Race against the clock

Luis Figo, the lynchpin of Portugal’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 Portugal’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. “I sincerely want to perform to the best of my ability at the World Cup without problem or pain,” the Real Madrid star said after Portugal’s squad flew into this former colony for a pre-tournament training camp. “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 don’t know whether it will be tomorrow or the day after. I just hope to be 100 per cent as soon as possible.” Portugal beging their campaign against the United States on June 5. South Korea and Poland are also in their group.