[世青盃] 小組熱戰，日本 vs 貝寧關鍵戰役！
Hot hosts face Oz scrap, Benin and Japan tangle
(FIFA.com) 14 Jun 2005
With a first-half performance worthy of note in the annals of U-20
footballing lore, the host Netherlands tore poor Japan to pieces at the
Parkstad Limburg Stadium on 10 June. Though they let a goal slip and
somehow were made to sweat it out for the last 20 minutes of their first
match at the FIFA World Youth Championship Netherlands 2005, they established
themselves as arguably the most sublimely gifted side at these finals.
With mesmerising runs from young Arsenal winger Quincy Owusu Abeyie, fine
work up front from leggy Ajax striker Ryan Babel and the calm, fastidious
control of midfield cornerstone Hedwiges Maduro, the Lowlanders have a star
in the making in every position.
"Abeyie was incredible against Japan," Dutch coach Foppe de Haan said after
the match. "He was quite simply remarkable and it is not often you see
players of his ability at this age."
Australia, though without much debate a less gifted side with the ball at
their feet, can at times be a firm fist of a team. All rhetoric in the
young Socceroo camp revolves around the redemptive concept of teamwork -
a good thing considering man-for-man they admit to being outgunned by their
sure-to-be ungracious hosts.
"The Dutch are better than us individually," remarked impressive second-half
substitute Spase Dilevski, who so nearly pulled a late winner for Oz in their
opener with first-timers Benin. "But as a team, I think we've got the edge
on them. We've been studying their first game and I think we've found some
weaknesses we can exploit."
"We have a few guys who played for a while at Dutch clubs," added captain
Trent McLenahan of recently promoted Premiership side West Ham United.
"They've been up against a few of this lot and we'll be prepared. "We won't
be giving them any more respect than we do Benin or Japan."
Japan and Benin cautiously confident
The African debutants will be in high spirits heading into their second-ever
finals match against Japan. Having drawn with Australia in a game they
could well have won had they added to Razak Omotoyossi's 32nd-minute opener,
the talented West Africans will be fancying their chances against the
Japanese - whom they watched against Holland from the stands.
"I am fairly confident that we will win the match against Japan," goal-scorer
and standout Omotoyossi pronounced. "But football is tricky and unpredictable.
Maybe they will be a different team from the one that we saw - they could
play in a different way. But our main priority is to qualify for the second
round and we have to win."
But Japan, who gave decent account of themselves in an inspired second half
against the hosts, will be looking to get things right this time around in
a match that could well decide whether they reach the knockout rounds or
head for home.
Having been run ragged in the first 45 minutes against Holland, they fought
back admirably after adopting a more attack-minded approach in the second
period. With half-Northern Irish striker Robert Cullen and Koki Mizuno
causing problems for the Dutch in the late stages, they very nearly pulled
out a winner and head coach Kiyoshi Ohkuma is set to gamble against the
talented Africans.
"You can expect the players and tactics for the next game to be quite
different from the Holland match," he told FIFA.com. Benin are strong
physically and have excellent ball skills. We'll try to move the ball
around quickly, and hit them with quick and constant attacks."
Group A, Matchday 2,
Parkstad Limburg Stadium, Kerkrade, 15 June
17:30 Japan v. Benin
20:30 Australia v. Netherlands
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