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Grazie, Ecuador
Italy disappoints in draw, while Brazil and Costa Rica shine
Posted: Thursday June 13, 2002 11:29 AM
Updated: Friday June 14, 2002 2:50 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.
Italy escaped the fate of Argentina and France, sneaking its way into the second round on Thursday despite being given the scare of its life by Mexico.
Portugal, however, is at risk of continuing the trend of eliminated favorites on Friday -- the final day of group play -- if it loses to co-host South Korea.
The Italians' 1-1 draw was disappointing, but then they tend to make it difficult for themselves. And it wouldn't have been enough if Croatia hadn't self-destructed against Ecuador, losing 1-0. It was that result, which reached the players on the pitch right after the 90th minute had elapsed, that led to the final minutes of the match -- consisting of Mexico simply passing the ball around the back, happy with the result.
And, indeed, Mexico ought to be proud. On the day, Javier Aguirre's men defended exceptionally well, led by the magnificent Rafael Marquez. Italy came in looking to score, but -- after yet another goal was disallowed for a controversial offside -- the Azzurri's offensive forays became more and more disorganized.
Meanwhile, Mexico made itself dangerous on numerous occasions, moving the ball around intelligently and exploiting the Italian midfield's inability to maintain possession. Then, with 34 minutes gone by, Jared Borgetti, virtually with his first touch of the ball, scored on a magnificent reverse header on a beautiful cross by Cuauhtemoc Blanco.
After the goal, Italy became even more chaotic. There was plenty of drive, but not enough cool finishing as the Italian forwards squandered numerous chances. Coach Giovanni Trapattoni threw on Alex Del Piero and Vincenzo Montella in a desperate, last-ditch effort and it was Del Piero who grabbed the dramatic equalizer five minutes from time.
The result allowed both sides to advance, mainly because Croatia thew it all away against Ecuador. Mirko Jozic's men knew they needed a win, but Ecuador proved a formidable opponent. Early in the second half, Edmundo Mendez gave the South Americans the lead they never relinquished, with a little help from goalkeeper Stipe Pletikosa, who failed to hang on to the ball. Croatia laid siege to the Ecuadoran goal, but it was not enough. The defeat probably signals the end of Croatia's fabulous Golden Generation, whose survivors Alen Boksic, Davor Suker, Robert Prosinecki, Zvonimir Soldo and Robert Jarni were taking one last stab at the World Cup.
In Group C, Brazil and Costa Rica threw up a veritable festival of soccer. It was a magnificent, attacking display, an infomercial for those not familiar with "the beautiful game." Brazil rested a number of players who had picked up a yellow card (Ronaldinho, Roberto Carlos, Denilson), but those who showed up were devastating. Costa Rica knew all too well that Turkey was heavily favored in the other match against China, and therefore the Ticos had to snatch a draw to be sure of advancing.
After 15 minutes, it was already 2-0 thanks to Ronaldo, who caused an own goal and then slotted one home itself. An outrageous goal by Edmilson made it 3-0 and by that point it looked like curtains for Costa Rica, as Turkey was 2-0 up against China, thanks to early goals by Hasan Sas and veteran Bulent Korkmaz.
But the Ticos did what they do best: attack in droves. Paulo Wanchope pulled one back before halftime and Ronald Gomez made it 3-2 early in the second half. Costa Rican hopes were still high, but Brazil struck back with Rivaldo and Junior to make it 5-2. Meanwhile, Turkey notched a third with Umit Davala.
So Turkey and Brazil go through, but credit Costa Rica. Their match with Brazil was a wide open, entertaining goalfest, with both teams displaying quality and creativity. Sure, the naysayers will point out that Brazil's defending looked shaky and that, because Felipe Scolari's men had already qualified for the next round, they weren't going at full throttle. But this doesn't change the fact that Costa Rica has been one of the star performers in the tournament so far, and it's a shame it has to go home in the first round.
A word also on Turkey. The Turkish game has made huge strides in recent years and in this World Cup, Turkey is reaping the dividends. The team plays modern, attractive soccer, boasts some outstanding individual talent (in Hasan Sas, Emre Belozoglu and Yldiray Basturk) and it is no fluke that they kept it so close against Brazil in the opener. Turkey will be a threat for whoever it faces in the next round.
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Rafael Marquez (Mexico).
On Thursday, he gave a clinic in how to defend. He was up against Christian Vieri and he matched him at nearly every occasion, beating him both in the air and on the ground. Marquez, who plays for Monaco, is already coveted by top European clubs and with good reason: he's on his way to being one of the very best central defenders in the world.
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Damiano Tommasi (Italy).
Tommasi is one of the genuine good guys of soccer, a man who donates time and money to numerous charities and who is always courteous and well-spoken. But against Mexico, he was turned inside out, regularly beaten to the ball and, most importantly, when he did win possession he looked incapable of creating anything useful. The Italian midfield has been much criticized and with good reason, precisely because of performances such as the one against Mexico.
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Jared Borgetti (Mexico).
To be fair, Brazil's Edmilson was a close contender with his stunning overhead kick, but Borgetti's goal was not just gorgeous, it was important as well. Wonderful buildup play from Cuauhtemoc Blanco, and then a twisting header with his back to the goal which gave goalkeeper Gigi Buffon no chance. A tremendous effort, all the more amazing as it was virtually his first touch of the game.
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Brazil was dismissed by many before the tournament. I know firsthand, as I received countless e-mails questioning my sanity after predicting the Selecao would reach the final of the World Cup. Now, with Argentina and France out of the way, it doesn't look so crazy, does it?
Coach Felipe Scolari made many controversial decisions that earned him a roasting back home. He said he didn't care about playing attractive soccer, that he only cared about winning. He's been able to do both, harnessing the wonderful individual skills at his disposal and creating a cohesive unit that so far was really only troubled by Turkey, a highly underrated team in my opinion.
This doesn't mean Brazil will steamroller its way into the final. There are still plenty of questions to be asked. It does perhaps serve as a reminder, however, that soccer games are won by players, and no team in the world (not even France or Argentina) has as many great ones as Brazil.
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In Group D, co-host South Korea has played some of the best soccer in the competition, but it will have its work cut out for it against Portugal, which bounced back with a rousing victory over Poland (4-0) and is well aware that only a victory will guarantee passage to the second round.
Korea coach Guus Hiddink knows that two out of three results will favor his team, but his 4-3-3 system and philosophy won't allow him to play for the draw, which means this game should serve up plenty of fireworks.
The U.S. has the luxury of controlling its own destiny. A draw against Poland, a side that is already eliminated and therefore possibly somewhat unmotivated, will be enough to get the job done.
Lots of excitement in Group H as well, where all four teams still have a chance to qualify. Japan is in the driver's seat, as a win or a draw against Tunisia is enough to go through, but the North Africans did brilliantly to grab a share of the spoils against Belgium, and you have the sense they have a trick or two up their sleeves.
In the other game, Russia and Belgium both know that they need a win to advance (though a draw might be enough in Russia's case). Russia is banking on the "Czar," Alexander Mostovoi, while Belgium will hope that old warrior Marc Wilmots can yet again conjure up a little bit of magic.
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Guus Hiddink (South Korea).
His team has been wonderful to watch, but it will all come to nothing if it doesn't get a result against Portugal. The 4-3-3 lineup is entertaining, but it could be vulnerable against a team like Antonio Oliveira's men. Hiddink is one of the best tacticians in the game; he'll have to get everything right if the co-hosts are to get past Portugal and into the second round.
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I enjoy reading your column. You do not recycle the same old stuff like most of the other articles and are not afraid to state your opinions. Even though I'm not terribly knowledgeable about soccer, your comments are very insightful.
Keep up the good work and put in a kind word for Korea and the Korean team. Koreans and the Korean team may have their faults but they mean well and they try hard.
I would like to ask what is your opinion on the abilities of Guus Hiddink? After the win over Poland, Hiddink has become a demigod in Korea but I am looking for a more objective opinion.
Also, this is rather embarrassing but, who are some Korean or Japanese players who are worthy of being a regular starter for a big club in Europe? Nakata, Inamoto and Jung-hwan Ahn played/are playing for big European clubs but they didn't get much playing time.
--Michael Kiem, Seoul, Korea
Answer: Guus Hiddink is what you would call a "difficult" character, a man very confident of his own ideas to the point where he can be unpleasant and abrasive. That's why in the months before the World Cup he often found himself heavily criticized by the Korean press.
Furthermore, his high-tempo 4-3-3 system is not easy to master, though South Korea seems to have gotten the hang of it in this competition. It's a formation that can devastate opponents, but also leave you vulnerable at the back. It ought to be interesting to see it at work against Portugal, a team that plays at a far slower pace, but which relies on keeping possession and has the technical ability to exploit open spaces.
As for Asian players at big European clubs, remember that Shinji Ono was one of the stars of the Feyenoord team that won the UEFA Cup and that Hidetoshi Nakata won a scudetto at Roma and has scored in double figures in Serie A. Of the current crop, I think Yoo Sang Chul, if he were a little younger, could well move to Europe. I also like Cha Doo Ri a lot -- he's still very young and will have to develop, but then, he has excellent genes (his father is Cha Bum Kun).
Click here to read Marcotti's most recent mailbag, and here to submit a comment or question.
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