The Hindu : Sport / Football : Big guns warm up with wins

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jun 01, 2006

Sport

Sport - Football

Big guns warm up with wins

LONDON: Argentina, England, the Czech Republic and Tunisia got ready for the World Cup with wins in their warm-up matches on Tuesday. However, host Germany wasn't as lucky, settling for a 2-2 draw with fellow qualifier Japan.

Argentina edged Angola 2-0, getting goals from Maxi Rodriguez and Juan Pablo Sorin, while England beat Hungary 3-1. Steven Gerrard, John Terry and Peter Crouch scored for England.

The Czechs edged Costa Rica 1-0, Tunisia beat Belarus 3-0, Ivory Coast was held to a 1-1 draw by Chile and Poland lost to Colombia 2-1. Defending champion Brazil also played, beating Swiss club FC Lucerne 8-0. Ronaldo and Adriano scored two goals each.

Rodriguez gave the Argentines the lead in the 28th minute off a pass from Sorin. Argentina made it 2-0 in the 36th when captain Sorin added another goal. Lionel Messi came on as a substitute in the 63rd and had a chance to score in the 88th but sent his shot wide. Angola had an early chance to score but Argentina goalkeeper Roberto Abbondanzieri saved a powerful shot from Mendonca.

Gerrard and Terry scored for England with headers within four minutes of each other early in the second half. Crouch added the third in the 84th minute.

Walcott makes debut

The match also marked the international debut of Theo Walcott, who became England's youngest-ever international at 17 years, 75 days when he came on in the 65th minute, breaking Wayne Rooney's record. Pal Dardai made it 2-1 by scoring for Hungary in the 55th.

In Leverkusen, Germany scored two late goals to rally to a 2-2 draw with Japan. After a scoreless first half, Atsushi Yanagisawa scored two goals to give Japan the lead. Miroslav Klose then headed in from close range in the 76th and Bastian Schweinsteiger salvaged the draw in the 80th minute.

"It was hard, we are in the middle of preparations and it showed. Our legs were tired. But the main thing is we came back," said German captain Michael Ballack.

Japan's well-drilled counterattack tormented the German defence, and the team looked well prepared to tackle defending champion Brazil, Croatia and Australia in Group F.

Jan Koller started his first international game since injuring his knee in September, leading the Czech Republic over Costa Rica in Jablonec Nad Nisou. Substitute Vratislav Lokvenc headed in a cross from Libor Sionko in the 82nd minute to score the only goal.

Kuszczak makes a mess

Goalkeeper Luis Enrique Martinez scored with a punt from his own goal box in the 64th minute to help Colombia beat host Poland in Chorzow. Striker Elkin Murillo also scored for the visitor, while Ireneusz Jelen got one back for Poland in injury time.

Martinez scored his team's second goal when Polish substitute goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak misjudged the bouncing ball and let it drop in over his outstretched arms. The goal drew jeers from the crowd of about 40,000 at the Slaski Stadium.

Hamed Namouchi, Francileudo Santos and Issam Jomaa each scored to help Tunisia beat Belarus in Rades. Namouchi scored the first goal from the penalty spot in the 35th minute, and Santos added another in the 48th for his 19th goal in 29 international appearances. Tunisia's Karim Hagui was sent off in the 88th, and two minutes later Jomaa scored.

Ivory Coast and Chile each scored a penalty in their draw in Vittell, France. Aruna Dindane scored for Ivory Coast in the 72nd minute, and Chile earned its penalty six minutes later, which was converted by Humberto Suazo Pontivo. — AP

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