Brazil World Cup veteran Casagrande leaves hospital after car accident
September 25, 2007
SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP) -- Former Brazil striker Casagrande was released from the hospital on Tuesday after recovering from a car accident over the weekend.
Casagrande, who played in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, was briefly in a coma after the car he was in rolled over and struck several parked vehicles late Saturday night on a Sao Paulo street.
The popular TV commentator recovered from a head trauma and other injuries, the Albert Einstein Hospital said in a statement.
Casagrande's girlfriend remained hospitalized with a back injury, but was in good condition, doctors said.
The 44-year-old former player, whose full name is Walter Casagrande Jr., was one of the biggest stars of powerhouse club Corinthians in the 1980s. He later played for FC Porto, Flamengo, Ascoli and Torino, which he won the Italian Cup with in 1993.
Updated on Tuesday, Sep 25, 2007 1:10 pm, EDT
2007년 9월 16일 일요일
Brazil and North Korea among new powers heading for quarterfinals
Brazil and North Korea among new powers heading for quarterfinals
By STEPHEN WADE, AP Sports Writer
September 16, 2007
SHANGHAI, China (AP) -- The quarterfinals will be set in a few days for the Women's World Cup. One thing is already very clear.
New powers are emerging in the women's game, and Brazil and North Korea are two of them. Neither has won this tournament, which has been dominated by the United States (two titles) and European teams -- Germany is the defending champion and Norway won in 1995.
The final is Sept. 30 in Shanghai, and nobody would bet against those two quick, attacking teams contesting that game.
Brazil is nearly certain to win Group D after its impressive 4-0 victory over China on Saturday behind two goals by Marta, the tournament's top scorer with four.
"The gap has closed a lot between teams at the top," said Silvia Neid, Germany's coach.
The Brazilian women play like their male counterparts, who have won an unprecedented five World Cups. They're flashy, open up other defenses with backheel passes and attack with one-on-one superiority.
"It's not only Marta on Brazil, they have many 'small Martas' too," China coach Marika Domanski-Lyfors said. "They have good qualities, every player."
Brazil, which faces Denmark on Wednesday in its final group game, will probably face Australia or Canada in the quarterfinals in Tianjin on Sept. 23. Those two teams face off Wednesday with Australia needing only a draw to grab second place in Group C.
The winner of Group C is likely to be Norway, though Australia could also win it. The top team in that group will probably be up against China on Sept. 23 in Wuhan. China faces New Zealand in the final group game on Wednesday. New Zealand has lost its first two games and has yet to score.
The tougher Groups A and B are still unclear.
Defending champion Germany is tied with Japan atop Group A with four points. The two play Monday in Hangzhou with Germany heavily favored. The Germans would win the group with a victory. England seems likely to take second place. It faces Argentina on Monday -- the South Americans have lost two games -- and could claim second place with a victory.
Japan has played well in the tournament and a victory or draw against Germany would throw Group A into a three-way struggle for two places.
The No. 1-ranked United States and No. 5-ranked North Korea seem sure to get the two places from Group B. The U.S. finishes group play against Nigeria on Tuesday in Shanghai. North Korea faces Sweden on Tuesday in Tianjin.
Through two games, North Korea and the Americans are even on the first three criteria FIFA uses to break ties in the standings: points, goals and goal difference.
The winner of Group A plays the No. 2 team in Group B on Sept. 22 in Wuhan. The second-place team in A plays the No. 1 team from Group B on the same day in Tianjin.
April's draw for the World Cup stunned the United States, which is undefeated in 48 games and the favorite to win its third World Cup title.
Minutes before the draw in Wuhan, FIFA, soccer's world governing body, arbitrarily placed North Korea into Group B and declined to explain why. Minutes later, the U.S., Sweden and Nigeria were drawn into the group.
In effect, placing North Korea in Group B allows host China to avoid Asia's top team -- and its toughest rival -- until the semifinals.
"At this point there is nothing we can do about it," U.S. striker Abby Wambach said. "Right when the draw happened, we were all like, 'How can this be?"'
Updated on Sunday, Sep 16, 2007 3:27 pm, EDT
By STEPHEN WADE, AP Sports Writer
September 16, 2007
SHANGHAI, China (AP) -- The quarterfinals will be set in a few days for the Women's World Cup. One thing is already very clear.
New powers are emerging in the women's game, and Brazil and North Korea are two of them. Neither has won this tournament, which has been dominated by the United States (two titles) and European teams -- Germany is the defending champion and Norway won in 1995.
The final is Sept. 30 in Shanghai, and nobody would bet against those two quick, attacking teams contesting that game.
Brazil is nearly certain to win Group D after its impressive 4-0 victory over China on Saturday behind two goals by Marta, the tournament's top scorer with four.
"The gap has closed a lot between teams at the top," said Silvia Neid, Germany's coach.
The Brazilian women play like their male counterparts, who have won an unprecedented five World Cups. They're flashy, open up other defenses with backheel passes and attack with one-on-one superiority.
"It's not only Marta on Brazil, they have many 'small Martas' too," China coach Marika Domanski-Lyfors said. "They have good qualities, every player."
Brazil, which faces Denmark on Wednesday in its final group game, will probably face Australia or Canada in the quarterfinals in Tianjin on Sept. 23. Those two teams face off Wednesday with Australia needing only a draw to grab second place in Group C.
The winner of Group C is likely to be Norway, though Australia could also win it. The top team in that group will probably be up against China on Sept. 23 in Wuhan. China faces New Zealand in the final group game on Wednesday. New Zealand has lost its first two games and has yet to score.
The tougher Groups A and B are still unclear.
Defending champion Germany is tied with Japan atop Group A with four points. The two play Monday in Hangzhou with Germany heavily favored. The Germans would win the group with a victory. England seems likely to take second place. It faces Argentina on Monday -- the South Americans have lost two games -- and could claim second place with a victory.
Japan has played well in the tournament and a victory or draw against Germany would throw Group A into a three-way struggle for two places.
The No. 1-ranked United States and No. 5-ranked North Korea seem sure to get the two places from Group B. The U.S. finishes group play against Nigeria on Tuesday in Shanghai. North Korea faces Sweden on Tuesday in Tianjin.
Through two games, North Korea and the Americans are even on the first three criteria FIFA uses to break ties in the standings: points, goals and goal difference.
The winner of Group A plays the No. 2 team in Group B on Sept. 22 in Wuhan. The second-place team in A plays the No. 1 team from Group B on the same day in Tianjin.
April's draw for the World Cup stunned the United States, which is undefeated in 48 games and the favorite to win its third World Cup title.
Minutes before the draw in Wuhan, FIFA, soccer's world governing body, arbitrarily placed North Korea into Group B and declined to explain why. Minutes later, the U.S., Sweden and Nigeria were drawn into the group.
In effect, placing North Korea in Group B allows host China to avoid Asia's top team -- and its toughest rival -- until the semifinals.
"At this point there is nothing we can do about it," U.S. striker Abby Wambach said. "Right when the draw happened, we were all like, 'How can this be?"'
Updated on Sunday, Sep 16, 2007 3:27 pm, EDT
2007년 9월 12일 수요일
Kaka propels Brazil past Mexico
Kaka propels Brazil past Mexico
td.yspwidearticlebody { font-size: 13.5px; }
September 13, 2007
FOXBORO, Massachusetts (Ticker) - It may have just been an international friendly, but Brazil wanted to win this game as if it counted.
In front of a crowd of 67,584 donned primarily in Brazilian yellow at Gillette Stadium Wednesday night, talented midfielder Kaka scored the game-winning goal in the 80th minute to lead Brazil to a 3-1 victory over Mexico in their teams' last tuneup before 2010 World Cup qualifying.
The Brazilian team and new coach Dunga were surprised and pleased with the attendance of the Brazilian faithful.
"I was very proud to have them here," Dunga said. "Especially with our victory, it's a great happiness for our people here."
"I was surprised," Mexican coach Hugo Sanchez said. "It really felt like we were in Brazil."
As the raucous crowd looked on, Kaka found a ball waiting for him from eight yards out after Mexican defender Rafael Marquez failed to clear a cross, and the midfielder struck the near post with his shot as it just got past the keeper to break a 1-1 tie.
Dunga experimented in this game by moving Kaka up in the midfield to play more of a hybrid role between forward and midfield. The results spoke for themselves, as the AC Milan star scored the winning goal and dominated play on the field all day.
"He was very successful today," Dunga said. "This is a great opportunity to experiment with different positions and players."
It was a goal the whole game was building toward, as Brazil had two headers earlier in the half that were denied by a Mexican defender standing on the goal line and by a fantastic reaction save by Guillermo Ochoa.
"From that moment on we had to risk (going forward) and that's what lead to the third goal," Sanchez said.
Brazil added an insurance goal in the 86th minute, when substitute Afonso blasted the ball into the far corner of the goal to ensure victory.
Brazil had plenty of chances to score early in the first half, but couldn't convert, and despite Brazil's dictation of the play for most of the first half, Mexico put the first goal on the board in the 43rd minute on a counter attack.
Andres Guardado controlled a cross near the left corner of the six-yard box, and with Brazilian keeper Cesar Julio closing in on him, Guardado calmly slotted the ball across to the middle of the field, where Juan Carlos Cacho was waiting with an open goal in front of him. Cacho took his time and placed the ball into the back of the net to put Mexico ahead 1-0.
Brazil was quick to answer.
In the 45th minute, Ronaldinho placed the Brazilian corner kick toward the near post, where midfielder Kleber awkwardly stuck his left leg out just enough to catch the ball and redirect it into the net. It tied the score just before halftime and drew a roar from the largely pro-Brazilian crowd.
"It would have been a little more fair if we had gone into halftime with a better score," Sanchez said. "If we had the score at 1-0, it would have been more difficult for Brazil to score later."
Brazil dominated the second half, and only a few great saves kept Selecao from scoring a few more goals.
The game was physical for a friendly, as multiple players received yellow cards and Brazil's Elano received a red card in the 82nd minute for a vicious swipe at Mexico's Herardo Torrado's legs.
"In certain locations, there was excessive force," Sanchez said.
Despite his team's safe lead, Brazilian coach Dunga was ejected in the 94th minute.
After the game, Dunga was cautiously optimistic about his team's future.
"I was very pleased with the performance, but it's clear we have to correct a few things," he said. "I was very pleased how the players played their positions today, particularly with 2 v 2s and 3 v 2s."
Sanchez was also pleased with the way his team played.
"I'm happy because we played at the same level as Brazil," he said. "We want to learn from the good things Brazil does."
Brazil finished its two-game tour of the United States tonight, which started with a 4-2 victory over the United States on Sunday, and the team and its coach were pleased with its stay.
"This was a great experience," Dunga said, "particularly with so many Brazilian Americans here. It is something we will continue doing."
Updated on Thursday, Sep 13, 2007 12:12 am, EDT
td.yspwidearticlebody { font-size: 13.5px; }
September 13, 2007
FOXBORO, Massachusetts (Ticker) - It may have just been an international friendly, but Brazil wanted to win this game as if it counted.
In front of a crowd of 67,584 donned primarily in Brazilian yellow at Gillette Stadium Wednesday night, talented midfielder Kaka scored the game-winning goal in the 80th minute to lead Brazil to a 3-1 victory over Mexico in their teams' last tuneup before 2010 World Cup qualifying.
The Brazilian team and new coach Dunga were surprised and pleased with the attendance of the Brazilian faithful.
"I was very proud to have them here," Dunga said. "Especially with our victory, it's a great happiness for our people here."
"I was surprised," Mexican coach Hugo Sanchez said. "It really felt like we were in Brazil."
As the raucous crowd looked on, Kaka found a ball waiting for him from eight yards out after Mexican defender Rafael Marquez failed to clear a cross, and the midfielder struck the near post with his shot as it just got past the keeper to break a 1-1 tie.
Dunga experimented in this game by moving Kaka up in the midfield to play more of a hybrid role between forward and midfield. The results spoke for themselves, as the AC Milan star scored the winning goal and dominated play on the field all day.
"He was very successful today," Dunga said. "This is a great opportunity to experiment with different positions and players."
It was a goal the whole game was building toward, as Brazil had two headers earlier in the half that were denied by a Mexican defender standing on the goal line and by a fantastic reaction save by Guillermo Ochoa.
"From that moment on we had to risk (going forward) and that's what lead to the third goal," Sanchez said.
Brazil added an insurance goal in the 86th minute, when substitute Afonso blasted the ball into the far corner of the goal to ensure victory.
Brazil had plenty of chances to score early in the first half, but couldn't convert, and despite Brazil's dictation of the play for most of the first half, Mexico put the first goal on the board in the 43rd minute on a counter attack.
Andres Guardado controlled a cross near the left corner of the six-yard box, and with Brazilian keeper Cesar Julio closing in on him, Guardado calmly slotted the ball across to the middle of the field, where Juan Carlos Cacho was waiting with an open goal in front of him. Cacho took his time and placed the ball into the back of the net to put Mexico ahead 1-0.
Brazil was quick to answer.
In the 45th minute, Ronaldinho placed the Brazilian corner kick toward the near post, where midfielder Kleber awkwardly stuck his left leg out just enough to catch the ball and redirect it into the net. It tied the score just before halftime and drew a roar from the largely pro-Brazilian crowd.
"It would have been a little more fair if we had gone into halftime with a better score," Sanchez said. "If we had the score at 1-0, it would have been more difficult for Brazil to score later."
Brazil dominated the second half, and only a few great saves kept Selecao from scoring a few more goals.
The game was physical for a friendly, as multiple players received yellow cards and Brazil's Elano received a red card in the 82nd minute for a vicious swipe at Mexico's Herardo Torrado's legs.
"In certain locations, there was excessive force," Sanchez said.
Despite his team's safe lead, Brazilian coach Dunga was ejected in the 94th minute.
After the game, Dunga was cautiously optimistic about his team's future.
"I was very pleased with the performance, but it's clear we have to correct a few things," he said. "I was very pleased how the players played their positions today, particularly with 2 v 2s and 3 v 2s."
Sanchez was also pleased with the way his team played.
"I'm happy because we played at the same level as Brazil," he said. "We want to learn from the good things Brazil does."
Brazil finished its two-game tour of the United States tonight, which started with a 4-2 victory over the United States on Sunday, and the team and its coach were pleased with its stay.
"This was a great experience," Dunga said, "particularly with so many Brazilian Americans here. It is something we will continue doing."
Updated on Thursday, Sep 13, 2007 12:12 am, EDT
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