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Out of nowhere Cameroon, U.S. final would be underdog heaven
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) -- The romantics are hoping for a Cameroon vs. United States Olympic soccer final and maybe a double gold medal triumph for the American men and women. The realists say it will be Chile vs. Spain although the U.S. women should win their final over Norway. Few people would have predicted that neither Brazil nor Italy would make it to Tuesday's last four of the men's soccer competition. But Cameroon ousted the Brazilians 2-1 in extra time of the quarterfinal while down to nine men and with a 16-year-old rookie goalkeeper while the Spaniards edged the Italians 1-0 to gain the final four after a close match and a late winner by Barcelona's Gabriel Gabri. It still looks tough for both Cameroon and the United States.
Both will miss the semifinal against Chile at the Melbourne Cricket Stadium, which was thoroughly soaked by persistent rain on Monday, while the South Americans, who ousted defending champion Nigeria in the quarters, should be at full strength. Two of Chile's strikers, 33-year-old Inter Milan star Ivan Zamorano and Reinaldo Navia of Santiago Wanderers, have scored four goals each and are tied at the top of the tournament scoring list with David Suazo of Honduras. With 11 goals from their four games, the Chilean forwards should give a shaky Cameroon defense a tough time. "We know that they have got two very good and fast strikers," Cameroon coach Jean-Paul Akono said Monday on the eve of the game. "But we will have a special surprise for them. "If you can beat Brazil, what team can you fear any more?" Akono's Lions proved against the Brazilians that they are at their most dangerous when cornered. Instead of sitting back on defense in the quarterfinal at the Gabba in Brisbane, they attacked Wanderley Luxemburgo's team and Modeste Mbami fired the golden goal winner. Akono hinted that he may not field Carlos Kameni, the 16-year-old 'keeper who made his debut against the Brazilians and performed very well. "I think that he had a very good match but I have to look at the big picture," the Cameroon coach said. "We have two very good goalkeepers for different strategic situations. I don't know for the moment if he will play." On paper, Spain should have too much quality for the Americans at Sydney Football Stadium. "They've got guys who play for Valencia and Barcelona. They're pretty serious," said U.S. head coach Clive Charles. "I think we know that the hardest part is still to come. "It's easier obviously to sneak up on people (in the early rounds) but in the semifinal you can't sneak up on anyone any more." But Charles' team, which had never before gained the quarterfinal let alone the final four, has gained in confidence with every game. The Americans refused to give in against a talented Japanese team in the quarterfinal, hitting back to level twice at Adelaide including a last minute penalty by Pete Vagenas. With no goals in extra time, the quarterfinal went to a shootout and the Americans won 5-4. A Spanish lineup which will include Barcelona stars Gabri and Xavi in midfield and Puyol at the back and Valencia's Angulo and AC Milan's Jose Mari in attack, will test the Americans' ability to keep their unbeaten four-game streak going. United States vs. Norway wasn't quite the women's final expected but was no real surprise either. The Chinese, beaten by the Americans in the previous final in 1996 and also at last year's World Cup, were strongly expected to make it to Thursday's final as well at the Sydney Football Stadium. But the Norwegians edged them 2-1 in the group games and the Chinese, who had kept together 10 of the lineup that lost at Atlanta, went home early. Norway edged Germany 1-0 in one semifinal thanks to an own goal by defender Tina Wunderlich and Mia Hamm scored for the Americans in a 1-0 victory over Brazil. The Americans comfortably beat the Norwegians 2-0 in the group games although their record this year is three wins each and a tie. The game for the bronze medal between the Germans and Brazilians will precede the final.
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