WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3, 2015 SPORTS Thais hope to make a splash BANGKOK: Thailand will be happy just looking too far ahead. to be competing at a maiden World “It’s already beyond overwhelming Cup when they open their campaign to have the chance to participate in the with a daunting tie against Norway but World Cup. We will do our best without the War Elephants can also hope to pressuring ourselves too hard,” she head home with at least one victory. said. The Thais booked their ticket to Thailand were once a regional pow- Canada as the fifth place team at last erhouse, winning the Asian Cup in year’s Asian Cup and will be looking to 1983 on home soil before drifting into build on a recent regional tournament relative obscurity until last year’s fifth- win when they face the world’s elite. place finish ended an 11-tournament At 29, Thailand are one of the low- run of failures or non qualification. The est-ranked sides in the June 6-July 5 current squad have grown up together tournament and face a tough task to and have always been successful in get anything from Group B matches Southeast Asia and head to North against European powerhouses America as ASEAN champions buoyed Norway and two-time champions by their good form after they edged Germany. out Myanmar 3-2 in the final in However, should they enjoy a win Vietnam last month. over 67th-ranked Ivory Coast in their But Nuengrutai Srathonvian, who other pool game, they could reach the became the nation’s first female coach round of 16 as one of the four best when she took over from Jatuporn third place sides at the 24-team event. Pramualban last year, admits the side The prospect of making the second will need to work harder if they are to round of the sport’s premier competi- enjoy any success in Canada. “(The tion would have been unthinkable a title) boosted the team’s confidence. few years ago but Thailand are a well- From now on, we have to work on a lot drilled team, who are familiar with of things in order to compete at the each other and play a quick-tempo top level at the World Cup,” she added. short-passing game. “We are unfortunate to be in an Kanjana Sungngoen scored twice in extremely strong group but we’ll try to the monumental win over Vietnam to achieve our target by beating at least put Thailand into the finals but is not Ivory Coast.” —Reuters China seek credibility on return to the world stage MELBOURNE: Rich in potential but who became the first Chinese to play in poor in experience, China’s women are Germany’s women’s Bundesliga when targeting a berth in the knockout she was recruited by Turbine Potsdam rounds at the World Cup in Canada to late last year. atone for the humiliation of failing to Though lacking the fire-power of qualify for the last tournament in 2011. the top European sides, China boast Sixteenth-ranked China face an ample stamina and will hope to pinch uphill battle to advance, however, hav- goals on the counter-attack if their AUCKLAND: New Zealand’s Deklan Wynne (centre) competes for the ball against Desevio Payne (left) and Matthew Miazga of the USA during ing been drawn in Group A with hosts much-improved defence can hold firm. their U-20 soccer World Cup match. —AP Canada, Netherlands and New Zealand, Up forward, the Steel Roses suffered none of whom are pushovers. a major blow in the lead-up with striker Breaking through to the last 16 Yang Li omitted from the final squad of would be a sparkling achievement for 23 due to injury. Myanmar party over as head coach Hao Wei, who has put his Yang scored six goals in the Asian faith in youth since taking over a Cup last year to be dubbed the “Young demoralised team in 2011. China’s Sun Wen” by Chinese media, a nod to women have been known as the “Steel the country’s finest woman player and Ukraine hit them for six Roses” by home media since their brave Golden Boot winner at the 1999 World run to the final of the 1999 tournament Cup. WELLINGTON: Myanmar’s under-20 World Cup ence. “I must apologise to the Myanmar fans, I chance. but showed little backbone in the With Yang out of the picture, the ‘party’ came to a crashing halt yesterday when am responsible for this disaster, but I can’t turn “My team was too poor.” Myanmar’s final aftermath of their quarter-final exit in burden of China’s scoring will fall to they were hammered 6-0 by Ukraine, with all six a cyclist into a racing driver.” game is on Friday in Wellington against hosts 2007. Having featured at all five previ- forwards Li Ying, Wang Shuang and goals coming in the second half, prompting the Like many developing nations in Asia, world New Zealand, who were beaten 4-0 by the ous tournaments, their failure to quali- Zhao Rong. Asian side’s German coach to apologise to their governing body FIFA has pumped money into United States in Auckland, and must beat Zeise’s fy for the 2011 finals in Germany was Perhaps more important for China fans. the country and given more than $1.1 million side to give themselves a hope of qualifying for considered a national disgrace. than firepower is how they perform Myanmar, who qualified for the tournament through its Goal programme over the past five the knockout phase. Tasked with restoring China’s repu- with the expectations of home fans, for the first time by reaching the Asian under-19 years to fund facilities and training programmes Austria took a huge step towards the round tation, young coach Hao cleaned out with local media clamouring for a cred- championships semi-finals on home soil last for age-group players. of 16 with a 2-1 victory over Panama, who fin- the ranks and his rejuvenated side ible return to the world stage. Assistant year, had given the United States a massive Myanmar’s qualification for the tournament ished with nine men, in a spiteful encounter in reached the semi-finals of the Asian coach Liu Yu believes the team is as fright in their opening game on Saturday before in New Zealand was seen as proof the money Wellington, where the Europeans also had two Cup last year to qualify automatically ready as it can be but is under no illu- eventually losing 2-1. was working. Zeise, however, suggested the penalties saved by Jaime De Gracia. for Canada. sion about the task at hand. “There’s They managed to hold Ukraine scoreless in tournament, despite causing an outpouring of Ghana also shook off the rust that had char- Hao has now notched up four years some distance between us and the the first half in Whangarei before the Europeans celebrations back home, had come too early for acterised their fortuitous 1-1 draw against in charge, an eternity in the unforgiv- strongest teams in the world,” he told scored six in the second, with Shakhtar his side. Austria on Saturday, which was sealed with a ing world of elite Chinese soccer. The Chinese media this week. “We’re now Donetsk’s Viktor Kovalenko grabbing a brace. “Obviously we only had the power for one stoppage-time penalty, with an impressive 3-2 period of stability has galvanised the facing this reality. “(Our) work must be The scoreline could have been even worse match. The European teams play in another victory over Humberto Grondona’s Argentina. side and seen a number of talents blos- meticulous, there can no amount of had Pavlo Polehenko not missed a penalty after league and we cannot follow,” he said. Grondona’s side, one of the pre-tournament defender Thiha Htet Aung was sent off for a “We are too blind and we do not have the favourites, scored two late goals to set up a som, including goalkeeper Wang Fei, negligence.”—Reuters hand ball on the line. experience, that’s absolutely clear. “It was a dis- tense final few minutes but have just one point “We must be realists, the party is over,” aster and this tournament has come too early from two games and face the Austrians on Myanmar coach Gerd Zeise told a media confer- for us. We cannot follow these teams, no Friday. —Reuters Flawless Germany eye third women’s World Cup crown

BERLIN: Confident Germany are hoping to add a third Women’s World Cup title to their collection despite a long club season and a short pre-tourna- ment preparation. Having qualified in sensational fashion after win- ning all 10 of their Group 1 games, the Germans are brimming with confidence ahead of the tourna- ment, having scored 62 goals and let in four in the qualifications. “Our team is outstanding, we have immense potential and the necessary quality to go very far in this tournament,” said 36-year-old goal- keeper Nadine Angerer, preparing for what will be her fifth World Cup. “We only have this aim in our sights and every- thing else is secondary,” added the two-time World Cup winner, who will be retiring this year. Germany are in Group B for the June 6-July 5 tournament in Canada and will face Ivory Coast, SYDNEY: Chelsea player Dominic Solanke (right) charges Sydney FC’s Andrew Hoole Thailand and Norway. But with German players in during their club friendly soccer match. —AP club action as recently as last week, coach Silvia Neid, who is stepping down next year after over a decade at the helm, has had a far from ideal prepa- Chelsea down Sydney FC ration in Switzerland. Frankfurt beat Paris St Germain in the Champions SYDNEY: English Premier League very long season, Mourinho said. “You League final on May 14 with seven Germany inter- champion Chelsea beat Sydney FC 1-0 could see some tired performances. nationals involved while others still had domestic at a sold-out Olympic Stadium in People like (Branislav) Ivanovic, John league matches. Sydney and capped a successful Asian Terry, (John Obi) Mikel, Eden, they tried “This is the biggest challenge because of the tour yesterday. to play football. “I’m sorry that we preparation time we had,” said Neid, who has been Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho’s pre- couldn’t give more but it was the last involved in each of Germany’s two World Cup wins match promise to play his strongest game of the season and couldn’t be and eight European Championship victories either team against A-League runner-up better.” as a player, assistant coach or coach. Sydney FC was fulfilled as premier Remy’s goal brought the game to life Her 23-member squad includes 18 players who league player of the year Eden Hazard, with Sydney having an immediate won the European crown in 2013 as well a handful captain John Terry, goalkeeper Petr chance to draw level but Ivanovic acro- of Under-20 World Cup winners from the 2014 tour- Cech, and striker Diego Costa all start- batically cleared Shane Smeltz’s goal- nament also held in Canada. ed. Hazard, especially, impressed, and bound effort in what was Sydney’s best “In the past weeks we gathered a lot of impres- seemingly had the ball on a string as he chance of the opening half. Sydney, sions and at the end it was nuances that made the slalomed through Sydney’s defensive which lost 1-0 to Tottenham in front of difference,” Neid said of her final World Cup squad. lines time and again to the delight of over a 70,000 crowd on Saturday, had She will be missing 2014 FIFA World player of the the 83,598 crowd. some late opportunities for an equaliz- year Nadine Kessler, out due to injury, as well as It was one of Chelsea’s other first- er and defender Seb Ryall’s goal was experienced attacking midfielder Lira Alushi, who is team stars, Loic Remy, who produced a ruled out for offside as Chelsea tired. pregnant. powerful strike on the half hour to find Chelsea beat a Thailand All Stars team Celia Sasic, the Bundesliga top scorer, will be in the top corner for an entertaining 1-0 in Bangkok on Saturday, with charge of getting the goals as she did in Frankfurt’s game’s only goal. Mourinho using the opportunity to 2-1 Champions League win over the French club. “I’m happy with the performance of field many of the squad’s younger play- Frankfurt teammate Simone Laudher is also back in HAMILTON: Canada’s Alysha Chapman (left) and England’s Toni Duggan battle for the my senior players because it’s been a ers. —AP training after an injury scare in the final.—Reuters ball during a women’s international soccer friendly match in this file photo. —AP