SUNDAY, JULY 13, 2014

FAN FERVOR Van Gaal wants to sign off with Dutch record

BRASILIA: Netherlands coach Louis the semi-final “should never be lost in the 1974, 1978 and 2010 Netherlands forward-turned-wing van Gaal has changed his tune on played”. finals. In the 1998 semi-finals they back said Van Gaal’s assis- the importance of the third-place He had wanted to bow out as a went out to Brazil on penalties and tant Patrick Kluivert, who played in playoff and wants to sign off with a World Cup winner, but their exit to lost the third-place match to Croatia, the third-place defeat by Croatia in win to become the first Dutch coach Argentina on penalties after 120 missing the chance to go unbeaten 1998, had stressed the importance of to go unbeaten in normal and extra goalless minutes in Sao Paulo on in normal and extra time for the first the fixture and added that the team time at a World Cup. Wednesday ended that ambition. time. Asked if he had given some would strive for victory. “We haven’t lost a match,” he said “It was very sad, very sad, and a thought to his next job at United “It would be wonderful to close ahead of Saturday’s game against dream has been broken and this after the semi-final shootout, the this World Cup by winning but we hosts Brazil in Brasilia after his side dream is not going to come back prickly Van Gaal replied by instead still won’t be satisfied,” he said. lost their semi-final against because it was all about being num- outlining his plans to achieve a “Patrick said the third place gives you Argentina 4-2 in a shootout. ber one,” the former Ajax Amsterdam, record with the Dutch. a much better feeling than fourth “I have two-and-a-half days to Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach “Well you see we are working on place.” analyse and watch Brazil and I don’t told reporters on Friday. the World Cup here, we can still write Van Gaal, who taught physical want to leave anything to chance so I “To lose this way is the most terri- history for the Netherlands,” he said. education for 11 years, said his final have been focusing on Brazil and I ble way and that’s why in the press Van Gaal said he would wait and match in charge would have a similar hope I can prepare my players in conference I said its better to lose 7-1 see who was mentally and physically feel to the last day of school where such a way that we can play a good as you clearly lose, but we didn’t lose, fit for Saturday’s match before decid- children often give presents to match, win the game and write his- we lost because of penalties,” he said ing his lineup. He also continued his teachers. “Yes it will be part of my tory.” referring to the hammering Germany criticism of the fixture scheduling speech that this is my last match and Van Gaal, 62, will leave his post handed Brazil. that had angered Brazil coach Luiz the players may want to give me a with the Dutch to become manager The Dutch have come agonisingly Felipe Scolari earlier in the tourna- present in the form of victory so we of Manchester United after the third- close to winning the World Cup but ment, saying the hosts had the can finish the tournament undefeat- place match which he had said after have never lifted the trophy, having advantage of an extra rest day. ed,” he said.—Reuters Brazil, Dutch in game nobody wants to play

BRASLOIA: Neymar has urged his Brazil team-mates to rescue some of their battered pride after their humili- ating World Cup semi-final defeat to Germany by beating the Netherlands in yesterday’s third-place play-off in Brasilia. It is the one game that no team ever wants to take part in, but the encounter at the Mane Garrincha National Stadium took on extra signif- icance after the hosts’ dream of lifting the trophy at the Maracana 24 hours later was ended by their record 7-1 loss against the Germans. Neymar missed that match after fracturing a bone in his back in the quarter-final win against Colombia, but the 22-year-old superstar faced the media on Thursday as he called for Brazil to bow out on a high. “It was unbelievable, inexplicable. We had the opportunity to write our names into history in a positive man- ner, and we failed,” he said of the Selecao’s embarrassing semi-final loss, their heaviest-ever defeat. “We haven’t had a good campaign. We were consistent, which is why we reached the semi-finals, but we didn’t play the kind of enchanting football associated with Brazil. “Now we need to approach Saturday’s game as if it were the final and finish the World Cup smiling, with BRAZIL: A combination of file pictures shows Netherlands’ striker and captain (right) controlling a victory. It is not going to lessen the the ball in Durban and Brazil’s defender and captain Thiago Silva (left) with the ball in Belo Horizonte in this file pain, but it is important.” photo. —AFP The match could prove to be Luiz Felipe Scolari’s last in charge, and the and go out onto the field on Saturday. United. “We have a day’s less rest, With the sole exception of third- coach is likely to make changes to a But, for me, every game is about which is not very fair. The third-place choice goalkeeper , every team whose confidence has been so being first.” play-off is pointless. I was saying that member of the Dutch squad has badly damaged. The mood in the Dutch camp is the 15 years ago, because you can have a played some part at the tournament, Captain Thiago Silva will return same. The Oranje have a day less to fantastic tournament and then finish but Van Gaal may choose to give after suspension, while his Paris Saint- prepare for the match after their ago- with two defeats,” he added. younger players such as Jordy Clasie Germain colleague Maxwell, the only nising defeat on penalties to Nevertheless, the way in which Van and a run-out from outfield player yet to feature, may Argentina in Wednesday’s second Gaal’s superbly-organised side have the start here. play a part. semi-final in Sao Paulo. performed throughout the competi- Meanwhile, could Despite Neymar’s rallying cry, However, in contrast to Brazil, tion suggests they are quite capable miss out after surprisingly featuring almost all of those involved in Brasilia Holland will be able to look back on a of inflicting more pain on Brazil. for an hour against Argentina, just 10 would rather be elsewhere, with campaign which started with a 5-1 “We were so close to reaching the days after tearing a groin muscle in Daniel Alves having made clear his thumping of Spain as a success. final and I also had confidence that the last-16 win over Mexico. The lack of appetite for the bronze-medal “We have had a fantastic tourna- we could beat Germany,” said stalwart match will be the fifth meeting of the clash. ment. Nobody expected us to get Dirk Kuyt. “Now we have to focus on countries at the World Cup, with both “The important thing is first place. beyond the group stage,” said coach another game, but we have done so sides having recorded two victories so Nothing else matters,” said the right- , who must motivate well and come so far that it would be far. The Netherlands emerged 2-1 win- back. “We represent millions of peo- himself for his final match at the helm a shame to go home with two ners in the last eight in South Africa ple, so we have to digest this defeat before he takes over at Manchester defeats.” four years ago. —AFP CBF chief: Scolari should keep his job

SAO PAULO: Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari should overseeing Brazil’s heaviest ever World Cup defeat in a group, when there is a mistake everyone is respon- carry on because of his good work in the job even which the hosts conceded four goals in six first-half sible. He has his part of the blame and so do we. though the hosts were humiliated by Germany in the minutes, has led many fans to call for his head. “Over those six minutes we just had a blackout World Cup semi-finals, a Brazilian federation official However, Brazil captain Thiago Silva said the and that result wouldn’t happen again in another said on Friday. squad still believed in the coach with the Copa 100 years.” Scolari was peppered with questions “To me, he stays,” the president-elect of the America coming up in Chile next year. “It’s not about his future on Friday but the gesticulating Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) Marco Polo because he is sat beside me but I’ve told him we real- coach said he had more pressing personal issues to Del Nero told the Estado de Sao Paulo newspaper in ly trust him and we have learnt and developed in this sort after the World Cup. an interview. year and a half,” said the defender, who missed the “The first thing is to pay my bills, go to the bank “What happened was a tactical error. That was the Germany defeat through suspension. “You cant cruci- and also adjust my personal life as it has been left problem. But we all make mistakes. It can happen to fy him for a mistake or any other reason. Because, as aside during this period,” he told reporters. —Reuters anyone,” he added referring to Brazil’s 7-1 mauling by Germany on Tuesday “The important thing is that he did a good job. The campaign and the preparations were good. A base exists.” It was the first time Del Nero or Jose Maria Marin, the man he will replace as head of the CBF next April, have spoken about the humbling defeat by Germany in belo Horizonte. Scolari, who led Brazil to their fifth World Cup title in 2002, said he would complete a report of the team’s performance after he takes charge of Saturday’s third-place playoff match against the Netherlands in Brasilia. The former Portugal manager has lost just three times in 28 matches since taking over in November 2012 and thought the semi-final loss against Germany should not mask his solid record. “I will present my report and then President Marco Polo and the board will talk among themselves and let’s see what happens and let’s see what they think was right and what was wrong in my work,” he told reporters at the Brasilia national stadium.

GOOD SITUATIONS “I know in the last year and a half we have had several very good situations so I cannot see how people can only see the result of one match. “What I really wanted was to get to the finals but I BRASILIA: Brazil’s coach Luiz Felipe Scolari gives a press conference at the Mane Garrincha National didn’t do that.” Scolari’s failure, and the ignominy of Stadium. —AFP