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S. Korea proves it's for real
Mishaps in the back mark Japan's draw with Belgium
Posted: Tuesday June 04, 2002 11:16 AM
Updated: Wednesday June 05, 2002 10:32 AM
CNNSI.com's World Cup analyst Gabriele Marcotti is 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.
Defensive blunders were the order of the day when Japan and Belgium battled to a 2-2 draw. Each of the four goals was aided by mistakes from members of the back four, and while we saw some excellent strikes, particularly from Junichi Inamoto and Marc Wilmots, one would expect greater defensive quality at this level. Especially from Belgium, a nation whose recent success is grounded in shutting down opponents.
Japan's reaction after going a goal down was admirable, and Inamoto in particular was outstanding, raising the issue of just why Arsene Wenger snubbed him all season long at Arsenal.
Costa Rica rolled over China 2-0 playing excellent soccer, particularly in the second half. The "Ticos" tend to be at their best coming forward, and when they turned up the heat, Bora Milutinovic's men lost the plot.
A quick word too on what happened in the opening minutes, when Li Wiefeng's flying karate kick nearly decapitated striker Roland Fonseca. Referee Vassaras didn't even sanction a foul for dangerous play when, in reality, such a lunge ought to have been punished with a yellow or even red card. If we're to be serious about stamping out tackles that can end players' careers, this would have been a good place to start.
South Korea proved it is for real in downing Poland 2-0. Guus Hiddink's men were a joy to watch against the Poles, who seemed to fall apart after an initial flurry. The under-fire Dutch boss is winning over public opinion, and the co-hosts are on a definite high.
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Ronald Gomez (Costa Rica).
In four minutes -- between the 61st and the 65th -- he demolished China. First he played a clever one-two with Paulo Wanchope, got the ball back and rifled it into the back of the net. Then, he provided a picture-perfect cross on a quick turn for Mauricio Wright to notch the second. A tremendous performance.
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Daniel Van Buyten (Belgium).
He's likely to be one of the most sought-after defenders in this summer's transfer market, but his performance against Japan left a lot to be desired. He was at fault on both goals, failing to challenge on the first and caught out of position on the second. He's just 23 and he'll have plenty of time for redemption but, for now, he must shoulder a large portion of the blame for Belgium's draw against Japan.
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Yoo Sang Chul (South Korea).
He's long been the heart and soul of this team, with some observers comparing him to English legend Bryan Robson (minus the drinking). His dynamic runs from the midfield were a constant threat, and he capitalized early in the second half, winning the ball and scoring the goal that put the final nail in the Polish coffin.
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On Wednesday, FIFA will decide what action to take against Rivaldo following his theatrics in the dying minutes of Brazil vs. Turkey. The Brazilian foolishly tried to defend his actions by saying: "My experience counts. Of course he didn't get me in a place where I could be hurt, but I think he deserved to be sent off."
Rivaldo isn't doing himself any favors by opening his mouth. The issue isn't whether Hakan Unsal deserved a red card (based on the Laws of the Game he could have gotten a yellow or a red). The point is that Rivaldo shouldn't have feigned injury the way he did.
FIFA has promised a crackdown on "simulation." Now is a good time to start. A one-match ban for Rivaldo would be appropriate and send a clear message. Don't hold your breath though. Expect a fine instead.
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In Group D, Portugal makes its eagerly awaited debut against the United States. Luis Figo & Co. are giving U.S. boss Bruce Arena nightmares, and it will take a sterling performance for the Americans to escape unscathed.
In Group H, Russia hosts a Tunisia side riddled with injures (Chokri El Ouaer, Emir Mkademi, Jose Clayton and Oussama Sellami), which is good news for Oleg Romantsev's team. Russia will be looking for a win to put recent controversy behind it.
In Group E, Germany is favored over Ireland, but don't expect another eight-goal margin. Everything came easily against the Saudis, but Mick McCarthy's troops are a different proposition, riding an emotional high after the draw against Cameroon.
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Luis Figo (Portugal).
A man with a huge thirst for vengeance. He's coming off one of his worst seasons in recent memory; at club level he's been overshadowed by the arrival of Zinedine Zidane; and there are rumors Real Madrid might put him up for sale.
This is a golden opportunity to prove that he is still one of the very best (if not the best) in the world. At the same time, a slip-up against the United States would be a serious blow to his and Portugal's reputation.
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As a fan of Turkey I was quite satisfied with the football on the field. However, if Turkey had the gold and green jersey on, what do you think the referee's decision would be on the penalty and the freekick later on (90th min), which was blocked by a Brazilian player only 3 feet apart from the ball before the kick was taken.
Do you think the Korean referee might have wanted to keep the big nations alive with a morale boost, so they won't be eliminated and gate receipts and other revenues wont be hurt! I don't want to think the committee came up with such a decision after the opening surprise of Senegal. Is it the case that the economy and the green of the dollars surpassed the green of the soccer field? What do you think?
--Alper Onal, New York, USA:
Marcotti: It's a tough one. Obviously it's in the interest of the organizers to ensure that the marquee, "box-office" nations remain in the tournament, as they will generate more interest and revenue. The same applies to the host nations.
FIFA's policy of assigning referees based on geographic considerations is also controversial. The best and most experienced officials tend to be from Europe and South America, yet the distribution of referees at the World Cup is fairly evenly split between the various confederations.
It's one thing to strike a balance between having the world's best teams and ensuring that all continents are represented. Quite another to practice affirmative action among referees.
Indeed, there's a school of thought that maintains that it is not coincidence that the more powerful nations tend to get referees that are from less high-profile countries. Brazil got a Korean, Italy an American, Spain a Moroccan, Germany a Paraguayan, Uruguay a Malaysian and France someone from the United Arab Emirates. The thinking is that these guys might -- consciously or unconsciously -- favor the stronger teams based on reputation and political might.
Personally, I don't buy that argument. The ref from the UAE for example didn't do much for France. Having said that, it's uncanny that most refereeing mistakes have favored stronger teams so far.
Still, appearances are as important as reality in this case. Rating teams is obviously easier than rating referees, but if we want to ensure that the best teams are refereed by the best officials, shouldn't FIFA do a little more to ensure the quality of the men in black matches the quality of the players?
Click here to read Marcotti's most recent mailbag, and here to submit a comment or question.
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