PREVIEW
▲Japan
▲Cameroon
PHOTO: AFP
After shrugging off criticism from Roger Milla and deciding not to skip the World Cup, Samuel Eto’o will get his first chance today against a struggling Japan lineup to prove that he can produce his best soccer for Cameroon.
The Indomitable Lions’ preparations have been overshadowed by a nasty spat between Eto’o and Cameroon great Milla, who questioned the Inter striker’s performances for the national team.
Eto’o, who is Cameroon’s all-time leading international scorer with 42 goals, threatened he would miss the marquee event, but decided the first World Cup in Africa was too important to miss and he has the full support of Cameroon coach Paul Le Guen.
“He is my captain, a great player, one of the best players in the world and he wants to do well,” Le Guen said.
Eto’o didn’t lead from the front in the recent warm-up matches.
After getting sent off in the 3-1 loss to Portugal for picking up a second booking, he missed the 4-3 loss to Serbia.
Those two losses and three draws mean Cameroon haven’t registered a win in five matches, despite a glut of talent, including Arsenal midfielder Alex Song, Tottenham Hotspur defenders Benoit Assou-Ekotto and Sebastien Bassong and Real Mallorca striker Pierre Webo.
Against Japan, Le Guen has plenty of offensive firepower, but is wary of a fast Japanese attack against his defensive line that has leaked seven goals in the last two matches.
“I have watched many videos of Japanese football over and over, and I know their strongest weapon is that they have very swift attackers,” Le Guen said.
While Cameroon’s form hasn’t been outstanding, Japan’s has been worse.
The Japanese have recorded four consecutive loses in the run up to the tournament, scoring just one goal in that stretch as coach Takeshi Okada has consistently tinkered with his lineup in a bid to find the best balance.
While Le Guen is worried about Japan’s pace up front, Japan midfielder Junichi Inamoto said the Asian side is sure to keep an eye on Eto’o, but Inamoto stressed Japan don’t have the luxury of being able to just focus on one player.
“Cameroon has a lot of good players, not only Eto’o — there’s Song, there’s Webo — they’re good attacking players, fast and physical, and so we have to protect good and after that we have to take the ball and have a good counter[attack],” Inamoto said.
Cameroon have never regained the form that inspired a run to the 1990 World Cup quarter-finals, when the then 38-year-old Milla’s Indomitable Lions became the first African team to reach that stage of the global event.
Japan reached the second round when they co-hosted the 2002 edition with South Korea, but have never won a World Cup match on foreign soil. The Japanese will be making their fourth straight appearance in the tournament and are eager to get off to a good start in a group that also includes the Netherlands and Denmark.
Japan had a 1-0 lead over Australia deep into their first game at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, but conceded three late goals and their campaign never recovered.
“We have to win. The first game is very important, like a final,” Inamoto said. “So if you get a point — sure three points is much better — because the next game is against Holland, so it’s a very, very big match.”
SS Lazio on Monday fired the far-right sympathizer who handles their eagle mascot after he posted online a series of videos and pictures of his erect penis. Falconer Juan Bernabe, who has been present at Lazio home matches with Olimpia the eagle since the 2010-2011 season, posted the footage on social media after having surgery on Saturday to implant a penile prosthesis to improve his sexual performance. Lazio said that they had “terminated, with immediate effect” their relationship with Bernabe “due to the seriousness of his conduct,” adding that they were “shocked” by the images. The Serie A club added that Bernabe’s dismissal
‘TOUGH TO BREATHE’: Tunisian three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur suffered an asthma attack in her 7-5, 6-3 victory over Colombia’s Camila Osorio Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei yesterday cruised into the second round of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while Iga Swiatek romped into a third-round women’s singles showdown with Emma Raducanu and Taylor Fritz was just as emphatic in his pursuit of a maiden Grand Slam title. Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, the third seeds, defeated Slovakia’s Tereza Mihalikova and Olivia Nicholls of Britain 7-5, 6-2 in 90 minutes in Melbourne. Ostapenko and Hsieh — who won the women’s doubles and mixed doubles at the Australian Open last year — hit 25 winners and converted five of nine break points to set
Dubbed a “motorway for cyclists” where avid amateurs can chase Tadej Pogacar up mountains teeming with the highest concentration of professional cyclists per square kilometer in the world, Spain’s Costa Blanca has forged a new reputation for itself in the past few years. Long known as the ideal summer destination for those in search of sun, sea and sand, the stretch of coast between Valencia and Alicante now has a winter vocation too. During the season break in December and January, the region experiences an invasion of cyclists. Star names such as three-time Tour de France winner Pogacar, Remco Evenepoel and Julian Alaphilippe
Hong Kong-based cricket team Hung See this weekend found success in their matches in Taiwan, even if none of the results went their way. Hung See played the Chairman’s XI on Saturday morning, the Daredevils that afternoon and PCCT yesterday, with all three home teams winning. The team for Chinese players at the Happy Valley-based Craigengower Cricket Club sends teams on tour to “spread the game of cricket.” This weekend was Hung See’s second trip to Taiwan after visiting Tainan in 2016. “The club has been traveling to all parts of the world since 1982 and the annual tradition continues [with the Taiwan
RSS