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Journalism of Courage
Victory over Danes best, says Norwegian coach
OSLO: Norwegian coach Egil Olsen said his team8217;s 2-0 win at Denmark this week may be an even bigger achievement that Norway8217;s stunning 4-2 defeat of world champion last May. quot;The results were among the best we have ever done,quot; Olsen said upon returning home after Wednesday8217;s game in Copenhagen, quot;maybe even better than the victory over Brazil.quot; He said the Brazilians had been tired after their trip to Oslo, were playing on the Norwegians home fields, and underestimated this small Nordic country8217;s team.
quot;The Danes didn8217;t do that,quot; Olsen said. The Danes hadn8217;t lost a home game since September 1992, and this was the first time in 27 years the Norwegians managed to win on Denmark8217;s home field.
Cameroon win friendly in Italy
PALERMO, ITALY: Samuel Ipoua8217;s first-half hat-trick led Cameroon to a 3-1 win over a selection of Italian minor league soccer players in a World Cup warmup match. The game, played on Thursday night at the near-empty FavoritaStadium in Palermo, was Cameroon8217;s first test under new coach Claude le Roy, who was hired on March 31.
Ipoua fired in a cross from Salomon Olembe in the 14th minute, and then sealed the win with two goals in a two-minute span late in the half. This is Le Roy8217;s second stint with the side. He led Cameroon to the 1988 African Cup title. Cameroon, a quarter-finalist at the 1990 World Cup, is bracketed with Italy, Austria and Chile for the first round at France 8217;98.
Do not treat US lightly: newspaper
FRANKFURT: The mass-circulation newspaper Bild, with the largest readership in Germany, warned that the United States will not be a pushover at the World Cup in France.
The US team is Germany8217;s first opponent, June 15 in Paris. The Americans beat Austria 3-0 in Vienna on Wednesday. Germany8217;s other two group opponents also posted wins 8212; Yugoslavia 3-1 over South Korea and Iran 1-0 over Jamaica.
quot;Watch out, Berti group F is stronger than we all thought,quot; Bild wrote. quot;The Americanspresented themselves very strongly,quot; Bild said, and praised midfielder Claudio Reyna as quot;excellent.quot;
Troussier has quot;bloodquot; on his hands
JOHANNESBURG: South Africa8217;s new soccer coach, Phillipe Troussier, isn8217;t scared of getting his hands into anything. Troussier, according to the Star newspaper, recently took part in a traditional African cleansing ritual that involved dipping his hands in the blood of a slaughtered goat.
The ceremony was supervised by a sangoma, or traditional healer, the newspaper reported on Friday. Troussier, a Frenchman, has worked throughout Africa, most recently as coach of Burkina Faso, and is known as the quot;White Witch Doctor.quot; He said he knows how to work with the players as their coach and spiritual adviser, and he declined hiring a sports psychologist for the team. quot;I am their sports psychologist,quot; Troussier said. South Africa open their World Cup campaign against host France in Marseilles on June 12. Other opponents in Pool C of the opening roundare Denmark and Saudi Arabia.
Paolo scores when father8217;s around
MILAN: Paolo Maldini scores, with a little assist from his father. Coach Cesare Maldini has long made a point of encouraging his son, Paolo, to make attacking runs up the left flank from his position as defender. The strategy has produced results, with Paolo scoring at a much faster clip when his father is on the bench.
The AC Milan veteran headed in the first goal after four minutes Wednesday night, sparking Italy to a 3-1 victory over fellow qualifier Paraguay in a World Cup tuneup. After scoring three goals in 40 national team games under previous coach Arrigo Sacchi, Paolo has needed just 13 games to match that total since Cesare took over the Azzurri in 1996.
And he tallied five goals in just 12 games in the 1980s when his father headed Italy8217;s under-21 team. Those numbers compare favorably to Paolo8217;s record of 26 goals in 530 matches, between national caps and Serie A club matches, under other coaches.
Barber, AlanShearer8217;s lucky charm
LONDON: Meet Alan Shearer8217;s shearer. According to the England striker8217;s regular barber, Jeff Wilson, the Newcastle forward, who netted two goals against Portugal on Wednesday, always seems to score after he has cut his hair. quot;The run has been incredible,quot; Wilson said having cut Shearer8217;s hair two days before the 3-0 victory over Portugal.
quot;The only time he didn8217;t hit the target was when he was carrying an injury. He reckons I8217;ve become a bit of a lucky charm for him. And I8217;ve never once charged him,quot; Wilson said. quot;He8217;s given me his shirt and sometimes signed autographs in the shop.quot;
Paraguay coach in need of medio
ASUNCION, PARAGUAY: After returning to Paraguay following a 3-1 loss to Italy, Paraguay8217;s World Cup team coach Paulo Cisar Carpegiani said Thursday, quot;I need midfielders that can manage a match. I have a good defence and excellent strikers, but the midfield has not taken shape,quot; Carpegiani said. quot;I need midfielders who can keep the ball at their feet and putthe ball exactly at the feet of the strikers.quot;
quot;I believe I have the best players in Paraguay, but I need time to train them,quot; Carpegiani added. He complained that club teams only release players 48 hours before the matches. The Paraguayan coach said he would have the list of the 22 players going to France quot;probably Tuesday or Wednesday of next week.quot; Paraguay will play in Group D, along with Bulgaria, Spain and Nigeria.
