|
Batistuta goal beats Japan 1-0
Argentina striker scores off Japanese mistake
Posted: Sunday June 14, 1998 10:49 AM
| |
Batistuta celebrates after scoring in the first half (AP) |
TOULOUSE, France (AP) -- Gabriel Batistuta dispensed a dose of
World Cup reality to debutant Japan Sunday, pouncing on a defensive
mistake to fire two-time champion Argentina to a 1-0 victory.
The Fiorentina striker prodded the ball past goalkeeper Yoshikatsu
Kawaguchi in the 28th minute after Japanese midfielder Hiroshi
Nanami had lost possession in his own area.
It was a cruel goal for the World Cup first-timers to concede
after a promising opening in which it created the better chances.
The Japanese also had near misses twice at the end of their Group H
game.
By a strange contrast, not one of Argentina's starting 11 or two
used substitutes play in Argentina while the entire Japanese squad
of 22 play in their J-League.
Argentina had nine players from Italy's Serie A, three from
Spain's Primera Liga and one from the Swiss first division.
Japan's first-ever shot in the World Cup finals came after only
two minutes but Motohiro Yamaguchi's 30-yard drive was
several meters wide.
In the 13th minute the debutants got closer when Nanami floated
the ball forward into the Argentina area and Naoki Soma got clear
of Javier Zanetti. Soma climbed well to meet the pass but headed
too high with only goalkeeper Carlos Roa to beat.
With several thousand of their fans and the neutral French
roaring them on, the tenacious-tackling Japanese had plenty of
support in the Stadium Municipal.
When Argentina conceded a free kick 22 yards from goal midway
through the first half, Hidetoshi Nakata curled the ball just wide
of the target.
Argentina's first shot on target came in the 25th minute when
Ariel Ortega released Claudio Lopez on the left and the Valencia
striker's left footed shot was confidently saved by goalkeeper
Kawaguchi.
Batistuta had a free kick blocked and Juan Veron's follow
shot flew just over and then the period of Argentina pressure
brought success in the 28th minute.
Veron's through ball should have been cleared by Hiroshi Nanami
jut inside the Japanese area but he lost possession and played the
ball into Batistuta's path. The striker known as "Batigol" had
the simple task of lobbing the ball over the advancing goalkeeper into
the net.
It was almost 2-0 in the 37th minute when Batistuta flicked a
long-range header against the post, Lopez dived to head the rebound
goalwards from eight yards but Kawaguchi recovered to
save.
Ten minutes into the second half, Nakata went on a determined
run at the Argetina defense but his final low shot from a good
position was well wide.
Japan sent on its Brazilian born forward Wagner Lopes to try and
conjure an equalizer but Roa still had little to
do.
But Kawaguchi rescued his team with two reaction saves in the
70th minute, beating out a close range prod by Diego Simeone and
then recovering to smothr the follow up shot from substitute Abel
Balbo.
Six minutes from the end, Japan almost snatched a goal to draw even when
Yutaka Akita climbed above Simeone to head across the face of the
Argentine goal, Soma just failing to connect as he slid in at the
far post.
The Japanese went close again in injury time when Lopes
connected with a right wing cross but his goal-bound strike was
deflected by an Argentine leg for a corner.
Lineups
Argentina: Carlos Roa; Roberto Ayala, Roberto Sensini (Jose
Chamot 74th), Javier Zanetti, Nelson Vivas; Matias Almeyda, Diego
Simeone, Juan Veron, Ariel Ortega; Claudio Lopez (Abel Balbo,
62nd), Gabriel Batistuta.
Japan: Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi; Akira Narahashi, Masami Ihara,
Eisuke Nakanishi, Yutaka Akita, Naoki Soma (Takashi Hirano, 86th);
Hiroshi Nanami, Hidetoshi Nakata, Motohiro Yamaguchi; Shoji Jo,
Masashi Nakayama (Wagner Lopes, 68th).
Referee: Mario Van Der Ende, Holland.
| 
