Race against the clock

Luis Figo, the lynchpin of Portugal8217;s World Cup hopes, has admitted he is facing a race against the clock to be fully fit before the tournament kicks off.

With just over two weeks until Portugal8217;s opening match, Figo said he was still not sure whether he would be able to fully shake off an ankle injury he has been carrying since February. 8220;I sincerely want to perform to the best of my ability at the World Cup without problem or pain,8221; the Real Madrid star said after Portugal8217;s squad flew into this former colony for a pre-tournament training camp. 8220;Whatever I can do to help my team, I will do my best to do it. I hope to recover as fast as possible. I don8217;t know whether it will be tomorrow or the day after. I just hope to be 100 per cent as soon as possible.8221; Portugal beging their campaign against the United States on June 5. South Korea and Poland are also in their group.