They may not yet have a team capable of winning the World Cup, but that didn't stop soccer-mad Asians getting into the swing of this year's tournament.
Although the yawning time difference with Berlin, where the final between France and Italy was held, forced Asians to watch live broadcasts at unearthly hours yesterday morning, millions of fans throughout the region still avidly tuned in on television.
They packed shopping malls, bars and anywhere else that a public screen could be erected not only for the final but for every match in the month-long championships.
In Australia, where almost 1 million people trace their ancestry back to Italy, tens of thousands of fans braved the winter chill to watch the game at huge outdoor screens in major cities.
Flares, fireworks and screams of joy erupted from an estimated 10,000 fans in Sydney's Italian heartland of Norton Street when Italy slotted home the winning penalty.
"It doesn't get any better than this," yelled Victor Arcuri atop a car painted in the red, white and green of the Italian flag.
He invited everyone back to his pizza shop, telling them: "Let's all call in sick today."
Of all the Asian teams in the month-long tournament, Australia went furthest, reaching the second round. It was only the second time the nation had qualified.
Japan and South Korea, joint hosts of the 2002 tournament, were eliminated in the first round.
Italy put Australia out of the World Cup with a 1-0 victory and Australian Prime Minister John Howard noted that the fact the Azzurri had gone on to win the tournament showed how well the Socceroos had performed.
"I congratulate Italy," he said.
"I'm sure there'll be a lot of Australians of Italian descent -- now that Australia's out of it -- their second choice would have been Italy and I'm sure they're very happy," Howard said.
Hong Kongers' love of soccer is evident from the popularity of European team shirts in the former British colony. During the World Cup, however, they took their devotion to another level, as hundreds of thousands gathered at public screenings of matches.
Carlos Alcaraz on Monday powered into the French Open second round with a resounding win to start his title defense, while world No. 1 Jannik Sinner and three-time defending women’s champion Iga Swiatek also progressed at Roland Garros. Four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz struck 31 winners in a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 victory over Italian qualifier Giulio Zeppieri and is to face Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan in round two. Alcaraz is now on an eight-match winning streak at the French Open and also took Olympic silver at Roland Garros last year, losing the final to Novak Djokovic. “The first round is never
SSC Napoli coach Antonio Conte has dragged the team back from disaster and restored them to the top of Italian Serie A, but his future at the Scudetto winners is in doubt even after a triumphant season. The fiery 55-year-old has exceeded preseason expectations and bolstered his reputation as a serial winner by guiding Napoli to their fourth Scudetto, and second in three seasons. However, he might well be on his way in the summer after just one season at the helm as his charged relationship with Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis has simmered throughout the campaign. Conte has said
‘HELLA ENERGY’: Minnesota’s 42-point victory set a club record for points in a playoff game, but the team have to keep up their momentum to stay in the series, Edwards said Anthony Edwards on Saturday night scored 30 points and the Minnesota Timberwolves overwhelmed Oklahoma City 143-101 to tighten their NBA playoff series. Edwards added nine rebounds and six assists. while shooting 12-of-17 from the floor and 5-of-8 from three-point range as the hosts Timberwolves pulled a game back to be 2-1 behind in the best-of-seven Western Conference Finals. However, moments after the 42-point win, Minnesota were determined to forget all about it. Such is life in the NBA playoffs. “You’ve got to erase this one,” Edwards said. “This one is over. I know everyone is happy about this one, but we know OKC is
The horn sounded on Wednesday night to signal a third straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final, as the Florida Panthers celebrated merely by hopping over the boards and several heading over to congratulate goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. It was a subdued celebration seemingly more befitting a regular-season win for the reigning Cup champs. “I remember a few years ago, it felt like such an accomplishment from where we were at one point,” forward Matthew Tkachuk said, adding: “It’s all business and we’ve got a bigger goal in mind.” The Panthers closed out the Carolina Hurricanes in five games, with a 5-3 victory in
RSS