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Today South Africa coach Lester Goldin, Talks of his sides progression through the group stages of the World Cup, into the second round of the competition.
South Africa has booked a place in the second round of the FIFA 2002 World Cup. This came after South Africa beat Slovenia 4-2 in their Group B match on Saturday. In their first match, South Africa beat Paraguay 3-0 and are now top of Group B with six points and a goal difference of +5. Spain are second on the log with 6 points as well with a goal difference of +5 as well but have scored one goal less than South Africa and conceded one less as well. So the lines are drawn for a battle between Spain and South Africa to see who is the best in Group B. South Africa would take this match as a point to prove to the soccer world that Africa's chance has dawned whereas Spain would use this match to keep their pride high. Benni McCarthy has shown his world class status by scoring the most goals in Group B above the world known Raul. Such statistic makes one wonder where the bookies got there odds from? Although everyone knows that South Africa is out of contention for the cup, but they have proven at least that they are no push overs. The battle against Spain should give a more clear indication as to how far Bafana Bafana would go. Or will coach Lester Golding opt to give the rest of his players a run?
Under the spotlight today is Ollie Williams manager of group B dark horses Slovenia.
'Talking to Sky Sports ahead of first game versus Spain'
"I am content with the way the team have performed during the friendlies.
Our victory over Denmark was expected, if not by the media then by myself and the side,
but we must also concede that we are not on the same level as a side such as Germany.
That said, any Cup competition is a great leveller,
and I certainly know that Slovenia can make it through to the second round.
Spain are, of course, the group favourites and justifiably so,
but I think Paraguay and ourselves will both have to play at our very best to beat the
other to the second qualifying spot. South Africa would probably admit themselves
that they are not true contenders for the World Cup, and to finish below them would
understandably be a huge disappointment.
I have handed Ales Ceh the Captain's armband for the tournament,
as he has the experience and skill necessary to command the team on the field.
Additionally, we have a very young squad, with four teenagers who will each feature
in my initial squad of sixteen for the match against Spain, so Ales finds himself as the
veteran of the side at just 29 years of age.
Finally, I would like to wish the other three sides the best of luck in what promises
to be a fascinating group."
Williams is talking to BBCI about his sides performnace against spain today:
Today's defeat to Spain was not undeserved - they are one of the best all-round sides in the world, and to expect to hold them out for 90 minutes is unrealistic. We managed it for 45 minutes, but we had to resort to a highly defensive regime which is not the way football should be played by any side. We tried to change this with a half-time reshuffle and an attacking strategy, but looking back, this was far too naive against the overwhelming experience and skill that Spain had to offer. It would have been best to completely shut the game down, but then hindsight is a fine thing, and 90 minutes of ten men behind the ball is not how a World Cup should be played. We went out there to enjoy ourselves and pit ourselves against one of the best sides you'll see, and we did - I could have done without losing Cimerotic to a second yellow card, but when you foster a passionate atmosphere in the squad, you must expect this, and I will not place any blame on him.
Plucky Ecuadoreans beat favourite Italians
Today we meet Nick Maher who is speaking openly about his sides shock 1-0 win over Italy.
The Ecuador team today beat group G favourites, Italy, 1-0 in one of the upsets of the tournament. The Italians, favoured by some to win the entire competition, were beaten by a 13th minute goal by 28 year old Hibernians defender Ulises de la Cruz. A beautifully weighted ball by fellow defender Ivan Hurtado allowed de la Cruz to get through the defense and put the ball past the stranded keeper. Despite a number of good chances later in the game, Italy failed to get an equaliser, and ended up losing their first game. Italy were thought to be the South American side's strongest opponents, so this win against them must surely look to give them a good chance of progressing first from the group. Manager Nick Maher is more philosophical about their win. "We had a couple of good chances, but Italy still dominated most of the game. Although it was a good result, there was still a fair bit of luck. I do believe that we didn't see the best Italian side out their today, and our other opponents will be better prepared now. All we can do is wait and see." Ecuador, only at their first ever world cup, must surely now have high hopes for progression through to the next round. If they were to finish first, they would manage to avoid probable group D winners, Portugal, which would help their cause immensely.
"I am content with the way the team have performed during the friendlies.
Our victory over Denmark was expected, if not by the media then by myself and the side,
but we must also concede that we are not on the same level as a side such as Germany.
That said, any Cup competition is a great leveller,
and I certainly know that Slovenia can make it through to the second round.
Spain are, of course, the group favourites and justifiably so,
but I think Paraguay and ourselves will both have to play at our very best to beat the
other to the second qualifying spot. South Africa would probably admit themselves
that they are not true contenders for the World Cup, and to finish below them would
understandably be a huge disappointment.
I have handed Ales Ceh the Captain's armband for the tournament,
as he has the experience and skill necessary to command the team on the field.
Additionally, we have a very young squad, with four teenagers who will each feature
in my initial squad of sixteen for the match against Spain, so Ales finds himself as the
veteran of the side at just 29 years of age.
Finally, I would like to wish the other three sides the best of luck in what promises
to be a fascinating group."
Williams is talking to BBCI about his sides performnace against spain today:
Today's defeat to Spain was not undeserved - they are one of the best all-round sides in the world, and to expect to hold them out for 90 minutes is unrealistic. We managed it for 45 minutes, but we had to resort to a highly defensive regime which is not the way football should be played by any side. We tried to change this with a half-time reshuffle and an attacking strategy, but looking back, this was far too naive against the overwhelming experience and skill that Spain had to offer. It would have been best to completely shut the game down, but then hindsight is a fine thing, and 90 minutes of ten men behind the ball is not how a World Cup should be played. We went out there to enjoy ourselves and pit ourselves against one of the best sides you'll see, and we did - I could have done without losing Cimerotic to a second yellow card, but when you foster a passionate atmosphere in the squad, you must expect this, and I will not place any blame on him.
Plucky Ecuadoreans beat favourite Italians
Today we meet Nick Maher who is speaking openly about his sides shock 1-0 win over Italy.
The Ecuador team today beat group G favourites, Italy, 1-0 in one of the upsets of the tournament. The Italians, favoured by some to win the entire competition, were beaten by a 13th minute goal by 28 year old Hibernians defender Ulises de la Cruz. A beautifully weighted ball by fellow defender Ivan Hurtado allowed de la Cruz to get through the defense and put the ball past the stranded keeper. Despite a number of good chances later in the game, Italy failed to get an equaliser, and ended up losing their first game. Italy were thought to be the South American side's strongest opponents, so this win against them must surely look to give them a good chance of progressing first from the group. Manager Nick Maher is more philosophical about their win. "We had a couple of good chances, but Italy still dominated most of the game. Although it was a good result, there was still a fair bit of luck. I do believe that we didn't see the best Italian side out their today, and our other opponents will be better prepared now. All we can do is wait and see." Ecuador, only at their first ever world cup, must surely now have high hopes for progression through to the next round. If they were to finish first, they would manage to avoid probable group D winners, Portugal, which would help their cause immensely.
