Sign of the times: crowds in Times Square watch the United States losing
Ghana (2) 2 United States (1) 1

Amid the rampant jubilation of Ghana's players at making the second
round at their first World Cup, one man's celebrations were marked by
dawning despair. Michael Essien, the talismanic heart of this team,
could not share the joy of his team-mates at going through to face
world champions Brazil in Dortmund on Tuesday as he will be suspended.

It took all of five minutes for the Chelsea midfielder to receive the
booking that rules him out of the next round.

His tackle on Claudio Reyna was rough but he clearly won the ball.
Referee Markus Merk felt differently. Now Essien will be forced to
watch the biggest game in his country's history in a suit.

"I don't know what will happen now," said Essien, implying that Ghana
could appeal his booking. "It's a ridiculous decision and I don't
think that I deserved a card. I won the ball fairly. I knew that I
would be missing from the next game but I just kept going for the
team.

"It's one of the best moments and one of the worst moments of my
career. At the final whistle I was so happy, but then within a moment
I was sad because I'll miss the chance to play Brazil."

The outstanding Stephen Appiah found his midfield partner distraught
in the changing room. "He's so disappointed," Appiah said. "Only this
afternoon we were talking and he said to me that we'll have to really
show Brazil who we are."

The United States coach, Bruce Arena, sprang to the defence of the
Chelsea star. "This insistence on yellow cards is taking good players
out of this tournament," he said. "It's unfair on Essien. I thought
his tackle was actually a good one."

If Arena was upset by that decision, it was nothing as to his
frustration with Merk for awarding the penalty to Ghana in first-half
stoppage time that effectively ended

his team's hopes. Razak Pimpong dived under minimal contact from
Oguchi Onyewu and Stephen Appiah converted the spot-kick for the goal
that would finally separate the teams.

"You would get 15 penalties a game if that sort of contact was a
foul," Arena said. "It's tough to take."

Ghana got the start they wanted when the pacy Haminu Draman ambushed
Reyna in possession and curled the ball around Kasey Keller. Reyna was
left in a crumpled heap by Draman's tackle, clutching his left knee.
He returned gingerly to the pitch but was substituted on 40 minutes.

Unperturbed, the United States pulled level three minutes later. Derek
Boateng gave the ball away to DaMarcus Beasley who bent a pass across
the face of goal. Clint Dempsey laced the ball in at the far post.

It was one in the eye for the 'soccer mom' culture of US football:
Dempsey is self-styled 'white trash' from Texas who has recorded a rap
record and once played through the pain of a broken jaw.

At 2-1 down the US pressed after the break with the fury of the
righteous but Brian McBride's effort off the outside of a post was the
best they could do.

Ghana were not the dynamic force of previous games but coach Ratomir
Dujkovic promised they would be back to their best against Brazil.

"Any team that faces the Black Stars now will have to suffer,"
Dujkovic said. Even Brazil? "Yes, we will make them suffer."

• Man of the match: Stephen Appiah (Ghana).

Match details
Ghana (4-4-2): Kingson; Pantsil, Mensah, Shilla, Mohamed; Boateng (O
Addo h-t), Essien, Appiah, Draman (Tachie-Mensah 80); Amoah (E Addo
59), Pimpong. Goals: Draman (22), Appiah (45 pen). Booked: Essien,
Shilla, Mensah, Appiah.

United States (4-1-4-1): Keller; Cherundolo (Johnson 61), Onyewu,
Conrad, Bocanegra; Reyna (Olsen 40); Dempsey, Donovan, Beasley, Lewis
(Convey 74); McBride. Goal: Dempsey (43). Booked: Lewis.

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Indy:
Ghana 2 USA 1: Ban for Essien takes gloss off dazzling Ghana show
By Nick Townsend at the Frankenstadion
Published: 23 June 2006
The Group of Lingering Death, and while the United States' ventilator
was turned off without too much protest from anyone who does not have
a personal affection for Uncle Sam, Ghana move on.

At the end, there were frantic scenes in Nuremberg as the Black Stars
confirmed their presence in the round of 16 on this, their inaugural
appearance in the finals. It will have confounded the sceptics, whom
you imagine privately included their Serbian coach Ratomir Dujkovic.

Yet, while Ghana salivate at the prospect of Brazil to come, Michael
Essien can only contemplate about what could have been. Chelsea's
£24.4m midfielder was once again the victim of his own impetuosity -
how many times have we read that before? - and, as the recipient of a
second yellow in the tournament, must sit and wonder as Ghana's lavish
entertainers enjoy the prize for their progress on Tuesday.

A rash fourth-minute challenge on the US captain Claudio Reyna
determined that Essien would miss the next game, assuming Ghana won
through. There was never any real doubt of that, although they were
the benefactors of a remarkably "soft" penalty award from the German
referee Markus Merk, which ultimately decided the contest.

This was a fascinating clash of styles, with Ghana extravagant, if at
times error-prone; the US industrious and strong but reminiscent of a
poor man's Premiership. The West Africans had been an exhilarating
force when defeating the Czech Republic 2-0, but their two scorers,
Asamoah Gyan and Sulley Muntari, were absent here through suspension.
However, victory would guarantee a second-round place.

After an edgy start by both teams, Reyna was robbed midway in his own
half, in the 22nd minute, by Hamini Dramani, the Red Star Belgrade
player, who dashed towards goal unopposed.

He opened his body in the style of Thierry Henry before turning the
ball exquisitely past the goalkeeper Kasey Keller. Meanwhile, Reyna
lay still, surrounded by seemingly as many medical staff as the whole
of General Hospitalbefore having his legs strapped and borne to the
touchline. He returned, but lasted only 17 minutes before being
substituted.

By then, his team had exhibited clear signs of a revival. Fulham's
Brian McBride, as dominating a presence as ever in front of goal,
supplied one headed knock-down for Landon Donovan, but he skied the
ball. Even the American supporters, who are over here in remarkable
numbers,recognised that their team were over-rated at fifth in the
world rankings.

The PSV Eindhoven midfielder DaMarcus Beasley had been omitted from
the opening line-up against Italy, but he was recalled here by the US,
who were without Eddie Pope and Pablo Mastroeni; both were dismissed
in that 1-1 draw. Beasley's presence was felt by Ghana two minutes
from the interval, when his sweeping cross was smashed home by Clint
Dempsey.

Yet, even as the US bench were still celebrating the moment, Ghana
established a decidedly fortuitous lead. The striker Razak Pimpong was
challenged for an aerial ball by the US's £2m-rated defender Oguchi
Onyewu, a player reportedly coveted by Middlesbrough and Reading, and
though there appeared a minimum of contact, referee Merk awarded the
spot-kick. Even Pimpong looked faintly embarrassed. However,
unabashed, his captain Stephen Appiah drove the penalty past Keller.

In Japan-South Korea, they had their moment as surprise package; there
will be few regrets world-wide that this time that baton has been
passed to Ghana.

Ghana: Kingston, Mensah, Pantsil, Shilla, Mohamed, Appiah, Essien,
Dramani (Tachie-Mensah, 80), Boateng (Otto Addo, 45), Amoah (Eric
Addo, 59), Pimpong.

USA: Keller, Onyewu, Conrad, Cherundolo (Johnson, 60), Bocanegra,
Dempsey, Reyna (Olsen, 40), Lewis (Convey, 74), Beasley, Donovan,
McBride.

Referee: Markus Merk (Germany).

Booked: Ghana Essien, Shilla, Mensah, Appiah; USA Lewis.

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Ecstatic Ghana charge into last 16 but progress is bittersweet for
banned Essien

Ghana 2 - 1 USA
Dramani 22, Appiah 45pen; Dempsey 43

Paul Kelso in Nuremberg
Friday June 23, 2006
The Guardian


Ghana saw off one superpower yesterday to set up a possible meeting
with another, their victory over the United States putting them on
course for a likely second-round meeting with Brazil.
For the Black Stars, their drum-beating supporters inside the stadium
and 20m at home, a controversial victory brought delight at emerging
from a group that included European aristocrats Italy and the Czech
Republic. Only Michael Essien will feel equivocal about the greatest
day in his country's football history after receiving a yellow card
that will keep him out of the next game.

For those wearing the Stars and Stripes there was only anger and a
sense of grievance that will linger long after they have boarded
today's flight home. Both Ghana's goals were touched by controversy -
referee Markus Merk swaying between leniency and pettiness as he
ignored claims for a foul on Claudio Reyna in the build-up to the
first goal, then awarding a dubious penalty for the second.
Merk gave out five yellow cards in a fussy performance that did
nothing for the spectacle, although the one waved at Essien after five
minutes was the most significant. The Chelsea midfielder will take
little comfort from the knowledge that his performance after that
early blow did much to ensure his team-mates will enjoy the game of
their lives in Dortmund on Tuesday.

Ghana's Serbian coach Ratomir Dujkovic, who in January faced calls for
his head after the side flopped out of the African Nations Cup in
Egypt, fully sympathised with Essien but the disappointment was not
sufficient to dim his delight at reaching the last 16.

"This is a dream for the Black Stars of Ghana," he said. "After Egypt
there were some people who wanted me to go. I feel sorry for them
tonight but I am very happy and proud for 20m Ghanaians.

"The USA are a very talented team but they are going home, and Brazil
will have to suffer too if we are to go on. For us it will be an
honour to play them. They are the world champions but the Black Stars
are the Brazil of Africa. Our tactics will be simple, to score three
goals."

Dujkovic's levity contrasted with Bruce Arena's deep despond. Ghana's
penalty came in the 47th minute, four minutes after Clint Dempsey had
equalised to leave the game and group in the balance.

"The referee's call was remarkable for a game at this level," said
Arena, whose reign as the longest-serving national coach at the
tournament may be at an end. "It left us chasing the game when we had
worked so hard to get level."

Controversy touched all three goals. Merk is regarded as among the
best in the business in Europe, presumably a factor in his selection
for a meeting of two physically committed sides, but his handling of
this game deserves to tarnish that reputation.

His decision to wave play on in the 22nd minute when the dawdling
Claudio Reyna was robbed by a brusque challenge from Haminu Draman 30
yards from goal was justifiable, though Draman appeared to clip
Reyna's knee in the tackle. While the US captain writhed Draman
advanced on Kasey Keller's goal and calmly steered his right-foot shot
into the far corner.

The decision brought a fuming Arena to the edge of his technical area
in protest, and his mood was no better when forced to remove his
labouring captain after 40 minutes. Three minutes later the USA were
level - Dempsey finishing from eight yards after DaMarcus Beasley
seized on an error by Derek Boateng to cross from the left wing. Any
righteous indignation on the part of the Americans at that stage was
undermined by replays which suggested the offside decision was
marginal.

There was no justification for the pivotal decision of the game,
however, Merk harshly penalising the centre-half Oguchi Onyewu for
reaching over Razak Pimpong as they competed for a bouncing ball
inside the penalty area. The jeering that greeted the decision
suggests the USA's supporters are more au fait with the laws of the
game than once they were, but it was no consolation as Ghana's captain
Stephen Appiah, again excellent, crashed in the penalty. He will have
to repeat his form if Ghana are to continue their run, but for now the
Black Stars are superstars.


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-------------------------------------


Essien ends the phoney war for US
By RICK BROADBENT

Ghana 2 United States 1




DON'T mention the phoney war. With political correctness a theme of
this World Cup, the United States have not endeared themselves to many
with their talk of war and warriors. In the end, their main
achievement has been in exposing the facile nature of the Fifa
rankings that claim they are the fifth-best team on the planet and it
is Ghana who proved that actions speak far louder than ill-chosen
words.
The wild celebrations in Nuremberg that greeted the Africa team's
merited triumph were tempered by Michael Essien's misfortune. The
Chelsea midfield player has been a talismanic linchpin for Ghana in
their three matches, but his habit of tackling like a crash-test dummy
worked against him. He was booked for a challenge on Claudio Reyna in
the opening exchanges yesterday and will miss Ghana's next game.



"We were talking this afternoon, before the game and we said we had to
do something to show Brazil," Stephen Appiah, the captain and his
midfield sidekick, said. A yellow card was not what they had in mind.
"It is one of the best moments and worst moments of my career," Essien
said. "It was a ridiculous decision."

Essien was not the only one to suffer from finding Markus Merk, the
German referee, in one of his more eccentric moods. The decisive
penalty awarded against Oguchi Onyewu for an imaginary shove on Razak
Pimpong, converted by Appiah near the end of the first half, was
Andrex soft and, after the two red cards the US received against
Italy, left Bruce Arena, their coach, feeling persecuted.

"To have to chase the game on that call was kind of remarkable," he
said. "That's a big call because we had control of the game. There
would be 15 penalty kicks a game if they gave them for that every
time."

Arena then claimed that his team were in the top half of the World Cup
cast in terms of talent and that all 32 teams should be seeded to
avoid another "group of death". While giving his blueprint for the
future, he also criticised the pressure he feels Fifa is putting on
referees.

"Essien is out of the next game and that's unfair, because his tackle
was actually good," he said. "This mandate to have to show yellow
cards has gone overboard. I feel for Essien. He's a great player and
they need him."

There were few tears from Essien, which showed a perspective some of
the American camp have lacked. "I can imagine what is happening on the
streets and in the restaurants at home," Ratomir Dujkovic, the Ghana
coach, said. "I am proud to have made 20 million Ghanaians happy. We
are in the top 16 in the world."

Dujkovic, who was under pressure after his team's dismal display in
the African Nations Cup, claimed that the US deserved to be in that
elite band, too, but he was being kind. Despite never finding the
free-flowing power play that did for the Czech Republic and getting
that fortuitous penalty, Ghana were the better team and have better
prospects of living with Brazil and Co.

To their credit, the US did find a head of steam in the second half,
but they had been curiously subdued in the first. Needing a win to
stay in Germany, they were ponderous and poor. Calling them the fifth
best team in the world seemed akin to suggesting that Accrington
Stanley are dark horses for the World Series.

Long before Merk's intervention, Arena was shaking his head on the
sidelines. He started doing so when Reyna was robbed deep in his own
half by Haminu Dramani. Reyna stayed down, claiming a foul, and
Dramani powered forward and curled a neat finish beyond Kasey Keller.

Reyna had been guilty of dawdling but did not deserve the strained
ligaments that he also got for his apathy. Yet, although the
Manchester City midfield player has been a key figure in the US's rise
over the past decade, he is not the man to lead a high tempo chase.
His one speed is half pace and the US improved after his exit.

The US's finishing had been low-grade, but they got an equaliser just
before the break. The ball broke to DaMarcus Beasley on the left wing
and for once the delivery was good, a rolled ball inviting Clint
Dempsey to finish, which he did in bellicose style from ten yards.

The arrival of Eddie Johnson, the man who had unwisely declared that
the US were here for war, lifted the crowd and his team began to live
off more than scraps. Eddie Lewis darted down the wing and his low
cross was nodded against a post by Brian McBride, while Onyewu put
another header on to the roof of the net.

Perhaps it was knowing the score in the Italy-Czech Republic match
that made Ghana take an unnatural backwards step. They also suffered
from poor finishing. If the sign of a good striker is the conviction
to keep looking for opportunities when you are peppering stewards with
shots, then Matthew Amoah is one. If it is being a composed finisher,
he is not.

Essien almost took his bow by scoring late on, only for his team-mate,
Alex Tachie- Mensah, to deflect a goalbound effort behind. Ghana's
chances of upsetting more applecarts may have departed with Essien,
but Dujkovic remains confident. "Any team that faces the Black Stars
will have to suffer," he said. Including Brazil? "Yes."



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------------------------
Budweiser Man of the Match: Stephen APPIAH (GHA)
22 June 2006
by FIFAworldcup.com



Stephen Appiah was the rock on which Ghana's historic qualification
from Group E of the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ was built. After the 2-1 win
over the USA that cemented the Black Stars' place in the Round of 16,
the Fenerbahce midfield dynamo was chosen by FIFA's Technical Study
Group (TSG) as the Budweiser Man of the Match.

The talent, awareness and work-rate of the Ghana captain were crucial
factors in his side's success. In addition, the inspirational skipper
struck the West Africans' second goal from the penalty spot in
first-half injury time - a goal that proved decisive in the final
analysis.

Appiah was the linchpin of the Ghana attack, and practically
everything that Ratomir Dujkovic's men did went through their midfield
colossus. He has enjoyed an immaculate tournament up to now, and he
stood out with his performance here as a genuine world-class
competitor.

TSG member Rodrigo Kenton was duly fulsome in his praise, saying:
"Appiah distributed the ball very well, controlled the pace of the
game and brought the best out of his team-mates. He was always in
control. He brought all his experience to bear, taking charge of the
game, and ensuring his side never lost their shape."
  ==========================================================
Defiant Italy ignore troubles at home
By Matt Hughes

Czech Republic 0 Italy 2

ON A DARK DAY FOR ITALIAN football, the Azzurri provided a rare shaft
of light. With eight of their starting line-up facing the threat of
indictment, Marcello Lippi's team somehow produced a performance of a
different kind of conviction, ensuring their progress as group winners
and maintaining their 21-match unbeaten run. By avoiding Brazil, they
have reason to believe that their day of legal reckoning can be
delayed until well into July.
The Czech Republic, though, are facing grim reality as the first
leading team to take their leave from this World Cup. With Pavel
Nedved, Karel Poborsky and Jan Koller sure to retire, the end of an
era is nigh for the Euro 2004 semi-finalists, who may never regain
their present ranking as No 2 in the world. Nedved was outstanding on
his last international performance, waging a one-man campaign to keep
his side in the competition with only the excellence of Gianluigi
Buffon denying him several goals, although Karel Bruckner seemed in
denial over his impending retirement.



"It's a question you should ask the players, not me," the Czech coach
said. "Some of the players who are over 30 showed great flair and
played well in this tournament. Koller could not play because of
injury but some of the players over 30 will not be retiring."

Lippi was similarly defiant, though the claim that his players remain
unaffected by the scandal at home was undermined by his defensive
demeanour.

"No one thinks about it any more and the players are completely
focussed," he said. "That's not that what creates any tension, the
only thing that generates pressure is the fact that we could be sent
home. It's a once in a lifetime chance so we want to play a good
championship. Once people go home, alas, they will have to deal with
their problems."

For the first 15 minutes Italy had plenty of problems to deal with on
the pitch, with the Czechs appearing more than capable of securing the
win they needed to progress. With the muscular Jan Polak establishing
a firm base in front of the back four, Nedved was given a platform to
display his wonderful range of passing, showing no signs of being
adversely affected by the travails of his club, Juventus.

The Czechs were unfortunate that their best chance fell to Milan
Baros, who shows all the predatory instincts of a dead vole. After an
exquisite pass from Nedved with the outside of his right foot, the
Aston Villa striker found himself through on goal in the ninth minute
only for his control to let him down, allowing Buffon to make a
scrambling save at his feet. Thereafter Nedved took matters into his
hands with two searing 25-yard drives with his left foot but Buffon
proved his equal on both occasions, the second a remarkable double
save as Marek Jankulovski followed up at the far post.

Italy were hanging on at that stage and their problems appeared to
worsen when Alessandro Nesta hobbled off after 17 minutes, but his
replacement, Marco Materazzi, proved to be their salvation. The former
Everton defender rose above Polak to head home Francesco Totti's cross
nine minutes later, sparking scenes of celebration he never witnessed
at Goodison Park.

Stunned to concede against the run of play, the Czechs began to
falter, Polak's promising start soon coming to an abrupt end. Having
collected a booking for an innocuous foul on Andrea Pirlo, the
Nuremberg midfield player soon received a second, being sent off after
clattering into Totti shortly before half-time.

With the comforting cushion of both an extra man and a goal, Italy
controlled the second half, with Filippo Inzaghi, a substitute,
doubling their lead in the 87th minute.

Having missed several easier chances, the AC Milan striker was
released by Simone Perrotta and rounded Petr Cech to score with ease.

Nedved remained the Czech Republic's only threat but found Buffon in
equally outstanding form, with his inability to force an equaliser
summing up the frustration of an ultimately unfulfilled international
career. Having already come out of retirement once to lead his side to
the World Cup, he will not do so again.

With Materazzi enjoying a rare visit to the limelight he milked his
moment for all it was worth, dedicating his goal to the suspended
Daniele De Rossi.

"It's the most beautiful day of my career," Materazzi said. "I think
there's divine justice at work and we saw that today. There have been
unjust comments to my detriment and to others."

Unfortuntely for many of his team-mates, human justice cannot be put off forever


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Czech sparkle fizzles out as Inzaghi points Italy's way forward

Czech Republic 0 - 2 Italy
Materazzi 26, Inzaghi 87

Dominic Fifield in Hamburg
Friday June 23, 2006
The Guardian


A campaign that had promised so much fizzled out in numbing
disappointment here, though, much to the Azzurri's relief, it is not
Italy who have been cast from the tournament. The Czech Republic,
semi-finalists at Euro 2004 and ranked second in the world by Fifa,
stumbled and fell yesterday. A side whose flashes of the class lit up
Portugal two years ago went out diminished in defeat.
The finals have their first eye-catching casualty. A combination of
injuries, ill discipline and age caught up with the Czechs in Germany,
their resources stretched to breaking point and their threat
nullified. Italy will rejoice at the ease with which they negotiated
what might have been an uncomfortable afternoon. Only in the opening
quarter of the game were they troubled, weathering the storm inspired
by Pavel Nedved to bite on the counter and then revel in control.
There is still plenty of room for improvement but optimism - and
expectation - is growing.



For the Czechs, only anti-climax remains. The riotous demolition of
the United States in their opening game is a faded memory, their coach
Karel Bruckner having failed to coax an alternative game plan from his
squad following the hamstring injury sustained by his attacking
lynchpin Jan Koller that evening. Milan Baros, the leading scorer at
the European finals, was hampered by a foot problem and toiled in
desperation for a little over an hour before trudging disconsolately
from the fray. His only clear-cut opening, chiselled by Nedved's
glorious ninth-minute pass with the outside of his boot, had been
wrecked by a heavy first touch and Gianluigi Buffon choked the shot.
The tone of frustration had been set.
The pain of elimination will be felt keenest of all by Nedved. The
Juventus playmaker has retired once already from international
football, in the wake of Euro 2004, but this surely will prove to have
been his final appearance for his country. He stood in the centre
circle at the end, bare-chested with an Italian jersey stuffed into
the waistband of his shorts, and saluted the Czech partisans who had
bellowed their support all afternoon. The 32-year-old had been this
game's principal entertainer, although that was scant consolation.

It was his invention that had sparked the Czechs from the outset, his
elusive movement prompting panic in Italian ranks as he flitted
between midfield and attack in support of Baros and conjured his
side's most coherent attacks. A swerving shot from distance was well
pushed away by Buffon at full stretch, the goalkeeper recovering his
poise superbly to thwart Marek Jankulovski's follow-up.

Those saves were forced just after the quarter-hour and with
Alessandro Nesta hobbling off moments later with the recurrence of a
thigh injury, the Czechs had cause for optimism. Yet those hopes were
dashed by the Azzurri's first attack. Francesco Totti's corner should
have been dealt with comfortably but Karel Poborsky's mind wandered,
Jan Polak failed to spot the danger, and the substitute Marco
Materazzi leapt highest on the charge to thump a devastating header
down and beyond the stranded Petr Cech.

The former Everton centre-half had been on the pitch only 10 minutes.
"It was divine justice," he said, apparently redemption for criticism
he had received not least for the part he had played in the ignominy
that was Italy's elimination to South Korea four years ago. He
dedicated the goal to his team-mate Daniele de Rossi, banned after
elbowing Brian McBride earlier in the group. "He's only 22 and
everybody makes mistakes."

The errors were all Czech yesterday. As the match lurched into
stoppage time at the end of the first half, the hapless Polak crunched
into Totti and, having earlier floored Andrea Pirlo, was promptly
dismissed. "It was totally irresponsible in the circumstances," said
Bruckner, whose side's chances were slimmer after that.

Filippo Inzaghi missed two simple chances but made amends as the
Czechs wilted, racing on to Andrea Pirlo's pass as centre-halves
dawdled on the halfway line to trundle goalwards, round Cech and slide
in a second. "The end of an era?" asked Bruckner. "Some of those in
their 30s will definitely not end their careers and, I hope, they will
play well for us again." In the meantime, the Azzurri progress was
hope maintained.

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Indy:


Czech Republic 0 Italy 2: Italians forge fierce fighting spirit to end
Nedved's dreams of glory
By Glenn Moore at the AOL Arena
Published: 23 June 2006
With the waves of scandal breaking around them, Italy yesterday
brushed off the cobwebs from the deadbolts which for so long secured
their defences and defined their football. They then ruthlessly shut
the Czechs out of this tournament, ending for good the World Cup
ambitions of one of the most celebrated players of their domestic
game.

While Pavel Nedved goes home the Italians stay, perhaps to receive
visits from the prosecutors investing the match-fixing claims back
home. It is an odd way to contest a World Cup but, indicated their
coach, Marcello Lippi, it is bringing the squadra together. "This team
has terrific spirit, probably the most I have had in any team," Lippi
said. He added: "We deserve to qualify, we played two great games to
beat Ghana and Czech Republic."

Their second game, when they failed to beat nine-man America, had
prompted much introspection leaving Lippi to decommission the
"trident", his three-man attack. Alberto Gilardino led the line, with
Francesco Totti supporting. The Czechs also fielded a solitary
striker, but it was through necessity not fear that Milan Baros
climbed off the physio's couch.

An already difficult task became nigh insurmountable when Marco
Materazzi headed in Totti's 26th-minute corner, and impossible when
Jan Polak daftly got himself sent off just before half-time. After
that only wasteful Italian finishing kept the game alive, Filippo
Inzaghi finally killing off the game late on.

"Playing with 10 men was just too difficult," said Karel Bruckner, the
Czech coach. Even before Polak was dismissed Baros was isolated. All
the Czechs' threat came from Nedved who played like a man possessed.
If he was the player the Czechs looked to for inspiration he was also
the man Italy worried about. Alessandro Nesta clattered into him early
on. Rene Gattuso, who never strayed far from his side, was later
booked for bringing him down.

Despite this Nedved etched his quality on the game. If it is to be his
farewell it was a noble one, albeit to no avail. After nine minutes he
wrong-footed the Italian defence as he delivered, with the outside of
his boot, an invitation to score which Baros, if match-sharp, would
have accepted. With Tomas Rosicky smothered by a blue blanket whenever
he went forward, and Karel Poborsky ineffective, Nedved became a
one-man assault force. He peppered Gianluca Buffon's goal with a
series of shots stretching his Juventus team-mate time and again.

It was not enough. Italy, having barely left their half, silenced the
Czechs with Materazzi's goal. The defender had replaced Nesta who
suffered a groin injury. It was like substituting extra virgin olive
oil with chip fat but Materazzi's power has its uses and no one got
near his towering header.

After Polak went, having received yellow cards for a mild challenge on
Mauro Camoranesi, and a reckless one from behind on Totti, Italy took
control. Petr Cech twice denied Totti, Inzaghi missed two sitters,
Fabio Cannavaro volleyed over after a sublime corner routine.
Eventually Italy broke unchallenged and Inzaghi rounded Cech to score.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
-----------------------------------------
Guardian :

Italy make hard work of it
By : David Miller, 23/06/2006

Out of reach: Petr Cech fails to stop Filippo Inzaghi scoring Italy's second
Czech Republic (0) Italy (1) 2

The flair of Pavel Nedved, the Juventus midfielder who spends the
domestic year working alongside four of yesterday's opponents, was not
enough to rescue the Czech Republic, for whom this World Cup has been
a sorry anti-climax.

Italy, nursing their mental inhibitions, came good, though without any
fanfare. Further progress will require more than they mustered here.

Because of that strange emotional complexity of Italians, needing to
be leading by two goals or more to express real confidence in their
play, they are unable to exploit fully the numerical advantage of the
opposition being a man short. To this must be added the nature of
their style, which is not to use the long ball, obliging 10 men to run
and become exhausted.

Italy had failed to take the upper hand when playing nine against
eight outfield players against the United States and now were unable
to punish the Czechs properly when their holding midfielder, Jan
Polak, was sent off for a second yellow card just before half-time.

Czech Republic coach Karel Bruckner labelled Polak "highly
irresponsible", adding: "It really hindered his team-mates. It's a
stupid thing to do and we were made to pay."

The sending-off should effectively have been the end of the Czech
campaign, especially as Ghana were leading 2-1 against the United
States, the least talented team in the tournament. Yet despite their
handicap, Nedved and his colleagues still contrived at times to carry
the game to their technical and numerical superiors.

On the hour, Milan Baros, of Aston Villa, playing on his own up front
in a 4-1-4-1 formation, put a flying header just too high. Ten minutes
later, a back-heel on the edge of the penalty area by Jiri Stajner, a
half-time substitute for veteran Karel Poborsky, gave Nedved a
momentary sight of the goal. His fiercely-hit drive was turned away at
full stretch by Gianluigi Buffon.

With the Czechs vainly and vulnerably continuing to press, they were
caught on the counter-attack. Filippo Inzaghi, the striker who had
replaced Alberto Gilardino on the hour, ran clear and rounded Petr
Cech, Chelsea's keeper, for the open goal which only partially atoned
for missing an easy header from seven yards three minutes earlier.

Jurgen Klinsmann, Germany's coach, has said that you can tell the mood
of players immediately before a match by looking into their eyes.
During the national anthems here, Italy's eyes spoke only of anxiety,
and in the first quarter of an hour, played at an intense pace, it was
the Czechs who pressed. Baros had repeated tussles with central
defenders Fabio Cannavaro and Alessandro Nesta before the latter
retired injured after 17 minutes, to be replaced by Marco Materazzi,
of Inter Milan.

Ten minutes after his arrival Materazzi did the necessary. From
Totti's corner, he rose high above a cluster of players to direct a
firm header down and just inside the left-hand post.

The pace continued to be frenzied, leading, inevitably, to bookings
for excessive zeal: first Gennaro Gattuso, then Polak. The second of
these, for Polak, was his downfall and, from the start of the second
half, Italy began to rise above their inhibitions.

• Man of the match: Pavel Nedved (Czech Republic).


Match details
Italy (4-4-1-1): Buffon; Zambrotta, Cannavaro, Nesta (Materazzi 17),
Grosso; Camoranesi (Barone 74), Perrotta, Pirlo, Gattuso; Totti;
Gilardino (Inzaghi 60). Goals: Materazzi (26), Inzaghi (87). Booked:
Gattuso.

Czech Republic (4-1-4-1): Cech; Grygera, Kovac (Heinz 78),
Jankulovski, Rozehnal; Polak; Poborsky (Stajner 46), Nedved, Rosicky,
Blasil; Baros (Jarolim 64). Booked: Polak. Sent off: Polak.

Referee: B Archundia (Mexico).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
----------------------------------------

Budweiser Man of the Match: Marco MATERAZZI (ITA)
22 June 2006
by FIFAworldcup.com



Italy defender Marco Materazzi was named Budweiser Man of the Match
after his side's 2-0 win over Czech Republic.
The loss of Alessandro Nesta after only 17 minutes due to a groin
injury was an ideal opportunity for replacement Materazzi to show his
worth. The Inter Milan player wasted little time in making his mark,
rising highest to head home Francesco Totti's corner on 26 minutes.

According to FIFA TSG member Kwok Ka-Ming from Hong Kong, Materazzi
deserved credit for "immediately finding his feet in a difficult game
and then having the presence of mind to score". Italy's opening goal
came at a crucial time when the Czechs were taking advantage of the
loss of Nesta to crank up the pressure on the Azzurri back-line.

After Materazzi struck, however, the complexion of the match changed.
"The goal enabled Italy to settle and control the game thus ensuring
qualification," added Kwok.

============================================================

Anyone want to have a guess as to what the half-time team talk
could have been that inspired a team looking like world cup
winners to play like a Sunday league outfit for the 2nd half?

Les.

In charge of England, Sven Goran Eriksson has specialised in
performances that defy comprehension, games that come with
triumph and
despair in equal measure and last night was his defining act.
England
won Group B but lost Michael Owen to a horrific injury. Their
first
half was uplifting, their second almost disastrous. They are not
making life simple for themselves.

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Which is silly. Everyone should start at zero, shirley.

Les.


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---- On Wed, 21 Jun 2006, Will Hartje (WHartje@...) wrote:

I guess everyone starts as 5 and goes up or down from there
based on their
performance  (??)

-----Original Message-----
From: chelsea-bounces@...
[mailto:chelsea-bounces@...]
On Behalf Of Les Munday
Sent: Wednesday, June 21, 2006 12:59 PM
To: chelsea list; chelseamatchdaychat@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [Chelsea] It's a Chelsea World Cup morning papers

He runs on the pitch chases a loose ball, falls over and twists
his knee. How can anyone rate that performance a 5? 0 surely!

Les.

How they rated: England and Sweden

Sean Ingle
Wednesday June 21, 2006
The Guardian


Michael Owen 5

Twisted his right knee on the turf in the opening minute, and
was
immediately taken off on a stretcher, forearms covering his eyes

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Sheva v KSA
*********************


Times:

Saudi skill proves to be a mirage
By TOM DART

Saudi Arabia 0 Ukraine 4

FOR EVERY ACTION there is an equal and opposite reaction, and so for
Argentina and their 24-pass build-ups, there was this, the apex of the
blunderful game. The sides set about their task with the poise and
precision of elephants wearing clogs in a bouncy castle during a gale
and the damage was done by a Tottenham Hotspur misfit and a Chelsea
megastar; Saudi Arabia helped, inadvertently, too.
Sergei Rebrov cost Spurs £11 million — or more than £1 million per
Premiership goal. He also had a brief spell with West Ham United,
where his delicate skills and small frame made him seem a twig among
the Coca-Cola Championship's sturdy oaks. Ukraine's most-capped player
scored a fine goal here, though, and Andriy Shevchenko, Chelsea's £30
million man, contributed a header and an assist as Ukraine won for the
first time at a World Cup yesterday.



This was atonement for their 4-0 defeat by Spain in their opening
group H match, and they could easily have been more than halfway to
the 8-0 tally recorded by Germany against Saudi Arabia in 2002. The
Saudi football federation, who awarded their team a bonus of nearly
£15,000 for playing well in their previous match, a 2-2 draw with
Tunisia, might feel tempted to ask for their money back.

The match began in a spirit of mesmeric incompetence. The pitch was
one of the few in this World Cup to look less than perfect. A storm an
hour before kick-off exploded the oppressively hot and humid weather
but the sodden surface evidently made it hard for players on both
sides to do the basics: pass, dribble, run.

The Saudis miscontrolled the ball to give away a throw-in seconds
after their kick-off. Two minutes later, a mindfrazzling moment of
goalkeeping absurdity led to the first goal.

Mabrouk Zaid gave a square pass to his full back, who returned it.
Trying to dribble close to his goalline under pressure, Zaid allowed
the ball to go out for a corner. The first was repelled then, from a
second, Andriy Rusol stole in to score. With his knee, naturally.

This was a hapless display from the Saudi goalkeeper, who showed more
evidence of his absent hap when he punched, or rather slapped, the
ball straight to a Ukraine forward, opting not to catch it even though
no other player was within a five-yard radius.

Not that Ukraine were blameless: a header by Shevchenko was cleared
off the line by Ahmed Dokhi straight to Rebrov, who looked certain to
score but skewed his shot over. Even Graham Poll was not immune,
accidentally setting up a move that almost put Shevchenko clear on
goal when a pass ricocheted off the English referee.

It became 2-0 when Rebrov collected the ball 25 yards out and curled
in a slow but precise shot that surprised everyone, especially the
scorer. Zaid's attempt to stop it was not so much a save as a light
stretching exercise.

Whatever was said in the Saudi dressing-room at half-time was rendered
irrelevant a minute after the restart when Maksim Kalinichenko's free
kick swung in from the left was headed in from close range by
Shevchenko, who enjoyed the kind of laissez-faire marking that is
rarely seen in the Barclays Premiership.

The Saudis improved after that but Shevchenko, still in recovery from
a knee injury but looking healthy here, broke down the left with five
minutes remaining and crossed for Kalinichenko, who had an easy
finish.

Then the green-shirted followers of the Sons of the Desert began to
desert their team, who have not won for nine successive World Cup
games. Qualification for the next round? A mirage for the Saudis, a
real possibility for Ukraine.




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
----------------------------------------The
Guardian

Shevchenko helps Ukraine rediscover self-respect in refreshed formation

Ukraine 4 - 0 Saudi Arabia

Michael Church in Hamburg
Tuesday June 20, 2006

Andriy Shevchenko scored his first goal in a World Cup yesterday as
Ukraine put their dismal display against Spain firmly behind them with
a comprehensive win against Saudi Arabia. Oleg Blokhin's team had lost
their opener 4-0 but outclassed the Asians, whose uncertainty at
set-pieces was ruthlessly exposed.
Ukraine's midfielder Maksim Kalinichenko set up Andriy Rusol's opener
and Shevchenko for the third goal, from a corner and free-kick
respectively, as the Saudis' susceptibility to the high ball fatally
wounded their chances of taking anything from the game.

Serhiy Rebrov, meanwhile, claimed his side's second when his
speculative effort from distance sailed into the top corner after the
Saudi Arabia goalkeeper Mabrouk Zaid slipped as he tried to move
across his line, and Kalinichenko deservedly completed the rout six
minutes from time. The win puts Ukraine's hopes of progressing to the
knockout phase of their first World Cup back on track and their fate
will be decided in the final game against Tunisia.
The eastern Europeans dominated this game throughout, with Blokhin's
change to a 3-5-2 formation offering plenty of width to generate a
series of crosses which troubled the nervous Saudi Arabia defence.
Saudi Arabia showed promise going forward in patches, but created
little by the way of scoring chances. Determined to recover their
self-respect after being outclassed by Spain, the Ukrainians played
with energy and patience on a slippery pitch.

Rusol set the Ukrainians on their way with fewer than four minutes
gone when he beat the Saudi defence to Kalinichenko's corner from the
right, steering the ball past Zaid with his knee to give his team the
perfect start. And while Redha Tukar almost levelled immediately with
a half-volley, it was the Ukrainians who looked the more likely to add
to the scoring as the Saudis panicked whenever the European side
pushed forward.

Shevchenko came agonisingly close to doubling Ukraine's lead in the
13th minute when he met another excellent Kalinichenko corner with a
powerful header, only for Ahmed Dokhi to block his shot on the
goalline. Chelsea's latest big money signing had another effort eight
minutes later but this time Shevchenko's attempt from long range was
straight at Zaid. The Saudis offered little serious goal threat, with
only the left-back Dokhi causing anything like consternation in the
Ukrainian defence, but even his attempts at goal were off target.

With nine minutes to go to the break, the Ukrainians doubled their
lead as Rebrov let fly from more than 35 yards with a right-foot
effort that beat Zaid, whose footing gave way on the soft, wet turf as
he struggled to cover the Dynamo Kiev man's shot.

Andriy Voronin should have increased Ukraine's advantage further one
minute before the interval when an abysmal attempt to clear by Hamad
Al-Montashari fell at the forward's feet but the shot was pulled
across the face of goal.

However, with less than a minute on the clock after the resumption,
the Ukrainians added to their total and this time it was Shevchenko's
turn to punish the Saudis for their poor defending when he rose above
Al-Montashari to head in Kalinichenko's free-kick from the left.

Kalinichenko continued to cause the Saudis problems and he came close
to claiming the goal his display demanded in the 65th minute, only for
his curling shot to just miss a top corner of Zaid's goal. With six
minutes to go, the Spartak Moscow striker finally got his name on the
scoresheet as Shevchenko turned provider, the 29-year-old running
beyond the Saudi defence using his impressive pace down the left
before cutting the ball back for Kalinichenko who shot into the roof
of the net.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
------------------------------------
Indy:

Saudi Arabia 0 Ukraine 4: Shevchenko on target to revive Ukraine's fortunes
By Patrick Graham in Hamburg
Published: 20 June 2006
Ukraine revived their hopes of advancing to the World Cup's second
round with a crushing 4-0 victory over Saudi Arabia in Group H
yesterday.

Goals from Andriy Rusol and Serhiy Rebrov had given a fired-up
Ukrainian side a deserved 2-0 lead before Andrei Shevchenko headed
home from an inswinging free-kick just a minute after half-time.
Shevchenko's run and pull-back then set up the midfielder Maksim
Kalini-chenko for a tap-in for the fourth in the 84th minute.

"We knew it was a decisive match for us," said the Ukraine coach, Oleg
Blokhin. "I'd like to congratulate the players for bouncing back."

The Saudi Arabia coach, Marcos Paqueta, was left to rue the wet
conditions. "We don't have a lot of rain in Saudi Arabia and so it's
not easy to play on the wet ground. It created more difficulties. It
was like Ukraine found in the first game when they had to play in the
heat."

The eastern Europeans dominated Blokhin changed their formation to
3-5-2 following last week's 4-0 drubbing by Spain. The greater width
brought a series of crosses which troubled a nervous Saudi defence.
The Saudis showed promise, but created few clear-cut chances.

Ukraine had already gone close when the centre-back Rusol burst on to
a Kalinichenko corner to give them their first goal in a World Cup
finals after just four minutes, kneeing home from six yards. The Saudi
keeper Mabrouk Zaid then slipped on the sodden pitch as he tried to
block a dipping long-range drive from Rebrov which made it 2-0.

Apart from scoring the third goal the new Chelsea signing Shevchenko
linked up encouragingly with Andriy Voronin up front.

Saudi Arabia: Zayed (Al-Ittihad); Dokhi (Al-Ittihad), Tukar
(Al-Ittihad), Al Montashari (Al-Ittihad), Sulimani (Al-Ahli), Al
Ghamdi (Al-Hilal), Ameen (Al-Ittihad),

Noor (Al-Ittihad), Khariri (Al-Ittihad), Aziz (Al-Hilal), Al Qahtani (Al-Hilal).

Substitutes used: Khathran (Al-Hilal) for Fokhi, 55; Mouath (Al-Ahli)
for Ameen, 55; Al Jaber (Al-Hilal) for Noor, 77.

Ukraine: Shovkovskiy (Dynamo Kiev); Nesmachniy (Dynamo Kiev), Rusol
(Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk), Sviderskiy (A Kiev), Tymoschuk (S Donetsk),
Shelayev (Dnipro D), Gusev (Dynamo Kiev), Rebrov (Dynamo Kiev),
Kalinichenko (Spartak Moscow), Shevchenko (Chelsea), Voronin (Bayer
Leverkusen).

Substitutes used: Rotan (Dynamo Kiev) for Rebrov, 71, Gusin (Krylya S
Samara) for Voronin, 79; Milevskiy (Dynamo Kiev) for Shevchenko, 86.

Referee: Graham Poll (England).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
----------------------------------------

Telegraph:

Shevchenko revives the waning fortunes of Ukraine
By : Dan Brennan in Hamburg, 20/06/2006
In pics: Ukraine crush sad Saudis
Ukraine (2) 4 Saudi Arabia (0) 0

All the talk ahead of this match had been of Andrei Shevchenko's form
after his wan display against the Spanish.

The Ukraine press pack was rife with rumours that he might even,
heaven forbid, be dropped. In the second half in Hamburg, Chelsea's
£34 million signing, though still not fully fit, rediscovered his
mojo, scoring one and making another as Ukraine secured a comfortable
win that reignites their hopes of qualification from Group H.

Ahead of the game, Ukraine coach Oleg Blokhin, who had blamed the
mid-afternoon heat of Leipzig for his team's poor showing in their
first match, had jokingly expressed the hope for snow. Thirty minutes
from kick-off he as good as got his wish as the skies opened and the
temperature dropped. And within six minutes the Ukrainians were also
gifted a goal when chaos in the Saudi box allowed defender Andrei
Rusol to fire them in front from a corner.

Blokhin delivered on his promise of a shake-up, dropping midfielders
Andrei Gusin and Ruslan Rotan and switching to 3-5-2. His midfield
re-jig proved decisive. In came Sergei Rebrov and Maxim Kalinichenko
on the flanks to provide the width so lacking against the Spanish, and
both men played a central part in the victory.

Rebrov, whose club career went in the opposite direction of that of
his old Dynamo Kiev foil Shevchenko when he moved to England six years
ago, is now back at his alma mater and showed glimpses of why he has
just been voted Ukraine's player of the season. In the 35th minute he
took matters into his own hands. After a short pass from Anatoly
Tymoschuk he picked his spot and unleashed a peach of a shot from 30
yards to double Ukraine's lead.

The Saudis, meanwhile, offered little of the threat they had posed
Tunisia in the first match. Within seconds of the restart Shevchenko
finally burst into life. Again Kalinichenko provided the ammunition,
his free kick picking out the Ukraine captain, who headed powerfully
in from close range. Then, on 84 minutes, the two reversed roles as
Shevchenko broke down the left flank before feeding the onrushing
Kalinichenko, who rifled home to complete a resounding victory.

• Man of the match: Maxim Kalinichenko (Ukraine)

Ukraine (3-5-2): Shovkovskyi; Nesmachnyi, Rusol, Sviderskiy; Rebrov
(Rotan 71), Gusev, Shelayev, Tymoschuk, Kalinichenko; Voronin (Gusin
78), Shevchenko (Milevskiy 85).
Goals: Rusol (4), Rebrov (36), Shevchenko (46), Kalinichenko (84).
Booked: Nesmachniy, Kalinichenko, Sviderskiy.

Saudi Arabia (4-5-1): Zaid; Dokhi (Khathran 55), Tukar, Al Montashari,
Sulimani; Al Ghamdi, Ameen (Al Hawfawi 55), Noor (Al Jaber 76),
Khariri, Aziz; Al Kahtani.
Booked: Dokhi, Al Ghamdi, Khariri.

Referee: G Poll (England)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
-----------------------------------------

Budweiser Man of the Match: Maksym KALINICHENKO (UKR)
19 June 2006
by FIFAworldcup.com



Ukraine playmaker Maksym Kalinichenko was the centrepiece of a
Ukrainian attack that put the ball in the net four times in their
defeat of Saudi Arabia, and he was recognized as the Budweiser Man of
the Match.
Kalinichenko's service was deadly from set pieces, with his
fourth-minute corner kick leading to a goal for Andriy Rusol and his
46th-minute cross from a free-kick finding the head of striker Andriy
Shevchenko, who headed home. Kalinichenko then put the exclamation
mark on his performance by getting on the receiving end of a pass from
Shevchenko and slamming it into the net from close range.

"Kalinichenko contributed so much to the team - he scored one goal and
created two more and he did everything well today," said FIFA
Technical Study Group member Teofilo Cubillas. "He inspired the
players around him with his tireless work. He won the ball, he passed
the ball and he was the playmaker. He was definitely the most
important player in their team."

=========================================================

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Sunday, 13 August 2006
FA Community Shield
Chelsea v Liverpool

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Saturday, 19 August 2006
Barclays Premiership
Chelsea v Man City, 15:00

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Tuesday, 22 August 2006
Barclays Premiership
Middlesbrough v Chelsea, 19:45

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Saturday, 26 August 2006
Barclays Premiership
Blackburn v Chelsea, 15:00

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Saturday, 09 September 2006
Barclays Premiership
Chelsea v Charlton, 15:00

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Saturday, 16 September 2006
Barclays Premiership
Chelsea v Liverpool, 15:00

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Saturday, 23 September 2006
Barclays Premiership
Fulham v Chelsea, 15:00

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Saturday, 30 September 2006
Barclays Premiership
Chelsea v Aston Villa, 15:00

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Saturday, 14 October 2006
Barclays Premiership
Reading v Chelsea, 15:00

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Saturday, 21 October 2006
Barclays Premiership
Chelsea v Portsmouth, 15:00

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Saturday, 28 October 2006
Barclays Premiership
Sheff Utd v Chelsea, 15:00

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Saturday, 04 November 2006
Barclays Premiership
Tottenham v Chelsea, 15:00

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Saturday, 11 November 2006
Barclays Premiership
Chelsea v Watford, 15:00

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Saturday, 18 November 2006
Barclays Premiership
Chelsea v West Ham, 15:00

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Saturday, 25 November 2006
Barclays Premiership
Man Utd v Chelsea, 15:00

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Tuesday, 28 November 2006
Barclays Premiership
Bolton v Chelsea, 19:45

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Saturday, 02 December 2006
Barclays Premiership
Chelsea v Newcastle, 15:00

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Saturday, 09 December 2006
Barclays Premiership
Chelsea v Arsenal, 15:00

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Saturday, 16 December 2006
Barclays Premiership
Everton v Chelsea, 15:00

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Saturday, 23 December 2006
Barclays Premiership
Wigan v Chelsea, 15:00

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Tuesday, 26 December 2006
Barclays Premiership
Chelsea v Reading, 15:00

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Barclays Premiership
Chelsea v Fulham, 15:00

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Monday, 01 January 2007
Barclays Premiership
Aston Villa v Chelsea, 15:00

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Barclays Premiership
Chelsea v Wigan, 15:00

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Saturday, 20 January 2007
Barclays Premiership
Liverpool v Chelsea, 15:00

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Wednesday, 31 January 2007
Barclays Premiership
Chelsea v Blackburn, 19:45

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Saturday, 03 February 2007
Barclays Premiership
Charlton v Chelsea, 15:00

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Barclays Premiership
Chelsea v Middlesbrough, 15:00

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Barclays Premiership
Man City v Chelsea, 15:00

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Barclays Premiership
Portsmouth v Chelsea, 15:00

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Saturday, 17 March 2007
Barclays Premiership
Chelsea v Sheff Utd, 15:00

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Barclays Premiership
Watford v Chelsea, 15:00

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Barclays Premiership
Chelsea v Tottenham, 15:00

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Monday, 09 April 2007
Barclays Premiership
West Ham v Chelsea, 19:45

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Barclays Premiership
Chelsea v Man Utd, 15:00

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Barclays Premiership
Newcastle v Chelsea, 15:00

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Barclays Premiership
Chelsea v Bolton, 15:00

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Saturday, 05 May 2007
Barclays Premiership
Arsenal v Chelsea, 15:00

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Sunday, 13 May 2007
Barclays Premiership
Chelsea v Everton, 15:00

He runs on the pitch chases a loose ball, falls over and twists
his knee. How can anyone rate that performance a 5? 0 surely!

Les.

How they rated: England and Sweden

Sean Ingle
Wednesday June 21, 2006
The Guardian


Michael Owen 5

Twisted his right knee on the turf in the opening minute, and
was
immediately taken off on a stretcher, forearms covering his eyes

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Wily Scolari takes Portugal on to possible England date

Portugal 2 - 1 Mexico
Maniche 6, Simao 24 (pen); Fonseca 29

Paul Kelso in Gelsenkirchen
Thursday June 22, 2006
The Guardian


In football years Portugal's golden generation are almost of
pensionable age but in Luiz Felipe Scolari they possess a coach
capable of extending their final fling. Yesterday, with a hard-won
victory over Mexico, he took them as group winners to the knockout
stage of the World Cup for the first time in 40 years. It was a result
that also gave the coach, in charge of his native Brazil in 2002, a
record 10th straight win in World Cup finals.

All Scolari's powers of organisation and motivation were evident as he
directed a largely second-string side to victory over opponents who
will consider themselves unlucky not to have left Gelsenkirchen with a
point but nonetheless go through.
Early goals from an inspired Maniche and a penalty from Cristiano
Ronaldo's deputy Simao were enough to hold off a committed Mexican
second-half rally but stiffer tests lie ahead. A second-round
encounter with Holland or Argentina means expectations for Portugal
have been modest but, with gifted players such as Deco, Ronaldo,
Costinha and Pauleta ready to come back - all were listed as "Absent"
on the team-sheet having picked up a caution in the opening games -
they should not be taken lightly.

Driven on by the energy of Maniche and Tiago, and with Luis Figo
roaming from the flanks to direct attacks, they looked formidable and
England's followers will shudder at the thought of Sven-Goran Eriksson
again facing his nemesis should both reach the quarter-finals.

With Angola held by Iran in Leipzig, defeat was not fatal for Mexico
but they were culpable for their failure to win at least a point, Omar
Bravo missing a penalty late in the game. Ricardo La Volpe's side were
further hampered by the sending-off on the hour of Luis Pérez for a
harsh second yellow card given for diving, one of eight brandished by
Lubos Michel during a committed though never cynical contest.

Scolari's skills in the dressing room and on the edge of the technical
area were evident in the display of Maniche, one of a number of
players at Chelsea last season apparently transformed now that Jose
Mourinho's all-seeing eye is trained on his TV in Portugal rather than
on their backs. Joe Cole, Didier Drogba, Arjen Robben and Michael
Essien have all exceeded their club form in Germany, and yesterday it
was the turn of the midfielder to throw off the tepid form that left
him a fringe player at Stamford Bridge.

Returning along with seven members of the Portuguese squad to the
scene of Porto's 2004 Champions League triumph he was inspired during
the first half, breaking up Mexican forays from his station at the
base of the midfield, launching attacks and on occasion bursting
beyond the forwards.

The first of these dynamic forays after six minutes brought the
opening goal. Winning the ball in the centre circle, Maniche switched
play to the left flank before charging forward in support. His
perfectly timed arrival inside the Mexican box allowed him time to
pick his spot from Simao's cut-back and the side-foot finish gave
Oswaldo Sánchez no chance.

The Mexican goalkeeper was similarly helpless 18 minutes later when a
penalty needlessly conceded by Rafael Márquez doubled Portugal's lead.
Mexico's captain flicked out a hand to divert a corner bound for
Fernando Meira's forehead and was fortunate to escape without a card.

Simao exacted punishment from the spot, ignoring a display of
callisthenics on the goalline from Sánchez that suggests he is a
graduate of the Grobbelaar school of penalty saves. On the Mexican
bench La Volpe, dressed in a dark pinstripe suit and his lucky dragon
tie, looked in sore need of one of the cigarettes Fifa has banned him
from smoking.

He perked up a little just before the half-hour when his side reduced
the deficit from a corner. The centre-half Meira was culpable in
allowing José Fonseca to drift into space and his near-post header
left Ricardo with no chance.

Portugal's first-half dominance led one to speculate what they might
have done had the first team been playing but Mexico exposed some
flaws after half-time. A switch to 4-4-2 with Márquez dropping into
the back four allowed them to pin back Portugal and create chances for
the strikers. Had Bravo been able to take either of those presented to
him he might have been spared the fearful booing from his own
supporters at the end. For Scolari there was only applause but he
barely seemed to notice as he stalked away to begin plotting an
extension to his record.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
----------------------------------------

Times:


Mexico bow to Scolari record
By TOM DART

Portugal 2 Mexico 1


FACING ONE OF THE MOST dangerous teams in the tournament in the round
of 16 is scant reward for three wins out of three in group D, but Luis
Felipe Scolari could find consolation in the personal triumph that
this victory represents. It was the Portugal coach's tenth successive
win in the World Cup, which he won with Brazil in 2002 — a tournament
record. "It's something that would mark anybody's life," Scolari said.
If there is consistency in Portugal's results, it could not be located
in their performance in Gelsenkirchen yesterday. The match was an
engaging blend of sweet attacking moves and scabrous acts of
simulation. There was more writhing than a snake-pit, more tumbling
than a gymnastics class and Luis Pérez, of Mexico, was sent off for
two yellow cards, the second for diving, but they qualified as
runners-up all the same.



Mexico are familiar with brinkmanship — this is the fourth successive
time that they have not secured their progress before their last group
game. Not that they have ever made it beyond the quarter-finals, which
they have reached twice, both times as hosts. And not that they look
likely to better those performances this time, despite the prettiness
of much of their play.

With Portugal already through, Cristiano Ronaldo, Pauleta, Costina,
Nuno Valente and Deco were not considered because Scolari wanted to
ensure that they would not pick up a second yellow card that would
render them ineligible for the next fixture. It was surprising, then,
that they were so cohesive and dangerous up front. Scolari may have
infamously declared that "the beautiful game is dead" with Brazil, but
he has obviously purchased a defibrillator because the flair in this
side certainly has not flatlined, even if their veteran conductor,
Luis Figo, is on the same languid slide into irrelevance as his former
Real Madrid colleague, Zinédine Zidane.

Maniche did not find the net in 11 mostly insipid appearances on loan
to Chelsea from Dynamo Moscow last season, yet he opened the scoring
in the sixth minute, bursting from midfield to crash home Simão
Sabrosa's left-wing cross. Simão added a penalty midway through the
first half when Rafael Márquez bizarrely handled a corner, raising an
arm as he jumped to clear.

Portugal's back line — ominously for their prospects, missing only one
regular, Nuno Valente — grew more ragged and Mexico pulled a goal back
through José Fonseca's header from a corner shortly before the
half-hour.

With his black manicured beard and eyebrows so arched you could erect
a lattice and grow roses through them, Ricardo La Volpe, the Mexico
coach, wears the countenance of a man in a state of constant ironic
irritation, a doppelgänger for Alan Rickman's Sheriff of Nottingham in
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Still, he was relatively content
afterwards, suggesting that his side will be relaxed and more likely
to improve up front in the next round.

Scolari was unsatisfied, though he praised Mexico, admitting that his
men robbed them of a draw. "What worried me was when we had the extra
man, we just needed to pass the ball around but didn't," he said. "We
made some little mistakes, typical of Portugal. At 2-1 with an extra
man, why are we throwing six men forward? Let's not run risks. We have
to learn how to play 11 v ten, apparently."

Mexico won a penalty in the 58th minute after a highly impressive team
move, when Miguel, the Portugal right back, handled as Pérez
controlled a cross in the area. Up stepped Omar Bravo, a sadly
inappropriate name in this instance as he sent Ricardo the wrong way
but put the ball over the bar.

A couple of minutes later, after another neat move, Miguel and Pérez
again challenged in the box and Pérez fell. Lubos Michel, the referee,
gave the midfield player a yellow card, his second of the match, for
diving. Replays suggested it was the right decision — the Mexican gave
in to gravity before Miguel had tackled him.

The dismissal made little difference. After 63 minutes, Bravo was
clean through and again shot over the bar, then Paulo Ferreira, the
Chelsea defender and a substitute, was lucky not to concede a penalty
for hacking down the cursed Bravo by the goalline.

Still, as Angola drew, none of it really mattered, though Scolari's
passion told otherwise. At the end he directed Luis Boa Morte to take
the ball to the corner flag as the substitute dribbled towards goal.
Enough entertainment for one day.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
---------------------------------------
Indy:

Portugal 2 Mexico 1: Scolari rides luck to earn perfect 10 as Mexico
sweat after penalty miss
By Ken Gaunt, PA Sport, Gelsenkirchen
Published: 22 June 2006
Ricardo La Volpe, the Mexico coach, saw his 10-man side stutter and
stumble their way into the last 16 in Gelsenkirchen yesterday.

The nerves of the coach and his team appeared to be stretched to
breaking point under the closed roof of the Arena AufSchalke. Two
goals down thanks to an early Maniche strike and a penalty from Simao
Sabrosa, they fought back with a goal from Francisco Fonseca but Omar
Bravo then missed a penalty and Luis Perez was sent off.

La Volpe was satisfied with Mexico's all-round performance, though.
"We played well," he said. "I think we are playing the ball around
better than our rivals. Today we didn't score enough. For the coach
that is the most difficult thing to resolve."

His captain, Barcelona's Rafael Marquez agreed. "We had so many
chances we could not put away," he said. "We are missing a bit of luck
because we continue to make lots of chances. The penalty miss? Let's
not talk about that. We have to try to work on scoring goals."

It may not have helped matters that the normally vociferous Mexican
supporters were remarkably quiet, given that their Group D rivals
Angola were running Iran close.

Portugal rested Cristiano Ronaldo, Deco and Pauleta but still started
full of invention. Fonseca almost made the breakthrough for Mexico
after two minutes but his shot went straight at goalkeeper Ricardo.

Portugal took the lead in the sixth minute with a marvellous goal from
Maniche. The former Chelsea midfielder raced into the box to get on
the end of a Simao cross and finish emphatically. Two minutes later
Bravo almost equalised, his chip from close range going narrowly wide
of the post.

Then Luis Figo was allowed room to manoeuvre in the area but he only
succeeded in sending a chip into the arms of the Mexico goalkeeper,
Oswaldo Sanchez.

Portugal extended their lead in the 24th minute when Simao confidently
converted a penalty awarded after a needless handball by Marquez, who
ended the last World Cup in disgrace after being sent off for a
head-butt in the second-round defeat by the United States and tried to
punch away a corner here.

Portugal were playing some wonderful flowing football at this stage
and Helder Postiga saw his effort beaten away by Sanchez. Tiago
latched on to the rebound but his effort was off target.

However, Mexico pulled a goal back in the 29th minute when Fonseca
scored with a header from a corner which Portugal defended poorly.

The Cruz Azul striker was causing Portugal lots problems and saw a
header 10 minutes later go narrowly wide.

Mexico almost equalised a minute before half-time but Ricardo made a
good block from Pavel Pardo, who rattled in a free-kick which was
marginally wide from distance at the start of the second half.

They wasted a great chance to equalise in the 58th minute when Miguel
handled in the area. Bravo opted for power with the penalty and sent
his spot-kick high over the bar.

The Mexicans were becoming frustrated and Perez was sent off in the
61st minute after amassing two yellow cards, the second for an
adjudged dive in the area. Bravo was again wasteful two minutes later
when he got into a good position but failed to trouble Ricardo.

Portugal had lost some of their sting but Tiago raced forward in the
67th minute, only to drag his shot wide. Then substitute Nuno Gomes
fired over the top after a cross from Simao.

Portugal now go forward with confidence after three straight wins
while Mexico live to fight another day.

Portugal's victory also earned Luiz Felipe Scolari a World Cup record
of 10 successive victories as a coach - and a run of 17 internationals
unbeaten, during which they have conceded only six goals.

Scolari also led Brazil to seven consecutive wins when they lifted the
World Cup in South Korea and Japan four years ago.

"Ten wins in the World Cup is the kind of thing that would mark
anybody's life, especially mine," Scolari said, adding that he liked
his side's attitude in yesterday's game.

"It wasn't a game where everything was at its best but the way the
team carried itself from beginning to end, I think it was good," he
said.

"Things couldn't be better," he added. "This was as tough a game as we
had expected, but I asked my players today to make it hard for me to
pick my team for the next round, and they did that."

Portugal (4-3-2-1): Ricardo (Sporting Lisbon); Miguel (Valencia),
Carvalho (Chelsea), Meira (Stuttgart), Caneira (Sporting Lisbon);
Petit (Benfica), Maniche (Dynamo Moscow), Tiago (Lyon); Figo
(Internazionale), Simao (Benfica); Postiga (St-Etienne). Substitutes
used: Ferreira (Chelsea) for Miguel, 61; Gomes (Benfica) for Postiga,
69; Boa Morte (Fulham) for Figo, 80.

Mexico (3-5-2): Sanchez (Guadalajara); Osorio (Cruz Azul), Marquez
(Barcelona), Salcido (Guadalajara); Pineda (Guadalajara), Rodriguez
(Guadalajara), Pardo (America), Perez (Monterrey), Mendez (Monterrey);
Fonseca (Cruz Azul), Bravo (Guadalajara). Substitutes used: Zinha
(Toluca) for Rodriguez, h-t; Castro (America) for Pineda, 69; Franco
(Villarreal) for Mendez, 80.

Referee: L Michel (Slovakia).

Booked: Portugal Miguel, Maniche, Boa Morte, Gomes; Mexico Rodriguez,
Perez, Marquez, Zinha.

Sent off: Mexico Perez (61).

Man of the match: Simao.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
----------------------------------------
Telegraph:

'Big Phil' scowls in victory
By : Duncan White in Gelsenkirchen, 22/06/2006
In pics: Portugal and Argentina top

Record breaker: Scolari recorded his 10th straight World Cup win as a coach
Portugal (2) 2 Mexico (1) 1

Luiz Felipe Scolari celebrated his record 10th straight World Cup win
as a coach in typically phlegmatic style, criticising his Portugal
side for their naivety in failing to kill off a brave comeback by the
10 men of Mexico.

Big Phil does not want complacency to bring his incredible run of
victories to a close, especially with a potential quarter-final with
England in the offing. "Ten wins in the World Cup is something that
would mark anybody's life, especially mine," said Scolari, who led
Brazil to victory at the last World Cup with seven straight wins. "But
what worried me was when we had the extra man, we just needed to pass
the ball around but didn't. We made some little mistakes, typical of
Portugal.

"At 2-1 with an extra man, why are we throwing six men forward? Let's
not run risks. We have to learn how to play with 11 versus 10
apparently."

Mexico certainly deserved a draw and would have had it if Omar Bravo,
struggling to control his nervous breathing, had not skied his penalty
into the stand with just under an hour played. It was frustrating for
Mexico, who had pulled a goal back after going two goals down within
24 minutes.

Maniche got the first, scampering on to Simao Sabrosa's squared pass
to steer the ball in. Maniche was released by Chelsea at the end of
his loan spell last season, returning to FK Moscow. On this
performance it may have been a rare mistake by Jose Mourinho to let
his old Porto favourite go.

Portugal were rampant and when Mexico captain Rafael Marquez, who can
have turned in few more abject performances for his country,
inexplicably punched the ball when defending a corner, Simao thumped
the ensuing penalty beyond the reach of Oswaldo Sanchez.

Scolari had rested the five players on a booking - Cristiano Ronaldo,
Pauleta, Costinha, Nuno Valente and Deco were not even on the bench so
the elegance with which they played was doubly impressive.

The Mexico support, decked out in sombreros and wrestling masks,
created a cacophony in the humid haze under the Gelsenkirchen roof,
urging their side not to crumble.

Francisco Fonseca responded, justifying his recall to the team by
heading in Pavel Pardo's corner.

Even with 10 men, after Luis Perez was shown a second yellow for
diving with 20 minutes to go, Mexico fought on and Bravo had a chance
to atone for his penalty miss when clean through on goal. His hurried
shot described the same trajectory as his penalty.

"For three-and-half years this team has been under pressure," said
Mexico coach Ricardo La Volpe, whose side qualified for the last 16 as
runners-up after Angola could only draw 1-1 with Iran. "I think in the
next round my team will be able to relax a bit more. We start with a
clean slate, no advantages."

• Man of the match: Maniche (Portugal).

Team details:
Mexico (3-5-2): Sanchez; Rodriguez (Zinha h-t), Osorio, Salcido;
Mendez (Franco 80), Pardo, Marquez, Perez, Pineda (Castro 69); Bravo,
Fonseca. Goal: Fonseca: (29). Booked: Rodriguez, Marquez, Perez. Sent
off: Perez.

Portugal (4-5-1): Ricardo; Miguel (Ferreira 61), Meira, Carvalho,
Caneira; Figo (Boa Morte 80), Tiago, Petit, Maniche, Simao; Helder
Postiga (Nuno Gomes 69). Goals: Maniche (6), Simao (24 pen). Booked:
Miguel, Maniche, Boa Morte, Nuno Gomes.

Referee: L Michel (Slovakia).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
-------------------------------------------

FIFA mom:

Budweiser Man of the Match: Jose FONSECA (MEX)
21 June 2006
by FIFAworldcup.com



Enlarge Photo
Photo Gallery
Mexico striker Jose Fonseca was named as the Budweiser Man of the
Match after his country's narrow 2-1 defeat against Group D winners
Portugal.
Fonseca was recognised by FIFA's Technical Study Group (TSG) after
putting in an influential display at the sharp end of his country's
attack, particularly after Ricardo La Volpe's team were reduced to ten
men.

The Tricolor coach opted for the Cruz Azul hit-man over Guillermo
Franco to partner Omar Bravo, hero of Mexico's win over Iran, up
front. Fonseca's tireless performance ensured that the coach's faith
was not misplaced. "Throughout the game, he was the hardest-working
Mexican forward, always looking for a goal and trying to create
chances for his team-mates," said TSG member Gyorgy Mezey of Hungary.

"He was a crucial player in how the game unfolded. He stood out for
his individual play, but also for how much he worked for his team. He
also scored a good goal, and almost squared the match for his team,
after Mexico went down to ten men."

There are several situations where we have back to back home or
away games. Is this to keep JM quiet or to pisshim off?

Les.


________________________________________________
Get your own "800" number
Voicemail, fax, email, and a lot more
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---- On Thu, 22 Jun 2006, Steve Lloyd (stelloyd@...)
wrote:

Tuesday, 22 August 2006
Barclays Premiership
Middlesbrough v Chelsea, 19:45

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday, 26 August 2006
Barclays Premiership
Blackburn v Chelsea, 15:00

Sweden expose English failings
By : Henry Winter, 21/06/2006

Sweden (0) 2 England (1) 2

Winners of Group B, through to a second-round date with Ecuador in
Stuttgart next Sunday, England are a qualified success. Twice they
took the lead through Joe Cole and then Steven Gerrard, but twice
England's shaky defence conceded equalisers to Markus Allback and
Henrik Larsson.

No wonder an England fan wore a Munch Scream mask with the Cross of St
George painted on it: some of England's defending was straight from a
horror show while Michael Owen sustained a serious knee injury and
faces months on the sidelines.

The few positives to emerge from this fog on the Rhine were the
avoiding of a last-16 collision with Germany, Owen Hargreaves'
excellence in the anchoring role, the reminder from the talismanic
Gerrard that he must never, ever start a game on the bench and Joe
Cole's brilliance down the left.

Although Joe Cole's marvelous piece of pyrotechnics had ensured the
first half concluded on an uplifting note for England, the night could
hardly have begun more wretchedly with poor Owen's exit.

So desperate to return to form, so eager to turn a season of darkness
into one of light, Owen was energy personified as he sought to
exchange passes with Ashley Cole.

As the ball came in from the Arsenal defender, Owen gained possession
and tried to slip it back inside to Cole, who was racing upfield. As
Owen slid the return pass between Mattias Jonson and Niclas
Alexandersson, his right foot caught in the dry earth and his knee
buckled.Owen is too strong a character to allow pain to stain his
features, but he was clearly in agony.It is time Lady Luck smiled on
Owen rather than scowled.

Without the usually prolific Owen, England needed some tough
characters to guide them through troubled waters. For 50 minutes,
until Allback headed in, England really impressed. Lampard became
increasingly involved, enjoying the licence to attack granted to him
by Hargreaves's diligent anchoring presence.

Rooney, inevitably, was to the fore, setting up a chance for Lampard,
whose left-footer flew wide. Back came Rooney again, muscling past
Olof Mellberg and unleashing a shot goalwards that was blocked by
Teddy Lucic.

Here was England showing their mettle, everyone working over-time to
make up for Owen's departure, no one yielding before the
yellow-and-blue waves rolling towards them. Crouch had ambled on, and
provided an outlet for the long balls but the most eye-catching
Englishman was their smallest player, Joe Cole, an absolute live-wire
down the left.

Alexandersson, a midfielder, was painfully exposed at full-back; if
his duel with Joe Cole had been a boxing bout, the referee would have
stepped in early to prevent further punishment. Cole tortured him,
almost giving Alexandersson the rope-a-dope Muhammad Ali treatment at
one point.

Cole had menace in his mind and magic in his boots last night. When
Alexandersson cleared haphazardly after 33 minutes, the ball fell
obligingly to Cole. What happened next should be used by FA coaches as
a masterpiece in technique, finishing and unwavering concentration.

Step one: the Chelsea sorcerer let the ball bounce, watching it
intently as it rose towards him. Step two: as England fans held their
breath, Cole chested the ball down, never removing his gaze from it as
it dropped. Step three: Cole's right foot met the ball on the volley,
sending it on a wonderful 30-yard journey into Sweden's net.

Three steps to heaven brought England a goal that was a gift from the
Gods, the ball gliding thrillingly over Andreas Isaksson and in,
ripping every England supporter from their seat in delight. Isaksson,
tall and agile, flung out a despairing hand but could not take the
sting out of Cole's express delivery.

Cole, the king of Cologne, sprinted to the corner, arms aloft, milking
the fans' applause. At that moment, Cole truly knew he belonged on the
world stage, any questions over his immense talent disappearing down
the Rhine. Here, too, was the answer to those who decry England's
players as lacking technique. Cole's gem was a strike worthy of any
great talent. Here was an emphatic response to Sweden's hopes of
exploiting Owen's absence. Here, worryingly, was a reminder of how
reliant England are on midfield for goals.

Sweden refused to go quietly. Six minutes after the break, England's
bizarre marking routines at corners, a mixture of the zonal and the
man-marking, was caught out. Erik Edman bent in a corner to the near
post and there was Allback nipping ahead of Beckham to head powerfully
in. Robinson stood no chance, nor did Ashley Cole on the post as the
ball flew in.

The Swedes were now in the mood, and only a stunning save by Robinson
denied Larsson, the Spurs keeper pushing a header that deflected off
Jamie Carragher on to the bar and away. The Swedes were so sure the
ball was going in that Lars Lagerback and his coaching staff were up
out of their seats and celebrating.

Reprieved, England were still a mess. Even Mellberg, hardly a legend
at Aston Villa, tried his luck and hit the bar. With England under
pressure, and confidence draining away badly, Eriksson had to make
some emergency substitutions. Rio Ferdinand was withdrawn for the more
muscular presence of Sol Campbell.

Rooney, understandably running out of steam after his lengthy lay-off,
departed angrily, kicking one water-bottle and throwing another in the
air.

His replacement, Gerrard, made an immediate impression and vital
interception in clearing Kim Kallstrom's drive off the line. Gerrard
slotted in alongside the industrious Hargreaves, who was unlucky to be
booked for a hand-ball.

Gerrard thought he had won the game for England when he headed home
Joe Cole's dinked ball, but then swooped Larsson.

• Man of the match: Joe Cole (England).

Match details
Sweden (4-1-3-2): Isaksson (Rennes); Alexandersson (Gothenburg),
Mellberg (Aston Villa), Lucic (Haecken), Edman (Rennes); Linderoth
(Copenhagen); Jonson (Djurgarden), Kallstrom (Rennes), Ljungberg
(Arsenal); Allback (Copenhagen), Larsson (Barcelona). Subs:
Wilhelmsson (Anderlecht) for Jonsson, 52; Elmander (Brondby) for
Allback, 74. Booked: Alexandersson, Ljungberg. Goals: Allback (51),
Larsson (89).

England (4-1-3-2): Robinson (Tottenham Hotspur); Carragher
(Liverpool), Ferdinand (Manchester United), Terry (Chelsea), A Cole
(Arsenal); Hargreaves (Bayern Munich); Beckham (Real Madrid), Lampard
(Chelsea), J Cole (Chelsea); Owen (Newcastle United), Rooney
(Manchester United). Subs: Crouch (Liverpool) for Owen, 4; Campbell
(Arsenal) for Ferdinand, 55; Gerrard (Liverpool) for Rooney, 67.
Booked: Hargreaves. Goals: J Cole (34), Gerrard (85).

Referee: M Busacca (Switzerland).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
----------------------------------------
Indy

England 2 Sweden 2:

  Cole shines but England draw little comfort from group win
By Sam Wallace at the RheinEnergieStadion
Published: 21 June 2006

In charge of England, Sven Goran Eriksson has specialised in
performances that defy comprehension, games that come with triumph and
despair in equal measure and last night was his defining act. England
won Group B but lost Michael Owen to a horrific injury. Their first
half was uplifting, their second almost disastrous. They are not
making life simple for themselves.

Ecuador await in the knock-out round in Stuttgart on Sunday and the
South Americans may argue that while they are the relative unknown
quantity, England under Eriksson are truly unknowable. Even after Owen
made his heartbreaking two-yard crawl over the touchline in the first
minute, dragging behind him a damaged right knee, this was an England
performance that stirred the blood and was adorned by a brilliant goal
by Joe Cole. Then they collapsed.

The second half was a retreat under the aerial bombardment of an
average Sweden team who won 12 corners in the match and seemed like
they might score from all of them. Marcus Allback headed one in before
Steven Gerrard launched his now traditional late rescue act with an
85th-minute goal that seemed to have settled the game before the ball
bounced three times in the England area and Henrik Larsson tapped in
the equaliser.

Still following the plot? In between there was time for another
outburst of temper from Wayne Rooney, who kicked a water bottle, threw
his boots away and punched the dug-out when he was substituted on 69
minutes.

"I felt I could have played longer," Rooney said later ­ and that much
was easy to see. Although his replacement Gerrard is now established
as the one constant in this team: he always seems to come good.

Just when Eriksson was dealing with the reality that he has only three
fit strikers ­ and one is an uncapped 17-year-old who has never played
in the Premiership ­ Rio Ferdinand limped off with a hamstring injury
and the defence continued to unravel. Paul Robinson was flapping at
crosses and Gerrard was required to kick a ball off the line within
three minutes of coming on. Sol Campbell started uncertainly. England
appeared to have created for themselves a whole new set of problems.

You could start with the strikers and the great danger that has lurked
behind England's preparation ever since Theo Walcott was named in the
squad on 8 May. As Owen collapsed in agony and dragged himself off the
pitch ­ a cruciate ligament injury is the appalling prospect ­ Jermain
Defoe's exclusion became a good deal more crucial. Eriksson continues
to protest that Joe Cole and Gerrard can play behind Rooney and the
smart money is that Owen's absence now forces England towards the
4-5-1 formation with which their manager has flirted of late.

Why? Because to cast the mind back beyond the chaos of the second
half, to a time when Sweden seemed likely to score with every attack,
this was an England team that excelled with the help of Owen
Hargreaves as a holding midfielder. They found width where none had
existed before and, in Joe Cole, had the game's outstanding player. He
discovered an understanding with Ashley Cole, he stepped over the
ball, he dribbled, he caused Sweden problems.

All over the 45,000-capacity crowd, England supporters took stock and
decided that this, indeed, was a team that looked like the sum of its
talented parts. Even their old bête noire Hargreaves was embraced and
deservedly so ­ he cleared up in midfield and lent the team a balance.

On 24 minutes, four sumptuous touches from Rooney took him between
Olof Mellberg and Teddy Lucic, the latter of the two recovering
brilliantly to block the striker's shot. Joe Cole had Ashley Cole
overlapping behind him and, although he rarely acknowledged him with a
pass, it unsettled the Swedes. Then on 34 minutes the Chelsea boy from
Islington struck a goal to savour.

Niclas Alexandersson's looping header out of defence bounced awkwardly
for Joe Cole and he was forced to jut out his chest to bring it under
control. The onrushing Swedish defence would allow him no more than
one more touch so he made it a good one: a delicate, dipping, lobbed
volley on which Andreas Isaakson laid one glove but could not push
clear.

England ended the half on a high to which they never returned. Other
than giving more attention to Joe Cole, the Sweden manager Lars
Lagerback did not make fundamental changes but England began to
crumble. Allback, little more than average in his time at Aston Villa,
was allowed by his marker David Beckham to glance a header from Tobias
Linderoth's corner from the left across Paul Robinson's goal and into
the far corner.

Lagerback immediately sent on the winger Christian Wilhelmsson for
Mattias Jonson as a clear indication that the Swedes would not be
settling for a draw. From a corner on the opposite side, Larsson
headed goalwards and Robinson touched the ball on to the bar. The
match had drifted dangerously away from England.

Campbell's first action was less than assured. He allowed a corner to
drift over his head to Lucic, who nodded it back to Mellberg and his
volley clipped the England cross bar, although the Arsenal defender
later redeemed himself with a block on Larsson. With 21 minutes left,
Rooney, who had quietened considerably by then, was called to the
touchline by Eriksson to be replaced by Gerrard. His stroppiness was
made evident in his actions but did not prevent him from clutching
Eriksson's proffered handshake.

Just as Allback's equaliser had come definitively against the run of
play so, too, was Gerrard's goal. Joe Cole made space for himself on
the right side and cut the ball back to the far post where Gerrard
headed home. By then Freddie Ljungberg had also hit the bar and
England were staggering towards the finish line.

Sweden's second equaliser of the night was a serious cause for
concern. Erik Edman's throw was allowed to bounce three times in the
area before Larsson turned it in. It was an inglorious way to win
Group B and that 38-year unbeaten run the Swedes have over England
continues. England have played Ecuador only once in a friendly in May
1970, and they were still world champions then. Reclaiming that status
next month is a task that they made even more complex last night.

Man-for-man marking: Who came up smelling of roses in Cologne. By Steve Tongue

ENGLAND

Paul Robinson

Previously unimpressive, improved here. No chance with the goals and
later made fine reaction save from Larsson's header. 7/10

Jamie Carragher

Standing in for Gary Neville again, kept Lungberg relatively quiet in
unobtrusive manner. 5/10

John Terry

Star man against Trinidad and Tobago, less successful this time when
under pressure at set-pieces. 5/10

Rio Ferdinand

An outstanding tackle on Ljungberg was the highlight of his 50th
international, before being forced off injured. 6/10

Ashley Cole

Fewer opportunities to get down the flank in tandem with his busier
namesake. Caught out for the late equaliser. 5/10

David Beckham

One dangerous free-kick and a fine pass for Rooney but subdued
thereafter. Why was he left marking Allback for the first equaliser?
4/10

Owen Hargreaves

Midfield anchor did the job he was there for, if not quite in Bayern
style. Booked for handball. 6/10

Frank Lampard

Enjoyed the security of having Hargreaves behind him and thrust
forward for several good efforts before fading in second half. 5/10

Joe Cole

Plenty of tricks and more importantly plenty of crosses and a superb
strike for the opening goal. Temptation to overdo things afterwards
just about resisted. 8/10

Wayne Rooney

Started superbly despite having to adjust to new experience of playing
with Crouch. Will get better. 7/10

Michael Owen

Won the sympathy vote at least after accidental injury that threatens
to end his tournament.

SUBSTITUTES

Peter Crouch (for Owen, 4 minutes) Two good headers in second half. 6/10

Sol Campbell (for Ferdinand, 56) Marked first entry into the
tournament with great block tackle to prevent Larsson giving Sweden
the lead. 6/10

Steven Gerrard (for Rooney, 69) Matched Campbell's impact with immed
iate goal-line clearance and later with important goal. 7/10


SECOND-ROUND GAMES

Germany v Sweden Saturday 24 June, Munich, 4pm

England v Ecuador Sunday 25 June, Stuttgart, 4pm

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
--------------------------------------

  Ragged England stumble as Owen falls

Sweden 2 - 2 England
Allback 51, Larsson 90; J Cole 34, Gerrard 85

Kevin McCarra in Cologne
Wednesday June 21, 2006
The Guardian


England have won Group B and go on to a last-16 tie with Ecuador in
Stuttgart on Sunday, but they has got there through a forced march
rather than a regal progress. Michael Owen has fallen by the wayside,
damaging his right knee in the opening seconds. His World Cup is
probably over and, before today's scan in Baden-Baden, Sven-Goran
Eriksson admitted that "it looks bad".
His team was also an eyesore by the end, despite a confident first
half in which the outstanding Joe Cole scored an intoxicating goal.
That was a heady time, but the players again wound down after the
interval and Sweden not only equalised but could have built an
unassailable lead. With four minutes remaining, the substitute Steven
Gerrard did put Eriksson's side in front once more with an
irresistible header after Joe Cole crossed from the right.


The injustice of it was to be righted. The back four could not deal
with Erik Edman's long throw in the 90th minute and Henrik Larsson
dabbed in the goal that preserved Sweden's 38-year unbeaten record
against England. Eriksson's players will not care too much about that
when there has to be an inquest into the weaknesses they revealed to
their rivals.
Corners and throw-ins were tantamount to weapons of mass destruction
for the England defence. The goal- keeper Paul Robinson did not
dominate and matters became even more alarming when Rio Ferdinand, who
had a minor groin strain, went off and Sol Campbell, after a tormented
season at Arsenal, took over.

Eriksson has more reasons to shudder. The loss of Owen is aggravated
by the fact that the manager was wilful in his choice of a small and
idisoyncratic coterie of strikers. Only Wayne Rooney, Peter Crouch and
Theo Walcott remain healthy. Eriksson, initially happy with his wager,
is now just another punter leaving the bookies with fists bunched in
his empty pockets.

No matter the longer term consequences, however, his fortunes were
restored handsomely after 34th minutes in Cologne. Niclas
Alexandersson cleared but Joe Cole controlled the ball on his chest
and, from some 30 yards out on the left, sent a spinning volley off
the outside of his right foot that went high into the far corner of
the net.

It was a stirring, if truncated, reaffirmation of England's potential.
The energetic and unflagging Owen Hargreaves showed how much he has to
offer in the holding role and his relevance was undoubted,
particularly as Frank Lampard was liberated by the tactical switch.

There had been five attempts by the Chelsea player before the
interval. Any shortfall in devilment and individualism will be made
good, too, as Rooney's match fitness is gradually replenished. All of
his gusto was restored in the episode when he lobbed the ball over
Olof Mellberg in the 25th minute and ran on before the other Sweden
centre-half Teddy Lucic got himself in the way of the finish. The
England striker was being partnered by Owen's replacement Peter
Crouch.

Assuming that Owen is sidelined, Eriksson will need to decide whether
he wants to keep faith in that combination. One obvious alternative
exists. Gerrard, with the risk of suspension now removed, could come
into the starting line-up as a quasi-forward.

England did well enough as they were up to half-time. It had been
comfortably their best display of this World Cup, yet Sweden, as ever,
were tenacious. The identity of the scorer of the equaliser summed up
the durability his country has and its knack of collectively
transcending individual reputations. Marcus Allback may have been
derided at Aston Villa and he started here purely because of Zlatan
Ibrahimovic's thigh injury, but that did not stop him from
contributing an equaliser.

The forward met a corner from the former Everton midfielder Tobias
Linderoth with an angled header after 51 minutes and Ashley Cole could
not prevent the ball from hitting the net. Sweden's Kim Kallstrom took
a corner from the left and Robinson did well to touch another Allback
header on to the bar in the 54th minute. With an hour gone, a hook
shot by Mellberg brushed the bar following, of course, a further
corner, by Linderoth.

The final score keeps Eriksson's team on top of the group, but
deficiencies in the defence threaten a general unravelling of
England's confidence. Conversely, Swedish self-belief must have soared
with this fightback and they will now meet Germany with heartiness.

England dare not presume that Rooney will be a guarantor of victory
over Ecuador. His replacement by Gerrard in the 69th minute was
necessary and the Manchester United striker was supposedly expressing
annoyance with himself when he shook his head and smacked the dugout.
Rooney then threw his boots to the ground disgustedly.

There was more than his psycho- logical state to perturb England. One
of Gerrard's first acts was to clear a Lucic drive from the goalline
following, inevitably, a corner. The sources of the side's anxiety
were all too obvious on a troubled night.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
-------------------------------------
How they rated: England and Sweden

Sean Ingle
Wednesday June 21, 2006
The Guardian


Paul Robinson 5
No chance with Sweden goals, but worryingly hesitant at corners.
Superb fingertip save from deflected Allback header

Jamie Carragher 4

In disarray when Fredrik Ljungberg ran at him during the second-half.
Attacking threat limited to one overlap in the opening minute

Rio Ferdinand 7

During his 55 minutes on the pitch, England's defence was untroubled.
Worryingly, after he limped off it was a shambles

John Terry 5

Solid as bullet-proof Kevlar in partnership with Ferdinand, but
strangely wobbly thereafter. Not one of his better games

Ashley Cole 7
Handled Mattias Jonson with ease. Every time he linked with Joe Cole
England were dangerous. One of the team's better players

Owen Hargreaves 7

Tidy, energetic and rarely gave the ball away. At last this was
Hargreaves the Bayern Munich player, not the England imposter

David Beckham 5

Failed to block corner from Tobias Linderoth before Allback's goal and
faded in the second half. Early free-kick tested Isaksson

Frank Lampard 7

Freed from defensive duties by the inclusion of Hargreaves. Repeated
forays forward brought a host of shots and several near misses

Joe Cole 8

Scored with an absolute screamer, and was lively every time he touched
the ball. Is his talent at last beginning to match his ego?

Wayne Rooney 6

Initially full of pitbull menace, and unlucky to be ruled offside when
played in by Beckham but he tired after half-time and was replaced

Michael Owen 5

Twisted his right knee on the turf in the opening minute, and was
immediately taken off on a stretcher, forearms covering his eyes

Substitutes

Crouch (Owen, 4) Unconvincing again 4 Campbell (Ferdinand, 56) 5
Gerrard (Rooney, 69) 8
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
----------------------------------------
The Times June 21, 2006


England limp on as Owen hobbles out
By Matt Dickinson

Sweden 2 England 2



Steven Gerrard celebrates his goal in England's game against Germany in Cologne

ENGLAND FOUND THE EASIER ROUTE through this World Cup finals, although
it is probably not easy enough. Michael Owen has kicked his last ball
in Germany and, while nothing could match his personal disaster, there
was collective desperation at times in Sven- Göran Eriksson's ranks.
Celebrations at finishing top of group B were bound to be muted in
light of Owen's terrible misfortune and, while there was a glimpse at
the way forward for England involving an energetic five-man midfield
led by the colossal Steven Gerrard, Eriksson will not just be
acclaimed as a knight but a miracle worker if he is holding the World
Cup on July 9.

After an uplifting opening 45 minutes capped by Joe Cole's stunning
volley, England paraded familiar vices — and a few new ones besides.



The least we hoped to rely on was that they would be hard to beat, but
they could have conceded four or five goals just from set-pieces. And
before anyone points the finger at the erratic Sol Campbell, they were
wobbling before the hulking defender came on for Rio Ferdinand.

On top of that, an already imbalanced squad now lacks its No 1
goalscorer. The loss of Owen with a knee injury after less than a
minute was the cruellest of blows, particularly on a night when he was
so determined to answer doubts.

Wayne Rooney lasted 69 minutes and could barely run by then, although
he still had the energy to furiously kick a water bottle and thump the
top of a dugout. And then there is Theo Walcott, untried at
Premiership level, never mind the World Cup.

There was good news in Rooney's return, a fine first-half performance,
a satisfactory result and the fact that Peter Crouch and Gerrard did
not pick up bookings.

There was also a tireless, tackling performance from Owen Hargreaves
and, as the smoke cleared at the end of a frenetic evening, it was
possible to detect how England could progress beyond the last 16. The
Bayern Munich player will surely retain his place, allowing Gerrard to
support Rooney in a five-man midfield — at least until the Manchester
United striker runs out of gas and has to be replaced by Crouch.

It had been seven months since Rooney and Owen had lined up together
and the brutally early ending of their partnership last night was
bound to rock England back on their heels.

The opening ten minutes was perhaps understandably frenetic in the
circumstances, but they began to find their shape and it was Rooney
who led them out of that brief, early chaos. The striker was bound to
tire on his return, but in those early moments, when the adrenalin
could mask the lack of match practice, he could not get enough of the
ball. And there might have been a Roy of the Rovers return when David
Beckham, otherwise quiet, picked him out with the pass of the evening.
It took a player with Rooney's ability to pull the ball from the sky,
but Teddy Lucic recovered to block.

At this stage, England were threatening almost every time they broke
forward. Their most productive channel was down the left flank, where
Ashley Cole's improving fitness has enabled him to form a productive
combination with the right-footed Joe. And the Chelsea player's
spectacular volley to put England ahead in the 34th minute was reward
for his and the team's initial, bolder style.

An engaging character who has been glued to matches at this
tournament, Cole will have been thrilled to have placed himself on the
list of must-see highlights with his astonishing parabola of a shot
from 25 yards.

England's improvement on the first two performances had been marked in
the first 45 minutes, but that made the second-half relapse all the
more troubling. They had been approaching mastery of Sweden before the
interval but were not only back on level terms soon after the break
but clinging to parity.

The defence has shown a troubling vulnerability at set-pieces for a
long time and it was from a corner that Sweden equalised in the 51st
minute. Tobias Linderoth picked out Marcus Allbäck at the near post
and his flick sailed in.

Suddenly overcome with the jitters, England might have conceded from
the next two corners. Paul Robinson has barely had a shot to save in
Germany, but he has lacked authority in dealing with crosses.



All the early composure had evaporated and possession was being
squandered with familiar and troubling ease. It was a measure of
Eriksson's concern that he had to introduce Gerrard for the wilting
Rooney in the 69th minute to try to shore things up.
It was no surprise that Gerrard's first contribution should, after
another Sweden corner, be to clear off the line, but he then rose
majestically to head home Joe Cole's cross. It should have been an
upbeat end but then England scandalously allowed a long throw to
bounce across the goalmouth to Henrik Larsson. Having lost their
leading scorer, England can scarcely afford to wobble at the back.

ROUTE TO THE FINAL

England's success in Cologne means that Sven-Göran Eriksson's side
avoid Germany and stay in the easier half of the draw

Second round: Sunday, June 25, Stuttgart, 4pm: England v Ecuador
Quarter-finals: Saturday, July 1, Gelsenkirchen, 4pm: Portugal or
Holland Semi-finals: Wednesday, July 5, Munich, 8pm: Brazil or Spain
Final: Sunday, July 9, Berlin, 7pm: Argentina

GAME OVER FOR INJURED STRIKER

WE WILL HAVE TO WAIT until tomorrow for Michael Owen to undergo a scan
on his right knee, but I fear we know already that his tournament is
over. Whether he has injured either of his two cruciate ligaments —
which connect the upper and lower leg — or the less critical
ligaments, any substantial damage will take weeks to heal. Torn
cruciate ligaments will probably require surgery, followed by months
of treatment. In many cases, the athlete is never the same again. Even
if this is not a worst-case scenario and Owen has injured the less
critical ligaments, I fear that he will still be packing his bags
early.


DR THOMAS STUTTAFORD

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
----------------------------------------
Budweiser Man of the Match: Joe COLE (ENG)
20 June 2006
by FIFAworldcup.com



England midfielder Joe Cole scored what might prove to be the goal of
the tournament and delivered an outstanding effort all around in his
team's 2-2 draw with Sweden in their last match in Group B. The
performance made him the clear choice for the Budweiser Man of the
Match.
His 34th-minute strike was absolutely stunning, an amazing volley from
over 25 metres that left Sweden goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson with no
chance – an undeniably brilliant effort from one of England's best.
Cole also played an important part in England's second goal, clipping
in a pinpoint cross from the edge of the area for Steven Gerrard to
head home. It would have been the match-winner if not for Henrik
Larsson's 90th-minute equaliser.

"It was an excellent overall performance from Joe Cole," said FIFA
Technical Study Group member Kalusha Bwalya. "In the first half
especially he was the outlet on the left, always positive in trying to
take on his man and finding Wayne Rooney and Peter Crouch. He scored a
wonderful goal and had an assist."

============================================================

Podolski captures spirit of new Germany

Ecuador 0 - 3 Germany
Klose 4, 44, Podolski 57

Michael Walker in Berlin
Wednesday June 21, 2006
The Guardian


Ecuador's vivid kit is the colour of a deckchair and they collapsed
like one yesterday. Having shown themselves to be robust and useful in
the first two group matches against Poland and Costa Rica, they were
flimsy and pliable against Germany. The World Cup hosts cruised to
their third straight victory to win Group A and now move down to
Munich on Saturday afternoon. Germany broke sweat, but only because of
the weather.


Munich will not be as comfortable an occasion as this but Germany have
such confidence and momentum that they will be relaxed about what lies
next. When Lukas Podolski slid in to score Germany's eighth goal of
the tournament in the 57th minute he became the team's fourth
different scorer. Only Paulo Wanchope has scored against them.
Clean sheets and goals breed expectation. Miroslav Klose got another
two to take his group tally to four. In Britain the Werder Bremen
striker is regarded, to use a Bobby Robson phrase, as "top class, but
not top, top, top classa" but Klose may be causing a reappraisal with
his form.

On Monday he said that since he moved to Bremen he has improved as a
player because of the club's feet-first style. Four years ago Klose
impressed with his heading ability but none of his four goals so far
has been scored with his forehead. The opening game coincided with his
28th birthday and he looks like a man relishing his maturity.

However, Klose's performance and that of each of his colleagues has to
be seen in the context of Ecuador's fine impression of a team
satisfied to have already finished second in the group. Their priority
was clearly the avoidance of injuries, yellow cards and the
conservation of energy.

Luis Suárez's side had done their group work in the first match
against Poland and were not recognisable yesterday. At least they
could claim to have been dangerous for the first minute of normal time
and the second minute of injury-time.

But in between they offered virtually nothing as a forward presence.
In that first minute the midfielder Luis Valencia danced his way
around Philipp Lahm, whose defending may not be as good as his
attacking. Valencia reached the byline and delivered a good cross that
Jens Lehmann did well to intercept. It offered some promise.

After that Ecuador petered out. Instead of viewing that one move as an
example of how Germany might be stretched, the South Americans sat
back and waited for the hosts to bring the party to them, which
Germany did happily and quickly.

After another rousing reception from increasingly believing fans, the
Germans forced a fourth-minute corner that was not cleared
efficiently. When the ball came back in, Per Mertesacker swung a leg
at it, Bastian Schweinsteiger recovered it before it bounced out and
his dragback pass ran to Klose. Ecuador's Edwin Tenorio, the Barcelona
squad member, failed to get close enough to Klose and his volley flew
into the bottom corner.

It was the first goal Ecuador had conceded in Germany and while the
Germans took another 40 minutes to get a second just before half-time,
it was not because of a lack of opportunity.

With Bernd Schneider prompting from the right of midfield, albeit
given the time and space to do so, Klose was provided with chances in
the 24th and 33rd minutes. Schneider, too, had a promising situation
and Michael Ballack tried to score from 40 yards with Cristian Mora
off his line.

Ballack, who picked up a nasty bruise from a challenge in the second
half, lasted the 90 minutes despite being on a yellow card and showed
the odd glimpse of what he can do. His chipped pass for Klose to round
Mora to nab the second was a splash of Ballack creativity. With the
contest over, the second half was played at jogging pace with the odd
sprint.

One such brought Germany their third goal. A rare Ecuador probe was
ended emphatically by the decisive challenge of Mertesacker and from
him the ball was ferried swiftly to the lively Schweinsteiger edging
over the halfway line. Schweinsteiger's pass found Schneider running
down the right and the Bayer Leverkusen schemer seized up the
situation instantly.

Podolski was pelting through the middle to get beyond the backtracking
Ecuador defence and Schneider supplied the perfect pass. Podolski met
the ball on the run and steered it in off the far post.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
----------------------------------------
Times:

Klose brace puts smile on hosts' faces
By Matt Hughes

Ecuador 0 Germany 3




IT IS NO LONGER JUST GERMANY'S glorious history that should cause them
to be feared. Jürgen Klinsmann's team are gathering an ominous
momentum, with a confluence of factors such as home advantage,
improving form and possession of the tournament's top scorer mounting
in their favour. The man once mocked as "Grinsi Klinsi" has made
Germany smile again.
Ecuador were dreadful, their lack of interest apparent from the moment
the teamsheet arrived showing five changes from their demolition of
Costa Rica, but that should not detract from Germany's impressive
performance. Their customary efficiency had added elan in the form of
three excellent goals, two of which were finished clinically by
Miroslav Klose, who now leads the race for the golden boot. With Lukas
Podolski scoring his first of the tournament, it is little wonder that
a party atmosphere prevailed in Berlin.



"We know the real World Cup is about to start and we've got World Cup
fever," Klinsmann said, encapsulating the mood of a nation. "Our goal
was to win the group and we have achieved that with three victories.
The team is growing and the mood is very positive. It was fun today,
fantastic spectators who gave us marvellous support. The identity of
the fans with the national team helps us on and created great
feelings."

Luis Suárez's feelings were less positive, but at least the Ecuador
coach expressed them honestly. With Michael Ballack dominating in
midfield and Klose showing subtler skills from the towering target man
he resembled at the start of his career, the South Americans were
overwhelmed. Having ripped up his team, Suárez was almost as culpable
as his players, though with Agustín Delgado and Carlos Tenório, his
leading strikers, nursing injuries, he had little choice.

"Germany played a good match but we cannot continue like this," Suárez
said. "We were deficient in defence and that was clear to see. There
were three huge mistakes and this cannot continue in a team that wants
to stay in a World Cup. Germany were outstanding, but our players were
mediocre or less."

Germany were certainly outstanding. Having heard the national anthem
reverberate loudly while the flags flew around this magnificent
stadium, both acceptable acts again in what feels like an increasingly
united country, the hosts were inspired to make a suitably rousing
start, and did so taking the lead after four minutes.

A well-worked goal was begun by the man who started the party by
scoring the first of the tournament 12 days ago, Philipp Lahm, whose
ball to Per Mertesacker in the box caused havoc. The centre back
showed agility to turn the ball across goal to Bastian Schweinsteiger,
whose cross from the byline prompted a neat finish by Klose. If the
quick passing was impressive, then the Ecuadorian marking was less so.

As the vast majority of a 72,000 sell-out crowd joined Franz
Beckenbauer on their feet, Germany did their best to keep them there,
pressing forward for a second, and with Ballack dominant in midfield,
it was only a matter of time. Schweinsteiger and Bernd Schneider also
impressed on the flanks, keeping the ball well and providing wonderful
service to Klose which could have yielded even more goals.

After going close himself with a long-range effort, Ballack created
the second after 44 minutes with an outstanding piece of skill. With
several defenders blocking his path to goal, he released Klose via a
beautiful flick with the outside of his right foot, watching with
delight as his team-mate out-muscled Geovanny Espinoza before rounding
Cristian Mora.

The second half was rendered little more than a Germany training
session. The biggest surprise was that Ballack stayed on the pitch as
another booking would have ruled him out of the next round.

The one significant development could be the increased confidence of
Podolski, who, after several invitations, finally ended his run of
four matches without a goal. Klose's numerous lectures may finally be
paying off — having been chastised by his strike partner during the
build-up to the match, it became clear why as Podolski spurned a
series of chances, but his goal was worth waiting for at the end of
another flowing move.

Schweinsteiger released Schneider in the 57th minute with a perfectly
weighted through-pass, Podolski meeting the ensuing right-wing cross
with a sumptuous left-foot flick.

With Ecuador wishing for the final whistle, Germany could have had
even more. Ballack was denied the reward his performance deserved by a
smart save from Mora, though he will not be too unhappy. For Germany
to have reached the last 16 without a single goal from their
inspirational captain can only be highly encouraging.

REFEREE: Valentin Ivanov (Russia) 3


ATTENDANCE: 72,000


ECUADOR: Subs: C Lara (for Valencia, 63min), P Urrutia (for Ayovi,
68), C Benítez (for Borja, 46). Not used: S Castillo, A Delgado, I
Hurtado, D Lanza, J Perlaza, N Reasco, L Saritama, C Tenório, E
Villafuerte

GERMANY: Subs: T Borowski
(for Frings, 66), G Asamoah (for Schneider, 72), O Neuville (for
Klose, 66), L Podolski. Not used: M Hanke, T Hildebrand, T
Hitzlsperger, M Jansen, O Kahn, S Kehl, C Metzelder, J Nowotny, D
Odonkor. Booked: Borowski



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
----------------------------------------Indy:

Germany 3 Ecuador 0: Klose double leaves Germany fired up to take on 'big ones'
By Glenn Moore at the Olympiastadion
Published: 21 June 2006
  Klose celebrates one of his goals that helped beat Ecuador This city
once kept hundreds of spies gainfully employed but England's
footballing espionage agents will have gleaned little from their
scouting mission yesterday. Ecuador rested half a team to protect
against injury and paid for it with a disjointed display that
delivered Group A to Germany.

The hosts are thus able to go to Munich for a quarter-final on
Saturday, boosted by their second clean sheet and third successive
victory. On the only other occasion the three-time winners began a
World Cup with a trio of victories, as West Germany in 1970, their
fourth game was a knock-out tie against England. This was famously won
by Gerd Müller's extra-time goal after Sir Alf Ramsey had withdrawn
Bobby Charlton.

Jürgen Klinsmann, the Germany coach, speaking before England's game
with Sweden last night which was to decide the hosts' second-round
opponents, said: "We are very satisfied and I'm looking forward to the
knock-out games.

"I think the team is growing. Three victories have boosted our ego.
The balance is very positive and now the real World Cup starts. We
have no problem if people put us among the favourites. We are playing
at home, we have a good team and we want to make it to the final. We
do not want to overestimate our performance but I think the others
will now have to take us into account."

Luis Suarez, the Ecuadorian coach, said: "Whoever we play I think it
is going to be a very tough match. If it is England I believe they
have one of the best teams in their history, and they have had many
outstanding teams. We will have to be more aggressive when we try and
get the ball, and keep possession when we have it. If there are many
high balls, we will have to win headers as well. But if we play like
we did today we will lose 3-0 again."

Germany had reason to be confident even before they saw the Ecuadorian
team sheet. In 15 previous World Cup meetings against South American
opposition they had lost just twice, against Argentina in 1986 and
Brazil in 2002, both times in the final.

One of the 10 victories in those fixtures had been their only previous
World Cup finals game in this stadium, the 1-0 win over Chile in 1974.
Berlin was then a divided city and staged only three matches. This
time it hosts six and Germany will hope to feature in two more, a
quarter-final and the final.

While they will not meet any more opponents as uninterested as
Ecuador, their prospects of achieving their target will have been
increased by this comprehensive victory. Klinsmann's team is running
on self-belief and Ecuador's priority should have been keeping the
match tight and subduing the passionate home crowd. Instead, slack
marking allowed Germany to take the lead in the fourth minute.

A corner was only partially cleared and, when it was returned, the
spindly centre-half Per Mertesacker was allowed to turn and play the
ball across to Bastian Schweinsteiger, who laid the ball back to
Miroslav Klose, who drilled in his third goal of the tournament.

Had Ivan Kaviedes managed to reach Valencia's driven cross ahead of
Jens Lehmann two minutes earlier the game could have progressed
differently, but once Klose struck it became a one-sided match.
Ecuador threatened only from distance and Jens Lehmann, in the Germany
goal, was rarely troubled. Not so Cristian Mora and his defence, who
were increasingly stretched by Germany's pace, strength and mobility.
Bernd Schneider volleyed over from Philipp Lahm's cross, Michael
Ballack drifted a 40-yard attempt wide after Mora had to come from his
goal to deny Lukas Podolski, and Klose volleyed wide from Schneider's
chip.

The inevitable second goal arrived as half-time approached. Ballack
dinked a pass forward and Klose, having muscled past Geovanny
Espinoza, read the bounce better than Mora and walked the ball past
him for his ninth goal in World Cup finals. That took him fourth in
the German rankings, one behind Helmut Rahn, two behind Klinsmann and
five behind Müller. That trio all won World Cups, and Klose's chances
of matching them were further enhanced when his strike partner, Lukas
Podolski, turned in Schneider's 57th-minute cross to complete a
classic breakaway goal, his first of the tournament.

Podolski is Germany's great striking hope but he had been struggling
for confidence and had earlier missed a couple of decent chances. The
match could have then become a rout but, with Podolski and Ballack
missing opportunities, Germany settled for conserving their energy for
the tougher chances to come.

"We are floating on a cloud of euphoria," said Ballack. "We are
self-assured. We are fit. We play at home, We are ready, ready to
tackle anyone, even the big ones."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
---------------------------------------
Germany starting to have some fun
By : David Miller in Berlin, 21/06/2006
In pics: Klose and Klose
Germany (2) 3 Ecuador (0) 0

It is not often you can take an afternoon stroll in the World Cup.
Michael Ballack, Germany's captain, was able to do so yesterday,
barely in need of a cooling drink in the intense heat, as Germany
cantered to victory over half-strength Ecuador.

Germany may have looked good, Lucas Podolski may have broken his duck
alongside two first-half goals by co-striker Miroslav Klose, but
Ecuador are no Argentina, Holland or Spain, or even France or Italy.

Germany still have a way to go as would-be champions. Ballack's
graceful perambulation was punctuated, first, by one little
masterpiece which presented Klose with the opportunity, swiftly
accepted, for his second goal, and second, by Luis Valencia's
yellow-card tackle which could have been red and, had Ballack not
loosened his airborne left leg before impact, would have reduced his
stroll to a hobble and put him out of the second round.

The decision by Ecuador's Colombian coach Luis Suarez was hard to
fathom. They may have been guaranteed qualification, but to rest five
players - Delgado, Castillo, Reasco, Hurtado and Carlos Tenorio -
inevitably disrupted their balance and, more importantly, their
morale. Not content with conceding a probable defeat, almost
immediately made inevitable when Klose scored after four minutes, they
stupidly niggled throughout the game, risking further yellow cards and
marring their freshly-acquired appeal to a world audience.

Jurgen Klinsmann, Germany's coach, was understandably euphoric, but
added: "The team are growing. We know that now the real World Cup is
starting. . . today was fun, but we'll not get carried away."

Suarez acknowledged that Ecuador's miserable showing was partially
their own fault, rather than caused exclusively by German excellence,
saying he expected better from those promoted for the day.

"We contributed to our defeat. Germany were good but Ecuador were
mediocre or less. This wasn't what we expected, it will be extremely
difficult for us to solve the problem. It's easy to say that the
defeat was due to changes, but everyone in the squad must be
committed. I don't want to blame anyone in particular, but a squad is
one unit. Everyone today played badly."

Spies camped in the Olympic Stadium looking for advice for Sven-Goran
Eriksson will have learnt little new from this match, what with the
heavily reshaped Ecuadorian team, and an at times half-paced Germany
who, though they still wanted to impress a 72,000 full-house crowd,
all but a fraction of whom were their own followers, knew that the
pressure was off once they had gone in front.

There was so nearly, however, a startling opening, for Ecuador might
have gone in front inside the first minute. Valencia, with the same
kind of acceleration that Aaron Lennon offers to England, whistled
past Phillipp Lahm almost before the left-back had switched on,
crossed the ball low into the goalmouth, and Ivan Kaviedes almost
connected before the ball slapped into the arms of Jens Lehmann.

It was to be a further half hour before Ecuador mounted another such
threat to the opposition.

Within minutes, Germany themselves were in front. From a corner on the
right, central defender Per Mertesacker, who had come up in hope of a
header, found the ball was too high, turned and hooked it back
overhead across goal. Bastian Schweinsteiger squared the ball along
the ground and Klose swept it home with an Olympic-quality somersault
to celebrate.

With the game effectively in their pocket, the Germans ran around in
the sunshine comfortably free of anxiety. Two minutes before half-time
Klose took his World Cup goal tally to nine, including four in this
tournament.

Ballack made the chance with a saucy flick over the back line, Klose
brushing past the advancing keeper, and when, 12 minutes into the
second half, Podolski slid home Bernd Schneider's low cross, the
stadium roared its approval for the young man who had duly made his
mark on the tournament.

• Man of the match: Michael Ballack (Germany).

Match details
Germany (4-3-1-2): Lehmann; Friedrich, Huth, Mertesacker, Lahm;
Schneider (Asamoah 72), Frings (Borowski 67), Schweinsteiger; Ballack;
Klose (Neuville 67), Podolski. Goals: Klose (4, 44), Podolski (57).
Booked: Borowski.

Ecuador (4-4-2): Mora; De la Cruz, Guagua, Espinoza, Ambrossi; Mendez,
Ayovi (Urrutia 69), E Tenorio, Valencia (Lara 63); Borja (Benitez
h-t), Kaviedes. Booked: Valencia.

Referee: V Ivanov (Russia).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
----------------------------------------
Budweiser Man of the Match: Michael BALLACK (GER)
20 June 2006
by FIFAworldcup.com



Michael Ballack played a true captain's role in a commanding Germany
performance and it earned him the Budweiser Man of the Match honours.
Chelsea's new midfielder dictated things as the host nation
comfortably assured themselves of first place in Group A with a wider
margin of victory than might have been predicted before the start.

It was the ability and power of Ballack that helped to crush the South
Americans' spirit and the high point of his performance came when he
laid on Miroslav Klose's second goal with a sublime forward pass. He
almost came close to scoring a fourth goal himself but his fierce shot
whistled just too high.

"Michael Ballack was the one player who organised the game for a
German side containing a lot of good players today," said FIFA
Technical Study Group member Andy Roxburgh. "If you look at the 90
minutes overall, he was the one centrally who had the power and took
charge of a lot of the attacks. Additionally he created the second
goal which was the decisive one."

William and Claude v Korea
*****************************************

The Times:

Park makes France pay
By Matt Hughes

France 1 South Korea 1


FRANCE MAY have finally scored a goal in the World Cup, though their
ultimate objective remains elusive. With the country clamouring for a
performance of real authority Les Bleus again disappointed, conceding
a late equaliser to Park Ji Sung that leaves South Korea in charge of
group G. On a cool evening in Leipzig not even the beating heat of the
day could be blamed.
Raymond Domenech, the coach, remains in denial about the extent of his
side's decline, though inadvertently hinted at its cause by chastising
his players' lack of stamina. Old heads are not always enough to
outwit younger legs.



France's misery was compounded by a late booking for Zinédine Zidane
which rules him out of their final match against Togo on his 34th
birthday, raising the prospect that one of the all-time greats will
never again grace a World Cup stage. France can still qualify but may
be dependent on help from others and the route thereafter looks
perilous, with Spain likely to greet this group's runners-up in the
next round.

"You must be a pessimist but I'm an optimist," said Domenech, when
asked whether Zidane had played his last World Cup match. "I was very
disappointed as we couldn't carry on to the end the way we started at
the beginning. It's difficult to see why. We have to win our next
match if we want to go through. We have to win by a certain number of
goals. We will be dependent on other teams which is very disappointing
for a team of our quality."

If Zidane has won the last of his 101 caps then he deserved a better
send-off, with the man himself appearing to agree. When France's
captain was substituted in stoppage time he threw his armband on the
floor and pointedly failed to return his coach's offer of a
hand-shake. Zidane has become a symbol of France's demise, a once
great player whose mind is willing but body all-too weak. Despite
dominating for much of the match they failed to hold on, though
Thierry Henry rightly railed that a good goal scored by Patrick Vieira
in the 31st minute was disallowed by Benito Archundia. "The ball was
clearly over the line and everyone could see it except the referee,"
Henry said.

Having waited eight years and four matches for a World Cup goal Henry
provided one after nine minutes, but that was as good as it got for
France. The goal could have been scored by Arsenal four years ago,
with Vieira releasing Sylvain Wiltord whose mis-hit shot fortuitously
found its way to Henry, who managed to produce a calmer finish with
his left foot.

Buoyed by the rare sight of a rippling net France continued to press
for a second, and should have had one before the end of the first
half, Zidane heading wide from a corner before teeing up Vieira, whose
header appeared to be carried over the line by Lee Woon Jae.

If the passage of time has damaged France then South Korea have also
declined dramatically in recent years after reaching the semi-finals
in 2002. Surprisingly for a side of small stature, their only real
opportunities came in the air, William Gallas heading nervously over
his own bar following a long ball from Kim Young Chul and Cho Jae Jin
just failing to connect with Lee Chun Soo's free kick when unmarked in
the penalty area.

For much of the second half France were little better and were
punished for their lethargy. Seol Ki Hyeon's cross from the right
byline in the 81st minute was headed back across goal by Cho Jae Jin,
with Park Ji Sung proving a close-range finish. "If we play our best
we can go anywhere, like in 2002," he said.

If such optimism was far-fetched than France's glory days are also a
distant memory.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
-----------------------------------

The Guardian

Koreans profit as French farce continues

France 1 - 1 South Korea

Michael Walker in Leipzig
Monday June 19, 2006

France seem to have been in a state of drift for so long that to
restate it risks tedium but last night in Leipzig they drifted into
new territory. Losing to Senegal in the tournament opener four years
ago was shocking, more so than letting a lead slip against South Korea
here, but this is the team of here and now and, while we have become
familiar with their faults, France somehow remain surprisingly bad.

Any thoughts of revival, which raised themselves briefly after Thierry
Henry gave France a ninth-minute lead, had already subsided as they
failed to enforce territorial superiority in the rest of the first
half. During the second listlessness set in - though these were the
best weather conditions so far in this stadium - and gradually South
Korea moved up the pitch.
The Koreans were hardly pummelling the French. By the 80th minute
Fabien Barthez had not made a save worthy of the term. But 30 seconds
later the Wolverhampton Wanderers player Seol Ki-hyeon sped down the
right flank and sent in a deep cross to the far post. Cho Jae-jin met
it there and provided an intelligent knock-back.

The ball was now four yards out and Barthez, Lilian Thuram and William
Gallas were around it. But the first man to it was Park Ji-sung of
Manchester United. Park got a fleeting touch, so did the gloved hand
of Barthez and the ball looped agonisingly into the air. When it came
down it was about one foot across the line. Gallas picked it up and
booted it away with a degree of frustration that may say something.
Park and Seol cavorted with their colleagues.

When France were at the height of their powers, after Euro 2000 when
they were simultaneously European and world champions, so many of
their players were appearing in the Premiership that it was claimed
France were Made In England. Here in the old East Germany it was two
England-based South Koreans who had grabbed the glory.

The result leaves South Korea top of Group G, with Switzerland to play
in Hanover on Friday. For France it is Togo in Cologne the same day
and the depressing statistic stands: France have not won a match in
the World Cup finals since the Paris final of France 98.

Togo will have to be faced without their captain Zinédine Zidane -
booked again - though the way the France captain played he is in
danger of being referred to as the once-great Zidane. Sloppy and slow,
this was not the Zidane we will recall or want to recall. Zidane might
argue that the apparent tension with his manager, Raymond Domenech, is
not helping him; if he wanted to point to a Zidane pass that released
Henry after Park's equaliser, then he could do that, too. Henry was
odds-on to score but Lee Woon-jae sprinted off his line to make a
vital save.

It was not Lee's only telling moment. In the 31st minute he scooped
away the ball when it looked to have crossed the line from Patrick
Vieira's head. For some reason the Mexican referee Benito Archundia
gave a free-kick.

France had a couple of other good opportunities but, although the
formation, more adventurous than against Switzerland, worried the
Koreans throughout the first half, Lee will not be remembered for a
string of stops.

Florent Malouda, recalled after his piles, was lively but greedy,
Sylvain Wiltord was willing as usual but Zidane, the third of the trio
supporting Henry, spent too much time wandering.

Even Henry's goal was the culmination of mistakes rather than the end
to a sleek move. Twenty yards out Wiltord decided to shoot when under
pressure and he scuffed his shot. But it took a small deflection off
the boot of Kim Nam-il and suddenly Henry was 10 yards out alone. One
touch to control, the next to score, Henry had just scored France's
first World Cup finals goal outside their own country since Manuel
Amoros against Belgium in Mexico, 20 years ago next week.

However, any hope that all French burdens would be similarly lifted
ebbed away. Franck Ribéry came on but that did not create any sense of
pattern or discipline.

Korea's substitutes were more significant. Ahn Jung-hwan, the pin-up
of 2002, came on after 72 minutes and immediately lifted his
team-mates. Nine more minutes and they were level. South Korea are a
team on the up. France have long been the opposite.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
----------------------------------------Indy:


France 1 South Korea 1: France fear 2002 reprise after Park's late thrust
By Andrew Warshaw at Zentralstadion, Leipzig


He had promised to "unleash the dogs" and predicted his players would
be bolder and more creative. But in the end Raymond Domenech's
much-heralded hounds produced far too little bite last night as France
served up more of the same mediocrity and saw their World Cup hopes
take a massive dent.

Thierry Henry's early strike, latching on to Sylvain Wiltord's
deflected shot to sidefoot home, may have finally ended France's
eight-year World Cup goal drought but Manchester United's Park Ji-sung
make sure it did not result in all three points by snatching a
dramatic late equaliser.

Although the French can still reach the last 16 by beating Togo in the
final group game, Domenech's hangdog demeanour spoke volumes as France
attempt to avoid a second successive premature elimination. From the
day they arrived at their World Cup base at a converted 16th century
castle, there have been rumours of splits and disagreements in the
French camp. Two sub-standard performances ­ last night and the
opening 0-0 draw against Switzerland ­ will only add to clamour to
break up an ageing team that seemingly can no longer move up the gears
when they need to.

"I'm so proud of my players because once again they came from a goal
down, this time against a French side I still regard as being a great
team," said Dick Advocaat.

"France controlled the first half and took a lot of energy out of us
but we brought on an extra winger in the second half and despite all
their quality, we managed to grab a draw."

Advocaat is a proud man and keen to prove that Asia's top team ­
wonderfully supported last night by fans who occupied one corner of
the stadium but made far more noise than their French counterparts ­
can mix it with the élite several thousand miles from their own
Continent.

"A result like this doesn't happen often to us away from home but
although we've got four points the next game is always the most
important one," said Advocaat. "It's hard to predict how far we can go
but for the moment I want the players to celebrate, then we'll think
about our next match against Switzerland."

For most of last night's encounter Korea's attacks had petered out
just as they reached the danger zone. Then, with nine minutes to go,
Fabian Barthez, inactive for long periods, flapped at a deep cross and
when the ball was headed back across goal, there was Park to scoop it
over the line despite frantic efforts by Barthez and William Gallas to
clear.

You could only feel sorry for the exemplary Lilian Thuram earning a
record-equalling 116th cap to match Marcel Desailly's tally. On the
eve of the game, the Juventus defender admitted his side had not been
bold enough when plodding to a 0-0 draw against Switzerland in their
first outing. Domenech, meanwhile, had tried to punch home the message
that experience and maturity can often compensate for speed.

In the event, he made only one change, Lyon midfielder Florent Malouda
replacing Franck Ribéry, with Henry again alone up front. But although
the French gave a more alert performance than against Switzerland,
they were unable to finish off Korea when they had the chance.
Zinedine Zidane, who came out of retirement to help his country's
cause, in particular showed clear signs of fatigue and will miss the
game against Togo anyway because of two yellow cards, possibly
bringing down the curtain on his career in a way he surely could not
have envisaged.

"Obviously we are disappointed because we have invested a lot of time
and effort in this squad," said Domenech. "But we scored a perfectly
good second goal which wasn't given and it turned the game."

He was referring to an incident on the half-hour when Vieira's
close-range header seemed to be over the line before the scrambling
Lee Woon Jae clawed it to safety. In a way you had to feel for
Domenech but it is a cruel game and now the French can only go for
broke against Togo and hope it's enough to make the last 16.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
---------------------------------------


Telegraph:


Park heaps pressure on France
By : David Miller in Leipzig, 19/06/2006
In pics: South Korea stun France
France (1) 1 South Korea (0) 1

Ailing France, the former champions, were stunned by an 81st-minute
equaliser by Park Ji-sung, forcing in a header from Cho Jae-jin to
level the score, Thierry Henry having scored early on.

France laboured throughout against novice-like South Korea. The new
golden age of French football is consigned to history and their famed
academy must start again. This was true misery for the likes of
Zinedine Zidane, who misses the final group game through suspension.

Needing every advantage they could get, the French were grateful for
an early goal by Henry, taken with aplomb, thanks to confusion in the
Korean defence. It was the kind of nudge they needed.

So, coach Raymond Domenech had taken the decision that, once again,
all France's old men would be given the responsibility of rescuing
their country's reputation and their own. The former champions had not
scored in the finals since defeating Brazil to take the title eight
years ago.

It was expecting a lot of the oldest team in this summer's tournament
of intense temperatures, though the sun had moderated yesterday and it
was one of the cooler evenings so far in the old Leipzig stadium.

Could Zidane, at 34, recapture anything of his fame? It was going to
be as tall an order for him as for those other elderly gents, Thuram,
Makelele and Barthez and the four of 28 or more.

As usual with the Koreans, France found themselves confronted whenever
in possession with a red ants' nest, three and even four opponents
converging on them, pressing for all they were worth. Yet the Koreans
were continually inaccurate.

Quite apart from that goal, they had begun well, with a flow of
attacks down the right flank, in which Bayern full-back Willy Sagnol
was regularly involved, and the Koreans were back in numbers trying to
dam this early flood. The goal came as the central defenders left a
challenge to each other, Sylvian Wiltord seized the ball, his mis-hit
shot cannoned off midfielder Kim Nam-il and Henry was left with a
simple sidestep and tap into an inviting net.

By degrees, Korea's four-man midfield began to get hold of the game,
their pace and willpower putting Vieira and his colleagues on the back
foot, and at one stage William Gallas was forced into heading a long,
high pass back, so misjudged that it dropped behind the goal.

Yet France quickly re-found their momentum and leading up to the
half-hour Florent Malouda, the Lyon midfielder went close, Henry was
unlucky when losing a prolonged tussle with Tottenham full-back Lee
Young-pyo - and looked in vain for penalty from an uncertain Mexican
referee.

Then, in the 31st minute, France all but scored again. Zidane's corner
from the left was headed fiercely by Vieira, so hard that Lee
Woon-jae, in goal, could not hold the ball. It may well have crossed
the line but a free kick was given for a subsequent foul.

Before half-time, Lee Chun-soo, Korea's blond striker from Ulsan
Hyundai, who most of the time had found his runs ending in a
cul-de-sac, hit a 40-yard free kick that skidded through a group of
players and grazed the far post. It was the first time France had been
in real danger.

• Man of the match: Park Ji-sung (South Korea).

France (4-3-1-2): Barthez; Sagnol, Thuram, Gallas, Abidal; Vieira,
Makelele, Malouda; Zidane (Trezeguet 90); Henry, Wiltord (Ribery 60).
Goal: Henry (9).
Booked: Abidal, Zidane.

South Korea (4-4-2): Lee Woon-jae; Kim Dong-jin, Kim Yung-chul, Choi
Jin-cheol, Lee Young-pyo; Kim Nam-il, Park Ji-sung, Lee Eul-yong (Seol
Ki-hyeon h-t), Lee Ho (Kim Sang-sik 69); Lee Chun-soo (Jung-Hwan 72),
Cho Jae-jin.
Goal: Ji-sung (81).
Booked: Dong-jin, Ho.
Referee: B Archundia (Mexico).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
----------------------------------------

Robben v Drogba
*************************
Times:

Holland show flawed genius
By TOM DART

Holland 2 Ivory Coast 1


ELEPHANTS CAN LIVE FOR 70 years, but the Elephants of Ivory Coast
lasted fewer than seven days at their first World Cup finals. Holland,
flawed but fitfully fabulous, join Argentina in the round of 16.
The Ivorians now lie in the competition's mortuary, victims of the
group of death, but was their demise really a suicide? They were
unlucky to face sides of the calibre of Argentina and Holland in group
C and would almost certainly have survived a less taxing mini-league,
but too much of their play was located at the intersection where
naivety meets carelessness.



"Everyone says we are wonderful but I am not satisfied," Henri Michel,
their coach, said. "These two games have shown that Ivory Coast is not
at the strongest level."

Holland's players partied at the end as if they had won the trophy.
Ruud van Nistelrooy had more cause than most to rejoice. He said that
his goal was the most important of his career because it was at a
World Cup finals, but there is a more intimate context. It was his
first competitive goal since April. "It'll mean a lot to him and give
him a lot of confidence," Marco van Basten, the Holland coach, said.

Holland face Argentina on June 21 for the right to top the group, but
neither side will be trembling at the prospect of playing anyone from
group D. "We were given a fierce examination by Ivory Coast and we
passed," Van Basten said.

He commented earlier in the week that Ivory Coast are so tactically
unpredictable that it would be pointless to try and devise a detailed
plan to neutralise them. If he was insinuating that the Ivorians are a
mess, their opening-match defeat by Argentina backed up that theory
and this game did little to dispel it.

The Ivory Coast defence contains 50 per cent of Arsenal's back four,
in Kolo Touré and Emmanuel Eboué, but it is less than the sum of half
its parts. Still, it would be churlish to grouse at their recklessness
when the consequence is such rich entertainment.

Holland took the lead midway through the first half when Robin van
Persie crashed a free kick beyond a wall that was more like a
turnstile. Soon after, the Arsenal forward executed an easy pass on
the halfway line in such a gratuitously ostentatious manner that it
seems that he has brought to Germany the artistry-turned-narcissism
that occasionally infects the play of his club side.

There was more evidence of domestic habits dying hard when Arjen
Robben, after a dynamic run into the area, collapsed as if a real
elephant had trod on his toe and was booked for diving. At the other
end, Didier Drogba, as usual, played like a bull with gift vouchers to
spend at a Ming Vase boutique. The Chelsea striker received a yellow
card for clattering into Edwin van der Sar.

Three minutes after the opener, Robben's adroit through pass put Van
Nistelrooy clear and he finished well, though he made little impact
after that. Coming into the tournament with his Old Trafford future
imperilled, the 29-year-old was in the perverse position of being
relieved to join up with the Holland squad in order to escape
conflict, not become embroiled in it as per Dutch tradition.

In response to the Argentina loss, Michel called the Kones hotline. He
brought Arouna and Bakary Kone, substitutes against Argentina and no
relation, into the starting line-up and it paid off handsomely.

Van der Sar had not picked the ball out of his net in a competitive
international since October 2004, but after 38 minutes Bakary Kone
renewed the Africans' hopes with a gorgeous goal, a diagonal belter
from the edge of the box.

Didier Zokora had previously hit the bar from distance, and Ivory
Coast could even have been level at the interval. Holland gave the
ball away on the halfway line, Drogba broke and the Ivorians had a two
on one, but his obvious attempt to feed Arouna Kone was intercepted.

The second half would have graduated from engrossing to minor classic
with a couple more goals but Holland's play inevitably grew more
insular and their opponents could not quite unlock them, though they
repeatedly came close. Even Van Persie recognised the need to defend,
clearing a Drogba header off the line with 13 minutes left.

Ivory Coast's last act was an overhit free kick from a promising
location that epitomised their ability to find good positions, then
fail to make the most of them. So the Elephants pack their trunks with
only a wooden-spoon contest with Serbia and Montenegro to come.

Holland have their own stories of unfulfilled potential, but at least
the chance to write a happier new chapter remains.


Holland 2               Ivory Coast 1
Van Persie 23        B Kone 38
Van Nistelrooy 26

Referee: J O Ruiz Acosta (Colombia)


Attendence: 52,000

Holland: Van der Sar 7, Heitinga 6, Ooijer 5, Mathijsen 4, Van
Bronckhorst 6, Sneijder 5, Van Bommel 6, Cocu 5, Van Persie 8, Van
Nistelrooy 6, Robben 6

Holland: Subs: Boulahrouz 5 (for Heitinga, 45min); Van der Vaart 5
(for Sneijder, 50); Landzaat 5 (for Van Nistelrooy, 73). Not used:
Babel, De Cler, Jaliens, Kromkamp, Kuyt, Maduro, Stekelenburg, Timmer,
Vennegoor of Hesselink. NEXT: Argentina

Ivory Coast: Tizie 5, Eboué 5, K Touré 6, Meite 6, Boka 6,  B Kone 6,
Drogba 6, Zokora 6, Gneri 5, Y Touré 5, Romaric 5, A Kone 4

Ivory Coast: Subs: Yapi Yapo 6 (for Romaric, 61); Dindane 5 (for B
Kone, 62); Akale 5 (for A Kone, 73). Not used: Barry, Demel, Domoraud,
Fae, Gnanhouan, Kalou, Keita, Kouassi, Zoro. NEXT: Serbia and
Montenegro

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
---------------------------------------
The Guardian


Resurgent Van Nistelrooy recovers his killer touch to ensure Dutch progress

Holland 2-1 Ivory Coast

Van Persie 23, Van Nistelrooy 27; B Koné 38

Paul Kelso in Stuttgart
Saturday June 17, 2006


Holland confirmed the superiority of football's old world order over
Africa's most potent side last night, sealing qualification with a 2-1
victory that emphasised the promise of Marco van Basten's young side
while robbing the tournament of prolonged involvement from Didier
Drogba and his richly talented team-mates.

First-half goals from Robin van Persie and a resurgent Ruud van
Nistelrooy secured a win that renders next Wednesday's meeting with
Argentina a matter of how and not if the two sides progress. Having
earlier seen José Pekerman's side crush Serbia & Montenegro 6-0 Van
Basten will be hugely relieved that nothing terminal rests on the
reprise of one of the World Cup's most resonant fixtures.


Whatever happens in Frankfurt Van Basten will be confident of
overcoming either of the likely second-round opponents. On current
form neither Portugal nor Mexico will pose a stiffer test of his
callow squad than that offered by Ivory Coast yesterday. Having missed
out on the finals in 2002 the Dutch have no intention of an early
return four years on.

Excitement at Dutch promise and Argentine brilliance is tinged with
sadness at the Ivorians' departure. Henri Michel's side would surely
have progressed from any other group but successive 2-1 defeats by two
of the game's aristocrats leave only the dead rubber against Serbia &
Montenegro in which to enjoy their talents.

The World Cup will be poorer for their absence, not least because it
denies us more than one more sighting of the explosive Bakary Koné, a
quicksilver forward who scored the individual goal of the tournament
to drag his side back into the game. Drogba will not be seen again
having earned a second yellow card and by the end he cut a
disconsolate figure.

There was no shame in defeat, with both Dutch goals owing more to
incisive play by their Premiership-based front three than fundamental
flaws in a back-four including Arsenal's Kolo Touré and Emmanuel
Eboué. As against Argentina the Ivorians demonstrated spirit to match
their pace and skill and the Dutch were pushed harder than they might
have expected after going two up in 27 minutes.

Against Argentina the Ivorians played their best football when two
goals down, and Michel's selection yesterday suggested an attempt to
avoid a similar test here. With the forwards Bakary and Arouna Koné
deployed either side of Drogba in a 4-3-3 formation the intention was
clear, but it was Holland's wide players who were to exert the
decisive influence. Van Persie and Arjen Robben squabbled after their
1-0 victory over Serbia & Montenegro; yesterday they fought only over
the man-of-the-match award.

Van Persie was first to stake his claim, opening the scoring midway
through the first half. The goal was all his own work: an incisive
break off the right flank tempted Touré into a mistimed tackle and he
converted the resultant free-kick to give Holland the lead. His
left-foot drive was powerful enough but the goalkeeper Jean-Jacques
Tizié will not thank his left-back Arthur Boka, stationed in the wall,
for ducking out of a clearing header.

Four minutes later it was Robben's turn, his run drawing three
defenders to the ball, and the Chelsea winger's reverse pass after an
exchange with Mark van Bommel gave Van Nistelrooy ample time and space
to score his first World Cup goal. His manic celebration reflected
huge relief.

A two-goal cushion may have suggested to the Dutch that the game was
under control but that was to misjudge the commitment and spirit of
their opponents. Bakary Koné was the catalyst, his pace and
willingness to roam discomfiting a previously composed Dutch defence.
Edwin van der Sar's crossbar had not long stopped rattling from Didier
Zakora's thunderous 25-yard effort when Koné brought his side back
into the game on 38 minutes. Collecting the ball just inside the Dutch
half the Nice forward accelerated past Johnny Heitinga and Joris
Mathijsen and crashed a right-foot cross-shot beyond Van der Sar's
right hand. It is to be hoped that this group of players have another
chance to impress on their own continent in four years' time. For now
however, the future is oranje.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
----------------------------------------
Indy:

Netherlands 2 Ivory Coast 1: Van Persie consigns Ivorians to early exit
By Andy Hunter at the Gottlieb-Daimler Stadium
Published: 17 June 2006
The Ivory Coast brought rich talent and expectation into their first
World Cup ­ they have delivered on both fronts and left an indelible
mark with their commitment to effervescent attack, but the Group of
Death has isolated its victim. The Elephants are in the graveyard.

Another memorable encounter involving the standard bearers for Africa,
yet another 2-1 reverse means Henri Michel's team have collected only
admirers in Germany so far and will be going home following their
final game with Serbia and Montenegro next Wednesday. "Everyone tells
me they think we are wonderful but I am not satisfied in the end,"
said the Frenchman.

"The only conclusion you can draw is that the Ivory Coast are not yet
at a level with the strongest teams in the World Cup." Or truly
unfortunate to land in a group with two nations who have announced
their credentials in the most emphatic fashion, the Netherlands and
Argentina, and not one where their pedigree would have seen them
progress. Such as Group B.

For the opening 30 minutes the Ivory Coast were a pale imitation of
the vibrant team that impressed in defeat against Argentina as a
fluent performance from Marco Van Basten's men was rewarded with goals
from the Premiership duo Robin Van Persie and Ruud Van Nistelrooy. The
final hour, however, told a different story as the Netherlands
discovered they have resilience to match their style by limiting their
opponents to only one, wonderful consolation from Bakary Kone.

"We were excellent for half [an] hour, played good football and
dominated, but we were too satisfied with ourselves and lost momentum.
We are proud not to have conceded a second goal in view of incredible
pressure," said Netherlands' coach Marco Van Basten.

The steely reserve that Kolo Touré and Emmanuel Eboué brought to the
Arsenal defence last season was conspicuously absent as uncertainty
initially plagued Ivory Coast and the Netherlands took advantage with
a goal forged at Highbury in the 23rd minute. Touré conceded a
free-kick with a reckless foul on Robin Van Persie, who recovered
sufficiently to drive a fabulous set-piece into the top corner.

Four minutes later Arjen Robben embarked on a slalom run from the left
and offered the under-fire Van Nistelrooy his chance for redemption.
He seized it with a convincing finish inside Jean-Jacques Tizie's near
post and was overcome with emotion as he celebrated the goal that
justified Van Basten's decision not to drop the forward.

"For me that was the biggest goal of my career," said the United
striker. "I have scored a lot of goals but this was different. I have
watched the World Cup since I was a boy, this was my first goal at the
World Cup and it feels fantastic."

Ivory Coast had offered little in response by that stage but from the
moment Didier Zokora rattled Edwin Van der Sar's crossbar from 25
yards, belief returned and a contest began to be realised.

In the 37th minute, Kone accelerated away from two orange shirts and
guided a shot into the top corner, but while Michel's team continued
to dominate, their only threat of an equaliser in the second half came
when Didier Drogba's header was blocked on the goal-line by Van
Persie.

The dream was over, while the Netherlands celebrated as though they
were about to be presented with the World Cup itself.

"I can understand their reaction," said Van Basten, not in the least
embarrassed by the sight of grown men dancing the conga around the
perimeter of the pitch.

"They are young and others have never played in a World Cup before.
This was the Group of Death, but we have qualified after two games
with a 100% record. That is cause for celebration," Van Basten added.

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----------------------------------------
Telegraph:

Deadly Dutch up to the challenge

Christopher Davies
Holland (2) 2 Ivory Coast (1) 1

Group C has been by some distance the most entertaining of the
tournament and this victory for Holland over the Ivory Coast means
they join Argentina in the second round. While one can feel sympathy
for the Ivory Coast to be drawn against such strong competition, they
have provided the finals with personality, pace and passion – if not
points.


Holland's game against Argentina will decide the winners of Group C
and while the Dutch have plenty of attacking potential they lack the
South Americans' solidity at the back. If the Ivory Coast had a more
ruthless streak in the final third of the pitch they might just have
been able to split the "big two".

An example of Dutch deadliness was seen in the 23rd minute. Kolo Toure
was unwise to challenge his Arsenal team-mate Robin van Persie so
carelessly in a central position one yard outside the penalty area.
The Ivory Coast defender would know such a distance and angle are
ideal for the Holland winger, whose left foot curled the resulting
free kick around the Ivorian wall and past the diving Jean-Jacques
Tizie.

Four minutes later Ruud van Nistelrooy showed his intelligence and
clinical finishing for Holland's second. The Manchester United striker
was standing in an offside position — in itself no offence — but by
the time Arjen Robben passed to him van Nistelrooy had moved back with
Bakary Kone just playing him onside. Van Nistelrooy scored with the
confidence of a master marksman.

Ivory Coast heads did not drop, and Didier Zakora rattled Edwin van
der Sar's crossbar with an angled shot from 25 yards. The Orange were
on red alert.

Seven minutes before half-time the Ivory Coast's speed on the break
paid off. Kolo Toure found Kone, who went past John Heitinga and Joris
Mathijsen with embarrassing ease. Giovanni van Bronckhorst was not
able to close down the Nice forward, who beat Van der Sar with a fine
rising shot from 15 yards.

A breathtaking first half also had moments of controversy. Robben
became the first player of Germany 2006 to be cautioned for diving,
referee Oscar Ruiz deciding that while the Chelsea winger was touched
by Arthur Boka, the Holland international's acrobatic fall was an
attempt to deceive the Colombian official.

Didier Drogba was shown his second yellow card of the tournament,
ruling him out of the final tie against Serbia and Montenegro. Van der
Sar dived and collected the ball as Drogba closed in and. as the
striker jumped over the goalkeeper his trailing foot caught the
Holland captain in the chest.

There was more woe for Drogba just before half-time when he was
through with Holland exposed at the back. Arouna Kone was unmarked on
the edge of the penalty area but the Ivory Coast captain's pass hit a
grateful Van Bronckhorst.

If the second half did not have any goals the speed and skill of both
sides provided a memorable spectacle for the mainly Dutch crowd in the
Gottlieb-Daimler stadium and a worldwide television audience.

Robben forced a superb save from Tizie, and in the 77th minute Van
Persie chested Drogba's header off the line before Khalid Boulahrouz
tackled the Chelsea striker as he seemed set to equalise.

In a storming finish the Ivory Coast peppered the Dutch defence, which
stood firm – just.

Man of the match: Arjen Robben (Holland).

Holland (4-3-3): Van der Sar; Heitinga (Boulahrouz h-t), Ooijer,
Mathijsen, Van Bronckhorst; Sneijder (Van der Vaart 50), Van Bommel,
Cocu; Van Persie, Van Nistelrooy (Landzaat 72), Robben.  Goals: Van
Persie (23), Van Nistelrooy (27). Booked: Robben, Mathijsen, van
Bommel, Boulahrouz.
Ivory Coast (4-4-2): Tizie, Eboue, K Toure, Meite; B Kone (Dindane
61), Y Toure, Boka, Zokora, Romaric (Y Yapo 61); A Kone (Akale 73),
Drogba. Goal: B Kone (38). Booked: Zokora, Drogba, Boka.
Referee: Oscar Ruiz (Colombia).

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FIFA mom:

Budweiser Man of the Match: Arjen ROBBEN (NED)
16 June 2006

by FIFAworldcup.com

Arjen Robben was named Budweiser Man of the Match for his spirited
attacking play in Netherlands' 2-1 win over Côte d'Ivoire on Friday,
making him the second player to receive the honour twice at the 2006
FIFA World Cup™.
Robben ran tirelessly throughout the match, combining well with Ruud
van Nistelrooij and Robin van Persie and becoming even more dangerous
late in the match as the Ivorians began to tire. Robben's biggest
contribution came in the 27th minute, when he played a wonderful
reverse ball to send Van Nistelrooij in for Netherlands' second goal.

"Every time he has the ball, he is a threat for the opponent, he
always creates fear," said FIFA Technical Study Group member Kim Chon
Lim. "His pass for the second Dutch goal that Van Nistelrooij scored
was just intuitive. He is definitely one of the key figures in the
Dutch team."

============================================================


Crespo v S&M
*********************

Times:

Peerless Argentina set new standard
By OLIVER KAY

Argentina 6 Serbia and Montenegro 0


SO CAPTIVATING IS THE SIGHT of Diego Maradona, proudly waving his
nation's colours among the suits in the corporate seats, that
Argentina's players might occasionally have felt like a sideshow act
at this World Cup, rather than the main attraction. Not yesterday,
though, as a performance of breathtaking brilliance in Gelsenkirchen,
illuminated by one of the most stunning goals in the tournament's
history, confirmed them as serious contenders to follow in the
footsteps of the great man.
This, after the drudgery served up by England in Nuremberg the
previous evening, was football at its most beautiful, a mesmerising
exhibition of one-touch play to which Serbia and Montenegro's defence,
supposedly one of the strongest in Europe, had no answer. The apex
came on the half-hour, as a flowing 24-pass move was finished off in
fitting style by Esteban Cambiasso. It is no exaggeration to say that
the goal, in its conception, rivalled that scored by Brazil' s Carlos
Alberto in the 1970 final, recently voted the best in the 76-year
history of the World Cup.

Maradona might argue that his solo effort against England in Mexico
City 20 years ago was the finest of all, but he cannot disguise his
enthusiasm for his successors. History remembers the 1986 team as
Maradona plus ten others, but this is a real team, one founded on the
discipline of Javier Mascherano, but given extra dimension farther
forward by the skill and guile of Juan Román Riquelme, Javier Saviola
and Hernán Crespo and, when legs were tiring in the closing stages,
the youthful brilliance of Carlos Tévez and Lionel Messi.

History would suggest that Argentina are peaking too soon, with a
possible further five matches to play, but, when Cambiasso scored that
wonderful goal to put them 2-0 ahead, it felt as if Fifa should crown
them as world champions there and then. It was not just the number of
passes, but the impudence of them, as a patient build-up exploded into
life on the edge of the penalty area: Saviola, a Riquelme flick,
Saviola again, Cambiasso, a Crespo back-heel and finally back to
Cambiasso, who kept his nerve to produce a suitably adroit finish.

"Twenty-four passes?" Crespo asked afterwards, his eyes wide with
excitement, when informed of the majesty of the goal he had been a
part of. "I thought at the time it was a beautiful goal and now I want
to go and watch it on the television to see just how beautiful it
was."

When he does, he will see a move that possibly bettered the one
produced by Pelé, Jairzinho et al against Italy in 1970. That goal,
stunning as it was, is romanticised because it represented the
greatest team of all time at the peak of their powers. This Argentina
side have much to do if they are to be remembered in such glowing
terms, but, for now, they are happy to let their football do the
talking.

"We know we're playing at a very high level right now," Riquelme said.
"I think everyone who watched this game here or on television around
the world will have enjoyed it."

The first goal, scored by Maxi Rodriguez in the sixth minute, had set
the tone for what was to follow. Again it was like a knife through
butter as they cut through the dishevelled Serbia and Montenegro
defence: a sideways pass from Rodriguez, a clever flick from Juan
Pablo Sorín, a clever flick from Saviola and an unerring finish from
Rodriguez.

That was surpassed by what followed from Cambiasso, on as a substitute
after Luis González was injured early on, but Argentina pursued a
quantity of goals as well as quality. Their third goal saw the
dithering Mladen Krstajic pushed off the ball by the excellent
Saviola, nine inches shorter and three stone lighter, and the forward
dart into the box. His low shot was pushed on to a post by Dragoslav
Jevric, but Rodriguez followed up, his shot hitting a post and
bouncing in off Goran Gavrancic.

There was further ignominy for Serbia and Montenegro — on course for
what their beleaguered coach, Ilija Petkovic, called the "worst result
in the history of Yugoslav football" — when Mateja Kezman, the former
Chelsea forward, was sent off in the 65th minute for a two-footed
lunge on Mascherano. By that stage, Argentina had relented somewhat,
but, after the introduction of the stellar duo of Tévez and Messi,
things picked up again, Messi underlining his promise as he set up
Crespo with a perceptive cross to the far post.

The two youngsters scored a goal apiece in the final six minutes,
Tévez an aggressive solo effort and Messi a low finish, as Maradona
led the chants of "Argentina". At the end, their supporters stayed in
their seats as the highlights were replayed on the giant screen,
getting better with every viewing.

Argentina 6             Serbia and Montenegro 0
Rodriguez 6, 41
Cambiasso 31
Crespo 78
Tévez 84
Messi 88

Referee: R Rosetti (Italy) 6
Attendance: 52,000

Argentina: Abbondanzieri 6, Burdisso 6, Ayala 6, Heinze 7, Sorín 8,
González Mascherano 8, Rodriguez 8, Riquelme 8, Saviola 9, Crespo 8

Serbia and Montenegro: Jevric 4, Djordjevic 4, Krstajic 3, Duljaj 2,
Stankovic 4,  Gavrancic 5,  Dudic 4  Kezman 2,  Milosevic 5, Koroman
4, Nadj 3


Argentina: Subs: Cambiasso 8 (for González, 16min); Tévez7 (for
Saviola, 58); Messi (for Rodriguez, 74). Not used: Coloccini, Aimar,
Cruz, Cufré, Franco, Milito, Palacio, Scaloni, Ustari. NEXT: Holland


SERBIA AND MONTENEGRO: Subs: Ergic 4 (for Nadj, 46); Ljuboja 4 (for
Koroman, 49); Vukic 4 (for Milosevic, 69). Subs not used: Basta, N
Djordjevic, Dragutinovic, Ilic, Kovacevic, Stojkovic, Vidic, Zigic.
NEXT: Ivory Coast


Six of the worst wins

Argentina beware, none of the past six teams to score six or more
goals in a match at the World Cup finals have won that tournament and
five got nowhere near. Germany limped to the final in 2002 after
thrashing Saudi Arabia 8-0, but Spain (6-1 v Bulgaria, 1998), Russia
(6-1 v Cameroon, 1994) and Hungary (10-1 v El Salvador, 1982) exited
in the first round. The Soviet Union (6-0 v Hungary, 1986) and Denmark
(6-1 v Uruguay, 1986) reached only the last 16.

Argentina were the last six-goal team to triumph, but their 6-0 win
over Peru in 1978 on home soil is tainted by match-fixing suspicions.

BILL EDGAR


The contenders

Carlos Alberto, Brazil v Italy, 1970 final
Clodoaldo beats three men in his own half before Jairzinho and Pelé
move the ball towards the right for Carlos Alberto to blast home.

Diego Maradona, Argentina v England 1986 quarter-final
The midfield player wriggles away from Peter Beardsley and Peter Reid
and nips past Terry Butcher, Terry Fenwick and Peter Shilton before
scoring.

Archie Gemmill, Scotland v Holland, 1978 first group phase
Gemmill collects the ball near the right edge of the penalty area,
skips past three defenders and sidefoots home.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
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The Guardian

Imperious Argentina give Serbia six of the best

Argentina 6-0 Serbia & Montenegro

Rodriguez 6 41, Cambiasso 31, Crespo 78, Tevez 84, Messi 88

Jon Brodkin in Gelsenkirchen
Saturday June 17, 2006

Dumped out of the last World Cup at the group stage after a disastrous
campaign in which they scored just twice, both times from set pieces,
Argentina are clearly in for the long haul this time. Yesterday's
magnificent performance humiliated Serbia & Montenegro and produced a
series of stunning goals, the second of which could prove the
tournament's finest team effort. It said everything that the move was
finished by Esteban Cambiasso, a defensive midfielder. Diego Maradona
roared his approval at what his countrymen served up.

The combination of silk and steel - when required - was marvellous,
and the margin of victory could have been greater. Argentina's players
ended by twirling shirts above their heads in front of their
celebrating fans to mark what must rank among the finest performances
of any World Cup. Serbia & Montenegro are competing as a unit for the
final time in Germany, and this Argentina display felt good enough to
beat two countries.

Talk of them taking Brazil's crown is now inevitable. With Javier
Saviola sharp in movement and possession, Maxi Rodríguez bursting from
midfield to score twice, and Juan Román Riquelme decorating
proceedings with a number of fine touches, Argentina were 3-0 ahead by
half-time. As if to tease every other country with the depth of their
attacking talent, the South Americans then brought on Lionel Messi and
Carlos Tévez. The electric Messi set up a goal and scored another on
his long-awaited return from injury and Tévez also found the net. For
all the talk of Brazil's resources up front, Argentina can match that.

Although the final three strikes came after a flailing Serbia had been
reduced to 10 men by the 65th-minute sending-off of Mateja Kezman,
that should not detract from Argentina's showing. They demonstrated
their ability to hold possession and suddenly quicken the pace of the
game with phenomenal thrusts, and their fluid interplay featured
countless excellent flicks, passes and movements as they showed they
share a wavelength and touched the heights. In the second half they
were content to play in bursts, rather than at full throttle, but what
bursts!

This victory and a win over a tough Ivory Coast have them galloping
towards the second round and their run will surely go much further.
Serbia had conceded only two goals in their previous 12 competitive
matches and got to this tournament by winning a qualifying group that
included Spain, who scored against them once. Admittedly, Serbia were
weakened here without Nemanja Vidic and their left-back Ivica
Dragutinovic.

With Riquelme moved into a central position, having played the
previous game from the left, Argentina would surely have been 4-0 up
by half-time had Hernán Crespo not been wrongly flagged offside.
Crespo would get his goal later from Messi's cross. Before half-time
Saviola more than caught the eye, and it is extraordinary to think
Barcelona have told him he can leave. By drifting from side to side
and dropping deep he found space from which to torment Serbia.

His pass, after Juan Pablo Sorín's backheel, enabled Rodríguez to put
Argentina ahead, but the best was yet to come. In a blur of a move,
Serbia were two down. The ball was transferred from Saviola to
Riquelme and then to Cambiasso, who played a pass to Crespo and ran on
to receive the Chelsea striker's backheeled return before finishing.
The closed roof here almost came off.

Rodríguez made it three after Saviola had robbed the dithering Mladen
Krstajic and drifted past Milan Dudic before having a shot parried,
but it was not just Argentina's attacking that stood out. They
prevented Serbia from posing a threat apart from one whiff of goal
early in the second half, with Javier Mascherano shielding the defence
well and dropping into a centre-half position to cover when required.
Although Sorín looked to attack down the left, Nicolás Burdisso rarely
got forward from right-back, ensuring Argentina almost invariably had
three defenders and Mascherano to deal with any breaks. In Roberto
Abbondanzieri they also have a goalkeeper comfortable catching
crosses.

Serbia were broken even before Kezman showed his frustration with a
studs-up challenge on Mascherano for which he received a red card.
Messi duly set up Crespo before Tévez beat two defenders to slot in
number five, and another fine move involving Tévez and Crespo paved
the way for Messi to finish the rout. As they might say in Barnsley -
but not Buenos Aires - it was like watching Brazil.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
----------------------------------------

Indy:

Argentina 6 Serbia & Montenegro 0: Argentina's artistry marries
ruthless skill to elegant precision

By Jason Burt at the AufSchalke Arena

They stood in the centre circle at the end, twirling their peeled-off
shirts above their puffed-up bare chests, bouncing up and down with
joy. In the stands their fans sang and sang and sang some more. Diego
Maradona looked like he might just pop. Having delivered a World Cup
calling card in beating Ivory Coast last Saturday, Argentina yesterday
decided to make the party theirs alone.

They are some team and it will take some team to beat them. Whether
anyone is up to the challenge remains to be seen. If the Argentinians
continue to play like this, it may be an immaterial thought anyway. It
could be an impossible task.

Afterwards, Ilija Petkovic, the Serbia & Montenegro coach, looked
distraught. "It was one of the worst results in our football history,"
he said, before adding that it will be talked about for "generations
to come". That history is about to change. Defeat means they are out
of the competition and with the country splitting in two, they now
have just one game left in their present incarnation.

It was a sad way to go. In 90 minutes they conceded six goals. In
their previous 12 competitive games they had given up just two. It
showed the gulf between the two sides. And the class of the
Argentinians. All their big names were majestic. In the first half it
was the Javier Saviola show, in the second it was Juan Roman Riquelme,
Hernan Crespo and then - quite wonderfully - the young substitutes
Carlos Tevez and Lionel Messi. At the back they were as ruthless as
they were formidable. Argentina have everything.

It was a display of skill, brio, belief and elegant precision. The
Serbs were out-played, dissected, diminished. Not so much defeated as
demoralised. Frustration exploded after 65 minutes when Mateja Kezman
was dismissed for a two-footed lunge.

Argentina made one change from the team that beat the Ivory Coast in
that exhilarating and bruising encounter in Hamburg but that change
was reversed after just 18 minutes when Luis Gonzalez was injured and
Esteban Cambiasso was reintroduced. He then went on to score one of
the goals of the tournament. Of any tournament. Saviola flicked a pass
to Riquelme who found Cambiasso. He then relayed it to Crespo who
delayed, before back-heeling into Cambiasso's path and his first-time
shot flew past Dragoslav Jevric. Not bad for a holding midfielder.

The goalkeeper had already been beaten, on six minutes. Again a
back-heel was involved. This time Juan Pablo Sorin picked out Saviola
who slipped a pass to Maxi Rodriguez and he bent his shot around
Jevic. Before the break, Rodriguez added another - after Saviola had
stolen the ball from Mladen Krstajic, then beat Milan Dudic before
Jevric palmed his cross-shot to Rodriguez who squeezed the ball in off
a post.

Tevez came on and then, to an even wilder ovation, Messi. Just four
minutes after his introduction the 18-year-old - whose appearance
means he is the youngest-ever player to represent Argentina in a World
Cup finals - crossed low from Riquelme's umpteenth clever pass for
Crespo to tap in the fourth.

Tevez was also in on the act. He ran in off the left wing, slalomed
past one challenge, barrelled through another and then calmly
side-footed in, before, brilliantly, Messi scored too. Tevez and
Crespo linked to roll the ball to the Barcelona prodigy, playing
competitively for the first time since March, and he hit the firmest
of shots inside the near post.

Tevez and Messi - more realistically - have both been hailed as the
new Maradona. The old one led his country to their last World Cup
triumph in 1986. Come 9 July it may not have been their last.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
----------------------------------------
Telegraph:

Argentina hammer out a global warning

John Ley in Gelsenkirchen

Argentina (3) 6 Serbia & Montenegro (0) 0

As a statement of intent by Argentina, this performance was as
convincing as it could possibly be.

The victory also included what could prove to be the tournament's most
sublime move, producing a goal up there with Diego Maradona's
wonderful second against England 20 years ago.

Fittingly, the legend himself was present to witness the latest
Argentine team; wearing a light blue and white striped shirt, Maradona
could not contain his excitement as the South Americans teased and
titillated with tantalising technique and magnificent movement.

This was a treat, a present to the world wrapped in blue and a
veritable exhibition of how to contain, control and, ultimately,
conquer. After overcoming the determination of the Ivory Coast in a
thrilling match, Argentina put down their marker.

It was a warning to the rest of the world. And for those who still
believe England can win the World Cup, it was a yardstick for which
Sven-Goran Eriksson's team have yet to measure up to. A day after they
laboured against T&T, Argentina danced past S&M.

Juan Riquelme, the man of the match, said: "We are now keeping a
rather high level, from the first match. I just hope we can go on
improving. We're very happy with the way we played but we want to
improve further. But I think everybody who watched enjoyed this."

Serbia and Montenegro, effectively out of the tournament, were so
frustrated that they finished with 10 men. The Chelsea failure Mateja
Kezman was sent off in the 65th minute for a two-footed tackle on
Javier Mascherano.

But such was Argentina's dominance that they gave a World Cup debut to
Lionel Messi, Barcelona's protege who was allowed a final 15 minutes
and wasted little time in announcing his arrival. He made his
country's fourth goal within three minutes and completing the rout
with the sixth goal.

Worryingly for the rest of the teams in the tournament, Argentina
eased up in the second half. In the first their play was so
mesmerising that the three-goal advantage was one from which Serbia
could not recover. And when, in the 31st minute, substitute Esteban
Cambiasso completed a 24-pass move that began from inside the
Argentina half, Gelsenkirchen witnessed one of the great World Cup
goals.

It was ballet on grass; Javier Saviola to Maxi Rodriguez, up to
Cambiasso, out to Hernan Crespo. A back-heel from Crespo set up
Cambiasso for a goal that will be etched in his nation's history.

"I thought at the time it was a beautiful goal," Crespo said. "Now I
want to watch it on the television to see just how beautiful it was. I
can't remember being involved in such a great goal."

Already Argentina were ahead. After six minutes Juan Sorin brought the
ball back from the byline, to Javier Saviola, and Rodriguez finished.
Argentina lost Luis Gonzalez with a hamstring strain, but his
replacement wasted no time in making a point with the second goal.
Cries of "ole, ole, ole" accompanied their passing and  Rodriguez
added the third after Dragoslav Jevric had parried Saviola's shot.

When Kezman departed, Argentina went into cruise control. Messi set up
Crespo in the 78th minute, Carlos Tevez danced past Goran Gavrancic
and Igor Duljaj for the fifth, and, three minutes from the end, Messi
– the youngest player to represent his country – completed the rout.

The beleaguered Serbia coach Ilija Petkovic took the blame. He said:
"This is the worst result in the history of our country's football,
but I won't condemn my players publicly. I've seen mistakes and
errors, but I'm going to accept full responsibility for what happened.
It wasn't the players' fault, it was mine."

Man of the match: Juan Riquelme (Argentina).

Argentina (4-1-2-1-2): Abbondanzieri; Burdisso, Ayala, Heinze, Sorin;
Mascherano; Gonzalez (Cambiasso 17), Rodriguez (Messi 75); Riquelme;
Saviola (Tevez 58), Crespo. Goals: Rodriguez (6, 41), Cambiasso (31),
Crespo (78), Tevez (84), Messi (88). Booked: Crespo.

Serbia and Montenegro (4-4-2): Jevric; Duljaj, Gavrancic, Dudic,
Krstajic; Koroman (Ljuboja 49), Nadj (Ergic ht), P Djordjevic,
Stankovic; Milosevic (Vukic 70), Kezman. Booked: Koroman, Nadj. Sent
off: Kezman.
Referee: R Rosetti (Italy).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
----------------------------------------
FIFA mom:

Budweiser Man of the Match: Juan RIQUELME (ARG)
16 June 2006
by FIFAworldcup.com

Juan Riquelme was the centrepiece of an Argentine attack that put the
ball in the net six times against Serbia and Montenegro on Friday,
earning himself recognition as the Budweiser Man of the Match.

By half-time, Argentina were already in control thanks to two goals by
Maxi Rodriguez in the sixth and 41st minutes, and another by Esteban
Cambiasso in the 31st. After Serbia and Montenegro were reduced to ten
men thanks the 65th-minute expulsion of Mateja Kezman, the floodgates
really opened, as Hernan Crespo, Carlos Tevez and Lionel Messi each
followed with goals in the last quarter-hour.

The honour could easily have been awarded to any number of Argentine
players, as there was clearly no shortage of impressive performances,
but Riquelme was recognised for being at the centre of it all.

"It was not easy to choose the Budweiser Man of the Match because
there were several very good players," said FIFA Technical Study Group
member Roy Hodgson, "but we thought that Riquelme had a tremendous
influence for Argentina. In an Argentine team that played very well,
he always asked for the ball. His ability and passing vision were
fundamental factors in the great attacking performance that we were
presented with here today."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
----------------------------------------

TLC&B vTNT
********************


Telegraph:

Vulnerable England a work in progress
Henry Winter in Nuremberg

England (0) 2 Trinidad & Tobago (0) 0

England are progressing through this World Cup with maximum points but
minimum panache. Fittingly, against Caribbean foe, this was a rum do,
lacking conviction and flair but with the intoxicating sight of Wayne
Rooney returning to action and goals from Peter Crouch and Steven
Gerrard. A Mersey Killing indeed.

Rooney, inevitably rusty, brought belief, Aaron Lennon brought pace
and width and England were able to take control of Group B. As one
debate ends, several more begin. All the talk now will revolve
feverishly around whether Rooney starts against Sweden on Tuesday, as
he surely will. Now that the medical men have rightly had the final
say, and passed Rooney fit yesterday, the Manchester United striker
obviously needs matches after 47 days out of the fray.

Eriksson has a big call to make: whether to omit Crouch or Michael
Owen. Apart from his goal, Crouch offered little. Owen's confidence is
low, though he looked brighter than against Paraguay. His
substitution, even for someone as illustrious as Rooney, will still
have felt like a humiliation for such a proud, competitive character.

Problems persist elsewhere. David Beckham must be reminded that he
causes most damage when staying out wide, from where he played
terrific passes to set up both goals. When he drifts inside, hunting
the ball, he gets in the way of Gerrard and Frank Lampard.

England also looked vulnerable to counter-attacks and more potent
opponents than Trinidad and Tobago will punish Eriksson's side. The
assessment of Trinidad and Tobago's coach, Leo Beenhakker, was brutal
and accurate: England require more patience and fewer long balls. With
Crouch standing out like a lighthouse, England are tempted to go long.
More subtlety, less trajectory is needed.

The first half was particularly dire and "Calypso Collapso" headlines
were being prepared. Passes went astray, attacks lacked conviction,
Crouch met one inviting cross with the inelegance of a teenage giraffe
and the defence looked unconvincing against aerial assaults, though
John Terry excelled.

His Chelsea colleague, Lampard, appeared to set England off on the
right note, sending the ball flying goalwards after five minutes.
Shaka Hislop was caught out by the speed and venom and parried the
ball out. Owen, following up, was also deceived by the flight of the
ball, which bounced embarrassingly off his knee and away.

At least Owen was more involved than against Paraguay, wriggling
through a couple of challenges during one surge. England roamed down
all avenues in search of goal. Ashley Cole sent Joe Cole scampering
down the line, and his cross to the far post was met by the stretching
Crouch. Only Hislop's reactions kept the ball out, the West Ham man
clawing the shot away.

Still England pressed, but with little cutting edge. Gerrard stroked
the ball through to Lampard, whose right-footer raced wide. The men
from the Caribbean - and Gillingham - also threatened. One Dwight
Yorke cross cleared Paul Robinson, surprisingly nervy last night, and
Stern John headed wide. When Jamie Carragher over-hit a pass to Joe
Cole it encapsulated the English malaise.

England briefly stirred, Lampard sending an awkward volley over and
Beckham then testing Hislop's reactions with a left-footer. A captain
trying to inspire his players, Beckham certainly never hid, and he
conjured up England's best chance of an impoverished first half.

He dinked a cross over, deliberately missing the tightly-marked Owen
and finding Crouch. The Liverpool striker had the time, the space, the
opportunity. He could have chested the ball down and then beaten
Hislop. Instead, he caught the ball first time, completely misjudging
his volley, those long skinny legs suddenly resembling spaghetti
junction. The ball disappeared horribly wide.

Chants of "Rooney, Rooney" rang around the Frankenstadion, the fans'
desire for change accelerating when John almost scored. Only a
brilliant clearance from Terry prevented the ball crossing the line.
He was delivering a superb performance, even pressurising Kenwyne
Jones into stabbing the ball wide when the tall striker raced through
in the second half.

Nerves tightened. Owen missed a simple header. England resembled tired
men running across quick-sand. International rescue was required.
Rooney is perceived by England's fans as a super-hero and his arrival
certainly concerned Trinidad. Lennon also sprinted on, taking up a
right-wing station with Beckham dropping deep as an ersatz right back.

For a few minutes, Eriksson's new tactical philosophy appeared to be
drawn more from confusion than Confucius. A few sceptical glances were
exchanged between players before England got on with their salvage
operation. The chances started coming, Gerrard finding Beckham, whose
cross was headed over by Crouch. Lampard's radar, sadly, was awry and
he kept sending shots wide.

England were vulnerable on the counter, such as when the lively
substitute Cornell Glen charged through and was stopped only by a fine
sliding tackle from Ashley Cole. When Glen briefly threatened again,
delighted cries of "ole" emanated from the Caribbean quarter of the
ground.

The clock was running down, and England were running down culs de sac.
Suddenly, they found nirvana. Stewart Downing, on for Joe Cole,
drilled a magnificent cross-field pass from left to right to Lennon,
who headed back to Beckham.

England immediately snapped into the old routine, the quick cross
lifted to the big man, the ball hoisted to the far post where Crouch
rose above Gillingham's Brent Sancho to head past Hislop.

Crouch eschewed his famous robotics, though England fans were
certainly dancing in the aisles. Relief rolled in huge waves around
England's support, again magnificent. "We're not going home," they
chanted as England celebrated their first goal in the second half of a
World Cup match since Owen scored against Romania at France 98.

The party really went with a swing in injury time. Beckham was again
involved, sliding the ball to Gerrard 25 yards out. Liverpool's dynamo
turned Aurtis Whitley inside out before dispatching the ball into the
net with his left foot. A promising end, but England remain a work in
progress.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
---------------------------------------
The Times June 16, 2006

England turn on the late show
By Matt Dickinson

England 2 Trinidad & Tobago 0


A SECOND SUCCESSIVE VICTORY, A place in the last 16 and Wayne Rooney
taking to the pitch in defiance of a thousand sceptics. You might not
think there was a cloud on England's World Cup horizon if you tuned in
purely for the last seven minutes.
Some hard questions will have to be asked about the previous 83 — and
not all the answers will be found in Rooney's return — but at least
Sven-Göran Eriksson has time to ponder his responses. Peter Crouch's
header and Steven Gerrard's wonderful, curling shot bought him three
points but, just as importantly, breathing space on a horribly muggy
evening in Nuremberg. The Swede will have to find good use for every
precious second of it.

The goals bought time for a rusty Rooney to gather some fitness, time
for Gary Neville to try to recover from his torn calf, time for Ashley
Cole to continue yesterday's improvement and, most of all, time for
the England coaches to inject some zest into a team which badly
requires the element of surprise (back to Rooney again) if it expects
to take the autobahn all the way to Berlin.

Leo Beenhakker, the coach of Trinidad & Tobago, talked of England's
reliance on long, early balls from the back and, while Rooney's return
should encourage Eriksson's men to play with far more creativity, the
United striker is expected to be the antidote to an awful lot of ills.

England have brought more fans to Germany than any other team which is
just as well because, so far, they are not making any new converts
with their predictable football. Their travelling hordes sung joyously
at the end but, dismayed by what had gone before, they were only seven
minutes from a chorus of jeers.

Those boos were caught in the throat as David Beckham, who will surely
top this tournament for assists if England progress, crossed to the
far post for Crouch to climb above Brent Sancho. There was no robotic
dance — it was not the time or the place — but Eriksson will cite the
goal as vindication for his startling decision to replace Michael Owen
rather than Crouch with Rooney.

Having lasted only two minutes longer than against Paraguay (and still
less than an hour), the Newcastle United forward will again feel that
he has been made a scapegoat for England's failings. While he was
guilty of missing a wonderful chance shortly before he was replaced —
and his body language speaks of someone carrying a bag of troubles —
it is hard to believe that England can thrive this summer without
seeing the best of him.

Gerrard added England's second goal in the final moments, a sublime
left-foot shot reward for his indefatigability, while Frank Lampard
had so many efforts that Fifa's statisticians may have struggled to
keep count but no one left this sweaty bowl wondering how it took
England so long to score.

They were pondering instead how England could possibly hope to win
this tournament unless Rooney truly is as fit as the independent
experts claim him to be.

Perhaps just his presence helped England to persevere. Rooney only had
to warm up to set a chant rolling around the Frankenstadion although
32 minutes was not enough to assess him properly. There was plenty of
time to examine Crouch and a horribly miscued volley shortly before
half-time had sent the England fans scurrying to quick, and damning,
conclusions.

Eriksson decided that he had seen enough of his starting XI and,
within seconds, Rooney was stripping for action but expectations that
Crouch would make way were to prove unfounded. Instead it was Owen who
trooped off disconsolately. If that was a surprise, even more so was
the sight of Beckham going to full back in place of Jamie Carragher as
Aaron Lennon made his first competitive appearance on the right wing.

A cynic might say that the Swede would do anything to keep his captain
on the pitch but the move made perfect sense given that, as they
laboured for a goal, losing Beckham's right foot would have deprived
them of their best weapon. And so it was to prove as he crossed for
Crouch to head in.

With Lennon giving a high-speed cameo on the right flank, England were
reassured that they have a game-changing player and, better still,
that Eriksson is willing to use him. For once, Eriksson's replacements
were bold although it will be pointed out that he had no choice in the
circumstances. England's perseverance and stamina were further pluses
as was another clean sheet although they had to endure a couple of
stomach churning moments. Paul Robinson had a couple of wobbles and,
on one occasion, was only spared by a late intervention from John
Terry.

Nevertheless, Eriksson could claim that it is job done so far. His
team's qualification has aped that of Germany and while a second round
meeting between the two would be tumultuous, it would not be one for
the aesthetes.

ROUTE TO THE FINAL

ENGLAND HAVE qualified for the knockout stages, but Sweden's win last
night means Sven-Göran Eriksson's team can finish second in the group
if they are beaten by the Swedes on Tuesday night. On the plus side,
because group A will be completed on Tuesday afternoon, England will
begin the match against Sweden knowing what they have to do if they
want to avoid Germany next.

If England win group B, they will probably face:


Knockout round Ecuador, Stuttgart, June 25

Quarter-finals Portugal or Holland, Gelsenkirchen, July 1

Semi-finals Brazil, Munich, July 5

Final Argentina, Berlin, July 9

If England finish second:

Knockout round Germany, Munich, June 24

Quarter-finals Argentina, Berlin, June 30

Semi-finals Italy or France, Dortmund, July 4

Final Brazil, Berlin, July 9

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
----------------------------------------

Indy:

England 2 Trinidad & Tobago 0:

Qualification the consolation after wretched England labour to victory
By Sam Wallace at the Frankenstadion, Nuremberg


Delivered from despair. In these final, chaotic days of Sven Goran
Eriksson's reign it seems that anything is possible and against the
men of Port Vale, Falkirk, Dundee and San Juan Jabloteh, England
contemplated the bleakest of humiliations. They so nearly left
Nuremberg with a draw, but by the end of the night they had qualified
for the knock-out rounds of the World Cup finals.

And Wayne Rooney made his comeback. It may seem incredible that, 47
feverish days since he suffered his broken metatarsal, the return of
the prodigal son could be upstaged but then this was no ordinary 24
hours in the life of the national team. At times this was a turgid
England performance, into which Rooney was sent after 58 minutes as
the rescue act. He may have been cast as saviour, but it was Peter
Crouch who seized that role in the end.

Seven heady minutes at the end and goals from Crouch and Steven
Gerrard conspired to wash away some of the anguish of what had gone
before. The simple truth is that England have qualified for the next
round and only have to draw with Sweden on Tuesday to win Group B. The
whole story of yesterday, however, was a good deal more complicated
than that.

It began with the independent medical report that Rooney was at last
ready to play and then a day that had carried so much hope began to
disintegrate in the muggy heat of the Nuremberg afternoon. As Trinidad
& Tobago frustrated England this became a performance comparable with
Eriksson's very worst episodes: no sequences of passing and an
appalling reliance upon long balls to Crouch.

Michael Owen looked a shadow of the player England had prayed he would
be at this tournament and he made way for Rooney without playing an
hour. At left-back, Ashley Cole's performance was in direct contrast
to his inspirational Euro 2004. Frank Lampard squandered chance after
chance. And yet, amid all this, England endured to steal victory in
the game's very last phase.

From the ruins there is hope: Eriksson has managed to present the
English with reasons to despair in the same five days that he has
given the nation two World Cup victories and no goals conceded. It is
the way of this Swedish manager that no analysis of his team is
simple. They were abject for so much of this game and yet they won.
They seem no closer to establishing themselves as a force at this
tournament, and yet they are already through to the last 16.

It needed Trinidad &Tobago's erudite Dutch coach Leo Beenhakker to
interpret the subtle lessons of this match. The long balls to Crouch
were acceptable up to a point he said, "but if England are to go on in
the tournament," he added, "they will have to show a little more
patience and use their great players in midfield".

It was a theory difficult to find fault with. There was precious
little of the passing intricacies that would normally be associated
with players of David Beckham, Lampard and Gerrard's stature. England
will need them if they are to face Germany in the next round ­ the
hosts face Group A's surprise package Ecuador on Monday to decide the
first place in that section. Should Germany lose, they will face the
winner of England's Group B ­ a status that, come Tuesday, England and
Sweden may both wish to avoid.

England's match-winner was Crouch, the same man who had struck one
volley so desperately wide that it rolled over the goal-line 15 yards
from goal. But on days like these it is impossible not to admire his
determination. Indefatigable to the end, his back-post headed goal
from Beckham's cross broke the hearts of Dwight Yorke's side who had
held out for so long.

There were other performances worthy of mention. On 58 minutes Aaron
Lennon came on in the right wing slot as Beckham was switched to
full-back. The Tottenham winger was a jinking, determined presence who
gave England the width they craved. For these substitutions, Eriksson
deserved credit: the introduction of Rooney may have appeared
desperate, but Lennon's arrival was inspired.

From the chaos of the first 83 minutes, Gerrard emerged heroically. Up
until then he had attempted in vain to inject some kind of rhythm into
England. And then, as the game entered injury time he switched the
ball from his right foot to his left and struck a delicious 30-yard
rising shot past Shaka Hislop.

At lunchtime Professor Angus Wallace had revised his 7 June diagnosis
that Rooney should not play in the group stages and, in doing so,
ensured himself a lifetime's thanks from the FA. Professor Wallace
lent his considerable influence to Eriksson's scheme to accelerate
Rooney's return ­ the cynics might suggest that the eminent professor
has rather more of a reputation to lose than the England coach.

Against a much more modest side than the South Americans, England
developed a promising start into an ever-more sluggish end to the
first half. After six minutes, Crouch knocked a ball back from the
left wing, Beckham dummied and Lampard struck a shot Shaka Hislop was
unable to hold. First to the loose ball was Owen, but it came back at
an awkward height, struck him on the knee and dribbled wide.

A right-footed cross from Joe Cole on the left curled to the back post
where Crouch tried to usher it home but was blocked by Hislop. Lampard
shot wide after 34 minutes but this was an England performance that
was drifting dangerously, drifting towards the soporific and the
aimless with greater reliance upon a flash of brilliance to save it.

Increasingly that man looked like Gerrard. With four minutes of the
first half remaining he struck a ball down the left channel that Owen
cut back to Lampard. From all of nine yards, Lampard struck over the
bar the kind of chance he routinely buries for Chelsea.

Then came Crouch's mis-hit volley and the cries of "Rooney" from the
England support rang out almost immediately. Before half-time, Paul
Robinson made a wretched attempt to claim a cross and Stern John
bulldozed Rio Ferdinand out of the way to head the ball into an empty
goal. Only John Terry's beautifully improvised clearance from
underneath the crossbar saved England.

On 58 minutes, Eriksson could wait no longer. It felt deeply premature
to be playing the last ace he held but Rooney finally rose from the
bench. He came on for Owen whose plight had deepened moments earlier
when, unmarked, he had headed wide a Beckham ball to the back post.

Crouch finally broke the deadlock when Lennon headed the ball down to
Beckham and the Liverpool striker forced home a back-post header.

Then Gerrard, England's driving force, collected the ball on 91
minutes and struck a goal that released the tension from an anguished
afternoon.

Man-for-man marking by Steve Tongue

England

Paul Robinson

Beaten to two vital crosses in a first half that could have produced
goals for Trinidad & Tobago. Had one of his least convincing England
games. 4/10

Jamie Carragher

Sacrificed to allow Aaron Lennon on, after being untroubled
defensively but wasting one or two passes. 5/10

John Terry

Goal-line save from Stern John spared England huge embarrassment.
Remained strong at the back and England's best player. 7/10

Rio Ferdinand

Won headers at both ends of the pitch, though he sometimes performed
less impressively with his feet. 6/10

Ashley Cole

Surged forward much more than he did against Paraguay, linking up with
Joe Cole and lasted the pace well. 7/10

David Beckham

Was already drifting inside without finding his range from long passes
before moving to right-back (!) and making the goal. 5/10

Steven Gerrard

Drew two early yellow cards while thrusting forward from deep role but
faded a little before Cup final-like strike. 5/10

Frank Lampard

As on Saturday, his shooting was England's greatest threat for most of
the game. Could not take good chance late on but unlucky with another.
Yellow card. 6/10

Joe Cole

Enjoyed having namesake Ashley down left. Worked well with him before
making way for Downing. 6/10

Peter Crouch

Horribly miscued volley shortly before half-time summed up England's
lack of cohesion. But redeemed himself eventually. 5/10

Michael Owen

Only 56 minutes on Saturday and just 60 seconds longer last night but
could not complain. Wasted his three chances. 5/10

SUBSTITUTES

Wayne Rooney (for Owen, 58): Looking more like a talisman than ever. 7/10

Aaron Lennon (for Carragher, 58) Injected some pace. 7/10

Stewart Downing (for J Cole, 75) Less imp-ressive than Lennon. 6/10

Trinidad & Tobago

Shaka Hislop

A hero in the opening group game against Sweden, was required to do
far less. No chance with the goals. 6/10

Carlos Edwards

Forced to slot in at right-back, the Luton midfielder stuck to Joe
Cole and his task with admirable determination. 7/10

Brent Sancho

Defiant defending by the Gillingham centre-half until left on his own
to mark Crouch for England's first goal. 7/10

Dennis Lawrence

One of the few defenders at the tournament tall enough to look Crouch
in the eye, he could do so with pride at the end of the game. 8/10

Cyd Gray

Deputising for the suspended Avery John, he grew in confidence as the
game wore on before having to cope with Lennon. 6/10

Aurtis Whitley

Early yellow card for foul on Gerrard may have inhibited him a little.
Not seen much thereafter. 4/10

Densill Theobald

The Falkirk man also collected a caution early on, for holding back
Gerrard. Stuck close to Beckham before being substituted. 5/10

Dwight Yorke

His team funnelled everything through him and he rarely lost
possession. Set pieces improved after a wasteful start. 7/10

Chris Birchall

Port Vale's World Cup star worked as hard as expected in the sticky
heat, getting up and down to reasonable effect. 7/10

Stern John

Would have added to his remarkable 65 goals for his country but for
Terry's goal-line clearance. 5/10

Kenwyne Jones

The Southampton youngster drifted intelligently between midfield and
the front without threatening, and was replaced with 20 minutes to
play. 5/10

SUBSTITUTES

Cornell Glen (for Jones, 69) Could have become a legend thanks to two
late breaks - he skated past Ashley Cole for one, only for the Arsenal
defender to make a saving tackle. 7/10

Also: Evans Wise for Theobald 85.

Next up for England... Germany?

If England finish top of Group B, they face the runners-up from Group
A. This will be either Germany or Ecuador, who both have six points
and meet in Berlin on Tuesday. Germany must win that game to top the
group, because Ecuador currently have superior goal difference. With
England likely to finish first, their second-round match will be on
Sunday 25 June at 4pm at Stuttgart's Gottlieb Daimler-Stadion. If they
finish second in the group, they will play the winner of Group A and
will move into the top half of the draw. Their second-round match
would be on Saturday 24 June at 4pm in Munich.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
----------------------------------------
The Guardian

Witless England dig their way out
Kevin McCarra in Nuremberg

England 2 - 0 Trinidad & Tobago
Crouch 83, Gerrard 90

England went into the last 16 of the World Cup with a display that
will have put them out of the reckoning so far as most observers are
concerned. There is rehabilitation to be undergone after a protracted
stalemate with Trinidad & Tobago that did not seem particularly likely
to be broken until Peter Crouch's header opened the scoring in the
83rd minute. At the close England's players departed to cheers, but
the scorn at the interval is the sound they should replay in their
minds.

  It was the reliable gauge of their efforts. The side is capable of
much more and confirmed that in stoppage-time, when Steven Gerrard
sweetly cut inside Aurtis Whitley and fired home an authoritative
left-footer from outside the area. Only the most credulous of fans
would treat that as characteristic of England's work at this
tournament.
It was the flamboyance of a footballer who knew the pressure had been
released. England were so witless for most of the evening that there
was more at stake than the loss of a couple of points. The players,
for all their inevitable protestations later, would have despaired of
putting themselves among the World Cup's senior nations. The passing
was merely dogged and too often the ball was hit long, allowing T&T to
adjust before showing off their physical strength.

While Sven-Goran Eriksson had better not brag, there was one small,
specialised satisfaction for him. This was the key game where his
substitutions finally came to England's aid. The introduction of Wayne
Rooney for Michael Owen was the least relevant of them. Talisman he
may be, but after the metatarsal injury that has educated the nation
in one tiny area of orthopaedics, Rooney is also a forward dulled by
seven weeks on the sidelines.

England benefited most from sending Aaron Lennon out to play on the
right. As he pulled defenders away, David Beckham had more scope to
deliver from that flank as an attacking full-back. With 83 minutes
gone the captain's beautiful cross caught Brent Sancho flat-footed, a
failing that is disastrous when Crouch is immediately behind you. The
Liverpool striker's header had all the power necessary to beat Shaka
Hislop at his near post.

For all the euphoria, there has to be an undercurrent of ruefulness
when the side scores like that. There is nothing shameful in it and
the skill is not to be gainsaid, but England have been downed by too
many sides who are prepared for it. Several are present at the World
Cup. With apologies to Gerrard, England have won against fundamentally
weak opponents in Group B only because of the whip and menace with
which Beckham strikes the ball.

Yesterday's match was a long inventory of England faults. Though some
good signs were present, as in the link between the two Coles on the
left, the side usually contrived to plod while using a lot of energy
in the drab process. The early, untaken opportunities were more
important than they appeared.

Crouch crossed from the left in the sixth minute but Frank Lampard's
drive was so strong that Owen could not control the rebound when
Hislop beat the effort away. Eleven minutes later Ashley Cole sent the
sweetest of passes down the line to Joe Cole and a shot by Crouch from
the cut-back was put behind by the goalkeeper.

Yet there was no deluge to wash away Leo Beenhakker's side. Indeed
they were refreshed by the discovery that they could cope. There were
several times, too, when their thoughts ran far beyond
self-protection. A capacity to harm England was never quelled. After a
short corner in the 34th minute Dwight Yorke flighted a cross that
Paul Robinson failed to touch and a straining Stern John put it
behind.

T&T came closer to an opener than England in that period. On the brink
of half-time John challenged Rio Ferdinand for a Dennis Lawrence
knock-down and John Terry had to hook clear from close to the
goal-line. Beenhakker had good cause to field a second forward in this
game.

A comparison of the coaches was highly unflattering for Eriksson.
There was too litle quickness of foot or mind from an England team
that had known for months that it would meet this kind of enthusiastic
stubbornness. Beehakker's players, schooled in the grind of Scottish
football and England's lower divisions, do not get discouraged.

Eriksson's side did no harm to that spirit until very late in the day.
Exasperation whittled England to puny size. When Rooney and Crouch
linked smartly after 77 minutes, Lampard took the pass from the latter
and untypically drilled a finish wide from 12 yards.

Crouch had been even more extravagant when England were not riddled
with fear. In the 43rd minute Gerrard stroked a handsome pass down the
right and the ensuing cross by Beckham was nearly as refined, but the
striker misconnected and put his right-footed finish well wide.

Then, he appeared to be offering himself as the one to stand down when
Rooney reclaims his place, but Crouch would eventually rescue England.
He had still toiled and Owen, while improving, is not yet at his
sharpest. Barring a fast transformation, England will not avoid
calamity in the World Cup as they did here.

Paul Robinson 5
Just before half-time he appeared to morph into David James. Twice
flapped at crosses, twice Stern John nearly made him pay

Jamie Carragher 4

Defensively solid but his forays forward were sporadic. Made one
overlapping run that ended when he took on Densill Theobald

Rio Ferdinand 4

Never looked convincing and was horribly out of position when John's
header was cleared off the line just before half-time

John Terry 7

Solid and unfussy as always. Scrambling goal-line clearance spared
Paul Robinson and Rio Ferdinand's blushes


Ashley Cole 6
Worried T&T several times with his pace but less expansive as the
match went on. Made two important defensive blocks near the end

David Beckham 5

A patchy display until he produced a dream cross for Peter Crouch to
open the scoring. Otherwise struggled to get into the game

Steven Gerrard 5

Strangely anonymous and lethargic for most of the game until he was
given space to hit a left-foot screamer that made the game safe

Frank Lampard 5

Busy but didn't have his shooting boots on. Should have scored twice,
first when played in by Michael Owen and then by Crouch

Joe Cole 5

Trickery tested Carlos Edwards in the first 20 minutes. The pick of
the England players in the first half but faded badly

Michael Owen 4

Looked startled when Lampard's shot was fumbled into his path and then
missed a free header before being replaced

Peter Crouch 5

Holiday affair with England fans was cooling when he missed a
hat-trick of chances with crowd calling for Rooney; late goal made
amends

Substitutes

Rooney (for Owen, 58) 5 Lennon (for Carragher, 58) 7

Downing (for Joe Cole, 74)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
---------------------------------------
FIFA mom:

Budweiser Man of the Match: David BECKHAM (ENG)
15 June 2006
by FIFAworldcup.com

David Beckham was named Budweiser Man of the Match after England's 2-0
victory over Trinidad and Tobago on Thursday.
The England skipper spent the entire 90 minutes serving dangerous
balls into the penalty area, and it was one such cross that finally
brought the breakthrough, Crouch heading past Shaka Hislop in the 83rd
minute for the first goal by an England player at this FIFA World
Cup™.

"David Beckham is the Budweiser Man of the Match today for a number of
reasons," said FIFA Technical Study Group member Rodrigo Kenton. "At
times, he dictated the pace of the game and the quality of the ball he
delivered for England's first goal was superb."

Beckham, who spent part of the second half in an unfamilar right-back
role, contributed with his leadership at a time when England might
have let themselves get frustrated. "Being the captain of a team is a
very important job and today Beckham did that superbly," said Kenton.

"Things were not going well for England, but he rallied the team by
the standard of his performance and by his character. He knows the
rhythm of the team, he is able to manipulate it - and quite simply, he
is a quality player."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
----------------------------------------

Ballack
************

Times:

Germany in pole position
By Oliver Kay

Germany 1 Poland 0: Substitute puts hosts in charge of group


GERMANY BELIEVES. THAT HAS NOT been the case for a long time where the
national team is concerned, but when Oliver Neuville scored in
stoppage time to maintain his team's winning start to the World Cup,
he succeeded in heightening the sense of patriotic fervour that has
swept the nation since the tournament began six days ago.
Jürgen Klinsmann, the coach, punched the air in delight as the final
whistle blew 60 seconds later, while the Westfalenstadion reverberated
to the tune of Schwarz und Weiss, the anthem their supporters have
adopted for the tournament. Almost assured of their place in the
knockout stages, the victorious players embarked on a lap of honour,
but none should begrudge them that, given the way that Klinsmann's
young players have ignited the competition with their enthusiasm and
talent.



This result, more than merited after they dominated the match, is
almost certain to spell the end of the road for Poland.

Much of the pre-match discussion had centred on Miroslav Klose and his
decision to stand under the German flag after moving from his native
Poland at the age of 8. Having scored twice in his adopted country's
4-2 win over Costa Rica on Friday, he seemed mystified when his
allegiance to the cause was questioned by the media, adding that the
German national anthem was the only one he knew. But he showed a grasp
of how high emotions were running in Poland when he suggested that the
opposition would "play like men with a knife between their teeth".

They did, showing a determination that was strangely lacking in their
opening 2-0 defeat by Ecuador. This was a far more combative
performance, but it had to be against a Germany team imbued with the
confidence that a victory in the World Cup can bring.

Chances fell to Germany's two Polish strikers, but Klose and Lukas
Podolski were profligate, each of them infuriating Klinsmann by
wasting clear opportunities before the interval. Klose's came in the
21st minute after a typically measured run and cross from Phillipp
Lahm, the enterprising young left back. While the Poland defence stood
static, the Werder Bremen forward attacked the hanging ball, but his
header landed inches wide of the far post.

In first-half stoppage time it was Podolski's turn to be wasteful as
he was picked out in a crowded penalty area, again by Lahm, and
steadied himself with an excellent first touch before shooting
inexplicably wide from inside the six-yard box.

Germany were dominating in terms of possession, territory and chances,
but their young central defenders, so careless in victory over Costa
Rica, could not allow their concentration levels to drop. Poland
re-emerged after the break with far greater conviction, finally
grabbing a foothold in a midfield in which Michael Ballack, Chelsea's
recent recruit, seemed to be fading, perhaps beginning to feel the
effects of the calf injury that restricted him to the role of
non-playing captain on Friday.

On the touchline, Klinsmann was growing agitated but also bold. Not
content with a draw, he replaced Arne Friedrich, a full back, with
David Odonkor, the young forward who plays in this stadium for
Borussia Dortmund, and then Neuville in place of Podolski. There was
almost an instant, if indirect impact, as a free kick by Torsten
Frings deflected into the path of Klose, whose instinctive shot was
well saved by Artur Boruc.

Faced with fresh legs and fresh ideas, Poland's tackling became
desperate, fatally so in the case of Radoslaw Sobolewski. The midfield
player, already booked for a lunge on Ballack in the first half, was
sent off for a second offence with 15 minutes remaining as he
body-checked Klose. Germany surged forward in ever greater numbers as
first Lahm and then Neuville forced Boruc into excellent saves.

Boruc was booked for time-wasting before Neuville and Ballack both hit
the crossbar in a remarkable scramble in the 90th minute. Germany,
though, were not to be denied, Neuville sliding the ball home from
Odonkor's cross.

How they rated

Germany 1   Poland 0
Neuville 90

Germany: Lehmann 5, Friedrich 5, Mertesacker 8, Metzelder 7,  Lahm 8,
Schneider 6, Frings 6, Ballack 6, Schweinsteiger 5, Podolski 6, Klose
6,

Poland: Smolarek 5, Krzynowek 5, Zurawski 6, Jelen 6, Radomski 5,
Sobolewski 6, Zewlakow 6, Bak 7, Bosacki 6, Baszczynski 5, Boruc 8,

GERMANY: Subs: Odonkor 6 (for Friedrich, 64min); Borowski (for
Schweinsteiger, 76); Neuville (for Podolski, 71). Not used: Jansen,
Huth, Kehl, Nowotny, Kahn, Asamoah, Hitzlsperger, Hildebrand. NEXT:
Ecuador.

POLAND: Subs: Lewandowski (for Krzynowek, 77); Dudka (for Zewlakow,
83); Brozek (for Jelen, 90). Not used: Jop, Gancarczyk, Kosowski,
Szymkowiak, Rasiak, Kuszczak, Mila, Giza, Fabianski. NEXT: Costa Rica.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
---------------------------------------
The Guardian


Heartbreak for Poles as Neuville grabs last-gasp winner

Germany 1 - 0 Poland
Neuville 90

Jon Brodkin in Dortmund

The roar in this stadium was probably heard in Hamburg as Germany
struck in stoppage-time to claim a second straight win last night.
Luck appeared to have deserted the home side moments earlier when they
hit woodwork twice in one move through Miroslav Klose and Michael
Ballack, but then came the breakthrough which justified the moves of
the coach Jurgen Klinsmann. One substitute, David Odonkor, crossed for
another, Oliver Neuville, to finish.

It gave Germany their first win over a European team at a major
tournament since final of Euro 96 and leaves them cruising towards the
second round. Poland will feel they were undermined by the red card
shown to Radoslaw Sobolewski 15 minutes from the end. He received what
looked a soft second booking after a check on Klose.
With better finishing, though, and without some strong saves by Artur
Boruc, Germany would have wrapped up the game without need for such
late redemption against gritty opponents. The Poland-born strikers
Klose and Lukas Podolski missed chances and Neuville, too, had been
denied.

German expectations had been raised by their team's 4-2 win over Costa
Rica in the opening match and the return of the captain Ballack, who
missed the first game because of a calf injury. They knew, too, that
Poland had never beaten Germany or West Germany in 14 matches
stretching back to 1933.

Poland's players had spent the build-up emphasising their belief that
they could cause an upset and knew they had to get at least a draw
after their defeat by Ecuador. One Polish paper made the point that a
shock was at least possible by printing a picture of the former East
Germany's Trabant car. The Germans Don't Get Everything Right, said
the headline.

The initial play from Poland, which combined an appetite for battle
with a desire to get into advanced areas, suggested they were far from
overawed. The packed and atmospheric Westfalenstadion must have
brought home to them the scale of the occasion as well as the task in
front of them and Celtic's Maciej Zurawski soon worked a half-chance
to give his team the lead but scuffed his shot to allow Jens Lehmann
an easy early save.

Though Germany's initial thrusts lacked the incisiveness of their
opening match, in which they scored twice in the first 17 minutes,
Klose was presented with two good openings inside the first quarter.
The first, from a Ballack pass, saw him draw a sharp save from Boruc.
The second culminated in his kicking a post in frustration, knowing he
should have scored from Philipp Lahm's perfect cross.

Lahm had obviously been identified as a threat by Poland's coach Pawel
Janas, who pushed a right midfielder, either Ireneusz Jelen or Jacek
Krzynowek, high up the pitch to occupy the left-back and try to
prevent him from getting forward.

So Lahm had to ration his bursts, which had been highly effective
against Costa Rica. Having set up that chance for Klose he then made
two for Lukas Podolski, who drew a save with one shot and sent another
effort narrowly wide of the post with almost the final kick of the
first half.

Krzynowek was guilty of not tracking back properly on that occasion
and was reminded of his duties in no uncertain terms. Podolski's two
opportunities told of the growing grip that Germany had on the game
after struggling at first to find the sort of rhythm they would have
liked and finding themselves pushed back.

Poland, at least in the first half-hour, had got upfield to decent
effect without seriously looking like scoring. They seemed to have
decided that forcing Germany back was the best tactic, looking to
expose their opponents' soft underbelly rather than allowing them to
thrive with their lively attack. That required power and grit in
midfield, and it showed Poland's willingness to indulge in such tasks
that they collected two bookings inside half an hour.

Apart from Lahm's runs, Ballack's passing was the avenue which
threatened to provide openings but the German delivery from wide
areas, like that from set pieces, generally lacked quality if Lahm was
not involved. When Bernd Schneider did send over a good cross early in
the second half, Klose failed to make proper contact and another
chance was spurned.

Generally Schneider and the second winger, Bastian Schweinsteiger,
were disappointing in possession and Poland, after surviving a burst
of early second-half pressure, were starting to look comfortable. When
Klose brought another save from Boruc it stemmed from a free-kick, and
Klinsmann signalled his attacking intent by bringing on David Odonkor
to get at Poland down the right in the 64th minute.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
----------------------------------------
Indy:
Germany 1 Poland 0: Germany on brink after Neuville's late stunner
By Jason Burt at the Westfalenstadion, Dortmund
Published: 15 June 2006
The celebrations were as unbridled as they would be if Germany
actually go on to win this World Cup. Maybe they will. They certainly
feel they are on a roll and although it is a team short of quality it
is big on endeavour. And, backed by an increasingly buoyant home
support, it appears they are starting to believe.

But it took a 90th-minute goal from substitute Oliver Neuville,
sliding in to meet a low cross from another replacement, David
Odonkor, to beat a doggedly determined and, at times, threatening
Poland who improved dramatically on their performance against Ecuador
but who are now, effectively, out of the competition.

The Germans go forward from Group A into the last 16 with their coach,
Jürgen Klinsmann, who ran on to the pitch at the end before darting
back into his dug-out to soak up the atmosphere, saying: "I'm really
enjoying this World Cup at home."

He also believes his young side are gathering a vital quality -
momentum. No doubt they deserved the victory with the hosts having
spurned a host of opportunities in the first half in particular, but
it was only with the 75th-minute dismissal of Radoslaw Sobolewski for
a second yellow card that Poland starting to wilt. Even then it was
Neuville who was tugged back.

After that and, in one incredible passage of play, both Miroslav Klose
and Michael Ballack struck the crossbar while Artur Boruc saved
brilliantly from the hugely impressive Philipp Lahm and from Klose. At
the end, Boruc, the Celtic goalkeeper, slumped to the ground in
disbelief while his coach, Pawel Janas, stood rooted to the spot.

Once again the Poles had failed to beat their neighbours from across
the river Oder. It is now 85 years of trying. Inside the stadium there
was simply the most raucous, passionate of atmospheres even if German
police announced prior to kick-off that they had arrested 85 Polish
fans. There were reports of another 300 arrests after the game.

The Poles started the more threateningly with Maciej Zurawski cleverly
playing off the main striker Ebi Smolarek, on his home club ground, as
Janas switched his personnel around. Ballack, restored after injury,
struggled to dictate the tempo. Instead it was Lahm, from left-back,
who fashioned the two best chances. First he floated in a wonderful
left-footed cross behind the Polish defence for Klose. Somehow, with
Boruc stranded, he glanced his header narrowly wide.

Germany's other Polish-born striker Lukas Podolski was then even more
wasteful as he deftly controlled another clever centre from Lahm only
to screw his shot wide with Boruc beaten. Klinsmann could barely
conceal his disbelief - and then his annoyance as Bastien
Schweinsteiger ballooned a shot over from Podolski's cut-back.

After the break the Germans appeared drained of self-belief. Both
Klose and Ballack mistimed headers. Nerves began to fray while the
Poles still threatened on the counter-attack. Finally, Klinsmann
gambled and threw on more strikers. It heightened the pressure but
Poland stood firm.

That was until they were reduced in number. Suddenly they appeared
tired and the Germans sensed victory. Again Klose mis-timed a header
while another substitute Tim Borowski shot inches wide. It seemed too
late. But then Neuville struck.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
----------------------------------------



Sheva
**********

Times:

Villa has answer to the enigma
By TOM DART

Spain 4 Ukraine 0

SPAIN, WIN THE World Cup? Believe it when you see it. Because you
never do. They are the most predictable of enigmas: though this is
their eighth successive finals, they have never advanced beyond the
last eight.
Yet this was not a performance stooped by the lead weight of their
history. Scoring the finest team goal of the tournament so far, they
gave perhaps the best attacking display, a union of pace, purpose and
brio that cannot but place them among the leading contenders.



"It's correct that historically we've never achieved much but if we
stick together we may be among the top teams," Luis Aragonés, the
Spain coach, said. They have not lost for 23 matches — nearly two
years — and there was never likely to be a twist to this tale of two
talismen.

Chelsea will feel relieved that £30 million of new goods in Andriy
Shevchenko remained undamaged. Ukraine's totem has not fully recovered
from a knee injury suffered last month with AC Milan and the forward
had scant chance to showcase his skills yesterday.

Poor in Euro 2004, Raúl is in peril of being marked down from
must-have item to accessory. The Spain captain, himself recovering
from a knee problem, was a substitute and watched as David Villa and
Fernando Torres plundered three goals and tenderised Ukraine's defence
with speed, strength and sagacity.

Tipped by some to do well after becoming the first European nation to
qualify for the tournament, Ukraine appeared the blackest of dark
horses in Leipzig yesterday. They at least get value for no money from
their coach, Oleg Blokhin. As an MP, he is barred from taking any
other salary. He is in no danger of being voted out of the national
job just yet, as Ukraine could certainly still qualify, with
unintimidating matches against Saudi Arabia and Tunisia to come in
group H.

Ukraine's players have complained that croaking frogs outside their
team hotel are disturbing their sleep. Here was something else to keep
them tossing and turning, a pale showing stained with misfortune. They
would have cause to suggest that Massimo Busacca, the Swiss referee,
is nothing more than pond life. He contributed to a miserable first
World Cup finals game for the country by giving a red card to
Vladyslav Vashchuk for a foul in the area on Torres 90 seconds after
the break. Chasing the Atlético Madrid forward, who was clean through,
Vashchuk tugged the Spaniard's shorts in the manner of a small boy
wanting to attract a parent's attention, but Torres was not disrupted
and got away a shot, which was saved, before tumbling as the pair's
legs tangled. Then Busacca signalled towards the spot. Villa's low
penalty was almost kept out by Oleksandr Shovkovskyi.

Five minutes later, Villa missed a good chance for his hat-trick. He
was withdrawn for Raúl, who was bright enough, but it was easy for
Spain by then because Ukraine's hopes had long evaporated in the
leg-sapping 33C (91F) heat that rendered their play ponderous even
before half-time. They were two down at the break: Xabi Alonso, of
Liverpool, headed in from a twelfth-minute corner, then Villa's
deflected free kick doubled the advantage.

"The first goal made everything very easy. After that there was
virtually only one team on the pitch," Aragonés said. He could clear
space for Raúl at Luis García's expense for the next match, against
Tunisia, but García was a constant pest to his opponents yesterday. He
was replaced late on by Francesc Fàbregas, the Arsenal tyro, at 19,
becoming Spain's youngest representative at a World Cup. Fàbregas had
a cameo role in the fabulous fourth. With 81 minutes gone, Carles
Puyol twirled past a tackle on the halfway line to initiate a rapid
counter- attack. Torres touched to Fàbregas, who slid back to Puyol,
who headed into the area for the onrushing Torres to lash home low and
true.

Sergei Rebrov, formerly of Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United,
missed Ukraine's best chance, the substitute sand-wedging his shot
over the bar from eight yards.

Spain were sound at the back, except for a wildly erratic decision by
Iker Casillas at the death. The goalkeeper hustled far out of his net
for a ball he was never likely to reach and was lucky not to surrender
his clean sheet. But Spain were imbued with a matador's self-assurance
and dedication to artistry by then. Their body language shouted: we
can win this. For once, at last, no bull?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
----------------------------------------
The Guardian

  A prod from Alonso and Spain's dark horses are up and running

Spain 4 - 0 Ukraine
Alonso 12, Villa 16, 47pen, Torres 80

Michael Walker in Leipzig

The Spanish do not employ the phrase "dark horses" but as of yesterday
maybe they should: los caballos oscuros are off and running and
galloping into the imagination of those who fancy an outsider to
triumph in Germany. This was the best result in the tournament to date
and Fernando Torres's 81st-minute volley, at the end of a swaying
Spanish move, was the best goal scored so far.
Spain are usually a team who promise more than they deliver. But this
was the opposite: against the toughest opposition in a weak group they
combined drive and panache. Ukraine were swept aside, undermined by
their poor goalkeeper Oleksandr Shovkovskiy and by the dubious
dismissal of Vladislav Vashchuk just after half-time, but in terms of
passing and movement - and determination - Spain were comfortably
better throughout.

The Ukraine coach Oleg Blokhin was not about to make excuses for his
team, accusing them of letting down their supporters. "It's scandalous
to lose 4-0 and at times we were playing like the worst team in
Europe," he said. "The players did not respect the instructions given
to them. I'm not sad because of the score, I'm sorry for the fans."
With Tunisia and Saudi Arabia to come, Spain are now likely to win
Group H. That would set them up against the runners-up in France's
group in the second round and, given the quality of their display
here, there would be confidence about further progression. The trouble
for Spain is that their probable opponents in the quarter-finals are
Brazil.

That is getting ahead of things yet it is possible to do so because
Spain played with confidence against a Ukraine team who had eliminated
Turkey, Denmark and the European champions Greece to get to their
first finals. Ukraine were also able to field their strongest XI, with
Chelsea's £31m Andriy Shevchenko as captain.

It was a soul-crushing afternoon for Shevchenko. The pride at leading
out his national team in their first World Cup melted in 33C heat.
After two minutes Spain had their opening good shot, from Xavi, 11
minutes later they were one up through Liverpool's Xabi Alonso and in
another four minutes it was 2-0.

Alonso's opener came from his head, a near-post flick from Xavi's
corner which, though not ferocious, beat Shovkovskiy. It was Alonso's
first international goal. Spain's second, from the impressive David
Villa, was also a set piece, his 20-yard free-kick striking Andriy
Rusol and deflecting past the flailing Shovkovskiy.

At half-time Blokhin made two substitutions but within minutes the
changes were rendered irrelevant as Spain were awarded a penalty-kick.
Torres, released by a pass from Luis García - Liverpool had two
starters, the same number as Real Madrid - made it to the area before
hitting a stumbled shot too close to Shovkovskiy. Vashchuk had chased
down Torres as he broke and made minimal contact as he began to fall,
but the Swiss referee pointed to the spot without hesitation and
Vashchuk was shown red. Villa squeezed the penalty low beyond
Shovkovskiy.

The 24-year-old Valencia striker had been preferred to Raúl and two
goals justified Luis Aragonés's decision. Even apart from them,
however, Villa showed what a clever, mobile forward he is. His
relationship with Torres, García and the probing midfielder Xavi looks
intuitive.

So in control, Spain were able to withdraw Villa, for Raúl, on 55
minutes and the roar that greeted Raúl's arrival spoke of his enduring
popularity. A couple of neat touches and one exquisite reverse pass
said that his days were not over.

While Ukraine waited for the final whistle, Spain conjured a goal for
the compilation tapes. Carlos Puyol began it with a burst of skill, a
winning tackle and a lay-off to Torres. From Torres to Raúl and then
back to Puyol, who supplied a dainty header into Torres's path and he
topped the move off with a volley on the run.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
----------------------------------------Indy:

Spain 4 Ukraine 0: Torres' touch gives Spain a reason to believe
By Glenn Moore in Leipzig
Published: 15 June 2006
Ukraine, one of the tournament's dark horses, fell at the first
yesterday as Spain underlined their thrilling potential with a
performance that will have been noted by every other contender at this
World Cup including Brazil. Especially Brazil. The champions are
scheduled to meet Spain in the quarter-finals and on the form both
teams have shown so far it would be too close to call.

Opening games can be misleading. Carlos Alberto Parreira has stressed
that Brazil intended to hit the ground walking, working themselves up
to a gallop as the tournament goes on. If Spain do the same they will
be untouchable.

With a fluid front three, supported by a beautifully balanced midfield
and a solid back four, the perennial underachievers finally looked as
if they could translate talent into a trophy. David Villa, with a
brace, Fernando Torres and Xabi Alonso scored the goals but Luis
Garcia, Xavi and the naturalised Brazilian, Marcos Senna, were just as
influential. The only consolation for Ukraine was that Andriy
Shevchenko completed his first match in months, though, for the
involvement he had, Chelsea's new signing might as well have been
playing in a training session.

Having waited until the sixth day of competition to play, Spain began
as if suffused with pent-up energy. In the second minute Sergio Ramos
could have claimed a penalty had he gone down under Andriy
Nesmachniy's challenge but he kept his feet to pick out Xavi who
dragged his shot just wide. Ten minutes later Marcos Senna was given
time to shoot from range and forced the goalkeeper Olexsander
Shovkovskiy to concede a corner. Xavi took it and Xabi Alonso headed
in at the near post for his first international goal.

After another seven minutes Andriy Rusol brought down Mariano Pernia,
a naturalised Argentinian. Rusol was booked, then he diverted Villa's
free-kick past the wrong-footed Shovkovskiy.

Ukraine were being overrun. Nevertheless, Spain's third goal, which
settled the tie, was cruel. Torres broke through the middle and
although Vladislav Vashchuk had a little tug at his shorts on the edge
of the box it was a minor offence in the context of the wrestling at
set-pieces. The Atletico Madrid striker did not complain after
Shovkovskiy saved his shot but Massimo Busacca was less forgiving.
Vashchuk became the third player to be dismissed in the tournament.
Villa converted the penalty.

The best was yet to come. Nine minutes from time Carles Puyol won the
ball in midfield and surged forward, pirouetting to evade one
challenge, before finding Torres. He passed to Cesc Fabregas - on as a
substitute to become Spain's youngest-ever World Cup player - who
chipped a pass forward to Puyol who had continued his run. The
Barcelona centre-half nodded the ball into the path of Torres who
volleyed in. Ole!

"Not only did we lose, we did not even put up a fight," Oleg Blokhin,
the Ukraine coach, said. "All is not lost, there's still a long way to
go." His Spanish counterpart, Luis Aragones, said: "Historically we
have done nothing even though we have been at every World Cup for 30
years. This time we hope to do something. We can be among the top
teams at this tournament."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
----------------------------------------

William and Claude v Switzerland
******************************************
Telegraph:

Swiss defiant as France toil again
Christopher Davies in Stuttgart

Frustration: Thierry Henry after another chance goes begging
France (0) 0 Switzerland (0) 0

France failed to break an eight-year World Cup goal drought, this
stalemate against Switzerland being high on endeavour but low on
entertainment. The 1998 champions have not scored in a tournament
since beating Brazil 3-0 in the final in Paris, having failed to find
the net before going out in the first round four years later in the
Far East.

Regular observers of encounters involving France and Switzerland were
not surprised by yesterday's outcome in the sweltering heat of
Stuttgart. This was the third consecutive draw between the countries,
who also met in the qualifiers.

France had justifiable claims for a first-half penalty when the ball
struck Patrick Mueller's hand but once again the knives will be
sharpened for coach Raymond Domenech, who has not so much a 'love-hate
relationship' with the French media as a 'hate-hate' one.

Domenech looked on the draw as taking two points off Switzerland
rather than two points dropped. "It's a draw that had its good
moments, but we were not able to take the edge," he said. "We knew it
wouldn't be easy, but we managed to take two points off a direct
rival. I regret that we didn't score when had the chance.''

He was also puzzled by some of the decisions made by Russian referee
Valentin Ivanov. "The refereeing was not always understandable, even
though it is top-level refereeing,'' he added. ''That's new
refereeing, I'm told. We have to live with it. I found the referee
rather fussy. I didn't always understand his decisions."

The opening stages saw the sides sparring like boxers attempting to
find a way through the opponent's defence but, apart from a miscued
shot by Ricardo Cabanas and a 25-yard effort from Tranquillo Barnetta,
which Fabian Barthez caught with ease, there was little to raise the
pulse.

The match did not come alive until the 25th minute when Barnetta's
lofted free kick evaded the France defence and, with the slightest of
deflections by Philippe Senderos, seemed to be going inside Barthez's
left-hand post.

The ball struck an upright and, to French relief, Alexander Frei could
not quite manage to turn in the rebound. France responded with a shot
on the turn by the promising Frank Ribery, which went over the bar
but, in the 38th minute, France should have been awarded a penalty
when Mueller handled Thierry Henry's shot.

Senderos lost possession to Ribery on the right but as the France
midfielder cut inside instead of shooting, he passed to Henry, who was
in a more central position. The Arsenal captain's shot struck the hand
of Mueller but Ivanov waved play on. A referee would normally ask
himself if the player's arm was in an unusual position and Mueller's
was certainly not by his side.

There was a similar incident involving Switzerland on the hour.
Barnetta, like Ribery, had a clear sight of goal but opted for a
square pass to a team-mate which was intercepted and cleared.

Barthez then saved a point-blank header from substitute Daniel Gygax
with his legs as Switzerland raised the tempo. Vikash Dhorasoo almost
won the game with an angled shot in the last minute which went inches
wide, but neither side really deserved to come out on top.

• Man of the match: Claude Makelele (France).

Match details
France (4-4-1-1): Barthez; Abidal, Gallas, Thuram, Sagnol; Wiltord
(Dhorasoo 85), Makelele, Vieira, Ribery (Saha 70); Zidane; Henry.
Booked: Abidal, Zidane, Sagnol.

Switzerland (4-4-2): Zuberbuhler; Magnin, Senderos,Mueller (Djourou
75), P Degen (Gygax 56); Cabanas, Vogel, Wicky (Margairaz 82),
Barnetta; Frei, Streller. Booked: Magnin, Barnetta, P Degen, Cabanas,
Frei.

Referee: V Ivanov (Russia).

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Times:


Unispired France hit cul-de-sac
By George Caulkin

France 0 Switzerland 0


THE DECISION BY FRANCE'S FINANCE Minister to bring forward his Budget
to avoid clashing with the start of the national team's World Cup
campaign was followed by plummeting interest rates. Les Bleus are no
longer a team to inspire and fascinate. Their last goal in the World
Cup was scored by Emmanuel Petit in the 1998 final. Ageing and
unimaginative, they provided the number crunchers with another
statistic to dwell on: almost half of their fading team is 32 or
older.

In conditions that were not conducive to growing old gracefully,
France were laborious in this goalless draw against Switzerland. As
alarming as their dearth of creativity — Vikash Dhorasoo, the
substitute, almost contrived an ill-deserved victory when he dragged a
late shot narrowly wide — was the craven manner in which they
disintegrated.



Bitter memories of the previous tournament, which they departed bottom
of the group and without a goal, could hardly be avoided. Zinédine
Zidane, 33, Fabien Barthez, 34, Claude Makelele, 33, Sylvain Wiltord,
32, and 34-year-old Lilian Thuram cannot claim to have improved in the
interim. On his debut, even Franck Ribéry, their great young hope,
disappeared into mediocrity after some electric touches. Raymond
Domenech's team should not be dismissed, but they cleverly disguised
their potential as winners of the trophy. Switzerland were limited but
obdurate and embraced a form of glory — they had failed to keep a
clean sheet in their previous 22 World Cup matches.

Having shared two draws in their qualifying group, the pair could not
surprise each other, let alone excite, despite the presence of Ribéry,
the spring-heeled Marseilles player whose inclusion had become the
cause célèbre of the French media. The 23-year-old spun on to one
typically intuitive pass from Zidane before clearing the bar, but
otherwise the game was poor, although France were unlucky when, after
Ribéry darted along the right flank, Thierry Henry's shot struck the
hand of Patrick Müller. A penalty should have been awarded by Valentin
Ivanov, the Russian official. "You can't say it was a point gained,"
Henry said. "It was two points dropped. We had other opportunities to
score, but it was a clear penalty — everyone must have seen it apart
from the referee. As England's goal against Paraguay showed, you need
a bit of luck. Justice wasn't done."

It was not solely a French complaint. In the 24th minute, Philippe
Senderos met a deep, inswinging free kick from Ludovic Magnin but
missed his header and in doing so distracted those around him.
Alexander Frei, the veteran forward, stuck out a boot and found enough
of a touch to direct the ball against the right-hand post. Later, Frei
was booked for witlessly using his fist when in a goalscoring
position.

Those moments of tension did not represent the prevailing lack of
quality. Zidane, in tandem with Makelele and Thuram, had renounced
their respective retirements to ride to their country's aid, but there
were few reminders of France's golden generation. Makelele and Patrick
Vieira were not overwhelming the Switzerland midfield, passes flew
into touch and the pace was pedestrian.

Ribéry had provided some movement but, lacking the substantial figure
of David Trezeguet beside him — the Juventus striker making way for
the tyro — Henry was routinely isolated from his colleagues. The
Arsenal captain had sprinted to intercept an exquisite through-pass
from Zidane and brilliantly flashed the ball across goal but
reinforcements were negligible.

Sporting the same dogged expressions as those worn by England in the
second half against Paraguay, France grew weary. Afterwards, Domenech
spoke with anger at the decision to water a fiery pitch six hours
before kick-off and no later. "We're going to complain to Fifa," the
coach said, while Henry echoed earlier complaints about the
temperature. "As the England boys said, it was really hot and very
difficult," he said.

Yet the Swiss are hardly desert creatures and their energy levels did
not diminish. Barthez had to hurl himself at a close-range header by
Daniel Gygax, the substitute, and scrambled to push away the rebound.
Television pictures lingered over Zidane, Thuram and William Gallas
remonstrating with each other. It may, in time, become a defining
image.

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The Guardian


Faltering French aristocrats get no respect off Swiss

France 0 - 0 Switzerland

Kevin McCarra in Stuttgart
Wednesday June 14, 2006



France have endowed football with many jewelled moments in modern
times, but there was no real surprise in finding them complicit in
presenting the 2006 World Cup with its first goalless draw. While
someone might have scored, it was only right in the most tiresome game
of the tournament so far that no player was quite capable. The sides
could both advance to the knockout phase but the purpose of such a
journey is not at all clear.

The pang of regret will be felt more keenly by France. Privileges are
still sought by players who were football's aristocrats a few years
ago, but those little indulgences no longer come their way. Opponents
are much less deferential and nerve-ridden, so they compete against
the famous names with an intrepidness that used to be lacking. France
have to work for anything they get and the former ebullience is long
vanished.
If it was sad to see them give up at the 2002 World Cup, there is
poignancy as well in the spectacle of them trying hard and still
falling short. The intentions they brought to Stuttgart were good but
the performance itself was humdrum and that discrepancy between
aspiration and achievement is felt in acutely personal terms by at
least one of these footballers.

Zinedine Zidane, who turns 34 this month, is trying to direct his own
send-off, with his retirement to start when France's time here is
over. He may actually have been the most impressive member of a poor
side, but the old grandeur and impact have disappeared. His best
moment was as sharp and short as a flashback. A bending pass outwitted
the off-side trap in the 39th minute and Thierry Henry went on to
shoot at the Swiss goalkeeper Pascal Zuberbuehler.

As captain, Zidane intends to lead but he was reduced to scolding.
During the second half he chastised Lilian Thuram and William Gallas.
There was a period when that would have been considered an admirable
glimpse of wounded pride over a lapse in standards, but now it looks
like a symptom of frustration and mediocrity. It was typical of a
galling night that he was cautioned for dithering over a free-kick.

The coach Raymond Domenech does not appear the person to galvanise
France. Rummaging for excuses, he blamed the pitch and noted that the
late start in the 2006 World Cup meant that his side were under
pressure to follow the other leading nations by recording a victory.

France's scheme was honourable enough, with a style that was far more
expansive than anything attempted by Kobi Kuhn's team. Zidane, in a
spell immediately after the interval, summoned the willpower to put
the imprint of his skill on the evening. He sent a good pass to Franck
Ribéry after 49 minutes, but Patrick Vieira then hacked the cutback
wide.

Switzerland were a little too cautious of the vestigial danger still
posed by France. It is reasonable enough for Kuhn to praise the rising
reputations of his players but none of them will ever reach the status
of Platini, Vieira or Henry. Even so, the Swiss might not have
required much more than patience against waning veterans. With 65
minutes gone, Ludovic Magnin's deep cross was met by the head of the
substitute Daniel Gygax, but Fabien Barthez was able to block the
attempt with his right shin. Switzerland had also scared France in the
25th minute when Philippe Senderos and Alexander Frei could not apply
a touch to the Tranquillo Barnetta set-piece that glided on to a post.

Kuhn's side is very limited but it is the equal of France. This has
been proved with wearisome thoroughness now that the teams have drawn
in all three meetings of this World Cup, starting with the qualifiers.
The temptation was to brood over Zidane, but others can be glad they
received less attention. Henry disappointed and an already limited
contribution dwindled markedly after the interval.

The Arsenal attacker was exasperated, however, in a rare move of
promise from France. It still required Swiss fallibility, as Senderos
was unable to cut out a Willy Sagnol pass, but Ribéry then cut the
ball back and a shot from Henry hit the arm of Patrick Mueller. The
referee Valentin Ivanov judged the contact unintentional, having
perhaps decided already that this game was one long accident.

France now face South Korea on Sunday. "It's like during the World Cup
qualifiers again. We have it all to do. South Korea will be qualified
if they beat us, so we have to be ready," Domenech said.


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Indy:

France 0 Switzerland 0: France left in shade by spirit of the Swiss

By Steve Tongue at Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion

Still France have not scored a goal at the World Cup finals since
Emmanuel Petit rounded off victory in the 1998 final against Brazil.
After going home from Japan four years ago without one, they laboured
in vain against a dogged Switzerland here yesterday, never beginning
to motor to any great purpose in the 31C heat. At the final whistle
there were boos from their heavily outnumbered and ultimately
disenchanted supporters, while several players bickered among
themselves.

Thierry Henry was allowed little rope by his Arsenal team-mate
Philippe Senderos, who would have been named man of the match ahead of
the respective anchormen Claude Makelele and Johann Vogel but for one
howler in the first half that should have led to a goal. Late in the
game Senderos was joined by his even younger club colleague Johan
Djourou as France sent on Louis Saha in a quest for that elusive goal.
Until then Henry lacked the required support.

Twice these sides drew while qualifying for Germany from the Republic
of Ireland's group, and the Swiss were clearly delighted to have
completed the hat-trick against their old rivals. The country's
football has improved of late, by concentrating on youth development
and introducing numerous sons of immigrants like Senderos.

"France were stronger than us, especially in the first half, but we
defended well," said Kobi Kuhn, their wily old bird of a coach.

The France coach Raymond Domenech, with some of his country's media
representatives for revealing his line-up after spying at a closed
training session, blamed a dry pitch rather than his players for this
performance.

All is fair in love and World Cups, the French press would doubtless
claim after correctly divining that Franck Ribéry, the young playmaker
from Marseilles who tormented England's Under-21 side in the European
Championship, would be given only his fourth senior international
appearance. Playing predominantly down the left, he struggled to make
the desired impression despite being involved in France's two most
promising moments of the first half.

On the half-hour Henry nutmegged the left-back Ludovic Magnin and a
lucky bounce carried the ball to Ribéry, who could only hook it over
the bar. Soon afterwards he was allowed clear on the right of the
penalty area by Senderos' ghastly error and needed only to square an
accurate pass to Henry to set up the opening goal. But he gave the
striker a poor one, which was driven against Patrick Muller's hand
amid unavailing shouts for a penalty.

Switzerland, however, had earlier come closest of all to scoring in
their only dangerous attack of the half. The unimpressive Vieira's
foul led to Tranquillo Barnetto living up to his first name by calmly
floating a free-kick beyond the dozing defenders as Senderos and
Alexander Frei homed in. Neither managed a touch on the ball, which
bounced against the far post before Eric Abidal arrived to hack clear.
There was a bizarre incident to finish the half when Vogel was booked
for not putting the ball into touch so that Henry could have
treatment, even though the Frenchman was off the field and being
attended to. That was one of eight cards shown by the referee Valentin
Ivanov in an eccentric performance.

By the start of the second half, two-thirds of the pitch were
mercifully in the shade. Fabien Barthez, in the remaining sunny part
and declining a cap, suddenly found himself shading his eyes with
increased urgency as the Swiss exerted some pressure on him. He did
not trust himself to catch Magnin's fierce free-kick and then had to
save a downward header from the substitute Daniel Grygax with his
feet.

France's needs became more urgent once Vieira shot feebly wide from a
good position and Senderos brought off a superb tackle to thwart
Sylvain Wiltord. So Saha was summoned from the dug-out to replace
Ribéry. But Djourou came on to help Senderos to keep the French at
bay, the substitute Vikash Dhorasoo sending a final chance
tantalisingly wide of the far post with a minute to play. The Swiss
and their thousands of fans were left drained, but confident of
reaching the next stage for only the second time since hosting the
finals 52 years ago.

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Petr Cech v USA
***********************
The Guardian

Wenger looks wise as Rosicky shows his class

Jon Brodkin in Gelsenkirchen

Czech Republic fans will not have been alone in raucously celebrating
the two excellent goals Tomas Rosicky scored yesterday. A great deal
of pleasure will also have been taken in parts of north London at his
contribution. The midfielder was signed by Arsenal from Borussia
Dortmund for £6.8m last month and here was a clear indication of why
Arsène Wenger paid that money as the Czechs gave a statement of intent
in this World Cup.

Rosicky may have been quiet for long periods of this impressive
victory, and some of his intended through-passes may have failed to
find their targets, but three thrilling moments in particular
underlined his ability. The swerving long-range shot with which he put
his country 2-0 ahead and the coolly taken finish he added in the
second half sandwiched an effort struck from outside the box which
dipped on to the bar.
The Premiership should look forward to seeing such talent next season,
and has Michael Ballack and Andriy Shevchenko arriving as well.
Rosicky received resounding applause from the neutrals as well as
Czech fans when he was substituted in the closing minutes, having
provided periodic thrusts to which a vulnerable, outclassed US team
could offer no answer. "I would like to congratulate Arsenal for
buying such a wonderful player," the Czech coach Karel Bruckner said.

Rosicky is capable of sharper distribution but it would be ridiculous
to pull him up for that in a Czech display reminiscent of their
progress to the Euro 2004 semi-final, a run they hope to at least
match here. This part of Germany has been Rosicky's home for the five
years he spent at Dortmund and he gave a reminder to the locals of
what he can offer.

The 25-year-old said that sealing his move to England had been
beneficial to his performance. "I think that the transfer to Arsenal
did help me because I really feel relaxed that I don't have to think
about the future too much," he said.

His first goal was all the more significant for coming eight minutes
after Claudio Reyna, the one US player to emerge with any credit,
struck a post in pursuit of an equaliser. Bruce Arena's players were
comfortably dominating possession at that point but Reyna's effort was
a lone threat from a team who lacked a cutting edge. The Czech goals
showed how brutally they can pick off opponents.

There was a further boost for Bruckner last night when tests showed a
hamstring problem suffered by Jan Koller was not serious. The
centre-forward departed on a stretcher just before half-time and the
initial prognosis had been that he would take no further part in the
tournament. The towering striker is vital in linking his team's play
and as a goalscorer, and he had put the Czechs ahead.

He was hardly missed here but his replacement, Vratislav Lokvenc,
missed a presentable chance. It is unclear whether Koller will be able
to face Ghana on Saturday, a game that seems likely to come too soon
for Milan Baros, who is working his way back from a foot injury and
has voiced fears that he may miss the whole tournament. To be without
both would be cruel on the Czechs.

If Rosicky was the star, the cleverness and determination of Pavel
Nedved and the toughness of the Czech defence also came to the fore,
though they will face far sterner tests. The centre-back Tomas
Ujfalusi was the pick of a back four well protected by Tomas Galasek,
and he helped negate the threat of Brian McBride and Landon Donovan.
The right-back Zdenek Grygera showed the danger he can pose galloping
down the right flank.

His cross allowed Koller to exploit poor marking and send a header
past Kasey Keller, whose swift but inaccurate kick forward had allowed
the Czechs to strike on the counter. That enabled Bruckner's team to
soak up US pressure and hit on the break and Rosicky effectively ended
the contest when he picked up a ball headed out by Oguchi Onyewu and
fired past Keller from outside the box.

The US survived further scares as the Czechs dominated the second half
before Nedved sent Rosicky through for a clipped finish. Eddie Johnson
had given the US some goal threat but their delivery from wide areas
was among many poor aspects of their display. "I'm very disappointed
in a number of my players," Arena said.

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Indy:

United States 0 Czech Republic 3: Rosicky reigns as Czechs cut through
Americans
By Jason Burt at the Arena AufSchalke
Published: 13 June 2006
The environs of the stadium, the sweltering heat, the bare-chested,
beer-swigging chanting masses. It was like a frat party in Florida.
The only thing was the Americans were facing the Czechs. And no one
consumes like they do. It was no contest. It was the same on the
pitch. What looked an even enough encounter in Group E was rendered a
mismatch by the Czechs' dazzling attacking play and two stunning goals
from Arsenal's newest recruit, Tomas Rosicky, who also struck the
crossbar, and who linked throughout with a re-energised Pavel Nedved.

Together they were simply devastating. They cut through and outclassed
the United States and passed the first test of whether they can
replicate the verve that took them to the last four of Euro 2004.

But they paid a price. Another injury to Jan Koller, who missed most
of last season after tearing cruciate ligaments, will bite hard.
Koller injured his hamstring but the damage did not appear as serious
as first thought. He raised a thumbs-up as he limped out of the
stadium.

Koller would be some loss as he is crucial to the way his country
play. In the absence of the injured Milan Baros, who should return for
the next game, they looked even more potent with Nedved and Rosicky,
who could be a star of the tournament, breaking from midfield and
Koller dominating the nervous US defenders.

Among them was Oguchi Onyewu and, after this, maybe Middlesbrough will
rethink their £2m bid for him. He was booked for his first challenge
on Nedved and was then horribly out of position as Koller thumped a
header, from a whipped cross from the impressive right-back Zdenek
Grygera, past Kasey Keller after just five minutes.

Keller was the only American survivor from the previous World Cup
encounter between the two nations, back in Italy in 1990, when the
then Czechoslovakia ran riot in a 5-1 victory. Keller was on the bench
for that match and probably feared a repeat of the scoreline.

The Americans have made vast strides since then, qualifying for every
subsequent finals, while the Czechs have struggled to reach this far.
This was the first time they have done since the split with Slovakia.

It was also effectively a last hurrah for a generation of their
players ­ led by Koller, Nedved, Karel Poborsky and captain Tomas
Galasek ­ who are all the wrong side of 33 and cannot expect to be
playing in four years' time. They certainly looked like they wanted to
seize the moment.

Still, the US almost drew level but Claudio Reyna's low, bouncing shot
re-bounded off a post after beating Petr Cech. It proved decisive as
Rosicky, a £7m recruit for Arsène Wenger, then took over. Collecting
another poor clearance by Onyewu he took a touch 25 yards out and
struck the most glorious of angled right-footed shots high beyond a
flailing Keller.

Then, in the second half, he stepped forward again and this time
crashed a dipping effort that beat Keller only to thump back off the
crossbar. But it was not just about long-range shooting. He then
linked once more with Nedved, who released him through the centre.
Rosicky ran on and, as the goalkeeper advanced, he calmly flicked his
shot over him and into the net.

It could have been more. Earlier a header by Tomas Ujfalusi had
narrowly cleared the far post and then Koller's replacement Vratislav
Lokvenc fluffed his shot after being picked out by Poborsky, who
himself volleyed into the side-netting.

"I'd like to congratulate Arsenal on getting such a player," said
Czech coach Karel Bruckner of Rosicky. No doubt Wenger would have
nodded his approval.

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Telegraph:

Rosicky shows Arsenal's money is well spent
By : John Ley in Gelsenkirchen

USA (0) 0 Czech Republic (2) 3

Tomas Rosicky showed why Arsene Wenger made the Czech international
his first summer signing at Arsenal when the midfielder, soon to
arrive at the Emirates Stadium, scored two wonderful goals and was
denied a hat-trick only by the crossbar as the Czech Republic
justified their second placing in the Fifa world rankings last night.

Rosicky has been signed, at a cost of £8.5 million, as a replacement
for winger Robert Pires, but, from a central midfield role, he
controlled this game against the United States, who had their chances
- Manchester City's Claudio Reyna struck the left post in the first
half - but were ultimately second best.

As Rosicky left to get changed, his coach, Karel Bruckner, stopped him
and said: "I just want to congratulate Arsenal for having won such a
wonderful player."

Rosicky was not the only threat posed by the well-organised Czechs in
oppressive, difficult conditions cause by the heat and humidity. Pavel
Nedved engineered the victory playing just off Jan Koller - and later
Vratislav Lokvenc - while Karel Poborsky, once of Manchester United,
looked none the worse for age in the sweltering heat of Gelsenkirchen.

However, the Czech Republic's joy was tempered by the sight of Koller,
just back after almost a season out with injury, leaving the field on
a stretcher late in the first half after giving his country an early
lead.

The importance of winning this group, also including Italy and Ghana,
cannot be over-stated; in the round of 16 the runners-up face the
Group F winners, a section including Brazil.

For now, the Czechs will be satisfied with their start, particularly
as it began with a goal after just four minutes. David Rozenhal's long
ball fell beautifully to Zdenek Grygera and his floated pass from the
right found Koller, who held off minimal resistance from Eddie Pope
before heading his 43rd international goal beyond Kasey Keller.

Reyna, with three goals in two seasons for City, struck the left post
in the 22nd minute but 14 minutes later Rosicky extended his country's
advantage.

Nedved's cross was beaten out by a defender and Rosicky latched on to
the ball,taking one touch before driving, right-footed beyond Koller.

A minute before the interval, Koller chased a ball under pressure from
Oguchi Onyewu - a target for Middlesbrough - but pulled up in pain,
clutching his thigh and Bruckner confirmed that the thigh strain was
"very serious".

The Czechs overcame the setback and after Rosicky struck the crossbar
with another right-footed attempt, he completed a match-winning
performance in the 76th minute with his 17th goal in 55
internationals, accepting another pinpoint Nedved pass before chipping
delicately over Keller.

Bruce Arena, the United States coach, was critical of his players and
admitted: "We were behind the eight-ball from the start."

• Man of the match: Tomas Rosicky (Czech Republic).


Match details
United States (4-4-2): Keller; Cherundolo (Johnson h-t), Pope, Onyewu,
Lewis; Beasley, Mastroeni (O'Brien h-t), Reyna, Convey; Donovan,
McBride (Wolff 77). Booked: Onyewu, Reyna.

Czech Republic (4-1-4-1): Cech; Grygera, Ujfalusi, Rozehnal,
Jankulovski; Galasek; Poborsky (Polak 83), Rosicky (Stajner 86),
Nedved, Plasil; Koller (Lokvenc 45). Goals: Koller (5), Rosicky (36,
76). Booked: Rozenhal, Lokvenc, Rosicky, Grygera.

Referee: C Amarilla (Paraguay).

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Times:

Artful Rosicky puts Americans on the canvas
By Oliver Kay

United States 0 Czech Republic 3


IN A STADIUM FULL OF BOUNCING Czechs, none bounced higher than the
young man affectionately known as "The Dumpling". Two goals and a
captivating performance marked Tomas Rosicky as one of the likely
stars of these World Cup finals and, if Arsenal supporters were not
sure why Arsène Wenger paid £8.5 million for him on the eve of the
tournament, they will now be convinced that their manager has picked
up another bargain.
It is highly doubtful that Rosicky had received a standing ovation in
this stadium before, as a player of Borussia Dortmund, the great
rivals to Schalke 04. But if his defection to London was not quite
enough to win over the locals, a wonderfully vibrant midfield display
was enough to draw appreciative gasps from neutrals and even a few
Americans in the audience, as well as the delighted Czechs, even if
their optimism was tempered by the news that Jan Koller, who scored
the opening goal, was likely to miss the rest of the tournament with a
thigh injury. Rosicky described it as "too high a price for our
victory", but later bulletins suggested that the Monaco forward's
problem was merely "a tear" that could clear up in time for him to
play a part in the knockout stages of the tournament should his
country qualify.



With Milan Baros sitting out this win and later expressing fears that
a foot injury could restrict his activity over the coming weeks, there
are indeed concerns about Czech Republic's prospects for the remainder
of the competition, but there was enough glorious inter-play between
Rosicky and Pavel Nedved, another of the game's great artists, to
illustrate why a tough group E seems to hold fewer fears for them than
it does for Italy.

The victims of yesterday's drubbing, the United States, did not look
like the fifth-best country in world football — which they are
according to Fifa's rankings — and on this evidence, they will find
points hard to come by. But there is a lot of patronising and
disparaging guff written about American soccer; far better at this
point to praise their opponents and to take Bruce Arena, the United
States coach, at face value as he chastised his players for a
performance he deemed unacceptable.

Arena said that his team were "behind the eight-ball from the start",
citing the succession of errors that paved the way for Koller's goal,
but there was something stirring about the speed and style with which
Czech Republic exploited those shortcomings. Zdenek Grygera galloped
forward from right back and sent in a delicious cross that Koller
converted with a powerful header into the roof of the net, his 43rd
goal in 69 international appearances.

Thereafter, it was the Nedved and Rosicky show. Rosicky's first goal
came nine minutes before half-time, a superb 25-yard shot that curled
past Kasey Keller into the top corner. In some ways, it was harsh on
the US, for whom Claudio Reyna had struck a post when the deficit was
only one goal, but, if the Americans had more possession, Czech
Republic looked as dangerous without the ball, such is their potency
on the counter-attack.

The US picked up in the second period, with Eddie Johnson impressing
in attack after his introduction at half-time, but, for all the
promptings of Reyna, they were no match for the opposition. Rosicky
hit the crossbar with a long-range shot before Nedved sent him clear
of the offside trap for his second goal, poked past Keller with the
outside of his right foot. It is debatable whether Arsenal need
another artiste in a midfield that already boasts Francesc Fàbregas,
but that is probably what they said of Rosicky when he broke into the
Czech Republic team alongside Nedved. Just look at the result.


REFEREE: C Amarilla (Paraguay) 7


ATTENDANCE: 37,216


UNITED STATES: Subs: Johnson (for Mastroeni, 46min); O'Brien (for
Cherundolo, 46); Wolff (for McBride, 77). Not used: Albright,
Berhalter, Bocanegra, Ching, Conrad, Dempsey, Hahnemann, Howard,
Olsen. NEXT: Italy


CZECH REPUBLIC: Subs: Polak (for Poborsky, 82); Stajner (for Rosicky,
86); Lokvenc (for Koller, 45). Not used: Baros, Blazek, Heinz,
Jarolim, Jiranek, Kinsky, Kovac, Mares, Sionko. NEXT: Ghana



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Michael Essien v Italy
***************************

The Guardian

Pirlo breaks Ghana's resistance and the Azzurri blow Italy's blues away

Dominic Fifield in Hanover

The Azzurri breathe again. An uncomfortable evening ultimately yielded
the victory Italy craved last night, Ghana's busy industry eventually
eclipsed by the slickness and class of Marcello Lippi's side. Anything
other than success would have prompted outcry given the volatile
situation gripping Italian football at present; for now there is
respite in victory.

This win was only secured late, Ghana having threatened to equalise,
their boundless energy running through Italy's midfield towards the
end, but the substitute Vincenczo Iaquinta eased nerves. With his side
clinging gratefully to Andrea Pirlo's first-half goal, the Udinese
forward latched on to Samuel Kuffour's underhit back-pass seven
minutes from time before rounding Richard Kingston and prodding into
the empty net.

Kuffour buried his head in the turf, punching the grass as if
re-enacting his despair as a Bayern Munich player at the 1999
Champions League final. The underdogs were still furious that Asamoah
Guan had been denied a penalty after Cristian Zaccardo's lunge 10
minutes from time. As it was, the concession on the break wrecked
their challenge, with Africa's wait for a first World Cup point of the
tournament prolonged.
"The pressure is all Italy's," Stephen Appiah had said in the
build-up. Such has been the magnitude of the match-fixing scandal
gripping the Italian domestic game that the nation's faith in the
Azzurri has clearly been severely eroded.

Some of the press back home had confirmed as much, a front-page
editorial in yesterday's La Padania proclaiming: "I hope they go out
quickly. They are arrogant, shameful and, above all, without balls -
at least the kind of balls you need to win." Il Manifesto merely
implored its readers: "Support the Africans."

The sense of frustration is born as much of the Azzurri's meek
elimination from the last two major tournaments, their defeat to South
Korea compounded by a failure even to emerge from the group at Euro
2004.

One of those guilty for one of the more unsavoury incidents of recent
years returned to the side last night. Francesco Totti endured Euro
2004 under a cloud after being banned for spitting at Denmark's
Christian Poulsen, though his pained rehabilitation from a broken
ankle sustained in February had provided as much pre-tournament
intrigue as Wayne Rooney's metatarsal. The Roma playmaker produced the
occasional flash of brilliance among much first-half huff and puff,
one 35-yard drive forcing Kingston to tip over.

The thrill of this contest was in the toils of Ghana's defence and the
energy of their midfield. Three times Luca Toni, the Fiorentina
striker, should have pierced Ghana before the interval, his inability
to convert crosses from Pirlo and Cristian Zaccardo infuriating even
if the majesty of the volley he dipped on to the crossbar displayed
the ability of a player who scored 31 goals in Serie A last season.

Alberto Gilardino also struck the woodwork, his shot dribbling off
Kingston, but the Italians still led by the interval. Totti slid a
corner to Pirlo, ignored on the edge of the area, and the midfielder's
vicious shot scuttled through the clutter in the six-yard box and into
the far corner. The Azzurri erupted though, by then, their elation was
tinged as much with relief.

The better chances may have been Italian but the energy had been all
African. The effervescence of their midfield took the breath, Michael
Essien as liberated as he had been as a Lyon player and able supported
by the industry of Appiah. When they burst from deep, Italy simply
could not cope and had it not been for the astute positioning of Fabio
Cannavaro and Alessandro Nesta, as well as the indifferent class of
the Ghanaians' final pass, the underdogs might have found reward.

Essien, irrepressible as he marauded forward, sliced high and wide
with Asamoah Gyan following suit. When Emmanuel Pappoe was allowed
time and space to collect at the far post it seemed easier to score
than miss yet, once again, Gianluigi Buffon watched the shot fly
hopelessly wide. The goalkeeper did have to dive to palm away a
long-range attempt by Essien but, even so, what lessons in profligacy
learnt by the Ivory Coast against Argentina on Saturday had clearly
not been heeded by Ghana.

Yet the Italians - with Totti departing after a challenge with John
Pantsil - were never secure while their lead stood at only one goal,
Gilardino's inability to guide a shot wide of Kingston shortly after
the interval prompting wails of derision.

The goalkeeper did just as well, blocking Simone Perrotta's battered
attempt midway through the second half, the midfielder having been fed
by Daniele de Rossi, though the save kept Italy on edge until Iaquinta
eased the nerves.

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Indy :

Italy 2 Ghana 0: Italy calmed by Pirlo's pearl and impish Iaquinta
By Glenn Moore at the AWD Arena, Hanover
Published: 13 June 2006
Another nervous night for one of the game's traditional powers ended,
again, in the old order being reaffirmed but there was plenty in
Ghana's World Cup debut to fuel the belief that insurrection is on the
horizon, somewhere.

Italy, like England, Argentina and Germany, were unable to impose
their game on eager, committed and skilled opponents. But, like
Paraguay, the Ivory Coast and Costa Rica, the would-be revolutionaries
were found wanting in both penalty boxes. Goals late in each half from
Andrea Pirlo and Vincenzo Iaquinta thus gave Italian football brief
relief from the scandal which has engulfed Serie A.

They also have another diversion to occupy themselves, a new injury
scare for Francesco Totti. Having played nearly an hour, the golden
boy of Italian football was about to be replaced when a heavy tackle
forced his departure. " We do not think it is serious," said Marcello
Lippi, but it was clear he did not know.

Totti's class showed in touches but his most notable contribution was
one of brute power, a 33rd-minute drive from a tapped free-kick which
Richard Kingston was relieved to tip over. The Turkish-based
goalkeeper had been riding his luck until then with the Ghanaian
woodwork thrice rattled. In the seventh minute a cross from Fabio
Grosso rasped the bar; in the 20th Luca Toni thumped a volley against
the bar, before Kingston diverted Gilardino's shot against the post.

This may suggest Italy were laying siege to Kingston's goal but the
Black Stars were creating just as many opportunities. It seems there
are no certainties in Italian football any more. Their fabled defence
kept a clean sheet only because of the wayward finishing of the
Ghanaian forward line.

Italy's midfield enforcer Rene Gattuso will be welcomed back as soon
as he is remotely fit. "In parts of the match they were stronger than
us," said Lippi, "but we had something more overall. I'm happy and
satisfied."

Given the quality of counter-attacking both sides had displayed, the
breakthrough, when it came, was a surprise. Totti rolled a 39th-minute
corner back to Pirlo who whipped in a hopeful shot. With Gilardino
ducking, it flew past the unsighted Kingston.

Ghana, with Michael Essien showing the sort of form which prompted
Jose Mourinho to pay £24m for him, continued to drive forward and
Essien himself brought a flying save from Gianluigi Buffon.

But Ghana's commitment to attack inevitably led to chances for the
three-time champions. Gilardino, released by Totti, brought a decent
save from Kingston who then pulled off a superb one to deny Simone
Perotta, the second of two chances which the Roma midfielder had
spurned.

So Ghana kept pressing, hoping, and Asamoah Gyan might have had a late
penalty when he fell under twin challenges. The Brazilian referee,
well placed, waved play on and it was soon over. Sami Kuffour, who
plies his trade in Italy, left a backpass short and Iaquinta stole
upon the opportunity, rounding Kingston to set the tricolours waving.
"We made two mistakes," said Ratomir Dujkovic, "but I still believe we
can qualify". This city, with a prominent statue of Martin Luther, to
which the city's authorities have attached a football, had seemed an
appropriate place in which to challenge the establishment but, for a
night at least, Italian football had its pride back.

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Telegraph:

Ghana's courage denied as Pirlo inspires Italy
By : David Miller in Hanover

Grabbing the glory: Andrea Pirlo celebrates his goal
Italy (1) 2 Ghana (0) 0

Ghana brought colour and courage to their World Cup baptism, only to
surrender unluckily to sophisticated Italy - beneficiaries of referee
Carlos Simon's decision to deny the Africans two second-half
penalties.

With Italy leading by Andrea Pirlo's 40th-minute goal, Asamoah Gyan, a
striker from second-division Modena in Italy, attempted to dribble
through a packed defence and had his legs taken by midfielder Daniele
de Rossi. The debate will continue as to whether or not Gyan dived,
but certainly he was not booked. Before that, the other incident
seemed more clear-cut.

As Gyan attempted to meet Illiasu Shilla's downward header, he was
blatantly pushed by De Rossi, but the referee saw no infringement and
soon afterwards, seizing on central defender Sam Kuffour's mishit
backpass, Vincenzo Iaquinta sauntered around goalkeeper Richard
Kingston to seal victory.

Kuffour was in tears at the final whistle, for until that second goal
the game was eminently saveable. Francesco Totti, his Roma colleague
who had retired with an injury 10 minutes into the second half, came
to commiserate.

They embraced, and exchanged shirts. It had been a sad conclusion to
Ghana's mighty effort to make their mark. Nonetheless, despite the
score, they had done so. And African football grew in stature.

If Italy had any pre-match fear of their opponents, it was evident in
the first few minutes when De Rossi was booked for sliding in feet
first on Michael Essien of Chelsea, leaving him twisted in pain on the
turf.

Ghana's approach to their appearance on the World Cup stage was to go
for broke, flying at Italy with power and pace in a high-risk
2-1-4-1-2 formation that at times had Italy worried, if not scared.

Coach Ratomir Dujkovic had only two central defenders marking Luca
Toni and Alberto Gilardino, with Eric Addo in front of them playing
man for man on Totti. This was always bound to be fragile when Italy
played their crisp, first-time passing game, sweeping passes from
Totti and Pirlo into spaces on the flanks where the strikers would
attempt to outpace their markers. In the first 15 minutes this almost
worked for Gilardino and then Totti.

Ghana responded, and for 10 minutes in the first half they had Italy
back-pedalling in alarm. Matthew Amoah, from Borussia Dortmund,
squandered a half-chance, Gyan shot a yard wide, Essien hit a fizzing
drive just above the side netting and overlapping right-back Manu
Pappoe shot into the crowd.

Italy recovered their poise and five minutes before half-time Pirlo,
from some 22 yards, struck the ball waist-high through a crowded
penalty area with Kingston unsighted.

Ten minutes into the second half Essien forced the best out of
Gianluigi Buffon, whose agile dive retained Italy's lead. Just after
the hour Kingston denied Perrotta one-handed, and Ghana were still
striving for the glory of a point. It was not to be.

• Man of the match: Asamoah Gyan (Ghana).

Match details
Italy (4-3-1-2): Buffon; Zaccardo, Nesta, Cannavaro, Grosso; Perrotta,
Pirlo, De Rossi; Totti (Camoranesi 56); Gilardino (Iaquinta 64), Toni
(Del Piero 82). Goals: Pirlo (40), Iaquinta (83). Booked: De Rossi,
Camoranesi, Iaquinta.

Ghana (2-1-4-1-2): Kingston; Kuffour, Mensah; Addo; Pantsil, Appiah,
Muntari, Pappoe (Shilla h-t); Essien; Amoah (Pimpong 68), Gyan
(Tachie-Mensah 89). Booked: Muntari, Gyan.

Referee: C Simon (Brazil).
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Classy Totti exposes Ghana
By Matt Hughes

Italy 2 Ghana 0


THERE IS RARELY A QUIET NIGHT IN the stormy world of Italian football.
In keeping with their fondness for melodrama, the Azzurri faithful had
feared that ignominious defeat would complete the shame stalking the
nation's footballers, and even in enjoying a comfortable victory they
endured a frightful scare.
After defying medical convention by inspiring his side to a victory
that should have been even more comfortable, Francesco Totti's fitness
is again in doubt, with the AS Roma midfield player limping off after
56 minutes after a cynical stamp on his left leg, which has just
healed.



Having made one remarkable recovery Totti must contemplate another,
although Marcello Lippi, the Italy coach, is confident he will be fit
to face the United States on Saturday. "Totti will be fine," he said.
"I did not substitute him because of the tackle, I was going to
substitute him anyway."

With the whole country saddened by the refereeing scandal surrounding
Juventus, Italy needed a good start to the World Cup to lift a
nation's spirits, and Totti provided it. With even Alessandro Del
Piero questioning his fitness beforehand, the 29-year-old more than
vindicated his surprise selection, producing a display of stunning
authority that suggested Italy can be a force to be reckoned with, as
long as he remains in their ranks.

"It was a good performance and I'm very pleased," Lippi said. "I don't
know where we will finish but I can promise that this team will please
Italy. This team has great qualities."

Given Italy's well-publicised problems it was almost possible to
explain Totti's inclusion on morale grounds, as he had played only two
practice matches since breaking his ankle in February, making
Sven-Göran Eriksson's gamble on Wayne Rooney look perfectly sound.
England fans will hope that Rooney's impact is as immediate. For all
their effervescent energy, Ghana were utterly overwhelmed in the first
half and could have returned to their dressing-room several goals
down.

Playing with a dynamism at odds with their customary caution, Italy
pressed forward from the off, with two corners in the first five
minutes the result of Totti causing chaos. The sight of Richard
Kingston, the Ghana goalkeeper, flapping around like washing in the
wind, will not have eased any nerves on their competition debut,
although he partially made amends later with a smart save from a Totti
free kick. There is more to his craft than set-pieces, however, and
his influence gradually turned to dominance, creating openings with
exquisite passes from which Alberto Gilardino and Luca Toni hit the
post and the crossbar respectively.

Ghana did threaten on the counter-attack in an end-to-end game, with
Michael Essien and Emmanuel Pappoe both lacking the necessary
composure in front of goal, but Italy's pressure eventually told.

It was no surprise that Totti was involved in their opener, taking a
short corner from the left in the 40th minute that Andrea Pirlo
blasted into the net from 25 yards. The AC Milan midfield player may
never score a better goal than the third of his international career.

Ghana's substantial spirit was understandably dampened afterwards,
allowing Italy to slow the game to somewhere nearer their preferred
pace — walking. While he stayed on the field Totti remained a class
act, sending Gilardino racing clear with a wonderful through-ball only
to see him shoot tamely at Kingston.

Ghana's only real efforts were wayward long-range shots from Essien,
though frustration does not excuse the cynicism with which John
Pantsil deliberately removed their chief tormentor. Having seen Totti
win the ball with a sliding tackle, the Hapoel Tel-Aviv defender
maliciously stamped on his left leg, causing him to leave the field
immediately.

Vincenzo Iaquinta eased Italian anguish by adding a late second to the
goal their fallen hero had laid on for Pirlo, but the talk remained of
Totti. After this performance even Del Piero, his long-time rival for
club and country, might concede that Italy need him.

Kingson

5 Four years ago Mauricio Wright, of Costa Rica, suffered the
indignity of having his name spelt wrongly on his shirt at the World
Cup finals (it said "Wrigth") and last night it was the turn of
Richard Kingston, the Ghana goalkeeper, who was wearing a 't' short.

REFEREE: C. Simon (Brazil) 2

ATTENDANCE: 43,000

ITALY: Subs: Camoranesi (for Totti, 56min); Del Piero (for Toni, 82);
Wolff (for McBride, 77); Iaquinta (for Gilardino, 64). Not used:
Amelia, Barone, Barzagli, Gattuso, Inzaghi, Materazzi, Oddo, Peruzzi,
Zambrotta. NEXT: United States


GHANA: Subs: Shilla (for Pappoe, 45); Tachie-Mensah (for Gyan, 86);
Pimpong (for Amoah, 68). Not used: Addo, Adjei, Ahmed, Boateng,
Dramani, Mohamed, Owu, Quaye, Sarpei. NEXT: Czech Republic



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Figo sparkles as Ronaldo's tricks lead to the bench

Portugal 1 - 0 Angola

Jon Brodkin in Cologne
Monday June 12, 2006
The Guardian


What threatened initially to be a humiliation for Angola turned into a
trial for Portugal. Luiz Felipe Scolari's team avoided embarrassment
but hardly looked a team likely to set the tournament alight as they
staggered past a country considered to be among the weakest in this
World Cup. If victory was Portugal's, the credit belonged more to
their opponents on the biggest night in their football history.

All the more so considering Portugal came within inches of scoring
after 12 seconds, did so in the fourth minute and seemed capable then
of destroying Angola as in two previous meetings. Instead a
combination of Angola settling after early nerves and Scolari's
players losing their way led to an outcome which will allow both teams
a sense of satisfaction. Angola may not have humbled their former
colonial masters as Senegal did against France in 2002 but they proved
they can compete on a far more even level than ever before. They lost
6-0 to Portugal in 1989 and were trailing 5-1 five years ago when the
game was abandoned after Angola had four players sent off. Scolari
embraced his opposite number, Luis Oliveira Goncalves, at the end. It
was deserved recognition of Angola's efforts.

Portugal, though, had helped them. Complacency slipped into their play
after Pauleta's early goal, with Cristiano Ronaldo guilty of
showboating on a couple of occasions, and there was little to admire
even though they three times went close to extending their lead before
the interval. They continued to control proceedings but lacked tempo,
zip and creativity, missing the injured Deco. Their only noteworthy
openings in the second half came from a set piece and a stoppage-time
shot by the substitute Maniche.
The win was comfortable in the sense that Angola never seriously
threatened to equalise after the interval and forced Ricardo into just
one save all match, but the slackness in Portugal's play - whether in
attitude, passing or touch - ought to concern them, even if Angola's
defensive outlook was a hindrance. This will be filed away by Portugal
in the same category as England's win over Paraguay: job done.
Portugal started Euro 2004 by losing to Greece and went on to the
final so it would be daft to leap to conclusions but they will need to
improve. Having failed to go for the jugular when Angola were at their
weakest, Scolari's team learned that the evening would not be as
straightforward as they imagined. They showed little ambition for a
second goal after half-time and it was well for them that Angola also
seemed content with a scoreline which, for all their talk of a
possible upset, was probably better than they had envisaged.

The brightest Portuguese flashes tended to feature Luis Figo, who
gradually faded. The way the captain burst past Jamba to set up the
chance that Pauleta swept in suggested a huge gulf in speed and
athleticism between the teams. Figo, who turns 34 in November, is not
renowned for his pace these days.

Yet that chasm was scarcely seen after Portugal's opening, despite the
huge difference in levels from which the teams were drawn. Among
Angola's starting XI were four players from their domestic league, a
goalkeeper who has spent the season without a club, and
representatives from outside Portugal's top flight. Portugal were
whistled at times in the second half - mainly, it seemed, by Germans -
and Ronaldo deserved derision rather than the cheers that greeted some
of his early contributions. He was the worst offender in the
overconfidence that swept Portuguese ranks and halted their early
momentum.

The Manchester United winger crossed unnecessarily and inaccurately
with his back leg inside the first dozen minutes, leading to an
Angolan break. Gradually he got the message that greater application
was needed and hit the bar and had a shot saved, but none of his runs
came to anything. He could be seen shaking his head when taken off. It
was a credit to Angola that Scolari replaced to strengthen central
midfield and that Tiago exited as slowly as possible when substituted.

Portugal must have envisaged a big win when, straight from kick-off,
Pauleta sent a shot inches wide. Yet Angola found their feet, with the
midfielders Figueiredo and Andre doing a tireless and decent job at
stifling their opponents. Akwa put an acrobatic effort off target
before Andre forced Ricardo to push a shot wide.

A more effervescent Portugal had been expected after Scolari's
half-time address but they proceeded to look even less like scoring.
The expressions on the faces of some of their players at the end was
one of relief. Having started the last World Cup by losing to the
United States and failed to get out of their group, they are at least
set fair now.

Man of the match Andre (Angola)


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Independent:
Angola 0 Portugal 1: Pauleta strikes early to master Angolan threat
By Phil Shaw at the RheinEnergieStadion
Published: 12 June 2006
Four hundred years of hurt were never going to be assuaged by one
football match, and Angola could not muster one of the great World Cup
shocks by beating, or even holding, their former colonial power here
in Group D last night. But they did the next best thing, shrugging off
an ominously early goal by Pauleta to take Portugal to the wire.

The man who broke Eusebio's scoring record for Portugal took his tally
of international goals to 44 with a sharply taken strike with less
than four minutes played. After that the contest was surprisingly
even, and the sight of Luiz Felipe Scolari standing with hands on
hips, urging Pauleta and his colleagues to renewed efforts in the
closing minutes, was a tribute to the Africans' gutsy, if at times
naive, performance.

Scolari, who turned down the chance to become Sven Goran Eriksson's
successor with England, was not the only one to sense that the match
had not gone according to script. Derisive whistling ­ possibly by
Germans ­ suggested some spectators felt they had been complacent.
Meanwhile, the Angolan contingent were joined by locals and other
neutrals in chants of " An-go-la! An-go-la!" which had echoes of North
Korea whipping Goodison into a frenzy of "Ko-re-a! Ko-re-a!" in 1966.

Luis Oliveira Goncalves, the Angola coach, was justifiably "proud" of
his team, "especially what we did in the second half". He added: "If
we keep that spirit, I'm sure we can complicate life for Mexico in our
next game." Scolari reasoned that a winning start was all-important.
"In our second game we are playing a team that has just lost [Iran],"
the Brazilian said. "If we win that, we'll go through."

Small rainforests in Finland had been given over to explaining the
political and military sub-text to this match. The 400 years of
colonial exploitation of Angola by Portugal, which ended only 31 years
ago, was not the only history on the minds of some fans. One banner,
referring to Portugal's conquerors in the final of Euro 2004,
gloatingly enquired: "Greece where are you now? Defensive football go
home."

Goncalves had stated that the first objective was "to uphold the
dignity of Angola and Africa". In his heart of hearts he was probably
adding "and avoid conceding an early goal", but that proved beyond
them.

It could have been worse. Inside the opening 10 seconds, a
through-ball by Simao Sabrosa found Pauleta haring through the
inside-left channel. His angled shot missed the far corner of the net
by inches.

When the goal did come, it was embarrassingly simple for Portugal. An
Angola free-kick, hoofed upfield from near their goal line, was headed
by Tiago straight to the unmarked Luis Figo. The last of the golden
generation had too much pace, even at 33, for Jamba, pushing the ball
past him and crossing low from the left. Pauleta, who did not score
during Euro 2004, clinically turned the ball in.

Even as Fifa statisticians checked for record winning margins, Angola
regrouped with resilience and clawed their way back into the match.
Akwa, who was on Benfica's books as a teenager but is now listed as
"no club affiliation", twice attempted dramatic overhead kicks, once
missing the ball completely and the second time firing over.

Andre also forced a one-handed save by Ricardo as half-time
approached. Athough Cristiano Ronaldo had earlier headed Figo's corner
against the bar, his tendency to over-elaborate often caused momentum
to be lost and the first half ended on a higher note for Angola than
it had begun.

With Figo dropping ever deeper in search of space to play, Angola's
confidence was boosted by some feisty challenges by Figueiredo. A
white player from Portugal's second division, he was born in Angola of
Portuguese parents who fled after independence in 1975.

Until Figo faded, Pauleta had received sufficient support from
midfield to avoid becoming isolated. A quick shot on the turn, well
saved by Joao Ricardo, underlined why Scolari prefers the
much-maligned forward to Nuno Gomes. Goncalves, by contrast, sent out
Akwa to forage on his own, and he was eventually withdrawn.

The Portuguese fans, who outnumbered their African counterparts, grew
increasingly restless as their team toiled to break down Angola. They
dominated possession, which meant a lot of energy-sapping chasing and
harrying for their opponents, but there were few obvious signs of the
underdogs tiring and the game becoming stretched.

Scoring chances were at a premium in the second half, although the
splendidly named Loco did have a chance to test Ricardo with 20
minutes remaining. A wild swing sent the ball spiralling into the
crowd, and Angola had to be content with an honourable defeat.

Substitutes used: Angola Mantorras for Akwa, 60; Edson for Ze Kalanga,
70; Miloy for Figueiredo, 80; Portugal Costinha for Ronaldo, 60;
Maniche for Petit, 72; Viana for Tiago, 83.

Referee: J Larrionda (Uruguay).

Man of the match: Figueiredo.

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Times:

Portugal squeeze home

Angola 0 Portugal 1


A TIME to make friends, according to Fifa, but, for Angola, an
opportunity to make a point so resonant that it hardly mattered that
they could not quite stop Portugal claiming their expected three. It
was asking just too much for the former Portuguese colony to overcome
its former subjugator, but Angola's players earned their country
something far more valuable, shrugging off their shackles of
inferiority to heighten the pride of a nation slowly emerging from a
dark recent past.
No football match has the power to wipe out the legacy of 400 years of
colonial rule, which in Angola's case was a bloody civil war that
continued until 2002, but sport has an unrivalled ability to move
people. As last night's game in Cologne entered its closing stages,
the Africans having lived with their opponents from the moment Pauleta
gave Portugal a fourth-minute lead, the neutrals in the crowd took up
the chant of "Angola". A poignant moment.



The vast number of Portuguese followers responded by lauding their own
country, but they had jeered their team for much of the second half as
Luiz Felipe Scolari, the coach, offered a passable impression of
Sven-Göran Eriksson, the man he briefly seemed destined to replace as
England head coach.

In diplomatic terms, this was always likely to be a more successful
meeting than their last, a supposed "friendly" in Lisbon five years
ago, which had to be abandoned when Angola were reduced to six men
after having four sent off and one injured. This time the only ill
feeling seemed to be that fostered by Cristiano Ronaldo, the
Manchester United winger, who seemed put out that he was asked to make
way for Costinha, a defensive midfield player, as Scolari had a touch
of the Eriksson on the hour. Though he was typically defiant. "I'm not
going to say what I think, otherwise I'll be front-page news and
you'll say I'm the worst guy in the world," Scolari said. "But if you
look at the results so far in the World Cup, no team has won a game
easily. Look at Sweden, one of the best teams in the world, who could
not beat ten men from Trinidad & Tobago. My first objective is three
points and we have got three points."

It was anything but a straightforward outing. Pauleta almost scored
within ten seconds but did not take too long to make his mark,
stroking the ball home with ease after being set up by Luis Figo. It
stemmed from a woeful free kick by Jamba, which went straight to the
head of Petit on the halfway line. Figo strode forward and sprinted
past the hapless Jamba, five years his junior, before pulling the ball
back to Pauleta, who this time could not miss.

An annihilation seemed to be in prospect, but Angola defied all
expectations as their collection of unknowns at times bridged a gap
even wider than that leapt by Trinidad's players against Sweden the
previous evening.

Ronaldo rattled the crossbar with a header from Figo's corner, then
forced João Ricardo into a decent save, but that was just about it
from Portugal.

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Sun:
Angola 0 Portugal 1
By SUN ONLINE REPORTER

PAULETA'S early winner failed to spark the type of one-sided contest
Portugal's fans demanded from this World Cup opener against their
ex-colony.


Angola recovered boldly - after at first looking over-awed even before
the influential Luis Figo had set up a simple fourth-minute finish for
Portugal's top scorer.

And ultimately it was the Africans who had most to cherish from their
biggest ever match, especially as Portugal had thrashed them 6-0 and
5-1 in their only previous encounters.

Portugal chief Luiz Felipe Scolari, who famously snubbed the England
job on the eve of the Cup, reacted in Sven style.

He said: "A victory even by the narrowest margin is excellent. That's
what we wanted - three points in the bag.

"If you look at the results of the other matches so far, no team has
won their game easily.

"Take Sweden, for example - one of the best teams in the world. They
drew with Trinidad and Tobago, who were a well-organised team."

He added: "The game was complicated, as we had expected.

"The early goal gave us peace of mind and we created three or four
clear opportunities after that but couldn't score with any of them.


"In the second half the Angolan team improved, and at a certain stage
were better than we were, but the major goal opportunities were still
created by our side."

Angola coach Luis Oliveira Goncalves said: "Portugal won deservedly
but my players played with a lot of pride.

"Angola played to their best level and we want to improve in each
game. I can't say Portugal played below-par but Angola played well."

In fact, only a nervous start cost the Africans.

Just 15 seconds had passed when Pauleta broke free on the left of the
box to slot inches wide.


But the Paris St Germain striker soon netted his 47th international strike.

Angolan defender Jamba saw his free-kick headed straight into the path
of the on-rushing Figo.

The Portugal skipper cruised past the out-of-position left-back before
laying the ball back for Pauleta to stroke past last man Kali, with
keeper Joao Ricardo already out of the equation.

Angola eventually gained  mmentum and Portugal keeper Ricardo thwarted
a well-struck long-ranger from Mendonca.

But Pauleta then hooked a chance wide and Simao Sabrosa fired a
passable chance over - before Angola's Mateus, who plays in Portugal,
was much closer with a drive at the other end.

Angola's star man Fabrice Akwa sent an over-head kick scorching just
over, Figueiredo then fired wide and Cristiano Ronaldo received a
26th-minute booking for a foul on Andre.

Jamba was soon cautioned for upending the Manchester United man, who
wasted the free-kick and then sent the ball spinning wide at the
back-post from the next attack.

Ronaldo's luck deserted him again in the 34th minute when his header
from a Figo corner thudded off the bar.

But, as Angola's self-belief began to soar, Ricardo had to dive to his
right to tip Andre's 25-yard drive wide.

Ricardo then palmed away a fierce drive from Ronaldo and the
un-fancied Africans must have been delighted to still be in the game
going into the break.





Loco and Andre, though, added to the Angola booking tally for fouls on
Figo as Portugal dominated possession but rarely threatened.

Pauleta fired off-target on the turn before forcing the keeper into a
save from distance.

Both sides took off a flair player on the hour, Akwa replacing Pedro
Mantorras and Costinha coming on for Ronaldo.

Former Chelsea midfielder Tiago saw a drive saved but Loco panicked
when presented with a sight of goal and hacked wildly wide.

Everton's Nuno Valente was the last man to be booked, before Simao
headed a late chance wide from Figo's free-kick.

Portugal even had to survive a late tremor when Mateus hooked the ball
goalwards in the 89th minute, but Ricardo was alert enough to block.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
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btw

16 A Ricardo Carvalho

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S&M v Robben
*********************


The Guardian

Robben proves a transport of delight for the Dutch

Serbia & Montenegro 0 - 1 Holland
Robben 18

Michael Walker in Leipzig
Monday June 12, 2006


An essential part of Brilliant Orange, David Winner's acclaimed book
on Dutch culture and football's role within it, focuses on the
national perception of space and its imaginative creation in a
difficult landscape. Each one of this theory's adherents will have
appreciated Arjen Robben's efforts here yesterday afternoon. Robben
did what very few wingers or wide players are capable of doing: he
made his flank the centre of the game and changed the whole dynamics
of the pitch.

Marco van Basten, Robben's manager, helped him with a tactical policy
that was designed to bring the Chelsea player into the game at every
opportunity. Consequently Robben had more possession than a winger
might see in five matches but he made good use of about 90% of it. It
was a pleasure to watch.
Our perspective of Robben is not always so flattering but the noise
from Holland's camp was that he was showing great form in training. He
transported it to Leipzig, scoring the only goal of a tight, enjoyable
game, set up by a Bergkamp-like flick from Arsenal's Robin van Persie.

But there was so much more from Robben yesterday, including a capacity
for hard work and tenacity not always visible in the Premiership. He
celebrated his goal and the final whistle like a young man exhilarated
by his endeavour.

It might be argued that in Serbia & Montenegro Robben and his
team-mates faced opposition they should defeat, but the Serbs had
experienced, talented players all over the place, except up front
where Mateja Kezman and Savo Milosevic showed themselves merely to be
experienced. The result leaves Holland high and they move on to face
the Ivory Coast in Stuttgart on Friday knowing that the avoidance of
defeat should leave them set for the second round.

"I was lucky he was on our side today," Van Basten said of Robben.
"I'm happy and satisfied with the way he's working with us. We created
a lot and if you look at Serbia's qualification, they conceded only
one goal in 10 matches. That shows how well we've done."

Robben, asked about the contrast between yesterday's display and some
of his Chelsea form, played it down - to an extent. "There's no
difference between club and country," he said, "but I do need freedom
to play from my managers." Jose Mourinho may seek clarification of
exactly what Robben meant by that.

Robben was a compelling, zig-zagging presence even before his
18th-minute decider. There had been no great end product but,
comprehensively glued to the left touchline, Robben was expanding the
play for the Dutch simply with a winger's discipline. He possesses the
self-assurance to demand the ball on narrow ground.

Serbia & Montenegro could predict that almost every time the Dutch
midfield got the ball they would seek out Robben, but that was
different from preventing it, and from halting Robben once he got it.

When, in that moment of inspired skill and vision from Van Persie,
Robben was set free to score, initially the burly Goran Gavrancic
tried to do so by tugging Robben's brilliant orange shirt. Realising
anything stronger would lead to immediate dismissal, Gavrancic let go
quickly and Robben ran on to bury a an emphatic side-foot shot beyond
the advanced Dragoslav Jevric.

In terms of chances the Serbs had started the better. Pedrag
Djordjevic, familiar from Champions League games for Olympiakos, teed
up Kezman and Milosevic with a teasing 12th-minute run and cross but
the two strikers got in each other's way and Holland were able to
clear. Milosevic might then have done more following a beautiful
reverse pass from Dejan Stankovic.

Another game in the Group of Death was alive with possibilities. The
heat was again fierce and in the second half the tempo dropped
understandably, but in that opening half there was a constant, quick
rhythm.

The diminutive Ajax midfielder, Wesley Sneijder, personified this.
Sneijder was 22 three days ago and was at times excitable in
possession, but he more than made up for that with his energy and
willingness. Sneijder and Phillip Cocu were the Dutch knitters and
Robben was close with shots on 21 and 36 minutes. Alongside him Ruud
van Nistelrooy was foraging but got no sight of goal and was replaced
by Dirk Kuyt with 20 minutes left. "He did not play well today but the
next game will see him start again," Van Basten said of Van
Nistelrooy.

As Robben's influence grew the Balkan side changed formations and
personnel. Igor Duljaj was withdrawn from midfield to right-back to
counter Robben before half-time, with Stankovic switching flanks and
the lively Portsmouth loanee, Ognjen Koroman, coming on. Koroman
forced a 71st-minute fumble from Edwin van der Sar.

Serbia also introduced their Peter Crouch figure, Nikola Zigic, to
trouble Van der Sar. But they failed to provide the crosses that would
make Zigic's height an advantage. They could have done with Arjen
Robben on their wing.

Man of the match Arjen Robben (Holland)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
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Independent:
Netherlands 1 Serbia & Montenegro 0: Robben gives cheer to orange hordes
By Glenn Moore at Zentralstadion
Published: 12 June 2006
The Dutch had travelled south in their thousands, turning this old
bastion of East German football into an orange bowl, hoping for a
performance which would roll back the years to another World Cup,
another era. Back to 1974 when "Total Football" captivated West
Germany but this old ground, being the wrong side of the border, lay
empty.

Their dreams were not entirely realised, even if Marco van Basten's
interesting side showed enough potential to suggest they could enjoy
another good tournament. But they did see Arjen Robben roll back the
months, back to those heady days when his arrival at Stamford Bridge
seemed to presage the flowering of a thrilling Chelsea side as well as
an efficient one.

Robben appeared to lose his way last season, his form hampered by
injury, controversy and suspension, but his punctuated club campaign
may prove a blessing for his country for he is fit and very eager.
Serbia & Montenegro had no answer to his speed, trickery and desire.
His first marker was substituted, another defender booked for fouling
him, and all were stretched by the 22-year-old flyer.

This time he did not just win marks for artistic merit either. He also
scored the 18th-minute match-winner. "I'm happy with the way I
played," Robben said. "I know I can play even better but, especially
in the second half, it was so hot. It seemed like we were playing
football in the Sahara. It was suffocating on the field. So we had to
choose our moments and let the ball do the work."

"It was not easy but the most important thing was to start with a
win," added Van Basten. The Dutch coach had stuck to his 4-3-3 system
despite a shortage of natural wingers forcing left-footed Robin van
Persie on to the right wing. He did not seem happy but did, on one of
many forays inside, make the goal with a neat flick to release Robben.

Goran Gavrancic tugged in vain at his shirt as Robben sped away before
sliding the ball past Dragoslav Jevric. Having conceded one goal in 10
qualifiers, the Serbian defence had been breached within 20 minutes in
their first match of the finals.

They could have conceded several more. Robben had four further decent
goal attempts and Van Persie went close twice. The return after
suspension of Manchester United's Nemanja Vidic is much needed for
Serbia & Montenegro's Friday match with Argentina.

The Netherlands' failure to convert possession into goals meant Ilija
Petkovic's side never lost hope and they did create chances.

With the match still goalless Predrag Djordevic delivered a cross
which both Mateja Kezman and Savo Milosevic went for. It will surprise
no Premiership regular that neither man converted. Milosevic later
wasted two further openings and he was replaced at the break by the
giant Nikola Zigic. The striker, variously described as 6ft 8in to 6ft
10in (presumably no one can reach that high with a tape measure) is
one of the few people Peter Crouch must look up to. However, an
inability to provide decent crosses meant that the Dutch goalkeeper
Edwin van der Sar was only once worried, when Portsmouth's Ognjen
Koroman, a substitute, stretched him 19 minutes from time.

Koroman later criticised his own omission saying: "I don't know quite
why we had to be so defensive. I am baffled with the coach's decision
to keep me on the bench." Petkovic refused to discuss his selection or
tactics and claimed: "We did not deserve to lose because the
Netherlands did not outplay us. Nor did they create any clear-cut
chances apart from the goal, which was also a fairly predictable
move."

This refusal to see reality must have stirred a few ghosts. The World
Cup stadium is built within the bowl of the old arena which, in
Communist times, used to hold 100,000 supporters and play host to
Lokomotiv Leipzig.

Yesterday that era must have seemed as distant to those fans who still
follow Lokomotiv, now reformed and playing in Division 11 after a
financial collapse, as the days in which this city rang to the music
of Bach and the words of Goethe. The words sounding out around
Augustusplatz last night were "Oranje, Oranje".

It may become a familiar hymn.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
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Times:

Van Basten hails his special one
By Matt Hughes

Serbia and Montenegro 0 Holland 1




ARJEN ROBBEN MAY BE FORCED TO endure a love-hate relationship with
José Mourinho at Chelsea, like most mere mortals, but Marco van Basten
has no doubts as to his value. The Holland coach has made no secret of
his intention to build his first World Cup finals campaign around the
special talents of the flying Dutchman and yesterday received the
ultimate vindication as Robben inspired his team to a comfortable
victory over Serbia and Montenegro. As far as Van Basten is concerned,
Mourinho is not the only Special One at Stamford Bridge.
As a youngster growing up in Bedum, Robben was known as "the boy on
the bike" because he seemed to spend his life cycling to and from
training and yesterday he slipped up a gear. The 22-year-old was
magnificent from first whistle until last, raising hopes among his
team-mates that he could emerge as one of the stars of the tournament.



"I'm very happy and satisfied with how he's working for us," Van
Basten said. "He had a great match, scored a good goal and for the
whole of the game was very dangerous and difficult to defend against.
I was lucky he was with us today. He's one of our top players."

Mourinho harboured the suspicion last season that Robben was saving
himself for the World Cup, which may have explained some of his
lethargic performances, but the Dutch will consider any reticence to
risk his fragile body to have been worthwhile. Having shone in a
mediocre team during Euro 2004, the Chelsea winger again produced his
best form on returning to the international stage, seeming to enjoy
the greater freedom to run at defenders that he is afforded by Van
Basten. Mourinho, by contrast, tends to keep all of his players on a
tight leash.

"I do get freedom playing for my country, but I also have to have
discipline," Robben said. "I have to defend as well. There's no
difference who I play for, but I do need freedom from the managers I
play for. It's nice to hear people say I could be one of the players
of the tournament, but it's no more pressure than normal. I want to do
well for the team. It's not important that I can be the player of the
World Cup, I would prefer to win the trophy."

Such a desire is shared by all his countrymen who, having waited eight
embarrassing years since their previous World Cup match, are
determined to make up for lost time. Van Basten's team established
their dominance early on, with Robben tormenting Nenad Djordjevic with
a superb series of slaloming runs before opening the scoring in the
eighteenth minute. Andre Ooijer's long pass from the right was flicked
on with a deft touch by Robin van Persie, who enjoyed dovetailing with
his fellow London resident, leaving Robben where he most likes to be,
racing towards the opposing team's goalkeeper.

The ensuing calm finish was reminiscent of many of his goals in his
first season at Chelsea, firmly struck to the left of the helpless
goalkeeper, Dragoslav Jevric, while his emotional celebration as he
looked to the heavens left no doubt what it meant to him.

Serbia and Montenegro had enjoyed their share of chances beforehand,
with Mateja Kezman heading wide from close range in another sight
familiar to Chelsea fans and Savo Milosevic shooting weakly at Edwin
van der Sar, but thereafter Robben took over. With two good feet and
electric pace, the one area he will strive to improve is his
finishing, although most of his chances were created by himself out of
nothing. "Every game in the last few months we've created chances but
haven't scored many goals, which is a pity," Van Basten said.

Holland's cutting edge would improve if they could eke a half-decent
performance out of Ruud van Nistelrooy, who, in contrast to Robben,
was anonymous, perhaps pining for the motivational powers of Sir Alex
Ferguson. Van Basten is rather more supportive of his leading striker,
though, and despite replacing him with Dirk Kuyt, confirmed that he
will start against Ivory Coast on Friday.

"He did not play very well today, that's why we changed him, but the
next game will see him start again," Van Basten said. "We played three
games before the tournament and he did very well."

With the impressive Wesley Sneijder controlling midfield, Serbia and
Montenegro posed even less of a threat and face the daunting task of
having to get a win or draw against Argentina to stay alive in the
"group of death". After being knocked out by Holland in their one
previous World Cup eight years ago, this defeat could well do for
them, but Ilija Petkovic, the coach, remained positive. "I'm very
confident we'll get six points from the next two matches," he said.

Whatever happens in the rest of this tournament, they will not return
in their present state after Montenegro's decision to cede from their
union, although as Jevric is the only Montenegrin in the squad, Serbia
may not notice. Holland, for once, march on united.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
----------------------------------------

Sun : (sorry Telegraph is down )

Serbia & Mont 0 Holland 1
By SUN ONLINE REPORTER

ARJEN ROBBEN was rated in the Ronaldinho class after capping his
superb first-half display with Holland's neat winner.


The Dutch wilted after the break, much like England did the previous
day, but Serbia & Montenegro's fightback never quite deserved the
equaliser that would have left the toughest World Cup group wide open.

And Serbia coach Ilija Petkovic promptly tipped Robben to be one of
the stars of the tournament.

Petkovic said: "Robben is an extraordinary player and it is very
difficult to stop such a player. My defenders did not disappoint me
because some players are so good you cannot stop them.

"Ronaldinho is one such player and Robben is also in that category,
someone who can dribble and shoot."

Chelsea winger Robben responded: "It's nice to hear, it's a good
compliment, but it's no more pressure than normal on me.

"I want to do well for the team but for me it's not important for me
or anyone else to be regarded as the player of the tournament. I would
prefer to win the cup.



GOAL-DEN RUN ... Robben bursts clear before scoring



"We knew beforehand it was going to be a difficult game against strong
opponents but we were in control for most of it, though they had some
opportunities.

"We were very happy to score quite early and I think we can be
satisfied overall, especially given the conditions.

"You could see in the second half the heat affected both teams, the
speed of the game was much slower."

Dutch boss Marco Van Basten will note the way his side failed to ram
home the wing dominance of Robben and Arsenal's Robin Persie





Robben surged through in style to slot Holland's 19th minute winner
following Van Persie's well-timed through pass.

But Van Basten said: "I'm happy because it was not an easy game but we
created a lot of chances and did not give many away.

"I watched the game between Argentina and the Ivory Coast and it was
played at a very high level so we will have to give everything to get
a result against both these opponents."

Serbia, sound in defence but too nervous on the attack until the
second period, eventually showed how they finished two points clear of
Spain in their qualifying group.

But Holland held on to remain favourites to go through alongside
fellow hot tips Argentina.


Nonetheless, Savo Milosevic wasted two early chances that could have
transformed this tight contest.

The first came after some brilliant skill by Predrag Djordjevic left
Joris Mathijsen standing and Milosevic managed to fall over Mateja
Kezman as the cross came in.

Former Aston Villa striker Milosevic shot feebly,  too close to Edwin
van der Sar, when in plenty of time and space.

And that promptly proved costly as Robben streaked clear of the
offside trap from Van Persie's volleyed through-ball to finish with a
second touch as confident as the first one that had put him well clear
of Serbia's defence.

The goal sent the 25,000 orange-clad fans in Leipzig's Zentralstadion
into raptures and Robben nearly sparked further celebrations with a
fierce angled drive that the goalkeeper managed to turn aside.

The rampant winger then set up Wesley Sneijder for a 20-yarder dragged wide.

Milosevic sliced a first-time shot wide in a rare Serbia response,
then Kezman was off-target with a far-post header from Djordjevic's
cross.

The chances kept coming, and Van Persie directed a diving header at
goal but straight into Jevric's hands.





Robben was running rings round Nenad Djordjevic and once again he
tormented the Serbian full-back before sliding in a low shot that
missed the far-post by an inch.

Serbia coach Ilija Petkovic had seen enough and replaced his unhappy
right-back.

Ognjen Koroman, lately of Portsmouth, came on and Igor Duljaj moved to
right-back to try to stifle Robben.

The towering Nikola Zigic replaced the disappointing Milosevic for the
second period.

At 6ft 8in, Zigic stands above England's Peter Crouch as the tallest
player in the tournament, but Serbia failed to use his height
throughout the half.

Robben remained the chief danger, and he - who else - nearly connected
with an overhead kick.

Jevric was alert enough to keep Serbia in the game when Van Nistelrooy
tried to back-heel in Sneijder's on-target drive.

Lively Koroman conjured a bright run and stinging low shot that Van
der Sar spilled, before claiming the loose ball.

Serbia had hardly used Zigic - but when they finally did he caused
havoc, only for the ball to fall kindly to Van der Sar.

Robben then dragged another drive wide and Van Persie saw a free-kick
miss by a coat of paint but it mattered not to Holland.

Petkovic bemoaned Serbia's early caution and admitted: "We were rather
too careful.

"Iin our next matches we need to play more aggressively in attack.

"We do need to make some changes, but I think it is still possible to
take six points for our other two matches in the group."


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
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The Observer :

Crespo sets Argentina on right track

Argentina 2 - 1 Ivory Coast Crespo 24, Saviola 38 Drogba 82

Maybe it was down to the presence in the stands of the great man
himself, Diego Maradona, but Argentina put on a show to make their
mark on this World Cup as the outstanding performers so far. All their
qualities were in evidence here in this city by the sea, from the
enduring physicality of Roberto Ayala in defence to the current
incarnation of Maradona in the shape of Juan Roman Riquelme, who
turned the sold-out Volkspark Stadion into his own personal play area
for the best part of 90 minutes. Not that they were perfect ; before
they opened the scoring they had to rely on the Ivory Coast's poor
finishing. But once they, and in particular Riquelme, found their
rhythm, then the vice-champions of Africa were left chasing the game
for long stretches. A lot of people have said that Brazil will win
this World Cup but it may just fall to another South American side to
be the team from that continent to win in Europe for the first time in
nearly 50 years.


Argentina have never quite approached the heights of the Maradona era
and since his drug-enforced retirement in the early stages of the 1994
World Cup, the best they have managed was a quarter-final eight years
ago.
Having then reached South Korea and Japan four years ago they went
from pre-tournament favourites to first-round stooges, eliminated from
England's group along with Nigeria. Nevertheless, should Brazil slip
up, the men in blue-and-white are widely fancied to lift their third
crown here in Germany, providing of course they can get out of a
section that also includes Serbia & Montenegro and their great rivals,
Holland.

First to overcome, however, was the Ivory Coast, who reached this
tournament at the expense of Cameroon and then made it to the final of
the African Nations Cup in February, before losing to their Egyptian
hosts on penalties.

With Didier Drogba, Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Eboue in their side, they
had a trio of players who have tasted either a Premiership title win
or a Champions League final this past season and with it had enough
experience to help the Elephants on their World Cup debut. By
contrast, this was the South Americans' fourteenth appearance.

The Argentina coach Jose Pekerman flexed his managerial muscles by not
including Javier Zanetti or Juan Sebastian Veron in his squad, while
still finding room for central defender Ayala, a national icon and
playing his 101st game for the national team here. He will always also
be remembered by Englishmen for being left flat-footed by a young
Michael Owen eight years ago in St Etienne.

Ayala will also remember this night as the game he was possibly robbed
of a goal. From a corner after 14 minutes, taken by the outstanding
Riquelme, the Valencia central defender saw his header parried on to a
post and possibly then over the line before being grabbed by the
Ivorian goalkeeper Jean-Jacques Tizie. Replays were not definitive but
suggested a goal should have been given.

Ten minutes later Argentina had the lead anyway. Having endured a bout
of pressure, a Riquelme free-kick caused problems for the Ivorian
defence and the ball fell to Hernan Crespo who tapped in from six
yards.

The Elephants responded, but Argentina were up to the task when Ayala
blocked Drogba at short range, and then Bonaventure Kalou hit his shot
carelessly wide.

Further proof that Ivory Coast were getting through came after 35
minutes when Drogba knocked the ball across for Kader Keita, who
directed his header straight at the Argentina goalkeeper from six
yards.

Seven minutes before the break, however, Argentina once more showed
how lethal they are when Riquelme is given time on the ball. The
Villarreal midfielder threaded his pass through to Javier Saviola, who
evaded the offside trap and slipped his shot under Tizie.

Having set up the first two goals, Riquelme deserved one for himself
and he clearly felt he was owed one, too. With just 11 minutes of the
second half gone he decided to go for broke from a free-kick out by
the left touchline. With stunning impudence he tried to curl the ball
inside Tizie's far post and was only out by a few inches from capping
off what was an exhibition at times of ball retention and
distribution.

Ivory Coast manager Henri Michel admitted his tactic of just one
striker was not enough when he took off Kalou after 58 minutes and put
on Arouna Dindane but it all appeared to be in vain with Argentina in
the ascendancy.

Drogba finally had some reward when he scored eight minutes from time.
If he could put away easy chances he might make himself a decent
striker. As it was when the pass came from the left, the ball was
behind him but he still managed to connect perfectly with a volley
past Roberto Abbondanzieri. The Chelsea forward can console himself
that he may have lost to the eventual winners.


Argentina Abbondanzieri; Rodriguez, Ayala,

Heinze·, Burdisso; Mascherano, Sorin, Cambiasso,

Riquelme; Crespo, Saviola· (Gonzalez 76·

Ivory Coast

Tizie; Eboue·, K Toure, Meite, Akale;

Keita (A Kone 77), Zokora, Y Toure, Akale (B Kone 63); Kalou, Drogba

Referee F de Bleeckere (Belgium)

Hamburg 49,840

Man of the match Juan Roman Riquelme

Everyone knew that the playmaker was going to see a lot of the ball,
but doing something about it was an entirely different matter for the
Ivory Coast, who simply had no answer to the way he drifted around and
made himself the most vital player on the pitch.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
----------------------------------------

Independent :

Argentina 2 Ivory Coast 1: Riquelme the general as Argentina fire warning
South Americans defy Drogba's relentless Ivorians
By Jason Burt in Hamburg
Published: 11 June 2006
The Elephants of the Ivory Coast wanted to leave sweet memories of
their first-ever contest in a World Cup finals and will do so. But it
was Argentina, with their knowing and at times uncompromising
contribution, who may leave the more indelible mark even if they were
pushed hard by a vibrant team ultimately undone by unsurprising
naïvety.

Henri Michel, their wily coach, denied that was the case but the
evidence was clear. Two first-half goals were taken with surgical
precision by Argentina's strikers. The architect was as much the
Ivorians as Juan Roman Riquelme. But such was their determined belief
that they pushed their vaunted opponents hard. By the end Argentina
were holding on as Didier Drogba's late goal brought a grandstand
finish to a grand match.

In the seats Diego Maradona bounced up and down twirling his shirt but
it was as much in relief as celebration, while Jose Pekerman, the
coach, said: "Ivory Coast was such a strong team that it gives us even
more confidence." The other nations in Group C may have slept a little
less easily.

The victory gave the Albiceleste a firm grip on the group with
Riquelme taking an even firmer grip on the playmaker role allotted to
him. Pekerman wants him to be a true No 10 and has handed him the
sacred jersey. He did not let him down, especially in the first half,
although like his team-mates Riquelme again faded just as he had
against England in the Geneva friendly.

But they won and in doing so erased their horrific start to the last
World Cup and also their opening-day disaster in 1990 against another
African nation, Cameroon, who the Ivorians pipped to reach these
finals.

It was spirited, bold, a match to light up a World Cup, with two
deeply contrasting styles and imbued with skill and commitment and
rich endeavour for the Ivorians. They have precociously powerful
players all over the pitch and in Didier Zokora, if Tottenham's
interest in him is followed through, a refreshing addition to the
Premiership.

Abdoulaye Meite is apparently attracting interest in England, too. It
should stop. The central defender, along with goalkeeper Jean-Jacques
Tizie, the only player not employed in Europe, was the weak link. A
rash challenge on Hernan Crespo as the striker controlled a long punt
forward led to the first goal while, for the second, the Ivorians were
pickpocketed by Javier Saviola.

It was an uplifting evening for Crespo, who stepped from the shadows
of being Gabriel Batistuta's understudy for the past two World Cups -
and Didier Drogba's deputy at Chelsea for the past season - to claim
his 30th international goal. Drogba played a part in Crespo's goal,
failing to head clear as he challenged Gabriel Heinze for Riquelme's
whipped free-kick. The ball dropped to Crespo and he poked it home
from six yards.

Before Argentina scored, Tizie fumbled Roberto Ayala's header against
a post. As the ball rebounded it narrowly crossed the line but that
went unnoticed despite Argentina's vehement protests. Then Saviola
angled his run, Riquelme saw him and though Crespo sprinted too far
forward, disorientating the Ivorians, his strike partner's first-time,
flicked effort rightly stood.

Not that the Ivorians were remotely overwhelmed. Twice before they
conceded the second goal they should have drawn level. First Yaya
Touré, Kolo's brother, squared for the unmarked Bonaventure Kalou who
side-footed wastefully wide, and then the impressive Kanga Akale
crossed for Drogba to knock back into Kader Kieta's path. His
point-blank header was trapped between the goalkeeper's legs. It was
agonising.

The Ivorians charged on and Drogba barrelled into the area, threw
himself down under Heinze's challenge, got up, had a shot and saw it
spin to substitute Bakary Kone, who blazed over. Drogba then stuck out
a leg at Yaya Touré's deflected free-kick - and guided the ball wide.
Both maddening and fully committed, Drogba eventually swivelled to
meet another cross and thrash the ball into the net.

"It's not what you merit or don't merit," said Michel when asked if
his team were unlucky. "It's about winning and losing." But it was
uplifting.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
----------------------------------------
Telegraph:

Touches of class stop heroic Ivorians

By : Eddie Johnson at the AOL Arena, 11/06/2006

Determined: Didier Drogba scores a late consolation goal
Argentina (2) 2 Ivory Coast (0) 1

It made for a remarkable and dramatic contrast: Ivory Coast's
enthusiastic all-action, hard-pressing game and the subtle surgical
incisions of Juan Roman Riquelme's lethal passing. It was captivating
stuff: while Didier Drogba's team bustled and fought with heartening
enthusiasm, it was the Argentine playmaker, rarely venturing above
walking pace, who decided this game, setting up both goals with his
unerring vision and crisp delivery.

The Ivorians fought back heroically but the damage inflicted by the
Villarreal maestro was just too much. This victory sends an ominous
signal to the rest of the tournament: Argentina are a force to be
reckoned with. Ivory Coast were far from a pushover and if not for
some outstanding defensive work by Roberto Ayala -winning his 101st
cap - they could have even sprung a surprise.

As it was, Drogba secured reward for his side's swashbuckling approach
with a thumped left-footed finish with just 10 minutes left. By then
the neutrals in the crowd had been utterly won over and a cacophony of
whistles greeted every attempted at Argentine time-wasting.

When Maxi Rodriguez floated the ball into the net with seconds left,
there was genuine dismay that the Elephants' fightback had been
quelled. When the crowd realised the linesman had his flagged raised
it was celebrated like a goal. As the pressure mounted with the final
whistle approaching, the Argentines must have been relieved that
Riquelme had already done his work.

They are yet to warm to Riquelme's laconic, feral grace in Beunos
Aires but this performance must have won over even staunch pessimists.
True, he drifts out of games for minutes at a time, but when he
strikes, it is with venom.

From his corner, Robert Ayala thumped the ball goalwards. Jean-Jacques
Tizie fumbled onto the post and scooped the ball out - it had crossed
the line but the Belgian referee waved play-on. The Ivorian defence
had clearly not heeded the warning: on 24 minutes another whipped
corner was not cleared. Hernan Crespo, that consummate finisher,
pounced to open the score. In the crowd, Diego Maradona punched his
fists.

It was the current incumbent of the blue-and-white No 10 shirt who was
dictating things on the pitch. Picking up the ball wide on the left he
slid a perfectly timed through pass to the scampering Javier Saviola.
Crespo was clearly offside but Saviola stabbed past Tizie without
distraction.

Argentina had certainly done their homework. Javier Mascherano, the
Corinthians midfielder, stood deep, almost on the toes of his
centre-backs and repeatedly swatted away the loose ball on the edge of
the box. Bonaventure Kalou, who was dropping off Drogba, found
Mascherano at the end of every alley he explored.

The one time Mascherano lost concentration in the first half, Kalou
sliced a side footer wide from just inside the box after excellent
work from Yaya Toure on the by-line.

Henri Michel's side did find a way to trouble the Argentine back-line,
though, by getting the ball wide. Kanga Akale was particularly
threatening: early on his corner was narrowly missed by a springing
Drogba and as the half drew to a close another delivery was met by the
Ivorian captain, whose knockdown found Kader Keita. The blue-haired
winger headed straight at Roberto Abbondanzieri from just six yards
out.

For all Argentina's elegance, Ivory Coast grew in strength as the game
wore on. Midway through the second-half they twice went close to
pulling a goal back before Drogba found the net.

Bakary Kone, a substitute for the exhausted Akale, was bundled over in
the box by Gabriel Heinze but sprang back to his feet, made himself
and angle and shot narrowly over. Minutes later, Drogba diverted a
Didier Zokora pass wide of the far post.

With their support in fine voice, it was a heroic effort from a team
making their World Cup debut in a cauldron of a stadium against a
nation who have twice taken won the Jules Rimet. An enthralling
encounter.

Telegraph View: Duncan White

An early classic for this World Cup as two contrasting styles fought
out an enthralling match. Riquelme's vision was the difference as he
set up both Argentina goals and sent out an early warning that he
wants too make a big impression on this tournament.

Clever poached goals from Hernan Crespo, tucking in after a Riquelme
corner caused panic, and Javier Saviola, scampering through the
offside trap to stab in, gave the
Ivorians a mmountain to climb ­ they came agonisingly close to the summit.

The Elephants were magnificent in defeat and their boundless enthusiasm and
commitment to attacking football won over all the neutrals in the crowd.
When Drogba slammed in his late goal, the Hamburg cauldron bubbled over.
Kolo Toure was superb at the back, Didier Zokora lived up to the hype in
midfield and Kanga Akale was a threat on the left wing.

Only canny Argentine defending and profligate finishing prevented the
boys from Abidjan getting a share of the spoils. The Dutch and the
Serbians must have watched this with
increasing anxiety. A fantastic match between two great sides.

Man of the match: Juan Roman Riquelme.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
----------------------------------------
Sunday Times :

Argentina 2 Ivory Coast 1
Rob Hughes

Classy Argentina into their stride


The World Cup has lift-off. In Hamburg last night we had a game played
in a cup-tie fashion, with Argentina atoning for their disappointment
when they arrived at the 2002 World Cup as favourites and left on the
first plane home after the first round. They were, frankly, in a
different mode, playing a different class of football to what has gone
before in this tournament.
They scored twice in the first half and had legitimate goals ruled out
in both halves, yet give full credit to Ivory Coast, players from a
militarily divided land, who never gave up the chase and who fully
deserved the goal that Chelsea's Didier Drogba earned for himself
before the finish.



The evening tempo in this tournament, very much as in Euro 2004, has
already been outstandingly different from those in the heat of the
afternoon. Without making excuses for England, whose quality was
nowhere near the equal of Argentina, the difference has been clear
every time countries have dried up in the broiling temperatures, while
the football has flowed after dark.

This game was superior even to the goal fest of Germany's opener on
Friday evening. Here was an African team dressed in tangerine, playing
with athleticism, power and vibrancy. The Ivory Coast, sprinkled with
players we know and admire from the Premiership, had every intention
to be Africa's finest. Not for them the trauma in the dead of night
when their fellow Africans Togo were deserted at 2am by their German
coach Otto Pfister, who had tolerated the bickering over bonuses for
as long as he intended.

Here, in contrast, was a team playing wholeheartedly for their
troubled homeland, even if not one in the starting 11 earns a living
there.

But as courageously as Drogba led them, as cunningly as Bonaventure
Kalou plotted, they were picked off by the extreme class and the
predatory finishing of Argentina.

While the hope, fed by the hype of England, has been to implant a
belief that this World Cup is ours for the taking, one really must
envy the striking power of Argentina. After 14 minutes they were
denied what seemed a goal when a thunderous header from Roberto Ayala
was spilled out of the hands of goalkeeper Jean-Jacques Tizie. It spun
onto the inside of his near post, it rebounded behind him, and then he
finally held on to it. Even the television cameras from two angles
were indecisive.

After 24 minutes the goal came. It was prompted by a free-kick from
Juan Roman Riquelme, and when Ayala again caused confusion in the air,
the ball dropped invitingly to Hernan Crespo. Sometimes surplus to
Chelsea he may feel, but his national coach Jose Pekerman loves him,
and from five yards, following his instinct, Crespo stabbed in the
30th goal of his international career. He has replaced the cult figure
of Gabriele Batistuta.

Back came the Ivorians, with great speed, great determination and
astonishing self-belief. Had their finishing been on the same plane as
Crespo's, they would have rescued the game, but after 37 minutes we
saw the gulf in class.

Javier Mascherano, the 22-year-old who many have seen as the perfect
holding player in midfield, showed that he has vision to spare. He
stroked the ball from the centre out to the left. Riquelme picked it
up, surveyed the option of three players running ahead of him, and
stroked a pass full of deception and accuracy to Javier Saviola. The
Sevilla forward was on fire, his movement outfoxed that of Kolo Toure,
and he scored with the most subtle of flicks past Tizie.

Of course, there is more to come from Argentina. They could afford in
the second half to put their foot on the brake, to contain the still
muscular, still alert Ivorians through their ability to command and
control the ball. They could afford to leave out Lionel Messi, the
18-year-old "new Maradona" altogether.

And yet, we still had to salute the perseverance and the strength of
Ivory Coast. Their heads did not drop and in Drogba they had a player
who did not go to ground the way he does with Chelsea.

His great will for the game brought a reward in the 81st minute.
Earlier he had tried to play others in, he had sometimes dominated the
Argentine defenders who are their weak point. Nine minutes from the
end, in a sweeping move that involved an incisive pass from one of the
substitutes, Bakary Kone, Drogba had his crowning moment.

He spun away from his marker, reached behind him and from 11 yards
produced a scintillating low left-foot finish.

This is some group, with the stubborn Serbia and Montenegro as well as
Holland to come and the Africans in this so-called group of death by
no means to be written off yet.


STAR MAN: Javier Mascherano (Argentina)

Player ratings. Argentina: Abbondanzieri 7, Ayala 7, Burdisso 6,
Heinze 6, Sorin 7, Mascherano 8, Cambiasso 7, Riquelme 8 (Almar 90min,
5), Rodriguez 6, Saviola 7 (Gonzalez 76min, 5), Crespo 7 (Palacio
64min, 5)

Ivory Coast: Tizie 5, Eboue 6, K Toure 6, Meite 6, Boka 6, Keita 7 (A
Kone 77min, 5), Zokora 6, Y Toure 7, Akale 7 (B Kone 62min, 6), Kalou
7 (Dindane 56min, 6), Drogba 8

Scorers: Argentina: Crespo 24, Saviola 38

Ivory Coast: Drogba 82

Referee: F De Bleeckere (Belgium)

Attendance: 49,480


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
----------------------------------------

The Guardian

Shevchenko completes record £31m move as Mourinho gets his man

Ukrainian striker completes Milan switch while Drogba's future in
doubt after training absence

Matt Scott in Vittel and Jon Brodkin
Thursday June 1, 2006


Jose Mourinho was last night celebrating "a day when the dream became
reality" as he finally signed Andriy Shevchenko from Milan. Chelsea
did not disclose the fee but it is understood to be a British record
€45m (£30.8m) and ends the club's years-long pursuit of the Ukraine
striker.

"Andriy has always been my first choice for Chelsea since I arrived,"
Mourinho said. "Before it was not possible, now it is for real. He has
great qualities, ambition, discipline, tactical awareness and of
course he is a great goalscorer.

"Milan is a big club, a great club, but for him to leave Milan for
Chelsea is a big statement about where Chelsea is. He is a champion
and he is joining a team of champions. I have already spoken to some
of our players and they are looking forward to playing with him."

The capture of the 29-year-old Ukraine captain is Chelsea's second
coup of the close season, after the arrival of Germany's Michael
Ballack on a free from Bayern Munich. The Londoners also signed the
Ivory Coast striker Salomon Kalou from Feyenoord for an undisclosed
fee on Tuesday.

Milan last night praised Shevchenko for his services to the Serie A
team. "Milan thank Shevchenko, an extraordinary man and striker, for
the great amount of excitement he provided in the seven seasons in
which he wore the red and black shirt," they said in a statement. "His
173 goals, making him the second top scorer in the club's history,
have contributed in a vital manner to the winning of an Italian league
title, an Italian Cup, Super Cup, a Champions League and a European
Super Cup."

Shevchenko joined Milan in 1999 for US$25m from Dynamo Kiev, where he
won five league titles. He is the highest scorer ever in the European
Cup with 52 goals, after grabbing 33 in the Champions League for Milan
and 19 for Kiev.

For his part, Shevchenko said: "The Champions League has to be a
realistic target for next season but it is not just about the
Champions League. Chelsea is going for their third Premiership as well
and I like the club's mentality of wanting to win every game they
play.

"I have followed Mr Mourinho's career carefully for the last few years
and have been hugely impressed. He puts team ethic before individual
expression which is the way I believe great teams are created. Had
money been my motivation, I would probably have stayed in Milan."

In signing the Ukrainian, who will now link up again with the World
Cup squad, Chelsea have confirmed that they broke their £24.4m
transfer record and the fee almost certainly smashes the British high
set when Rio Ferdinand left Leeds for Manchester United for £28.25m.

Mourinho last night told the Portuguese media that he will now try to
sign Roberto Carlos from Real Madrid, describing him as the world's
best left-back. The goalkeeper Henrique Hilario is also set to join
Chelsea on a Bosman free from Nacional da Madeira as third-choice.

While Shevchenko was joining on a four-year contract, however intrigue
surrounded Didier Drogba's future after he withdrew from Ivory Coast's
World Cup training camp for two days. His national team's official
explanation was that the 28-year-old was attending a sponsors'
photo-shoot.

Drogba had been due to give a long-scheduled press conference
yesterday in his role as captain but pulled out at the 11th hour and
must have been aware that would spark a frenzy of speculation over his
state of mind at a time when he had the opportunity to issue his
support to the arrival at Chelsea of a more senior striker.

He had been quoted recently as saying he wants to leave Chelsea and
"avoid all the pressure and scandals". He does not believe he can
fulfil his potential at the club and a number of clubs have been
casting eyes at him, including Lyon, though the French title-winners
said yesterday they would not be signing him.

Mourinho has refused to sell Drogba, describing the player's position
as "not negotiable" with two years remaining on his contract. Chelsea
were under the impression yesterday that Drogba was with Ivory Coast
as normal. Mourinho sees Drogba as integral to his plans and it would
be a serious blow to him.

Chelsea are likely to have to attend an appeals committee to try to
get a work permit for Kalou, however. The striker is Ivory Coast-born
but has tried unsuccessfully to get Dutch citizenship and has not
featured in the requisite proportion of internationals for non-EU
players.

Eidur Gudjohnsen will now leave and has been mentioned as part of a
deal for Roberto Carlos and Robert Huth intends to decide his future
before the World Cup finals, with Everton among the interested clubs,
and Carlton Cole will also move on.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
----------------------------------------
Independent:
Chelsea land Shevchenko with £30.8m record deal
By Glenn Moore, Football Editor
Published: 01 June 2006
Andrei Shevchenko last night became British football's most expensive
player as Chelsea's long pursuit was concluded when he put his
signature to a 45m (£30.8m) move from Milan.

The transfer fee exceeds the £30m Manchester United paid Leeds United
for Rio Ferdinand and again rewrites Chelsea's battered club record
which had reached £26m with last season's signing of Michael Essien.
The four-year contract is the sixth-most expensive deal in world
terms, placing Shevchenko behind Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, Hernan
Crespo, Gianluigi Buffon and Christian Vieri.

However, all those players were younger than the 29-year-old
Ukrainian. Shevchenko is a class act but the fee is high ­ no other
club would have paid it. Shevchenko's age, the wear and tear of seven
years in Serie A and his failure to convert chances against Barcelona
in the Champions' League semi-final all indicate his best days are
behind him. Nevertheless, Milan had offered him a contract extension
until 2011 and Shevchenko will probably score heavily in the
Premiership. The test is whether he can deliver the Champions' League
title, earning a second winners' medal. In the 2003 final he scored
the decisive penalty in Milan's shoot-out win over Juventus.

Last night, Shevchenko said: "I am here for the challenge and the
excitement of playing in the Premier League. I am going from one big
club to another and joining a team of champions.

"There is a right moment to join a club and I have arrived at the
perfect time. The Champions' League has to be a realistic target for
next season but Chelsea [are] going for their third Premiership and I
like the club's mentality of wanting to win every game. I have
followed [Jose] Mourinho's career carefully for the last few years and
have been impressed with the way he manages. He puts team ethic before
individual expression, which is the way great teams are created.

"Had money been my motivation, I'd probably have stayed in Milan. I'm
pleased Chelsea concluded everything before the World Cup. I can go to
Germany with a clear mind, proud to be a Chelsea player."

Mourinho added: "Today is a day when the dream became reality. Andrei
has always been my first choice for Chelsea since I arrived. Before it
was not possible, now it is for real. He has great qualities,
ambition, discipline, tactical awareness and of course he is a great
goalscorer. For him to leave Milan for Chelsea is a big statement
about where Chelsea is. He is a champion and he is joining a team of
champions."

It will be interesting to see how Shevchenko's friendship with club
owner Roman Abramovich plays out in the dressing-room. Shevchenko
explained last week the decisive factor in the transfer was his and
American wife Kristen Pazik's desire to bring up a family in England.

Shevchenko took just a few hours to agree personal terms and pass a
medical after arriving at Stamford Bridge yesterday. He has been
carrying a knee injury suffered on 7 May but that did not affect his
medical, nor should it prevent his participation for Ukraine, who
start their World Cup campaign against Spain on 14 June.

Shevchenko joined Milan from Dynamo Kiev in 1999 and scored 173 goals.
He is likely to partner Didier Drogba up front at Chelsea. Lyon had
hoped to sign the disaffected Ivorian, but Mourinho apparently wants
to build the team around him and Shevchenko.

Hernan Crespo, however, will be sold, at a considerable loss on the
£18m Chelsea paid for him. Carlton Cole is also set to move on after
being edged further down the pecking order by the arrival of Salomon
Kalou this week.

Mourinho last night confirmed he would also like to sign Real Madrid
left-back Roberto Carlos, saying: "Roberto is 33 but I consider him to
be the best in his position and I wish it would be possible." Mourinho
also added that he was close to capturing goalkeeper Hilario from
Portuguese club Nacional de Madeira.

Andrei Shevchenko last night became British football's most expensive
player as Chelsea's long pursuit was concluded when he put his
signature to a 45m (£30.8m) move from Milan.
Natural-born goalscorer's journey from Iron Curtain to the Bridge
Andrei Shevchenko's life story will enter another riveting chapter at
Chelsea. By Glenn Moore
Published: 01 June 2006
Andrei Shevchenko was born at the right time, but very nearly in the
wrong place. Having grown up in the Ukrainian wheat belt he was living
in Obolon, a suburb of Kiev, when the Chernobyl disaster happened. The
10-year-old Shevchenko was evacuated to the Black Sea to escape the
great clouds of contamination.

He was already on Dynamo Kiev's books, having been spotted the
previous year in a youth tournament by scout Oleksandr Shpakov.
Valeriy Lobanovskiy, the legendary Kiev coach, soon became aware of
the prodigious young striker and he quickly progressed through the
ranks, reaching the first team at 17 and winning his first national
cap a year later. That also came under Lobanovskiy, who variously
coached both Kiev and Ukraine, often together. Dynamo became the
dominant team in Ukraine since the break-up of the Soviet Union and
the medals rolled in.

So far, so good, but had Shevchenko been born two decades earlier that
would have been it. He would have spent the bulk of his career behind
the Iron Curtain winning acclaim, and a decent lifestyle, but few of
the riches, or honours, available to similar players in the West.
Maybe, at the tail-end of his career, he would be allowed to move, but
only to bring in some hard currency to the government.

That was the fate of his first hero, Oleg Blokhin, now Ukraine's
national coach. Blokhin won the European Cup-Winners' Cup, and was
voted European Footballer of the Year in 1975, but these were rare
achievements for an East European player.

By 1999, when Shevchenko led Kiev into the semi-finals of the
Champions' League, scoring three goals against Real Madrid en route,
following the previous season's hat-trick at the Nou Camp, everything
had changed. The same liberalisation which enabled Roman Abramovich to
become a billionaire allowed Shevchenko to leave when, and to where,
he wanted.

He chose Milan, though Arsenal were contenders. The cost, £16m,
deterred Arsène Wenger, along with the knowledge that for £10m he
could sign a player who might turn out to be every bit as good. So
while Thierry Henry left Serie A, Shevchenko arrived.

He did not come alone. His father, an ex-Army NCO, his mother, an
accountant, his sister and brother-in-laws, both actors, joined him.
He needed this support as East European players had not generally
travelled well. Zavarov had struggled at Juventus. Strikers also came
under huge pressure in Serie A and while Marco van Basten, to whom the
slender, beautifully balanced Shevchenko was quickly compared, had
flourished, Patrick Kluivert and Jean-Pierre Papin were among those
who had failed.

Not Sheva. He was Serie A's leading scorer in his debut season and
only injuries - of which, worryingly for Chelsea there have been a few
- have subsequently kept him from the scoresheet. In 2003 he scored
the goal against Internazionale which put Milan in the Champions
League final. At Old Trafford, after 120 minutes of stylish stalemate,
he scored the crucial penalty to defeat Juventus. He has added the
Serie A title to the five domestic championships he won with Kiev. And
in 2004 he emulated Blokhin by becoming European Footballer of the
Year. But his greatest triumph has probably been this season, when he
led Ukraine to their first World Cup finals.

And how, when the German fiesta is done, will he fare at Chelsea? He
will score plenty of goals, especially in the Premiership. His modesty
should ensure his popularity, though he does have a mean streak after
so many years at the sharp end of the Rossoneri attack. And having
missed the critical penalty against Liverpool in the 2005 Champions'
League final, he has plenty still to motivate him.

Ukrainian hitman joins the big-money men

Age: 29

Date of birth: 29 August 1976

Place of birth: Dvirkivshchyna, Ukraine

Nationality: Ukrainian

International caps: 63

International goals: 28

Clubs

Dynamo Kiev 1994 to 1999 (60 goals)

Milan 1999 to 2006 (173 goals)

TOP SIX WORLD TRANSFERS

Zinedine Zidane: Juventus to Real Madrid £45.62m, July 2001

Luis Figo: Barcelona to Real Madrid £37m, July 2000

Hernan Crespo: Parma to Lazio £35m, July 2000

Gianluigi Buffon: Parma to Juventus £32.6, July 2001

Christian Vieri: Lazio to Internazionale £32m, July 1999

Andrei Shevchenko: Milan to Chelsea £30.8m, May 2006

TOP SIX BRITISH TRANSFERS

Andrei Shevchenko: Milan to Chelsea £30.8m

Rio Ferdinand: Leeds to Man Utd £29.1m

Juan Sebastian Veron: Lazio to Man Utd £28.1m

Wayne Rooney: Everton to Man Utd £27m

Michael Essien: Lyon to Chelsea £24.5m

Didier Drogba: Marseilles to Chelsea £24m
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
----------------------------------------
Telegraph :

Chelsea complete £30m deal for Shevchenko
By David Bond
(Filed: 01/06/2006)




Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho last night described the signing of
Andrei Shevchenko as a dream come true after the Premiership champions
finally landed the Ukrainian striker in a deal worth about £30
million.

Following a medical and talks with Mourinho and Chelsea chief
executive Peter Kenyon at Stamford Bridge yesterday, the 29-year-old
player put pen to paper on a four-year-deal worth around £115,000 per
week.

Although Chelsea refused to disclose the value of the fee agreed with
AC Milan, describing it only as a club record which beats the £24.4
million paid last summer for Michael Essien, the sum is thought to be
around 42 million euros. Depending on exchange rates, it should just
beat Rio Ferdinand's £30 million move from Leeds to Manchester United
in 2002 to become a British transfer record.

A delighted Mourinho, who flew back to London from a holiday in
Portugal to complete the signing, said it confirmed Chelsea's arrival
as one of Europe's biggest clubs. "Today is a day when the dream
became reality," he said. "Andrei has always been my first choice for
Chelsea since I arrived. Before it was not possible, now it is for
real. He has great qualities: ambition, discipline, tactical awareness
and he is a great goalscorer.

"I did not need to meet him to convince him about Chelsea, in the same
way we did not need to talk a lot about why I wanted him. Everybody
knows him as a player, tactically he can play in the Chelsea system,
no doubt.

"Milan are a great club, but for him to leave Milan for Chelsea is a
big statement about where Chelsea are. He is a champion and he is
joining a team of champions. I have already spoken to some of our
players and they are looking forward to playing with him. Great
players want to play with other great players."

Shevchenko, who leaves Milan after seven years as their leading
scorer, said he was looking forward to the new challenge of playing in
the Premiership and spearheading Chelsea's Champions League campaign.
But he added that working with Mourinho was one of the decisive
factors in his decision to leave Italy.

"I am here for the challenge and the excitement of playing in the
Premier League,'' he said. ''I am going from one big club to another
and joining a team of champions. There is a right moment to join a
club and I think I have arrived here at the perfect time. The
Champions League has to be a realistic target for next season but it
is not just about that. Chelsea are going for their third Premiership
as well and I like the club's mentality of wanting to win every game
they play.

"I have followed Mr Mourinho's career for the last few years and have
been hugely impressed with the way he manages. He puts team ethic
before individual expression, which is the way great teams are
created. Had money been my motivation for coming, I would probably
have stayed in Milan. I am pleased that Chelsea managed to conclude
everything before the World Cup - I can go to Germany with a clear
mind and proud to be a Chelsea player." Shevchenko flies to
Switzerland today to join the Ukraine squad as they prepare for the
finals.

Despite Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich's vast wealth, the club have
until now struggled to attract truly world-class players at the height
of their powers. But the capture of Shevchenko and the arrival of
Germany captain Michael Ballack takes Chelsea to another level and is
a major shift in tactics for Mourinho, who is now focusing the club's
efforts on landing Europe's top prize next season.

Chief executive Peter Kenyon added: "This is another proud day. The
signing of Andrei following on from Michael Ballack and Salomon Kalou
shows our ambition.''
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
----------------------------------------

Times:
Chelsea bank on £31m man Shevchenko to rule Europe
By Gary Jacob

Transfer record goes as Mourinho seals deal

Roberto Carlos next on champions' wish list

JOSÉ MOURINHO may have been turned down by some of the best strikers
last summer, but the Chelsea manager finally got his man last night
when he completed the signing of Andriy Shevchenko, arguably the
world's most dangerous attacker for the past five years.

The Ukraine forward's arrival for a fee in the region of €45 million
(about £31 million) breaks the British transfer record set by
Manchester United when they signed Rio Ferdinand for £29.1 million
four years ago. It is a straight cash deal, meaning that William
Gallas, the defender admired by AC Milan, will not be moving in the
opposite direction.


Shevchenko, 29, signed a four-year contract after passing a medical
and agreeing personal terms. After Chelsea's capture of Michael
Ballack, he will add further Champions League experience to a club who
have made the conquest of Europe their primary target after winning
the Barclays Premiership title in successive seasons, having helped
Milan to claim the European crown in 2003 by converting the final
penalty in their shoot-out victory over Juventus at Old Trafford.

"I am going from one big club to another and joining a team of
champions," Shevchenko said. "There is a right moment to join a club
and I think I have arrived here at the perfect time. The Champions
League has to be a realistic target for next season, but it is not
just about the Champions League. Chelsea are going for their third
Premiership as well and I like the club's mentality of wanting to win
every game they play.

"Had money been my motivation, I would probably have stayed in Milan.
I am pleased that Chelsea managed to conclude everything before the
World Cup — I can go to Germany with a clear mind and proud to be a
Chelsea player."

Shevchenko's strike-rate of 53 goals in 94 games in the Champions
League takes Mourinho closer to his vision of continental supremacy,
but it also pushes them farther away from the stated aim of Peter
Kenyon, the chief executive, of making the club self- financing by
2010.

"Today is a day when the dream became reality," Mourinho said. "Andriy
has always been my first choice for Chelsea since I arrived. Milan is
a big club, a great club, but for him to leave Milan for Chelsea is a
big statement about where Chelsea is. He is a champion and he is
joining a team of champions."

Chelsea will be paying a total of about £500,000 a week in wages to
John Terry, Frank Lampard, Ballack and Shevchenko, who will join
Ballack as the highest-paid player at the club on £130,000 a week. The
spending is unlikely to stop there. Mourinho — reported to have signed
Ben Sahar, a 16-year-old Hapoel Tel Aviv forward, for about £300,000
yesterday — is also keen to lure Roberto Carlos, 33, the Brazil left
back, from Real Madrid, describing him last night as the best player
in that position in the world.

Shevchenko cited personal reasons for his desire to leave Italy after
scoring 127 goals in 208 league matches at the San Siro. His wife,
Kristen Pazik, an American model, was keen to move to London and the
pair — who say they want their son, Jordan, to grow up in an
English-speaking country — have already received a warm welcome, with
the Chelsea Supporters Group offering her honorary membership and a
promise that the shopping in Chelsea is "at least as good" as she is
used to in Milan.

Shevchenko, a friend of Roman Abramovich and the owner's favourite
player, takes the club's spending on transfers to more than £280
million since the Russian bought Chelsea three years ago. The European
Player of the Year in 2004 has not played since May 7 because of a
knee injury but expects to play in Ukraine's opening World Cup match,
against Spain on June 14.

On the day that Chelsea agreed to spend so much money, Premiership
clubs were being praised for their parsimony. The Deloitte annual
report into football finance has revealed that the overall top-flight
wage bill dropped for the first time, by £26 million, during the
2004-05 season. Chelsea actually led the way, making a saving of £5.9
million — a figure Shevchenko alone will easily earn in a single
season.

With Mourinho intending to pair Shevchenko and Didier Drogba in attack
and with Salomon Kalou also having joined from Feyenoord for £3.5
million this week, there will be casualties, with Hernán Crespo, Eidur
Gudjohnsen and Carlton Cole expected to leave this summer.

Gudjohnsen has been offered to Real as part of a deal for Roberto
Carlos, though Chelsea remain keen on Ashley Cole, the Arsenal left
back, as another possible replacement for Asier Del Horno.



Shevchenko fits the bill for Mourinho
By Gabriele Marcotti

The Ukraine striker was always destined to be a hit


TO BEGIN to understand Andriy Shevchenko, you have to understand
Valeri Lobanovsky, the legendary Ukrainian coach who passed away four
years ago. Lobanovsky, who managed Dynamo Kiev for 22 years, was, at
once, an iconoclast and an innovator, a tactical genius who pioneered
the use of modern training techniques, computers and psychology at a
time when most coaches were just former players in ill-fitting
tracksuits.
Shevchenko has always credited Lobanovsky's Dynamo "laboratory" for
turning him into the player he is today, instilling in him the
discipline, work ethic and tactical nous that, coupled with his
natural gifts, have made him one of the best goalscorers in the game —
and British football's most expensive signing after his £31 million
move to Chelsea.



Shevchenko was 9 when his village was evacuated after the Chernobyl
disaster, forcing him to move to Kiev. His first love was boxing, but
he was rejected from Kiev's sports institute because of his lack of
size and thus focused on football, joining Dynamo Kiev at the age of
10 and immediately falling under Lobanovsky's spell.

He quickly rose through the club's youth ranks, earning accolades at
home and abroad. Indeed, in 1990, he was the leading goalscorer in a
youth tournament in Wales and his prize was a pair of Ian Rush's
boots, awarded by the Liverpool legend himself.

Shevchenko led Dynamo Kiev to the Ukrainian title in each of his five
seasons at the club, before moving to AC Milan in the summer of 1999
for about £13 million. He scored 127 goals in 208 games for the
Rossoneri and was twice the leading goalscorer in Serie A.

In his seven years at the club, Milan won one Serie A title and
reached the Champions League final twice, beating Juventus on
penalties in 2003 and losing (again on penalties) to Liverpool in
2005.

His goalscoring exploits may have grabbed the headlines, but, as a
player, his versatility is what sets him apart.

"Most players are truly comfortable in a single role, a few players
can play two positions equally well," Carlo Ancelotti, the Milan
manager, said of Shevchenko last year. "But Sheva fits in seamlessly
in so many different roles and so many different formations."

Indeed, that versatility may have been the clincher for José Mourinho,
who can easily play him as the lone striker or as a winger in his
4-3-3.

Off the pitch, Shevchenko — who was shy and unassuming in his early
years at the San Siro — has developed into a strong, silent leader.
Not coincidentally, he watched Milan's final home game of the season
not from the comfort of the sidelines (he was injured anyway), but
from the Curva Sud, surrounded by Milan's hardcore Ultras supporters.

It was his way of giving thanks. And, last night, on one of the Ultras
internet message boards, they showed their appreciation: "Sheva: you
will always be one of us. Abramovich: you got yourself a legend. Treat
him well and he will make you the happiest man alive."

Which, no doubt, is precisely why Chelsea signed him.

MONEY MAKERS

The world's most expensive signings

Zinédine Zidane
Juventus to Real Madrid £45.62m 2001

Luis Figo
Barcelona to Real Madrid £37m 2000

Hernán Crespo
Parma to Lazio £35.4m 2000

Gianluigi Buffon
Parma to Juventus £32.6m 2001

Christian Vieri
Lazio to Inter Milan £32m 1999

Andriy Shevchenko
AC Milan to Chelsea, £31m 2006

Rio Ferdinand
Leeds Utd to Man Utd £29.1m 2002

It's true?
thanks






_______________________________________________________________________________
Apakah Anda Yahoo!?
Kunjungi halaman depan Yahoo! Indonesia yang baru!
http://beta.id.yahoo.com/

feel free to point out any errors
I'll update this as transfers occur ...



All times BST

9 June
1700: BBC Ballack and Huth v Costa Rica

10 June
1400: BBC Terry Lampard Cole and Bridge v Paraguay
2000: ITV Hernan Crespo v Didier Drogba

11 June
1400: BBC Serbia & Montenegro v Arjen Robben
2000: ITV Angola v Ferreira, Carvalho and Maniche

12 June
1700: BBC USA v Petr Cech
2000: BBC Italy v Michael Essien

13 June
1700: BBC Gallas and Makelele v Switzerland

14 June

1400: ITV Asier del Horno v Ukraine
2000: BBC Ballack and Huth v Poland

15 June
1700: ITV Terry Lampard Cole and Bridge v Trinidad and Tobago

16 June
1400: BBC Hernan Crespo v Serbia & Montenegro
1700: ITV Arjen Robben v Didier Drogba

17 June
1400: BBC Ferreira, Carvalho and Maniche v Iran
1700: ITV Petr Cech v Michael Essien

18 June
2000: BBC Gallas and Makelele v South Korea

19 June
2000: BBC Asier del Horno v Tunisia

20 June
1500: ITV Ecuador v Ballack and Huth
2000: ITV Sweden v Terry Lampard Cole and Bridge

21 June
1500: ITV Ferreira, Carvalho and Maniche v Mexico
2000: ITV Arjen Robben v Hernan Crespo / Didier Drogba v Serbia

22 June
1500: BBC Petr Cech v Italy / Michael Essien v USA

23 June
1500: BBC Saudi Arabia v Asier del Horno
2000: BBC Togo v Gallas and Makelele

Hi everybody we are playtime. we are a band, and love Chelsea Fc. We
made a new song for chelsea and it's called Stand up for the champions.
it rocks!
you can play a sample from i-tune (search for playtime) or you can
check it out at Virgin megastore in fulham,
we also would like to thank everybody at the parade who supported the
song.
Our tribute to Chelsea FC was successfully launched on 14/5/06.
We are proud to announce that it was the best seller of the day at
virgin megastore in fulham!!!
If you didn't hear at the parade, go and check it out! Play it loud!
hope you like it.

Hugh & Marina
playtime productions

--------------------------------------------------------------------
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/chelseamatchdaychat Chelsea --

++

Thanks to all our members for another great season...Champions again,
and hopefully a repeat next year.

Thanks to Dfer and BCWildcatjohn for stepping in with audio when mine
failed or dropped during a match.

Speaking of audio, it looks like Yahoo are no longer supporting it
within their Chat rooms. Thanks for the advance notice Yahoo, damn you.

So, I'll be looking into alternative methods of broadcasting. If
anyone has suggestions, feel free to post.

Watch this space.

Enjoy your summer.


M.

_____________________________________________________________________

http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/chelseamatchdaychat/

http://www.yahoo.com

===================================

http://www.hotmail.com - Free email

===================================

_____________________________________________________________________
End
_____________________________________________________________________

Newcastle's rise under Roeder throws open the back door to Europe

Michael Walker at St James' Park
Monday May 8, 2006
The Guardian


Some end of season knockabout this. There were thrills, spills, blood
and cuts, and after it was all done, bellyaching from Chelsea and
hysterical celebrating from Newcastle United. Never has the Intertoto
Cup meant so much to so many. It is a sign of the times: two years ago
Newcastle's players were booed off for finishing fifth.
Upgraded to a shorter, more direct route to the Uefa Cup, the
Intertoto Cup means that Newcastle are now two ties away from the Uefa
Cup proper and had anyone suggested such a thing on the night of
February 1 when they were being trounced by Manchester City, they
would have been carted off.

Belatedly, Graeme Souness was sacked the next day and Glenn Roeder's
caretaking has since produced 32 points from a possible 45. Michael
Owen has been available for 29 minutes of the 15 matches Roeder has
overseen. Alan Shearer, Scott Parker and Kieron Dyer have all fallen
injured. And the League Managers' Association still says Roeder needs
a certificate.
That bleak February morning Newcastle were 15th; yesterday's win meant
they finished seventh. In prize money alone that is around £4m. No
wonder the Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd is lobbying his
counterparts in his effort to appoint Roeder full-time.

"We'll wait and see what happens," said Roeder, adding of his critics,
"the way I was brought up was: If you can't say something good, say
nothing."

He was rather more effusive on what the Intertoto Cup means for
Newcastle - "It is immensely important, financially and for our fans"
- and on how he and the club have turned the season around.
"Confidence: winning at Villa, after winning at home to Portsmouth,
brought confidence and happiness back to the place."

But if Roeder was pleased, his opposite number was the opposite. Jose
Mourinho probably feared the worst when Carlo Cudicini was carried off
in the warm-up, leaving Chelsea with four substitutes. When two goals
were disallowed, correctly, Mourinho's mood deteriorated, but it was
on the hour when he decided it was time to give up.

That was the moment when Arjen Robben was cynically felled by the
former Chelsea player Celestine Babayaro. Robben was in full flight
and speeding towards Shay Given's area unmarked when Babayaro clipped
his trailing foot. A braver referee than Mike Riley would have
produced a red card. Riley showed Babyaro a yellow. "Babayaro is a red
card in every country, in every division, on every pitch," said
Mourinho. "People can think that because you're champions, you don't
deserve respect."

His opinion was understandable. Newcastle are not a dirty side but
Craig Moore persistently fouled Robben, while Stephen Carr was
dismissed for a perceived stamp on Lassana Diarra. That left Newcastle
down to ten men with 15 minutes remaining but, crucially, two minutes
before that Titus Bramble had swivelled on to a header from Amdy Faye
and hit a screeching volley past Cudicini's stand-in Lenny Pidgeley.

News had filtered through that Bolton were one up and so Newcastle had
to win. Losing Nolberto Solano after half an hour was far from ideal,
and makeshift though Chelsea were Newcastle struggled. Bramble's was
their first shot on target. But it was enough to take Newcastle into
the fringes of European football and inflicted upon Chelsea their
first back-to-back league defeats under Mourinho.

Man of the match Lassana Diarra (Chelsea)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
----------------------------------------

Indy:

Newcastle 1 Chelsea 0: Bramble's winner proves to be thorn in the side
of Chelsea
By Simon Rushworth
Published: 08 May 2006
Michael Owen made a welcome appearance at St James' Park as Newcastle
United sealed their place in this summer's Intertoto Cup but the fact
that the England striker was wearing his best suit, rather than his No
10 shirt, will be of great concern to Sven Goran Eriksson.

Negotiating a post-season lap of honour is quite different to
contesting a World Cup fixture against Paraguay and time is running
out for a former European Footballer of the Year desperate to take his
place on football's greatest stage. Newcastle's caretaker manager
Glenn Roeder, who is facing his own summer of uncertainty, was guarded
in his suggestion that there is still a possibility Owen will play a
key role in Germany.

"Michael didn't make the bench against Chelsea because he wasn't 100
per cent happy with his foot," explained Roeder. "He's done some light
training this week but there's still a dull ache which is troubling
him.

"There have been no more visits to the surgeon, no more scans and no
more x-rays and it is just a case of being patient. There is still
time for him to make the World Cup. Until Michael has played a couple
of 90-minute games without any reaction it would only be natural to
worry. There has to be some concern but there's no need to be
hysterical."

Owen has been told to forget a cameo during Alan Shearer's benefit
match on Thursday but Eriksson is keen to include the former Liverpool
striker against Belarus in an England B match at Madejski Stadium on
25 May.

Owen's absence from Roeder's 16 against Chelsea utterly overshadowed a
fixture which exploded after a tame first half. Newcastle central
defender Titus Bramble's 73rd minute winner was cruel on the visitors
but when, minutes later, full back Stephen Carr was shown a red card
for a challenge on Blues' midfielder Lassana Diarra the champions
failed to capitalise.

If Carr was correctly dismissed then Mourinho was adamant the full
back should have been joined in the dressing room by colleagues
Celestine Babayaro and Jean-Alain Boumsong.

Babayaro escaped with a caution after tripping Arjen Robben with the
Dutchman through on goal, while Boumsong charged into the Chelsea
defender, Ricardo Carvalho, when attempting to clear a corner.

"Arjen is lucky that he is still going to the World Cup," said
Mourinho. "Babayaro's was a red card offence in any country, in any
division and on any pitch. Boumsong would have conceded a penalty in
any country, in any division and on any pitch. He didn't look for the
ball and just jumped into Carvalho.

"People cannot think that just because we are champions we don't want
to win. We want the same chances as our opponents, that is all. This
was not a normal game of football.

Goal: Bramble (73) 1-0.

Newcastle (4-4-2): Given; Carr, Moore, Bramble, Babayaro; Solano
(Boumsong, 31), Faye, Emre, N'Zogbia; Ameobi, Chopra (Clark, 78).
Substitutes not used: Harper, Elliott, Pattison.

Chelsea (5-4-1): Pidgeley; Johnson, Huth (Wright-Phillips, 46),
Carvalho (Smith, 81), Gallas, Ferreira; J Cole, Maniche, Diarra,
Robben; Duff (C Cole, 46). Substitutes not used: Mancienne.

Booked: Chelsea Maniche, Carvalho. Newcastle N'Zogbia, Babayaro, Emre, Moore.

Sent off: Newcastle Carr .

Referee: M Riley (Leeds).

Man of the match: Maniche.

Attendance: 52,309

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
----------------------------------------
Telegraph:

Newcastle resurgence completed by Bramble

Newcastle United (0) 1 Chelsea (0) 0

After what could be his last Premiership game in charge at St James'
Park, Newcastle caretaker manager Glenn Roeder celebrated the
completion of a remarkable resurgence under his auspices this season
that has secured his club a passport to European football.


Point to prove: Glenn Roeder ends his current tenure with a win
Roeder, whose lack of requisite credentials means he will only be able
to take the manager's job on a long-term basis if two-thirds of
Premier League chairmen give him their blessing next month, provided
them with plenty of food for thought.

Thanks to Roeder's astute stewardship, Newcastle beat Bolton to
seventh spot in the Premiership and a place in next season's InterToto
Cup which should pave the way to a Uefa Cup campaign thanks to a
brilliantly executed volley by the much-maligned Titus Bramble.

"Things weren't looking too clever in February," Roeder said. "We have
come from nowhere. There is happiness around the place. It's a shame
the season is finishing."

He continued: "European football is immensely important for a club
like Newcastle. Our fans rightly expect it. The fact we have a chance
of playing in the Uefa Cup gives us more of an edge in attracting
other players because they know there is a good chance they will in a
European competition."

Bramble's scissor-kicked goal in the 73rd minute enabled Newcastle to
record their 10th League victory in 15 outings since Roeder took
charge and complete a remarkable turnaround in fortunes for a club
languishing in 15th place when Graeme Souness was sacked in February.

Bramble acrobatically struck the decisive goal six yards out after
Amdy Faye had risen highest to nod Emre's corner back into the
goalmouth and past Lenny Pidgeley who was called upon to make his full
debut when Carlo Cudicini suffered an ankle injury during the warm-up.

Beforehand, Celestine Babayaro had been lucky to escape a red card
when he tripped up Arjen Robben as he sped clear of the defence, and
Chelsea already had two 'goals' ruled out for offside and seen Maniche
strike a post immediately before one of those incidents.

As he reflected on a second successive league defeat for the first
time since he arrived at Chelsea, manager Jose Mourinho poured scorn
on referee Mike Riley's performance.

"The referee didn't do what he should do," Mourinho said. "Babayaro's
tackle on Robben is a red card in every country, in every division, on
every pitch."

Newcastle were reduced to 10 men in the 75th minute when Riley
dismissed Stephen Carr, apparently for kicking the prostrate Lassana
Diarra although the decision seemed harsh.

Match details

Newcastle (4-4-2): Given; Carr, Moore, Bramble, Babayaro; Solano
(Boumsong 31), Faye, Emre, N'Zogbia; Chopra (Clark 77), Ameobi. Subs:
Harper (g), Elliott, Pattison.
Booked: N'Zogbia, Babayaro, Emre.
Sent off: Carr
Chelsea (4-3-2-1): Pidgeley; Johnson, Huth (Wright-Phillips h-t),
Carvalho (Smith 81), Gallas; Diarra, Maniche, Ferreira; J Cole, Duff
(C Cole h-t); Robben.
Sub: Mancienne.
Booked: Carvalho, Gallas.
Referee: M Riley (West Yorkshire).
Att: 52,309
Man of the match: Charles N'Zogbia (Newcastle).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
----------------------------------------
Times:

Bramble cuts to chase for Roeder
By George Caulkin

Newcastle 1 Chelsea 0




THE SEASON ENDED WITH THE world's richest football club unable to name
a full complement of substitutes, Newcastle United qualifying for
Europe and José Mourinho due some sympathy, but normality was not
wholly disregarded yesterday. Mike Riley sent off a Newcastle player
for the fourth match in succession, Mourinho railed against authority
and Chelsea remained locked in what, for the double champions, passes
for a slump.

Mourinho signed off for the summer in signature style, dismantling the
hapless performance of Riley, who failed to send off Celestine
Babayaro for a cynical trip on Arjen Robben, after 60 minutes.
"Newcastle did this game, Chelsea did this game and the referee didn't
do what he should," he said. "It was a red card in every country,
every division, on every pitch."



Instead, Riley succeeded in riling everybody, directing Stephen Carr
back to the dressing-room for a debatable stamp on Lassana Diarra, who
Mourinho suggested is now "ready" to challenge Michael Essien and
Claude Makelele for a starting position. "I just want referees to be
the same for everybody," the Portuguese said.

For the first time under Mourinho's leadership, Chelsea lost
successive league matches. They had two goals ruled offside and the
manager insisted a late challenge by Jean-Alain Boumsong on Ricardo
Carvalho was a "clear penalty," but a young and depleted side —
weakened further by the twisted ankle suffered by Carlo Cudicini in
the pre-match warm-up — were not worthy of victory.

Newcastle were not greatly accomplished either but they, too, were
sapped by the absence of Michael Owen, Alan Shearer, Scott Parker, Lee
Bowyer, Kieron Dyer, Steven Taylor and the early departure of Nolberto
Solano. The circumstances, and those inherited by Glenn Roeder three
months ago, earned them the unlikely reward bestowed upon them when
Titus Bramble spun to volley home Amady Faye's header.

Seventh and a place in the Intertoto Cup would once have been regarded
as humiliation for Tyneside — two years ago Newcastle were booed off
after finishing fifth — but St James' Park throbbed with pleasure. The
crowd's reaction reflected an entertaining game, crammed with error
and endeavour, but also the recovery engineered by Roeder, the
caretaker manager.

Newcastle were fifteenth in the table and canoodling with relegation
when Graeme Souness was dismissed. Roeder is certain to be confirmed
as Souness's full-time replacement — Freddy Shepherd is adamant
two-thirds of Premiership chairmen will vote to circumvent rule which
insist managers must hold the Pro Licence coaching qualification — and
while he lacks the stellar reputation of Martin O'Neill, his approach
has been meticulous, sensible, committed and intelligent.

Under Roeder, Owen has played for 29 minutes and Shearer has missed
the last three matches, yet Newcastle have still mustered 32 points
from a possible 45. It is Champions League form, which, coupled with
his experience at West Ham United, should override bureaucracy. "I
can't speak highly enough about the players," he said. "Everyone has
played their part."

After a season without it, Europe beckons. Newcastle will enter the
Uefa Cup at the second qualifying round stage provided they overcome a
Norwegian, Northern Irish or Icelandic team in a two-legged Intertoto
fixture in mid-July.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
----------------------------------------

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The Guardian

Chelsea beaten as Blackburn ease into Europe

Louise Taylor at Ewood Park
Wednesday May 3, 2006

It takes quite a lot to persuade patrons of the Darwen End to dance on
their seats but Blackburn's fans did just that last night. One of the
Premiership's traditionally quieter venues was transformed into a wall
of sound as, by securing sixth place and its attendant Uefa Cup slot,
Rovers put themselves back on the European map. It was very much Mark
Hughes's evening but, not for the first time, the home manager found
some of his limelight stolen by Jose Mourinho.
Outraged at Steve Bennett's failure to award the Champions what he
believed to be three clear penalties - respectively featuring Lucas
Neill's arguable trip on Shaun Wright-Phillips and Zurab
Khizanishvili's foul on Frank Lampard before Aaron Mokoena's late tug
on Hernán Crespo - Chelsea's manager launched into some typically
over-the-top post-match comments.
Though most observers though Wright-Phillips and Lampard had dived -
although Mokoena was lucky to get away with his shirt-pull - Mourinho
insisted his anger would have been unconfined had the title not been
already nailed: "If today I needed points to be champion it would be
the end of my career because I would be suspended for ever. My fingers
are not enough to tell you how many penalties we don't have this
season - referees look at Chelsea with very different eyes.

"I was laughing about it afterwards but we came here with a big
respect for the Premiership and I can't imagine what people in
Newcastle [Blackburn's rivals for a Uefa Cup place] are saying. It was
not a proper game of football."

At least Mourinho, who fell out with Hughes after a fractious meeting
between these sides here 15 months ago when the Portuguese claimed
Blackburn tried to "intimidate" his players, was generous in his
praise for a much-evolved Blackburn. "They deserve so much to be in
the Uefa Cup," he said. "They have done brilliantly. They play
different ways, have players with big personalities and are so
different to 18 months ago when they were down at the bottom."

Mourinho made seven changes from the team that started on Saturday but
the line-up still included nine internationals, while three more
warmed the bench. Refusing to be cowed, Craig Bellamy seized the early
limelight by proving that even Champions are petrified by his pace and
only Ricardo Carvalho's timely interception stopped his volley from
heading towards the top corner.

That opening came from Steven Reid's cross, the makeshift right-back
pushed into his unfamiliar role after injuries forced Mark Hughes into
a defensive reshuffle involving Lucas Neill relocating to centre half.
Like Reid, Morten Gamst Pedersen is admired by Manchester United and
his cross allowed the stretching Bellamy to flick the ball on to the
underside of the bar, David Bentley heading the rebound tantalisingly
wide.

Just as Bentley never quite managed to break through at Arsenal,
Wright-Phillips - watched by his old Manchester City manager Stuart
Pearce here - has made heavy weather of his first season at Chelsea
and, with his international aspirations fading fast, must have been
hoping to make the most of this rare start. Yet, bar that forlorn
penalty appeal and an exhilarating, marker-defying run which concluded
in an unfortunate collision with Neill, he had limited opportunities
to impress before limping off.

By then Chelsea were trailing to a goal conceded after Geremi was
booked for handling a Pedersen cross and Robbie Savage stepped forward
to take the free- kick near the left corner flag. His delivery proved
impeccable, the ball's flight eluding Mourinho's packed defence and
leaving Carlo Cudicini snatching at thin air as it bent towards the
far corner, apparently taking a slight deflection off Reid, who was
credited with the strike. "It was, obviously, a fantastic ball into
the box," enthused Savage.

Suitably stung Mourinho replaced Asier Del Horno with Damien Duff and
the Irishman received a warm welcome from his former fans, who endured
an anxious moment when Brad Friedel did well to repel a volley from
Eidur Gudjohnsen, who had earlier struck an upright.

Geremi, already booked for handling, later cynically hacked Pedersen
but Bennett's blind eye enabled Mourinho to keep 11 men on the field.
Granted, the referee really should have pointed to the spot after
Mokoena's late indiscretion but few could deny Blackburn a place in
the sun at the end of a season Hughes described as "an absolutely huge
effort".

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----------------------------------------

Indy:

Blackburn Rovers 1 Chelsea 0: Mourinho's players pay the penalty for
theatrics as Rovers book European tour
By Andy Hunter
Published: 03 May 2006
Jose Mourinho is a stranger to defeat, as he reminded the public on
Saturday by repeatedly referring to his four successive league titles
while Chelsea celebrated their second championship at Stamford Bridge,
but what he would give to lose his club's reputation as masters of the
theatrical.

Some reputations, of course, are harder to shed than others. Blackburn
Rovers have undergone such a transformation since Mark Hughes arrived
at Ewood Park 19 months ago that not only has their image as the
bruisers of the Premiership softened, but the relegation fears that
confronted the former Wales manager in September 2004 were last night
replaced by qualification for the Uefa Cup. His Chelsea counterpart,
meanwhile, could only curse the perception that many of his own
players have promoted but which cost them the chance to break their
own Premiership points record.

The champions, trailing to Steven Reid's 43rd-minute header, were
refused three clear second-half penalties by referee Steve Bennett as
Blackburn held on to the three points that guaranteed sixth place and
a return to Europe after a three-year absence. On each occasion, the
Chelsea player involved maximised the effect of the opposing player's
touch, but on each occasion an offence had been committed. Mourinho
said: "Last season when Blackburn came to Stamford Bridge they were
bottom of the league and now, 18 months later, they are in the Uefa
Cup, and because they deserve to be in Europe I don't think they
deserved to finish the job in this way. This was not a proper game of
football. We had three penalties, we didn't get one. I can laugh now
because we are champions. I am happy we didn't come here needing
points for the championship otherwise this would be my last game in
England. I'd be suspended forever."

Mourinho's complaints commenced once his makeshift side, improved by
the half-time introduction of Damien Duff for the ineffective Asier
Del Horno, rediscovered their usual rhythm in the second half to force
Blackburn on the defensive for the first time. In the 62nd minute, a
clumsy challenge from Lucas Neill felled Shaun Wright-Phillips, then
Zurab Khizanishvili left a flailing leg in the path of Frank Lampard
and, most blatantly, substitute Aaron Mokoena pulled Hernan Crespo to
the floor. The Chelsea manager, however, would not entertain the idea
that doubt had been placed in the mind of Bennett by previous
over-elaboration from his men.

Moruinho said: "People all around the world watch this league and it
has a lot of prestige but decisions like this are not good. I have
positive feelings about English referees, they are human who can make
mistakes, but I think they look at Chelsea through different eyes."

Sven Goran Eriksson must have watched this game from behind his
fingers once he discovered that Mourinho had not rested Frank Lampard.
In a side fielding eight changes to the defeat of Manchester United,
disruption was inevitable and allowed Blackburn, with their pace down
the flanks, to dominate the first half.

David Bentley had wasted a glorious chance to head Hughes' side in
front in the 27th minute when Craig Bellamy diverted Michael Gray's
cross on to the crossbar and the rebound dropped perfectly for the
unmarked Blackburn midfielder. From just four yards out, however, he
managed to steer his effort wide of Carlo Cudicini's far post.

The reprieve for Bentley arrived two minutes before the interval when
Geremi handled, and Robbie Savage swung the subsequent free-kick over
the heads of a crowded penalty area and into the far corner. Savage,
not surprisingly, claimed the goal, although his delivery took the
slightest of touches off the head of Reid.

The second half was all about good fortune for Blackburn, and when
Bennett ended the proceedings Ewood erupted in euphoria. There were no
medals thrown into the stands but Hughes had good reason to replicate
Mourinho's title winning celebrations at the Bridge. "This was a huge
effort and to beat great champions on our home turf is a great
achievement," he added. The final word, of course, belonged to his
opposite number. When told of the rumour that his Premiership medal
was selling on eBay for £10m, Mourinho said: "If that was true I would
sell last year's medal."

Blackburn Rovers (4-4-2): Friedel; Reid (Mokoena, 73), Khizanishvili,
Neill, Gray; Bentley, Savage, Tugay (Peter, 85), Pedersen;
Sinama-Pongolle (Kuqi, 85), Bellamy. Substitutes not used: Enckelman
(gk), Dickov.

Chelsea (4-3-3): Cudicini; Geremi (C Cole, 77), Gallas, Carvalho, Del
Horno (Duff, h-t); Maniche, Diarra, Lampard; Wright-Phillips (J Cole,
64), Crespo, Gudjohnsen. Substitutes not used: Pidgeley (gk), Johnson.

Referee: S.Bennett (Kent).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
---------------------------------------
Telegraph:

Blackburn grab European place
By William Johnson  (Filed: 03/05/2006)
Blackburn Rovers (1) 1 Chelsea (0) 0

Blackburn Rovers took full advantage of Chelsea retaining the title
with two matches to spare to secure the victory they needed to bring
European football back to Ewood Park next season.

The clinching of sixth place in the Premiership completes a
magnificent rebuilding operation at the club by Mark Hughes, who took
charge last season with the team fighting to avoid relegation.

After the combined efforts of Robbie Savage and Steven Reid had
produced the 43rd-minute winner to inflict a fourth Premiership defeat
of the season on a Chelsea side who dominated the second half, the
Rovers faithful celebrated the realisation of what, 18 months ago,
looked an impossible dream.

Hughes predictably deflected the praise for the splendid achievement
away from himself and on to his players who, he said, have responded
superbly to his demands since he arrived as a replacement for Graeme
Souness in September 2004.

"It has been a huge effort by everybody," said a delighted Hughes.
"And to have earned the points we needed against a Chelsea team who
are great champions is even more satisfying. A Uefa Cup place will
help us in the recruitment of new players next season and I don't
expect any of our current squad to want to leave now."

Jose Mourinho, Chelsea's manager, praised Blackburn for their
impressive rise under Hughes but was less gracious in accepting the
way they crossed the European finishing line, courtesy of what he
regarded to be over-sympathetic officiating by referee Steve Bennett.

"I can laugh about it because I am champion," said Mourinho. "But I
don't think the people in Newcastle will be laughing," he added
referring to Rovers' principal rivals for the remaining Uefa Cup
place.

"If I had come here needing points for the championship my career in
England might have ended tonight because I probably would have been
banned forever," reflected Mourinho on the rejection of three strong
penalty appeals.

The first was for a trip on Shaun Wright-Phillips by Lucas Neill; the
second was when Frank Lampard - captain of a team showing eight
changes from that which clinched the title on Saturday - went
sprawling under the challenge of Zurab Khizanishvili; and the third
was for blatant shirt-pulling by substitute Aaron Mokoena on Hernan
Crespo.

"I am running out of fingers in counting how many penalties we have
been denied this season," concluded Mourinho at the end of a
frustrating evening. "The referees in England are honest people but I
feel they look at Chelsea through different eyes."

Fortune also favoured Blackburn in the moment that sealed their big
prize - a moment which did little credit to Carlo Cudicini, Chelsea's
under-employed reserve goalkeeper.

The Italian was left flailing at thin air as Savage's free-kick,
whipped over from the left after Geremi had been penalised and
cautioned for handling a Morten Gamst Pedersen cross, found its way
into the far corner of the net, aided by the faintest of touches by
Reid. Both sides had come agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock
before that fortuitous strike.

Craig Bellamy, whose electrifying pace was a frequent worry to the
Chelsea rearguard, cleverly flicked a Pedersen cross on to the
crossbar and David Bentley somehow contrived to head the rebound wide
of an empty net.

A similar misfortune befell Chelsea when a Geremi cross was met by the
outstretched leg of Eidur Gudjohnsen, the ball striking the foot of an
upright with Brad Friedel well beaten. This time the rebound evaded
the in-coming Crespo.

Chelsea also went close when Geremi directed a fierce shot just past a
post, while Blackburn responded when Bellamy set up Pedersen only for
the midfielder to slice his shot well wide. Gudjohnsen almost
equalised for Chelsea in the opening moments of the second half but
Friedel was more alert than the defenders in front of him to deal with
a neat volley.

Match details

Blackburn (4-4-2): Friedel; Reid (Mokoena 72), Khizanishvili, Neill,
Gray; Bentley, Savage, Tugay (Peter 86), Pedersen; Sinama-Pongolle
(Kuqi 86), Bellamy.
Subs: Enckelman (g), Dickov.
Booked: Savage, Gray.
Chelsea (4-4-2): Cudicini; Geremi (C Cole 76), Gallas, Carvalho, Del
Horno (Duff h-t); Wright-Phillips (J Cole 62), Maniche, Diarra,
Lampard; Crespo, Gudjohnsen.
Subs: Pidgeley (g), Johnson.
Booked: Geremi, Duff.
Referee: S Bennett (Kent).

• Man of the Match: Craig Bellamy (Blackburn).

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
---------------------------------------

Times:

Mourinho's gibes fail to spoil party for Rovers
By Peter Lansley



ON THE night that Blackburn Rovers celebrated their return to European
football, it was still impossible for José Mourinho to steer clear of
the spotlight. The Chelsea manager joked that he would have been
"suspended for ever" if he had needed points from this game to seal
the title after Steve Bennett, the referee, rejected three penalty
appeals to leave Mark Hughes's team assured of a top-six place in the
Barclays Premiership.

Steven Reid's goal shortly before half-time gave Blackburn the lead
they deserved, and that ultimately took them back into the Uefa Cup,
18 months after they resided at the bottom of the table. But as an
understrength Chelsea team were denied the clearest route to an
equalising goal in the latter stages, Mourinho admitted that he was
able to laugh only because he was not relying upon a result.



"Blackburn deserve a lot to be in the Uefa Cup," Mourinho said, "but
they deserve to be in it in a different way. Tonight was not a proper
game of football. How many penalties? I was laughing because I am a
champion but I imagine in Newcastle how they think."

Newcastle United cannot now qualify for Europe.

"All over the world this league has prestige and people look at the
Premiership but this is not good for its image. We came here with
respect. Blackburn played a good first half, they defended in the
second half and we played well but the third team [the officials] had
a bad day.

"If today I need points to be a champion, I think it would have been
the end of my career because I would be suspended for ever. I spoke
with him [Bennett] but with laughter. If I do something stupid now, it
creates a problem for the future. I prefer to laugh and forget."

Bennett could have awarded penalties against Lucas Neill for his
challenge on Shaun Wright-Phillips, who was otherwise quiet on his
first start for six weeks, for Zurab Khizanishvili's clumsy tackle on
Frank Lampard and for Aaron Moekena's tug of Hernán Crespo's shirt.
"The strongest one? Crespo," Mourinho snorted. "It's ridiculous. The
linesman had a completely free picture."

Blackburn had played with a panache that befitted their status in the
first period. Chelsea may have fulfilled their ambitions on Saturday,
retaining their title with a 3-0 victory over Manchester United, but
last night should have been more about whether Hughes's team could
achieve theirs. Craig Bellamy and Eidur Gudjohnsen both struck
woodwork but when Gérémi handled Morten Gamst Pedersen's cross, at the
cost of a caution, Robbie Savage swerved a centre dangerously towards
goal for Reid to divert into the net with the slightest of headers.

Although Chelsea gradually reasserted themselves after the belated
arrivals of Damien Duff, the former Blackburn winger, and Joe Cole,
Blackburn defended resolutely — if occasionally fortuitously. "I
remember we played them at Stamford Bridge when they were bottom of
the league and one and a half years later they are in the Uefa Cup,"
Mourinho said. "I think they play much better. As a team they did
brilliantly. They play with fast people in attack, good
counter-attacking and solid defence. They deserve to be where they
are."

"To finish sixth above some big, big clubs is a major achievement,"
Savage said. Hughes added: "It's taken a huge effort from everyone and
I'm absolutely delighted. This evening, to be able to go up against
great champions with their great squad and get this result was a great
effort."

BLACKBURN ROVERS (4-4-2): B Friedel — S Reid (sub: A Mokoena, 73min),
L Neill, Z Khizanishvili, M Gray — D Bentley, R Savage, Tugay
Kerimoglu (sub: S Peter, 85), M G Pedersen — F Sinama Pongolle (sub: S
Kuqi, 85), C Bellamy. Substitutes not used: P Enckelman, P Dickov.
Booked: Savage, Gray.

CHELSEA (4-3-3): C Cudicini — Gérémi (sub: C Cole, 77), W Gallas, R
Carvalho, A Del Horno (sub: D Duff, 46) — N Maniche, L Diarra, F
Lampard — S Wright-Phillips (sub: J Cole, 64), H Crespo, E Gudjohnsen.
Substitutes not used: L Pidgeley, G Johnson. Booked: Gérémi, Duff.

Referee: S Bennett.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
------------------------------------

Woof. Dfer is in Anchorage. Gotta newborn cub crying alotta and a
frazzled family trying to cope. Dfer won't be able to set up Yahoo
messagenger conferences dis season for da last two games cos not at
home and not got access to a puter full time. Dis could be possible
next season if Yahoo don't restore chat in Groups. Da good news is
Dfer can see da Blackburn game on da TV cos Fox is showing it, If Dfer
stays quiet wiv da volume down low so not to start da new cub off
again. News of da Man U game kinda filtered though to us up here and
Dfer hadda celebration bag of Beef Jerky (hicory Smoked). Woof woof
and keep in contact youse lot. Woof woof for now.

Chelsea shoulder to shoulder as they seal back-to-back titles

The Observer
Amy Lawrence at Stamford Bridge
Sunday April 30, 2006

You wait 50 years for a title and then two come along in as many
years. For the five-year-old boy who was here to witness his first
Chelsea match, how do you begin to explain that hoisting the
Premiership trophy courtesy of a swaggering 3-0 victory over
Manchester United does not happen every year?
'Back to back' was the theme of the day and Chelsea made sure they
retained their title with authority and style. From back to front
there were immense performances worthy of a championship crowning
occasion. John Terry, who caught a hefty knock from the boot of Wayne
Rooney in the first 10 minutes, battled heroically through the pain
and ended up hobbling. But nothing would stop the captain from being
on the pitch as the final whistle blew on his second title.

In midfield, Claude Makelele's performance demonstrated why Chelsea
are ahead of the game compared with Manchester United. The visiting
team were never able to get any kind of grip, with a central midfield
partnership of Ryan Giggs and John O'Shea overwhelmed as the Frenchman
dictated intelligently. Games such as this mark him out as Roman
Abramovich's most influential gift to Chelsea.
Farther forward, Joe Cole was inspired. A constant thorn down Gary
Neville's side, his vibrant display was crowned with the goal that
made sure that this would be Chelsea's day. The celebrations were
inclusive enough for Jose Mourinho to launch a couple of winner's
medals into the crowd as thanks for their support during the
astonishing home run that has underpinned this campaign - two points
frittered away out of 54 is an awesome statistic.

And so United were bystanders to a Premiership party for the second
time in five seasons. But that worry was overshadowed when Rooney was
carried off on a stretcher with eight minutes remaining, having landed
awkwardly under pressure from Paulo Ferreira's challenge. Clearly in
pain, his right leg was strapped and foot supported and it was a
disquieting sight.

Rooney was United's central threat, but once the home team got
themselves an early foothold, they were always chasing the champions.
Chelsea surged ahead in the fifth minute from a set piece. Frank
Lampard's corner was helped on by Didier Drogba and with the defence
in disarray, William Gallas was alone, unmarked, with the goal at his
mercy. Gleefully, he sent a header past Edwin van der Sar. Mourinho's
reaction? To sit motionless, expressionless, as Stamford Bridge burst
to life around him.

United's response was vigorous enough. They were furious that referee
Mike Dean had not stopped play during the attack that forced the
corner, adamant that Cristiano Ronaldo had been fouled. An eventful
opening 10 minutes became even more heated when Terry was gashed
during a full blooded 50-50 tackle with Rooney. The United striker
then clattered Ferreira but escaped a booking.

Chelsea were dominant, until Rooney endeavoured to rouse United. A
virtuoso run of wilful determination left Terry and Ricardo Carvalho
in his wake and Ferreira on his backside, but having done the hard
work, when it came to the finish he screwed a golden chance wide.
Mourinho's cajoling ensured that Chelsea finished off their opponents.

'I told the players before the match we can't allow a team to come
here and take away the cup,' he said. 'It's ours. We deserve it.' Cole
was as psyched up as anybody to fulfil his manager's prophesy. He
launched a skilful attempt to put the game beyond United's reach with
an audacious chip, but the ball drifted narrowly wide of the far post.

Cometh the hour, cometh the moment. Petr Cech's enormous bowled throw
was chested on by Drogba towards Cole. The England midfielder tricked
his way past Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic and sidefooted the ball
forcefully into the net. This time Mourinho did allow himself a moment
of celebration, jumping up to shake his fists.

And then it became easy. Carvalho turned into Franz Beckenbauer,
beginning and ending a sweeping move that symbolised a spirit of
liberation in Mourinho's team. The Portugal defender, helped along the
way by Lampard and Cole, let fly with a swerving right-foot shot that
nestled inside the near post. 'Boring, boring Chelsea,' chorused the
faithful in the Matthew Harding stand.

The football world may be distracted by the FA's sequel to Mike
Bassett: England Manager, but this was compelling, dramatic and will
be remembered for a long time in west London. The man with the master
plan added to the show by discarding his sober black scarf for the red
and green of Portugal. It was one in the eye for Dave Richards, one of
the Soho Square bigwigs responsible for the 'Big Phil' fiasco, who was
handing over the medals.

Mourinho may bristle at a perceived lack of respect from English
football, but in this corner of London they know they are on to a good
thing. 'Back-to-back titles, but four consecutive titles,' cheered the
PA man as the manager came back out for the trophy presentation.
Mourinho for England, anyone?

MAN OF THE MATCH - Joe Cole
Claude Makelele showed why he is Chelsea's most important player, but
on a day for glory, Cole shone with stylish display and superb solo
goal.

Just like old times in this brave new world

Will Buckley
Sunday April 30, 2006
The Observer


Twenty-odd years ago, The Imperial Arms was the first and only
specialist pub in what was the shabbier part of the King's Road. There
being no football on Sundays, a diverse group would gather at
lunchtime for a pint, a game of pool and whatever entertainment was on
offer.
Down the road, the football team was struggling. Defeat at Oldham
would have consigned them a place that no longer exists (Division
Three). It was averted and thanks to John Neal and a team led by Kerry
Dixon, David Speedie and Pat Nevin, Chelsea returned to the top flight

Gentrification led to an inevitable transformation of the Imperial.
Out went the spit, sawdust and strippers and in came wine. In the
1990s, Matthew Harding used it as his base for his challenge to Ken
Bates for ownership of Chelsea, meeting with his pals for oysters and
Guinness before making mischief in the directors' box. His death
prevented him becoming chairman but he did cause enough agitation for
Chelsea to set their sights higher. Glenn Hoddle was hired, he bought
Ruud Gullit who bought Gianluca Vialli and a pattern was established
that culminated in Roman Abramovich purchasing the club.
Yesterday, the Imperial Arms returned to the early 1980s. It was
filled by Old Chelsea fans singing Old Chelsea songs, somewhat in the
manner of a fringe meeting at a Labour Conference attended by people
who, stubbornly, are still socialists.

It was the same in the neighbouring pubs as old faces in the Fulham
Tup sang 'Zigger Zagger'. Sadly, Wiggy's bar, opposite Fulham Broadway
Tube station, was closed. This used to be the pub of choice in the
days when big Chelsea European nights involved singing the praises of
Mark Stein ('Steino, there's only one Steino') for his achievements
against the likes of Tromso.

Ah well, there was still the euphoria of those who fling celery in
celebration, rather than stir it round their Virgin Marys, to be
enjoyed. Whether due to price or inclination a large number had chosen
to witness an achievement unique in Chelsea's history in the pubs that
abutted the ground.

It was a triumphal occasion. As soon as Joe Cole killed the match and
confirmed a consecutive Premiership the party began. Songs once sung
in hope and with irony ('We're by far the greatest team the world has
ever seen') were chanted as near fact. Familiar faces flitted by, one
senior in a flat cap I'm sure I last saw putting tuppence in the pint
pot at The Imperial and chuckling that it represented the best value
entertainment in London.

Of course, these victories have been achieved thanks to the most
generous benefactor in football. But whatever antipathy might be felt
towards the club and its sponsor, it seems churlish to begrudge the
good fortune of the fans to whom it means so much. Such is the way
with the modern media that the ease of Chelsea's triumph has left too
much time for whingeing about the disaster for football it may have
been.

Yet it is far too late for football to lock the door on capitalism.
And it is rather hypocritical for Arsene Wenger, who once described
winning the Champions League as as much of a lottery as the FA Cup, to
promote that tournament above the season-long test that is the
Premiership.

As the match moved into injury time, The Imperial rocked to a
sustained rendition of 'Let's go fucking mental'. I haven't heard or
seen such scenes since the best and worst of times in The Shed.
Joining in with gusto was flat cap. I've never seen him look so happy.

Next season they will go for the hat-trick of titles, a run of success
built on New Chelsea money with the support of Old Chelsea fans.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
----------------------------------------

Indy:

Chelsea 3 Manchester Utd 0: Rooney's world caves in as Chelsea canter to crown
Mourinho resignation claims reduced to sideshow as Cole wonder goal
ends United title challenge - but all the talk is about Wayne
By Steve Tongue at Stamford Bridge

Published: 30 April 2006

As the celebrations began in one part of west London early yesterday
afternoon, a pall hung over Soho Square. A desperate weekend for the
Football Association continued with serious concern that the foot
injury suffered by Wayne Rooney will keep him out of this summer's
World Cup. As England's most important forward heard the break would
keep him out for six weeks, the 10 stitches required by their key
defender, John Terry, seemed minor in comparison; and Jose Mourinho's
revelation that he had considered leaving Chelsea at the end of the
season paled almost into a sideshow.

If Mourinho feels understandably frustrated at not receiving
sufficient credit for winning his fourth successive domestic title,
imagine Sir Alex Ferguson's feelings on the way back to Manchester.
United, though suffering their first defeat in a dozen games, looked a
world away from offering the challenge that their manager has promised
for next season. Rooney was again his best player, despite missing the
clearest opportunity and committing at least three bad tackles,
including the one that left Terry limping for most of the match. There
was, however, no malice in the challenge by Paulo Ferreira 12 minutes
from the end which could have ended his season, and may have ended his
and England's World Cup hopes.

This was a comprehensive victory - for Mourinho's team, 3-0 is a
cricket score - completing an extraordinary home record of 18 wins and
one draw, the best in the top division for almost a century.
Liverpool, the other occasionally stuttering big red machine from up
north, could yet deprive United of second place, although Ferguson's
side appear to have the easier finish with home games against
Middlesbrough and Charlton this week.

Even if United had not dropped points at home to Sunderland on Good
Friday, there would have been no more serious doubt about the
destination of the title than there was last season, when Chelsea
secured it at Bolton a week earlier. At that stage they were midway
through the Champions' League semi-final against Liverpool, which
would be lost to Luis Garcia's "ghost" goal. After defeat by Barcelona
in the same competition last month, improvement next season can only
come by winning the competition.

Mourinho, in other words, will be expected to win the Premiership
again as a matter of course. He feels too much is taken for granted,
though there will be a few belly-laughs from members of the League
Managers' Association at his suggestion that "this is the worst club
in the world to be manager of". Yesterday was proof of a lesson
learned from the FA Cup semi-final defeat by Liverpool, even if he
refused publicly to acknowledge picking the wrong team. With a single
point required to retain the championship, he simply chose his best
players in their most successful formation and watched them dominate
the game.

Ferreira was where he belonged at right-back, with William Gallas on
the other flank. Ricardo Carvalho, his future in some doubt, played
alongside the ever-present Terry, and scored the third goal after
sprinting from his own penalty area. The midfield had a proper shape,
Arjen Robben and Joe Cole supplying the width, and the lively Didier
Drogba justified starting ahead of Hernan Crespo.

Even the crucial refereeing decisions went Chelsea's way. Frank
Lampard was allowed to get away with a dubious tackle to dispossess
the self-indulgent Cristiano Ronaldo in the third minute. From that
move, Chelsea won a corner, which Lampard flighted perfectly for
Carvalho to flick on and Gallas to head in.

Ryan Giggs and John O'Shea, a midfield combination that has to be
considered makeshift, never came to grips with Lampard, Michael Essien
and the ever-reliable Claude Makelele. Rooney's burst through the
middle after 22 minutes finished with a wayward shot, and his flicked
effort some 40 minutes later, held by Petr Cech, was United's only
other moment of hope. By that time, Cole had turned cleverly past Rio
Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic to beat Edwin van der Saar, effectively
securing the title.

Carvalho then scored the sort of goal which Stamford Bridge - indeed
the whole country - would like to see more often. Intercepting a cross
15 yards from his own goal, he raced forward to create a
four-against-three, pulling wide to receive Cole's pass and hammering
the ball past the goalkeeeper. The crowd went into full celebratory
mode and most had the decency to offer sympathetic applause as Rooney
was carried off on a stretcher, having fallen awkwardly and in intense
pain as Ferreira dispossessed him.

"Chelsea deserve to win the League," Ferguson said. "But if you lose
goals as soft as we have, you have to take your medicine." Rooney's
will have a dreadfully bitter taste this morning.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
----------------------------------------

Telegraph:

Chelsea in domestic bliss
By Patrick Barclay  (Filed: 30/04/2006)

In pics: Premiership action
Your View: Premiership forum


Chelsea (1) 3 Manchester United (0) 0

Any student of West London's public transport would recognise the
phenomenon. No championship for 50 years - and suddenly two come along
together.

But let no-one question the truly exceptional efficiency of the system
Jose Mourinho has created off the Fulham Road.


Singing the Blues: Chelsea players celebrate retaining the title after
a convincing victory over Man Utd

Chelsea took this title in a manner that erased any mirage of
red-tinged doubt as to their right to it. They rose to Manchester
United's brave prediction of an ever-closer challenge next season with
a stirring reassertion of the margin between the teams.

There were even some graceful words from Mourinho, who, having
reminded anyone still ignorant of his achievements that he now has
four consecutive national championships, the first pair with Porto,
added: "The result doesn't show how difficult Manchester United made
it for us. They were fantastic today.''

While the score may have been a shade harsh, an impressive set-piece
goal and two things of footballing beauty emphasised Chelsea's knack
of producing just what every Premiership occasion requires.

In Europe they may have bowed to the artistry of Barcelona, while in
their FA Cup semi-final Mourinho got his tactics wrong against
Liverpool. But since Mourinho arrived at Stamford Bridge his
ever-evolving team have hardly put a foot wrong in the domestic
league.

Of 74 matches, they have won 58 and lost only four. They have
out-scored the opposition by an average of four goals to one and few
champions, in any era, get near that ratio.

The football of Arsenal and, often, United may be sexier, but it takes
all sorts to make a game and Chelsea at their best can constitute an
awesome spectacle, especially on the counter-attack when Frank Lampard
exerts his indefatigable influence.

At home, they have dropped a mere two points all season: a record to
which Mourinho referred in telling us why he had hurled his medal -
preceded by his jacket - into the Matthew Harding Stand. "I think the
people behind that goal are the best supporters we have,'' he said.
"One of the reasons we are champions is that we have a very good
record at home and they are a part of that so I wanted to share the
moment with them. The person who got the medal is a lucky guy. He has
a great souvenir - or he can go on eBay and make a fortune!''

Money, though, is not always an aid to happiness and Mourinho used a
glass of water as the basis for a lecture in economics, gloomily
observing: "In this country, where people only see coins and pounds
and transfer fees, this is the worst club to be a manager. Because to
win is never enough. I won nine consecutive matches at the start of
the Premiership season and, after that, a lot of other matches. Yet I
was never manager of the month. Not once.''

While those of us who are on Barclays' panel shifted uneasily in our
seats, he confirmed to a questioner that he had considered resigning a
couple of times during the season, but stressed that there was no
chance of it now.

Inevitably, Wayne Rooney's grimace as the stretcher bore him off the
field lingered in every mind, though Mourinho said a member of the
United staff had assured him Rooney would be fit for the World Cup.

Even amid the early stages of their celebrations, his England players
- Lampard, John Terry and Joe Cole - were visibly sobered by anxiety
about Sven-Goran Eriksson's most exciting player of all.

Even in the 78th minute, with United three down, Rooney remained in
brilliant, defiant form until he fell under pressure from Paulo
Ferreira and a nation, it is scarcely an exaggeration to say, held its
breath.

Chelsea had started with William Gallas's fifth Premiership goal of
the season: a total that meant the French defender had equalled the
combined output of Eidur Gudjohnsen and Damien Duff.

He took it like a striker, too, profiting from excellent use of a
corner. Lampard swung the ball over, Terry jumped early and Didier
Drogba, lurking behind his captain, nodded goalwards.

Gary Neville, by a post, would probably have stopped it but was
helpless to keep out a more powerful header from the intervening
predator Gallas.

Terry, having fared the worse in a challenge with Rooney, overcame the
pain but was one of two defenders humbled as Rooney gave United hope
with a thrilling surge.

Finding Louis Saha from deep, he sprinted and turned the striker's
lay-off into a one-two; Terry, diving in, was left on his bottom and
Ferreira nutmegged before Rooney advanced on Petr Cech only to pull
his shot wide. Later, with a sudden low drive from 20 yards, Rooney
brought an outstanding save from Cech.

Chelsea, though, were generally in control and, when Drogba flicked on
a long clearance from Cech, the nimble feet of Cole proved too much
for both Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, whom he left in his wake
before sumptuously wrong-footing Ed van der Sar.

Rooney was then cautioned for a foul on Drogba before Ricardo Carvalho
rounded matters off in style. From his own penalty area, he fed
Lampard and started running. He never stopped as the ball moved on to
Cole, who spread it to Carvalho on the left.

Once again you would never have guessed this was a defender as
Carvalho cut in and sent a smooth right-footer into the far corner: an
appropriate last word from the champions.

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The Sunday Times April 30, 2006


Chelsea 3 Manchester United 0: Agonies and ecstasy down the King's Road
Andrew Longmore at Stamford Bridge



THERE was no guard of honour from Manchester United this time — that
was left to the Chelsea Pensioners to perform — but it did not stop
the champions staging a procession. Sir Alex Ferguson was wincing long
before Wayne Rooney exited on a stretcher, another victim seemingly of
the metatarsal curse.
Jose Mourinho said 3-0 "didn't show what happened, the game was
difficult". But while play still proceeded Joe Cole conducted Stamford
Bridge in a song. "Ea-sy." It was stoppage time in the defining match
but the chant applied to Chelsea's entire regal march to the title.



Only United have retained the Premiership and never with such
authority. This crushing scoreline saw Chelsea end with a home record
of played 19, won 18, lost 0, goals for 47, goals against 9. If the
unthinkable happens and Mourinho leaves Chelsea, this was quite a way
to go out in front of your home audience. The match was won in
midfield, where Ryan Giggs and John O'Shea were no match for
Mourinho's powerhouse trio of Claude Makelele, Frank Lampard and
Michael Essien, but Chelsea had heroes everywhere.

John Terry won the medal for valour for playing on with a shin injury
which required 10 stitches, sustained early in the game, but Ricardo
Carvalho scooped the merit award. Carvalho's goal, Chelsea's third,
had a carnival quality befitting the day. The defender launched the
move when he dispossessed Louis Saha in his own area and cantered
forward, grinning at the merry abandon of it all as he crossed the
halfway line into territory where Mourinho normally only allows him at
corners. The ball was fed through Frank Lampard to Cole, who drew
Nemanja Vidic and slipped a pass into the space where Carvalho was
arriving in United's box. Carvalho controlled, switched on to his
right foot and thrashed a shot past Edwin van der Sar.

"Boring, boring Chelsea," the crowd sung.

Carvalho and Terry, and the reinforcements they received from their
full backs and midfielders, ensured none of the visiting attackers was
penetrative — except Rooney, typically. Meanwhile, Ferguson's men
seldom got to grips with Arjen Robben and Cole, were unsettled by
Didier Drogba's nuisance value, and made mistakes at the back which
had Chelsea two up and strolling just after the hour. William Gallas's
early opener all but ended any prospect of prolonging the title race.

Drogba beat Vidic to head goalward Lampard's corner and Gallas, making
a blindside run from beyond the far post, arrived in the six-yard area
to head past Van der Sar.

Essien and Makelele broke up United's advances, Cristiano Ronaldo and
Saha were marginal, and only Rooney offered resistance.

Having imposed his studs on Terry's shin after missing the ball, he
imposed himself upon the afternoon when he led a breakaway, passed to
Saha in the centre circle, and picked up the loose ball when Carvalho
got a foot in to nick it away from Saha.

With one of his sudden accelerations, Rooney burst forward, nutmegged
Paulo Ferreira, and scampered through on Petr Cech before yanking his
shot wide.

Rooney had Cech struggling when he hit a tracer-bullet drive from 20
yards which the keeper required two attempts to hold and O'Shea nodded
over when Vidic found him. But these were isolated moments of
discomfort for Chelsea.

Essien poked Cole clear and he surprised Van der Sar by shooting
early, but the ball dropped six inches wide. Cole would not be denied.
Vidic got the wrong side of Drogba under a long ball and Drogba
deflected the ball into space with his chest. Rio Ferdinand and Mikael
Silvestre could not decide who should go for it and Cole pounced,
darted through a gap between them and side-footed home.

The United supporters tried a bragging chant about the six Premiership
titles their club has won but home fans cackled and sung "you're not
champions any more." There was no real answer to that.

Match stats Star Man: Ricardo Carvalho (Chelsea)

Player Ratings: Chelsea: Cech 6, Ferreira 7, Carvalho 9, Terry 8,
Gallas 8, Makelele 8, J Cole 7 (Crespo 76min, 6), Essien 8, Lampard 7,
Robben 6 (Duff 66min 6), Drogba 7 (Maniche 85min, 6)

Manchester United: Van der Sar 6, Neville 6, Ferdinand 5, Vidic 6,
Silvestre 5, Ronaldo 4 (Van Nistelrooy 64min,6), O'Shea 5, Giggs 6
(Richardson 73min, 6), Park 6, Rooney 7 (Evra 82min, 5) Saha 5
Scorers: Chelsea: Gallas 5, J Cole 61, Carvalho 73

Referee: M Dean

Attendance: 42,219

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