February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
By Jay Mwamba
Team USA were eliminated from France ’98 after a devastating 2-1 loss to Iran last Sunday in one of the highlight matches of the tournament.
Hamid Estili (40th) and Mehdi Mahdavikia (80th) eked out victory for the wily Iranians in an absorbing match in Lyon, with a display of clinical finishing to go with the team’s passionate defending.
Brian McBride (87th) pulled one back, rather belatedly, for the U.S., who close off against Yugoslavia tomorrow before returning home.
England reeling
England were left reeling in France ’98 on Monday after Dan Petrescu’s injury time goal gave Romania a 2-1 win in a Group H match in Toulouse.
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The English now face Colombia in Lens this Friday, needing to avoid defeat to qualify for the second round.
Teutonic fight-back
Germany, led by substitute Michael Tarnat (74th) and Oliver Bierhoff (79th) climbed out of a 2-0 hole to tie joint leaders Yugoslavia 2-2, also in Group F in Lens.
Regg’ bashing
Gabriel Batistuta recorded France ’98’s first hat trick in Argentina’s 5-0 thrashing of 10-man Jamaica in Paris. Ariel Ortega got the other two for the former two-time champs, who joined Group H rivals Croatia in the second round.
In Nantes, Croatia survived a fierce Japanese onslaught, and a torrid heat wave, to triumph 1-0 on Davor Suker’s 77th-minute goal.
Eagles soar
Bora Milutinovic, who led the U.S. to the second round four years ago, continues to work his World Cup magic. He steered Nigeria’s Super Eagles into the second round from the “Group of Death” with a 1-0 win over Bulgaria in Paris last Friday.
Dutch masters
With Dennis Bergkamp back from injury, Holland gave a frightening display of their potential with a 5-0 routing of South Korea in Marseille last weekend. Philip Cocu, Marc Overmars, Bergkamp, Pierre van Hooijdonk and Ronald de Boer scored to lift the Dutch to the top of Group E on goal difference.
South Korean coach Cha Bum-kun was an immediate casualty of the rout as he was fired the next day.
Mexican standoff
Mexico slipped into second place in Group E after battling back from 2-0 down to tie Belgium 2-all in broiling Bordeaux.
Lions tamed
Luigi Di Biagio (8th) and Christian Vieri (75th, 89th) gave Italy a 3-0 win over short-handed Cameroon in Group B. Also in the group, Austria got a 90th minute equalizer from Ivica Vastic in a 1-1 stalemate with Chile whose Marcelo Salas (70th) was on target.
And defending champs Brazil were the first team to qualify for the knock out stage after drubbing Group A rivals Morocco 3-0 in Nantes.