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Alive and kicking
Germany defies naysayers with eight-goal victory
Posted: Saturday June 01, 2002 10:55 AM
Updated: Saturday June 01, 2002 3:24 PM
CNNSI.com's World Cup analyst Gabriele Marcotti will be covering every kick of the tournament, with a "91st Minute" column filed each matchday. Click here to submit a comment or question to Marcotti's mailbag.
Hey, look who's not dead and buried! Germany!
So much for the doom-mongers who predicted that Rudi Voeller's troops were going to go home utterly humiliated. Thrashing Saudi Arabia 8-0 on Saturday, of course, does not automatically place them among the favorites, but at the very least it proves there's plenty of fight left in the Germans. With an injury-riddled squad they won't dazzle the public, but they will execute as well as anyone while preying on opponents' mistakes.
Their remaining first-round opponents, Cameroon and Ireland, played to a 1-1 draw on Saturday.
It's all uphill for Uruguay after losing to Denmark 2-1. Now, Victor Pua's men get to face the world champions, France, at the worst possible time, i.e. when both teams know they need three points to avoid elimination. Credit Denmark and its aggressive 4-2-3-1 formation for keeping Uruguay on the back foot and containing the genius of Alvaro Recoba.
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Jon Dahl Tomasson.
You probably won't run into many players with a better footballing brain than this guy. Tomasson's movement and vision are straight out of a textbook; his quick mind makes up for his lack of pace and maximizes his solid but not earth-shattering skills. He created and converted Denmark's first by linking well with Jesper Gronkjaer and then running cleverly into the box to receive the return pass. And he nailed the winner by giving his marker the slip and heading home from Martin Jorgensen's cross. There are undoubtedly many more gifted players out there... but few can match his brains on the pitch.
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Nasser Al Johar
It may seem a little harsh to single out the Saudi manager, but there really is no excuse when you lose 8-0 against this Germany side. Saudi Arabia may not be a juggernaut, but it isn't a creampuff either. He got everything wrong tactically, allowing the Germans too much time on the ball and failing to adjust when his opponents shackled Nawaf Al Temyat, the Saudis' playmaker. His challenge will now be to prove to the world what few outside Saudi know: This team is much better than it looked against Germany.
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Matt Holland, equalizer against Cameroon.
Filling Roy Keane's huge shoes is a big enough task, but the Irish midfielder went above and beyond that with his thundering strike from outside the box. He showed heart, self-belief and a good dose of technical ability as well.
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When Germany boss Rudi Voeller chose Carsten Jancker (a man who scored a grand total of ZERO club goals this season) in his World Cup squad ahead of Martin Max, he was roundly criticized. Imagine how much more he was lambasted when he went so far as to pick the big Bayern striker in his starting lineup.
But Jancker rose to the challenge, turning himself into a human battering ram (he's ungainly but effective) and demolishing the Saudis in the first 20 minutes. His strength and presence opened up spaces for Miroslav Klose, who notched a hat trick and received the glory, but, privately, you can bet that Jancker enjoyed his sweet revenge as much as boss Voeller.
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In Group F, there will probably be more individual talent on display when Argentina faces Nigeria than in any other first round matchup. The tournament favorites need a win to avoid the kind of controversy and media speculation that, down the road, could wreck their chances, while Nigeria's Super Eagles will once again attempt to realize their enormous potential.
Sven-Goran Eriksson leads out England against his countrymen, knowing that the English haven't beaten Sweden in more than 30 years. If that's not enough pressure, things go from bad to worse as Argentina and Nigeria are up next for Eriksson's troops.
In Group B, three points are crucial to both Paraguay and South Africa as it is likely that, without them, both teams will struggle to make the next round. The absence of goalkeeper/captain/national institution Jose Luis Chilavert is a huge blow for the South Americans.
Spain's Raul is already saying that he can't carry the team on his own and that the rest of the squad needs to step up. Getting help against little Slovenia would be a good place to start, as Srecko Katanec's men have upset more than a few favorites in the past.
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Gabriel Batistuta.
It appears that he's gotten the nod from Marcelo Bielsa as starting centerforward for Argentina, ahead of Hernan Crespo. Now he needs to deliver; otherwise, public opinion will be clamoring for his head. It has been a difficult season for Batigol. The injection of confidence from Bielsa is a big boost, but unless he follows it up with goals on the pitch, it won't do him much good.
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Click here to read Marcotti's most recent mailbag, and here to submit a comment or question.
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