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GUYANA CHRONICLE Thursday June 19, 2014
Close call for Netherlands against brave Australia By Angus MacSwan PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil - (Reuters) - A long-range strike by substitute Memphis Depay gave the Netherlands a 3-2 win over Australia in a thrilling World Cup Group B game but a brave, hardcharging Socceroos side had threatened to earn a famous victory. The game was marked by endto-end action and spectacular goals - notably a stunning volley by Australia’s Tim Cahill which cancelled out a goal by the Netherlands’ Arjen Robben only a minute earlier. The match belied Australia’s status as underdogs and proved Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal’s warning that they would come out attacking to be correct. But in the end, the mighty Dutch, conquerors of holders Spain in their opening game, prevailed. It was against the run of play when man-of-the-match Robben opened the scoring in the 20th minute. Picking up
the ball on the halfway line, he charged towards the goal like a bull to a matador and slammed the ball past Mat Ryan. Tim Cahill replied immediately, however, by crashing a fantastic 20-metre volley into the roof of the net for what will be a strong contender for goalof-the-tournament. “It just felt so right to hit it and I hit it sweetly ... This is what it’s all about because everyone dreams of playing on this stage and I want to leave a mark for all the kids back in Australia and around the world to be inspired by this today,” Cahill said. After that the pace stepped up as the Dutch tried to get more wind in their sails but it was the Australians who looked more threatening. Mark Bresciano missed a good chance in the 30th minute when good work by Matthew Leckie set him up only for him to blast wide. Nine minutes into the second half, Australia were awarded a penalty after Oliver Bozanic hammered the ball straight at
Indi just before halftime so will miss Australia’s final group game against Spain. Dutch striker Robin van Persie will also be suspended for his team’s final group game after picking up a yellow card. “The World Cup is the greatest tournament in the world, with
Mile Jedinak of Australia celebrates with teammates after scoring the team’s second goal from the penalty spot during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Group B match between Australia and Netherlands at Estadio Beira-Rio, yesterday. (Photo by Alex Grimm - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images) Daryl Janmaat’s arm. Socceroos captain Mile Jedinak cooly slotted the penalty past Jasper Cillissen, giving Australia a 2-1 lead and the chance to dream. But this time it was the Netherlands’ turn to strike back quickly. In the 58th minute Robin van Persie banged in a well-controlled shot inside the penalty area. Memphis Depay whacked in
what proved to be the winner with a long-range shot 10 minutes later, sealing the game for the Netherlands. “Heartbreaker mate, I just wanted the players to get a reward,” Australia coach Ange Postecoglou said. “We went out there and we said we’d have a go and we’ll do that in the last game.” Cahill got a yellow card for clattering into Bruno Martins
For Brazil, 0-0 draw Croatia rout 10-man Cameroon could be a great omen to set up Mexico showdown By Zoran Milosavljevic MANAUS, Brazil (Reuters) - Croatia gave themselves a fighting chance of reaching the World Cup knockout phase when they thrashed toothless Cameroon 4-0 yesterday, helped by a needless first-half red card for Alex Song, as defeat condemned the Africans to an early exit. Ivica Olic put Croatia ahead after 11 minutes and Ivan Perisic seized on a poor clearance by Cameroon keeper Charles Itandje to race forward and drive in the second after 48. An unmarked Mario Mandzukic, back after suspension ruled him out of the tournament opener, headed the third just after an hour and tapped in his second after 73, as Croatia strolled to a comfortable victory. The result left the Croatians third in Group A on three points from two games, one behind Brazil and hosts Mexico ahead of Monday’s decisive clash with the Mexicans in Recife. Cameroon, who have won only one game in their last five World Cups, cannot reach the knockout phase after losing their first two
games. They will have only pride to play for against hosts Brazil in their final game. Croatia took the lead as the 34-year-old Olic, becoming his country’s oldest scorer at a World Cup, swept home a sharp low drive by Perisic, who capitalised on poor defending after Cameroon failed to clear an inviting Darijo Srna cross from the right. The west African side’s hopes of a comeback vanished in almost unbearably humid air when Song was shown a straight red card for hitting Mandzukic on the back as Croatia broke forward five minutes before halftime. Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions looked toothless without injured captain and striker Samuel Eto’o and Croatia doubled their lead early in the second half after Perisic took a poor Itandje goal-kick in his stride, raced into the penalty box and beat the keeper with a crisp finish. With gaps appearing in Cameroon’s defence, Mandzukic headed home the third then converted a rebound after Itanje could only parry a stinging shot by Brazilian-born substitute Eduardo da Silva.
By Brian Winter
SAO PAULO, Brazil (Reuters) - Brazil fans, fear not - if history is any guide, Tuesday’s frustrating scoreless draw against Mexico may be the best thing that could have happened to the host team. In 1958, just as in 2014, Brazil opened the World Cup with a solid win but then turned in a flat 0-0 performance in their second group stage game, against England. Looking to shake things up, the Brazilian coach turned to two previously unused substitutes: one a wide-eyed 17-year-old forward named Edson Arantes do Nascimento who almost failed a psychological exam administered to the team that year. The other was a winger with badly deformed legs, Manuel Francisco dos Santos. Then as now, both players were better known by their nicknames: ‘Pelé’ and ‘Mané Garrincha.’ The substitutions worked - and. Brazil won the rest of their games in 1958 and went home with the first of their record five World Cup championships. Pelé, of course, became arguably the best football player in history. He is rivalled in the Brazilian public’s imagination only by Garrincha, whose playful style and humble roots
Pelé made him a local folk hero in his own right. Lest anyone think 1958 was a fluke, Brazil suffered yet another 0-0 draw in its second game of the next World Cup, in 1962 - this time, against Czechoslovakia. Naturally, panic ensued. The result: Yet another championship. Any knowledge of such precedent seemed mostly absent from Brazilian newspapers yesterday, which lamented the host team’s performance against Mexico and speculated that coach Luiz Felipe Scolari would make significant changes to the lineup for the next game, against Cameroon on Monday. There is no indication that Brazil have another Pelé or Garrincha waiting in the wings this time. But, for the superstitious sort, there is at least one hopeful omen. Monday’s game will be played at a brand-new facility in Brasilia known locally as ‘Mané Garrincha National Stadium’.
all the best players and it’s tough, tough against Australia and again next week and the week after. It’s the World Cup,” van Persie said. “I’m really pleased with the result, especially as I can’t play the last game (because of suspension).”
Muralitharan hired by Australia as bowling consultant RECORD Test wicket-taker Muttiah Muralitharan will work with Australia as a spinbowling consultant for their Test series against Pakistan. The Sri Lankan, who took 800 Test wickets, travels to the United Arab Emirates for October’s two-Test series. “I have bowled to most of the Pakistani batsmen in the past, so hopefully I can help a bit,” said Muralitharan, 42. In 2003 he threatened never to return to Australia because of abuse from fans over his controversial bowling action. Muralitharan, who retired from Test cricket in 2010, was no-balled by umpire Darrell Hair in the 1995 Boxing Day Test in Melbourne and by Ross Emerson during a one-day international in Brisbane the following year. Although his action was subsequently cleared by the International Cricket Council, Emerson later
Muttiah Muralitharan no-balled Muralitharan in a 1999 ODI against England in Adelaide, enraging Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga who led his team off the field for 15 minutes. Despite the controversies, Muralitharan has played in the past two Big Bash Twenty20 competitions in Australia. The world’s top-ranked Test side boast a strong pace attack, but have struggled to replace Shane Warne since his retirement from international cricket in 2007. (BBC Sport)
CRICKET QUIZ CORNER (Thursday June 19, 2014) Compliments of THE TROPHY STALL-Bourda Market & The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) & CUMMINGS ELECTRICAL CO. LTD-83 Garnette Street, Campbellville (Tel: 225-6158; 223-6055) Answers to Tuesday’s quiz: (1)314 runs (214 & 100*) (2) Stephen Fleming-279 ODI matches Today’s Quiz: (1) Of all the players involved in the current WI/NZ Test series, who are the ones with triplehundreds in Tests? (2) Which NZ player has struck most sixes in ODI matches to date? How many? Answers in tomorrow’s issue