National 8 (Spotlight Weekly)

Wins And Losses

As the first round of the World Cup begins, audiences around the world are keeping their fingers crossed

By SANJAYA DHAKAL

The unpredictability is the beauty of football. This beauty was in its prime when on May 31 in Seoul, South Korea, 1998 cup holders, the mighty French, were humbled by African first-timer Senegal.

The utter upset staged by the small African nation also proved how great leveler the game of football is. The Senegalese could not have imagined that they could have one day beaten their own colonial masters so roundly.

In a deja vu to the 1990 World Cup, when African lions from Cameroon beat defending champions Argentina, Senegal made an impressive entry to their first World Cup tournament.

The hot favorite of most of the Nepalese youth since the days of Maradona, Argentina was able to defeat Nigeria this time. Their old warhorse Gabriel Batistuta hit the solitary goal in a match dominated by Argentine players. Nigerians were lucky they had a good goal-keeper.

With England and Sweden reaching for a 1-1 draw, Argentina are now well-placed to sail over the first round. The draw between England and Sweden must have depressed the English fans who were counting on their awesome mid-fielder David Beckham. Beckham, who had recovered from a recent feet injury, is one of the most popular players currently playing in the World Cup.

Unfortunately, the dismal show by the Saudi Arabians left many wondering whether Asian teams would ever be able to play at part with their European, Latin American and even African counterparts. The 8-nil win over Saudi Arabia, however, came as a blessing for the injury-ridden Germans. Despite the expert predictions that this was one of the weakest German team to make it to the world cup finals, Germans showed remarkable flair and tenacity. Players like Klose, Ballack, Jancker and Bierhoff have shown that Germany can never be under-estimated. Klose became the first player to hit hat-trick in the current tournament.

In another group, Brazil displayed a show of brilliance, for which they are known the world over, in a game against Turkey. The formidable team packed with such talents as Roberto Carlos, Rivaldo, Ronaldo, Denilson and Ronaldinho, however, had to settle for 2-1 victory over Turkey. Despite their consistent domination, they were kept in check by remarkable Turkish defenders.

The azzuris from Italy, too, registered an emphatic win against Ecuador. Their star striker Christian Vieri did not disappoint. He hit two goals in the game.

With China succumbing to Costa Rica, the reputation of Asian teams are now in the hand of co-hosts Japan and South Korea to save the reputation of the Asian continent. In a game played for the first time on Asian soil, the performance of Asian teams are expected to be better.

As the game in the first round goes, the World Cup might once again go to the country among that exclusive club of previous winners. The games by Brazil, Argentina, Italy and Germany have shown that they have the determination, strength and talent to hold the cup once again. But predictability not being one of the character of football game, it could still be too soon to put all eggs in a single basket.