* r e c. Sport. Soccer ' s
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It remains to be seen if Basile will be able to come out with the right defence, with the main obstacle being his insistence on Ruggeri. If he does, Argentina will become, in the eyes of many, a prime candidate to win WC'94, at the level of Brazil and Germany, while one month before the finals it still is considered, at best, one of the second group of contenders together with Italy.
20 Apr 94 Salta, Argentina Argentina 3-1 Morocco 18 May 94 Santiago, Chile Chile 3-3 Argentina 31 May 94 Ramat-Gan, Israel Israel 0-3 Argentina 4 Jun 94 Toronto, Canada Argentina 0-0 Croatia =============================================================================== B U L G A R I A Reproduced from UPI Reports =============================================================================== COACH: Dimitar Penev GOALKEEPERS: Age Caps Goals 1. Borislav Mikhailov Mullhouse (Fra) 32 70 0 12. Plamen Nikolov Levski Sofia 32 3 0
2. Emil Kremenljev Levski Sofia 24 5 0 3. Trifon Ivanov Xamax Neuchatel (Swi) 29 38 4 4. Tsanko Tsvetanov Levski Sofia 24 16 0 5. Petar Hubtsjev Hamburg (Ger) 20 16 0 15. Nikolaj Ilijev Stade Rennes 31 51 0 16. Ilijan Kirjakov Lerida 27 29 0
6. Zlatko Yankov Levski Sofia 28 27 3 9. Jordan Letskjov Hamburg (Ger) 27 14 1 11. Daniel Borimirov Levski Sofia 27 7 0 19. Georgij Georgijev Mullhouse (Fra) 28 0 0 20. Krasimir Balakov Sporting Lisbon (Por) 28 34 4 FORWARDS: 7. Emil Kostadinov Porto (Por) 26 31 11 8. Hristo Stojtsjkov Barcelona (Spa) 28 42 13 10. Nasko Sirakov Levski Sofia 32 55 19 13. Ivailo Jordanov Sporting Lisbon (Por) 26 9 0 14. Bontsjo Guentsjev Ipswich (Eng) 29 4 0 17. Petar Mijtarski Pirin 27 3 0 18. Petar Aleksandrov Levski Sofia 32 26 5 21. Velko Jotov Espanol (Spa) 24 5 0 22. Ivailo Andronov CSKA Sofia 26 3 0 14 May 92 Finland 0-3 Bulgaria Balakov 61', Kostadinov 70', 85' 9 Sep 92 Bulgaria 2-0 France Stoichkov (p) 21', Balakov 29' 7 Oct 92 Sweden 2-0 Bulgaria Dahlin 56', Petterson 76' 2 Dec 92 Israel 0-2 Bulgaria Sirakov 56', Penev 83' 14 Apr 93 Austria 3-1 Bulgaria Pfeifenberger 11', Kuehbauer 25', Polster 89'; Ivanov 53' 28 Apr 93 Bulgaria 2-0 Finland Stoichkov (p) 15', Yankov 43' 12 May 93 Bulgaria 2-2 Israel Stoichkov (p) 35', Sirakov 60'; R.Harazi 52', Rosenthal 53' 8 Sep 93 Bulgaria 1-1 Sweden Stoichkov (p) 21'; Dahlin 26' 13 Oct 93 Bulgaria 4-1 Austria Penev 6', 76', Stoichkov (p) 33', Letchkov 89; Herzog 51' 17 Nov 93 France 1-2 Bulgaria Cantona 32'; Kostadinov 37', 90'
home matches (and always between the 15th and 35th minutes). Preparation: 19 Jan 94 Bulgaria 1-1 Mexico 15 Apr 94 Oman 1-1 Bulgaria 28 Apr 94 Kuwait 2-2 Bulgaria The East Europeans have a dismal record in World Cup finals having failed to secure one win in five tournaments, and were a minute away from missing out on the USA edition altogether. But with France seemingly through in the final qualifying match, Emil Kostadinov struck an awesome last-minute goal to lift Bulgaria to a 2-1 victory in Paris and a place in Group D alongside Argentina, Greece and Nigeria. "We know how our rivals play and I think that we have a great chance to qualify for the next round with Argentina. The most dangerous team, who may stop us, is Nigeria, not Greece.
$4 million four years ago and has been one of the stars of the Spanish League ever since. The 28-year-old is Bulgaria's prince. He brings the experience of playing in four straight Spanish championship-winning teams at Barcelona, and is an inspiration to his Bulgarian teammates. Though volatile and argumentative, Stoichkov is the driving force in a strong Bulgarian forward line. However, he looked tired and jaded in Barca's Champions Cup final defeat by AC Milan on May 18 and Penev will be well-advised to let him have as long a rest as possible.
flourished in the later qualifying rounds. He scored twice as Bulgaria came off the ropes in the penultimate match against Austria to win 4-1 and recover from a 3-1 loss in Vienna. His achievments are all the more remarkable because, in January, he underwent an emergency operation after the discovery that he was suffering cancer of the testes. Kostadinov hit both goals against the French, breaking a terrible streak of seven qualifying games without hitting the target, never a problem for his Portuguese club team, Porto.
Lisbon's leading scorer. The four top-line strikers have shown their overseas class and, significantly, all have more than 30 caps.
pivotal man in the center. He missed the first two qualifiers but has not been out of Penev's side since. Tifon Ivanov, who scored a rare goal in his debut in 1990, has developed into a strong marker while Zanko Zvetanov, of Levski, has shown promising form in his brief international career.
Bulgaria's unreliable midfield providing a solid link. Experienced keeper Boris Mikhailov, who also captains the team can traditionally be relied upon to provide a solid last line. However, despite his 70 caps he has looked uncomfortable lately and the leap from playing in the French Second Division with FC Mulhouse to facing the cream of the world's strikers will not be straightforward.
throughout Europe and little funding available in a country with no strong international pedigree. "We don't have any problems psychologically, so getting our proficiency up is our task," Penev said. There is little pressure from home supporters. Getting to the World Cup is no new story; now it's up to Stoichkov to turn the page. The Coach and Key Players of Bulgaria:
games. Capped 90 times for his country and played in 1966, 1970 and 1974 World Cup finals. Won eight national titles as a player and took over Bulgarian coaching job after stints with Dimitrovgrad, Kuwait and CSKA. BORIS MIKHAILOV (Goalkeeper, FC Mullhouse(FRA)) 32 years old, 71 caps: Steady and calm goalkeeper who inspires his teammates. Played nine of the qualifying games, missing one through illness, and has World Cup experience from Mexico 1986. Played for Bulgarian champions Levski before moving to France. TRIFON IVANOV (Defender, Xamax Neuchatel(SWI)) 28 years old, 38 caps: Hard playing, untiring sweeper with a fiery temper. Key man in last gasp qualifying win over France by keeping Jean-Pierre Papin out of the play.
Second top goalscorer in Bulgarian league this season. Has had few international opportunities but desperate to unleash his eye for goal on the World Cup stage. EMIL KOSTADINOV (Forward, Porto(POR)) 26 years old, 33 caps: Career highlight were his two goals in Paris qualifying match which put Bulgaria into finals at the expense of France. Had a barren qualifying series before then, with just one other goal, but starred for Porto, who reached the European Champions Cup semifinal before losing to Barcelona.
World class striker ranked second best in Europe last season. Joined Barcelona for $4 million from CSKA four seasons ago and has proved himself in European competition. Clinical shooter, determined runner and undoubted star of the Bulgarian lineup. =============================================================================== G R E E C E Constantinos Tsioras =============================================================================== COACH: Alketas Panagoulias GOALKEEPERS: Age Caps Goals 1. Antonios Minou Apollon 35 15 0 15. Khristos Karkamanis Aris Salonika 24 5 0 20. Ilias Atmatsidis AEK Athens 24 3 0 DEFENDERS: 2. Stratos Apostolakis Panathinaikos 29 59 3 3. Thanasis Kolitsidakis Panathinaikos 27 12 0 4. Stelios Manolas AEK Athens 32 68 6 5. Yiannis Kalitsakis Panathinaikos 27 34 0 13. Vaios Karagiannis AEK Athens 27 6 0 18. Kyriakos Karataidis Olympiakos 28 14 0 20. Aleksis Alexiou PAOK Salonika 31 8 0 MIDFIELDERS: 6. Yiannis Tsaloukhidis Olympiakos 31 59 11 8. Nikos Nioplias Panathinaikos 29 36 1 10. Thasos Mitropoulos [C] AEK Athens 36 72 8 11. Nikos Tsiantakis Olympiakos 30 45 2 12. Spyridon Marangos Panathinaikos 27 10 0 17. Minas Hatsidis Olympiakos 29 6 1 19. Savas Kofidis Aris Salonika 32 62 1 21. Aleksandros Aleksandris Olympiakos Pireaus 26 9 0
7. Dimitris Saravakos Panathinaikos 32 74 21 9. Nikos Makhlas OFI Crete 20 11 5 14. Vasilis Dimitriadis AEK Athens 28 26 2 16. Aleksandros Aleksoudis OFI Heraklion 20 3 1 Greek football has been around for a while - Panathinaikos FC, for example, were founded in 1908 (they wear green and their emblem is the shamrock - an Irish connection perhaps?). However the achievements of the national team do not match the long history and the passion with which football is followed in Greece.
lot to do with the average Greek national team player attitude. There were long periods where the national team was met mostly with indifference by players who were more concerned with not injuring themselves on a Wednesday, with Sunday's club match coming up. There were a few near misses over the years, as far as qualification to the World Cup and the European Championship finals was concerned, but mediocrity was generally the norm. The only bright spot was achieving qualification to the 1980 EC Finals in Italy. In the finals, Greece lost to Holland (0-1 after goalkeeper Constantinou gave away a stupid penalty with a few minutes to go), lost to the then champions Czechoslovakia (1-3), but then gave the eventual champions Germany a fright by holding them to a goalless draw and hitting the bar with just two minutes remaining. The 1980 team was lead by coach Alketas Panagoulias, who returned as coach in 1992 and connected his name again with the second important achievement in Greece's football history: qualification to the USA 1994 World Cup. What was the key to this recent success? Money was important as coach Panagoulias convinced the Greek FA and the Sub-Ministry of Sports that if the national team were to progress large financial rewards should be offered to the players. The authorities listened, the bonuses increased by an order of magnitude, and, surprise-surprise, so did the players interest and the team's performance. After qualification was achieved, the players and FA squabbled for quite a while regarding bonuses and perks, but hopefully its now been resolved.
this ability of his) and a good tactician that gets the best out of rather average players. The coach is definitely Greece's main asset in the upcoming WC finals. WC94 qualification results ************************** Europe Group 5 (Russia, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Greece, Iceland, Luxemburg) (Yugoslavia was disqualified before the games began) 13.05.92: Greece-Iceland...............1-0 (Sofianopoulos) 07.10.92: Iceland-Greece...............0-1 (Tsalouhides) 11.11.92: Greece-Hungary...............0-0 17.02.93: Greece-Luxemburg.............2-0 (Dimitriades [pen], Mitropoulos) 31.02.93: Hungary-Greece...............0-1 (Apostolakis [pen]) 23.05.93: Russia-Greece................1-1 (Mitropoulos) 12.10.93: Luxemburg-Greece.............1-3 (Mahlas, Apostolakis, Saravakos) 17.11.93: Greece-Russia................1-0 (Mahlas) Final Table G W D L F-A Diff Pts 1. Greece 8 6 2 0 10-2 + 8 14 QUALIFIED 2. Russia 8 5 2 1 15-4 +11 12 QUALIFIED 3. Iceland 8 3 2 3 7-6 + 1 8 4. Hungary 8 2 1 5 6-11 - 5 5 5. Luxemburg 8 0 1 7 2-17 -15 1
27.04.94: Greece-Saudi Arabia..........5-1 9.05.94: Greece-Cameroon..............0-3 13.05.94: Greece-Bolivia...............0-0 17.05.94: England-Greece...............5-0 28.05.94: USA-Greece...................1-1 5.06.94: Colombia-Greece..............2-0
****************************************** This is the first WC finals for Greece. The team has difficulty scoring and playing fluent football. At the same time, the defence does not generally concede many goals either. The team plays a tight and sometimes rough game allowingthe other team to have most of the possession, and then attempts to score on the break, or from a set piece (there are quite a few tall Greek players that can score with headers from corner-kicks or free-kicks). The biggest disadvantage for Greece is that the team loses concentration every so often. On the other hand, if the game 'suits' the team (i.e. Greece don't have to do most of the attacking) then they feel more confident and comfortable. In the first game vs. Argentina, if Greece concedes a goal in the first half, it will be very difficult to come back. Expect Argentina to win 2-0 in this case. If the score is 0-0 at half-time, expect a 0-0 final score, or Greece scoring on a breakaway and then putting 10 men in defense to hold out for a 1-0 win. Against Bulgaria, the game should be a lot more open as the two teams know each other well and are not afraid of each other. Possibly a 1-1 draw. Against Nigeria, it obviously depends on what the teams need from the game. If Greece need a win to progress, they will have to go forward and that's not the team's style, so expect Nigeria to win 1-0 or 2-1. However, if Greece need a draw to advance, I can see a 0-0 or 1-1 scoreline.
for a win. I can see Greece getting a couple of draws, but it will be very difficult to get a win. The only realistic chance for Greece to progress past the first round will be to finish third and hope to advance as one of the best 4 third placed teams. Then again, the saying in Greece is that "the ball is round", and you never know which way it will roll. Stranger things have happened in football. Players To Be Watched in USA could include: STRATOS APOSTOLAKIS (Defender, Panathinaikos): Good technique, very attacking-minded and adventurous for a full back. He can get carried away and leave his position though.
A veteran international who looks very comfortable on the ball. He reads the game well and can be dangerous on set pieces. A great leader who is full of confidence, but is not as quick as he used to be. NIKOS NIOPLIAS (Midfield, Panathinaikos): A player blessed with good vision and great passing ability. He will run all day and can be a fierce tackler. However, he is very inconsistent and can be very quiet in some games. NIKOS MAKHLAS (Forward, OFI Crete): Young (20 years old) and enthusiastic, he runs hard and hassles defenders. He can create and score goals and although he is inexperienced he is definitely a future star. ===============================================================================
1. Peter Rufai Go Ahead Eagles (Neth) 30 17 0 16. Alloy Agu RC Liege (Bel) 27 51 0 22. Wilfred Agbonabare Rayo Vallenaco (Spa) 28 10 0 DEFENDERS: 2. Augustine Eguavoen Courtrai (Bel) 29 33 1 3. Benedict Iroha Vitesse Arnhem (Neth) 25 16 1 4. Stephen Keshi [C] RWD Molenbeek (Bel) 32 57 5 5. Uche Okechukwu Fenerbahce (Tur) 27 18 3 6. Chidi Nwanu Anderlecht (Bel) 27 0 0 13. Emeka Ezeugo Kispest Honved (Hun) 28 0 0 19. Mike Emenalo RWD Molenbeek (Bel) 28 0 0 20. Uche Okafor ACB Lagos 28 27 1
8. Thompson Oliha Africa Sport (Ivo) 26 24 3 10. Augustine Okocha Eintracht Frankfurt (Ger) 21 7 1 12. Samson Siasia Nantes (Fra) 27 38 13 15. Sunday Oliseh Liege (Bel) 20 4 0 18. Efan Ekoku Norwich City (Eng) 27 1 0 21. Mutiu Adepoju Racing Santander (Spa) 23 24 5
7. George Finidi Ajax Amsterdam (Neth) 23 21 3 9. Rasheed Yekini Vitoria Setubal (Por) 31 46 29 11. Emmanuel Amunike Zamalek FC (Egy) 24 7 1 14. Daniel Amokachi Bruges (Bel) 22 21 7 17. Victor Ikpeba AS Monaco (Fra) 21 5 0 So near and yet so far has been the story of Nigerias various attempts in the last 25 years to qualify for a place in the World Cup finals. Finally we have made it but below are details of our numerous past near misses or not so near as the case may be. Nigeria is the most populous black nation in the world with a population of 88 million for whom football is in 'Shankly terms', a matter of life and death. We were colonised by the British who introduced us to football. The game acquired some kind of structure after the Second World War with the introduction of the challenge cup, an equivalent of the English F.A. Cup. This competition encouraged rivalry between the already diverse tribes in the country and ensured that football had a high profile.
played a pre war World Cup without having to qualify). Qualification for the World Cup became an obsession in 1969 with the visit of Pele and Santos to play some friendly matches. Nigeria got through to the latter stages of the 1970 qualification series but lost out by a point to Morocco who went on to play in Mexico.
The arrival of television and images of that 1970 world cup stuck with Nigeria where the Brazilian team were revered as Gods of football. The intensity of the obsession of qualification grew immensely after 1970 but Nigerian football was in a state of decline for the next few years. In 1974 our arch rivals, Ghana beat us both at home and away in the second round of the qualification series. Zaire went on to infamy in the finals in Germany. A resurgence in Nigerian football took place around 1976. The FA was restructured and two powerful domestic teams IICC from the West and Rangers from the East emerged and produced a rivalry in football terms that set Nigeria up for what has been 18 years of relative success. In 1975 Rangers lost in the final of the African Champions Cup to Hafia of Guinea but we were on our way. We qualified for the 1976 African Nations Cup with a highly passionate 3-1 victory over Morocco in Lagos. The team then went on to the African finals in Ethiopia to take a highly creditable 3rd place. This team went on to qualify for the final three way playoffs for the 1978 World Cup finals in Argentina along with Egypt and Tunisia. In what I still term the best ever performance by the nation we took Egypt apart in Lagos, 4-0 in the first game. Our next two games took us away to Egypt where we lost disappointingly 3-1 and to Tunisia where we drew 0-0. The results of the matches between Tunisia and Egypt meant that in the final match in Lagos a draw would be sufficient to see us through. On a bitterly disappointing Saturaday in 1977 we proceeded to play Tunisia off the park and fail to score. Their goalkeeper made some inspirational saves, and their only meaningful attack resulted in an own goal from our best defender and we were out. Images of tears shed in Lagos that day still stick in the mind. I have no doubt that the 1977 side would have done us proud in Argentina amd that it is still the best side ever produced by the nation. By the time the series of qualifiers for the 1982 finals came around, the 1978 team was two years past its sell by date. The team had gone on to throw away the African Nations Cup in 1978 in Accra by losing a semi-final against Uganda when we were coasting in the game and to reach its pinnacle by winning the 1980 African Nations Cup played in Nigeria. Two professionals from England were added to the 1978 team , John Chiedozie then at Orient and later Tottenham and Tunji Banjo also then at Orient. As fate would have it our first match was against Tunisia. We lost 2-0 away from home and in another fascinating game beat Tunisia 2-0 in Lagos in the return leg. We went through on penalties. A victory over Tanzania saw us play Algeria whom we had beaten in the finals of the African Nations Cup in Lagos 1 year earlier. This was for a place in the in the finals in Spain. The first leg was in Lagos and with the team past it's sell by date a fast maturing Algeria won the tie by 2-0. The second leg in Algiers was a mere formality for the Algerians who won that as well and went on to do Africa proud in Spain. Our only claim to fame was to have been coached by Otto Gloria who was coach of the great Benfica team of the late 1960's.
time for the rewards to come. In the 1982 African Nations Cup in Libya we failed to qualify for the semi-finals for the first time in 6 years. We however went on to qualify for the next series in Ivory Coast in 1984 and played very well getting through to the final and losing to a team that was to haunt us for the next 10 or so years in Cameroon. A massive blunder by the bureaucracy resulted in the bulk of the 1984 players being at odds with the establishment. They were then banned from the National side and this resulted in our worst ever performance in the World Cup qualifiers for 12 years. we lost in the 3rd round and did not make the final elimination series due to our dear friends Yüklə 361,24 Kb. Dostları ilə paylaş:
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