World Cup Qualifiers Highlights, Part
1
Part 2
With the
World Cup draw now behind us, Soccerphile's Ozren Podnar takes a
quick look at the recently completed qualifiers.
The qualifying stage for the Weltmeisterschaft in Germany is over
but it will not be forgotten. There were upsets, turnarounds, incidents
and refereeing slips aplenty: first Ukraine's qualification, Portugal's
thrashing of Russia, England's defeat in Belfast, fighting in Istanbul,
the rise of Liechtenstein... Here they all are, immortalized in
a brief Soccerphile dossier...
EUROPEAN ZONE
Group 1
Van Basten's winning run
The triple Golden Ball winner, Marco van Basten, has shown his
worth as a coach. Having selected a number of lesser known players
from the Dutch League, he took Holland through an easy qualification,
winning 10 and drawing 2 of the 12 games. His opponents claim Holland
was also lucky, but the results speak for themselves.
Group 2
Goodbye Greece
Your reporter was not confused by the Greek win at Euro2004.
The prediction was: "They would not reach the World Cup final
stage. They have used up their luck for the next 100 years."
Already on September 9th, 2004, Greece stumbled to Albania in Tirana
2-1. Murati and Aliaj, with goals in the first 11 minutes, brought
the Greeks down where they belong: European mediocrity.
Ukraine Gets their five minutes of Glory
Three times Ukraine went down in the playoffs: in 1997 against
Croatia, in 1999 against Slovenia, and in 2001 against Germany.
It will be Shevchenko's first appearance in a big international
competition. We cannot say he did not deserve it.
Group 3
Liechtenstein Stops Portugal
Portugal is a recognized soccer power, but Luiz Felipe Scolari's
scouts did not correctly study the play of a fledgling minor power
of sorts - Liechtenstein. The Portuguese must have expected easy
three points, especially after Pauleta and Hasler with an own goal
made it 2-0 in their favour. In the second half, though, Liechtenstein
came level through Burgmeier and Beck and created the major shocker
of the qualifiers.
Thrashing of Russia
If they could not beat Liechtenstein, Portugal demolished Russia
by 7-1 just four days later, with two apiece by Cristiano Ronaldo
and Petit.
Group 4
Israel undefeated, but eliminated
A 10-game unbeaten run did not help Israel reach even the playoffs.
The brave Near East team avoided defeat in France, Switzerland and
Eire, but did not manage to beat their rivals at home either. Narrow
wins over Cyprus and the Faeroe Islands kept Israel in third place,
level with Switzerland. No World Cup for them since 1970.
Group 5
Slovenia frustrates Italy
Italy is a superpower, Slovenia a team of ordinary workers, but
the difference was not noted in the clash between neighbours. Slovenia
both outplayed and defeated Italy by 1-0 in Celje. The Azzurri of
course finished on top, but for Slovenia beating its southern neighbor
with 25 times the population will be an eternal source of comfort
to the tiny Alpine nation.
Group 6
England Loses in Belfast
England delighted everybody by defeating Argentina by 3-2 in a
friendly. Previously, their fans were less than delighted by their
displays in the qualifiers. The loss to a weak Northern Ireland
squad by 0-1 was "the peak" of England's campaign, and
the fans saluted Sven-Göran Eriksson by chanting "Sack
the Swede".
Group 7
Spain-Bosnia: The latest goal
In a game that would turn out to be decisive, Bosnia led Spain
by 1-0 in Valencia and held on to the lead until the 90th minute.
And until the 92th minute. And until the 94th minute. And until
the 96th minute. However, they failed to win because Marchena sent
the ball into the net early in the 97th minute, or the 52th minute
of the second half. At the time, Bosnia was also two men down. The
English referee Bennett's watch had a rhythm of its own.
Group 8
Mighty Malta hold Croatia
Croatia beat a tough Sweden twice, but could not defeat Malta.
On September 7th they were held 1-1 in La Valletta. If the chequered
squad did not make it, their fans did. On the stands of Ta'Qali,
the Croatian hooligans performed a "magnificent spectacle"
with torn seats and broken fence bars, clashing bravely with a far
larger police force. 100 Croats were sentenced for misdemeanour
and deported, with a kind petition not to return to the Island for
a while.
Ibrahimovic's masterpiece in Budapest
We need not love Zlatan as a person, but as a player he is an ace.
The winning goal against Hungary in the added time was a masterpiece
of a soccer genius. Having dribbled past a petrified defender, he
smashed the ball just under the bar from a narrow angle. That was
the goal that virtually sent Sweden to Germany.
PLAYOFFS
Istanbul, the pearl of the East
Turkey won the third place at the last World Cup, but they will
not defend their bronze from Japan
and Korea. In the playoffs against Switzerland they needed another
goal to go through after losing 0-2 in the Alps and winning by 4-2
at home. If it was exciting on the turf, how exciting do you figure
it was when the locals assaulted the Swiss on the way to the dressing
room? A FIFA investigation is underway, and Turkey faces a drastic
punishment. We hope it will not be suspension from the next World
Cup. Let them play their home games in Greece; that would be a sufficient
punishment.
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