Klose
Tony Becca, Senior Sport Editor
THE WORLD Cup of football is underway and if the opening matches are any indication of what is to come, it should be a thrilling contest packed with surprises and highlighted by brilliant play.
In a fairytale performance, Senegal got the show on the road with a stinging 1-0 upset of defending champions France, and on day two, three-time champions Germany blasted Saudi Arabia 8-0 to register their biggest victory margin ever in the finals.
Going into the match as rank outsiders, Senegal, playing in their first World Cup finals, brought back memories of Cameroon's stunning 1-0 upset over defending champions Argentina in the first match of the 1990 finals.
Was it really an upset? Not according to coach Bruno Metsu who, after reminding of the impact of Jamaica four years ago, the enthusiasm that the Reggae Boyz brought to the finals in France, said that Senegal are the new Jamaica.
"We had this belief that there is no little team anymore," said Metsu. "We believed that we could have won defeated France, and we have proved that any side can beat any other."
Was it luck? Based on the number of chances France had to score, and the times they hit the upright and the crossbar, maybe they were a bit lucky. As Metsu also said, however, winners always have some luck - including France in 1998.
The irony of the situation was that France, with only one member of the team playing in France, with one of their players, Patrick Vieira, born in Senegal, were beaten by a team of players who all play in France and by a team coached by a Frenchman.
With France going down and now under pressure to qualify for the next round, when Germany took on Saudi Arabia, they must have been a bit concerned.
In a beautiful exhibition of text book football, however, they totally dominated the opposition, and while their victory was not an upset, the margin, their biggest since trouncing Mexico 6-0 in 1978, certainly was surprising.
Saudi Arabia were weak, very weak, and for a team in their third successive appearance in the finals, that was surprising. That, however, should not take anything away from the Germans who passed the ball well, ran into position well, and with their heads and not their feet doing most of the damage, rounded off some classy moves with deadly finishing.
Miroslav Klose knocked in a hat-trick - his third of the year, and Michael Ballack was brilliant with his passes.
The lasting memory of the match, however, was Bernd Schneider's free-kick from about 20 yards.
Like the left-foot volley, again from some 20 yards out, by Dario Rodriquez in Uruguay's 2-1 loss to Denmark, it was a beauty.
With one upset, one rout, some brilliant goalkeeping by Tony Sylva of Senegal and some lovely goals after four matches, the stage is set for an exciting World Cup.
