Days of Decision in World Cup : Field to Be Trimmed This Week; England Figures to Fall
In Monterrey, frustrated English fans have taken to exposing a certain part of their anatomy in public, apparently an oblique reference to how far behind the English team is in the group standings.
For their cheek, they are being fined 50 pesos each, the equivalent of about a dime.
In Irapuato, Canadian Coach Tony Waiters is just as frustrated and angry, claiming that North America’s flirtation with indoor soccer has ruined his team’s chances in the World Cup.
And all throughout Mexico, coaches, players and fans are talking about the Soviets and wondering just how far the tournament’s second-most impressive team after Denmark can go. Certainly, the June 29 championship game is not completely beyond the realm of possibility.
This is the week of decision for the World Cup, the week the field of 24 is trimmed to 16. Just which eight teams will fall by the wayside will be determined in a dozen games begining today and ending Friday.
Canada, expectedly, and England, very unexpectedly, seem certain to be among those cast out.
Each of the 24 teams has played two of its three first-round matches. For some, such as unbeaten and untied Brazil, two games has been enough to see them through to the next round. For most, however, fate hangs on the third game.
Today, Group C will be settled. The Soviet Union meets Canada in Irapuato, and France and Hungary play in Leon.
The result of the first game is regarded as a foregone conclusion: Award the Soviets the group title and send the Canadians home. Those who had wagered that Canada would not score a goal in the tournament have not been disappointed, and today’s result is unlikely to change matters.
According to Waiters, the Major Indoor Soccer League is to blame. The MISL refused to allow its clubs to release their Canadian players in time to prepare for the World Cup.
“I’m becoming more and more of the opinion that the indoor game is harmful to the outdoor game,” Waiters told United Press International after last week’s 2-0 loss to Hungary. “It breeds some bad habits. When it comes time for the outdoor game, the physical requirements are too demanding and you have to re-eductate.”
The Canadians, having already been taught a lesson by France and Hungary, will receive another one this afternoon. Again, it will be painful, but at least it might convince Canadian soccer officials not to select indoor players in the future.
The France-Hungary match, meanwhile, offers all kinds of possibilities. Hungary, having rebounded from its 6-0 thrashing by the Soviets, might make a game of it, but European champion France needs only a tie to guarantee itself a spot in the second round.
On Tuesday, Group A rivals Italy and Argentina will be fighting--probably literally--to win the group. The Argentines have the edge. They lead the standings with three points and have only to face a lackluster Bulgarian team in Mexico City.
Italy, meanwhile, is coming off successive 1-1 ties with Bulgaria and Argentina and Coach Enzo Bearzot has said that his team must defeat the popular South Koreans in Puebla if it is to save face.
Faced with the same situation in England during the 1966 World Cup, Italy was beaten, 1-0, by North Korea and ousted from the tournament in one of the World Cup’s momentous upsets.
On Wednesday, four games will be played, with Mexico favored over winless Iraq in Mexico City and Paraguay and Belgium battling in Toluca for a spot in the second round. Mexico and Paraguay are tied with three points apiece in Group B, while Belgium trails with two points.
Group F action has Poland and England squaring off in Monterrey. England is staring at the distinct possibility of being eliminated without winning a game or scoring a goal.
The once highly favored English have been beaten by Portugal and tied by lowly Morocco. Worse yet, they go against the Poles without their captain Bryan Robson and key playmaker Ray Wilkins. Robson is injured and Wilkins was tossed out of the Morocco game and must sit out a match.
Group F has been called the Group of Sleep--only two goals having been scored in its first four games--but its final matches do offer the possibility of awakening the fans. England must win or be eliminated, while Portugal and Morocco meet in Guadalajara tied for second place with two points each. Poland leads the group with three.
On Thursday, Brazil and Northern Ireland meet in Guadalajara and Spain plays Algeria in Monterrey in Group D play. Brazil has clinched a spot in the next round but wants to win the group in order to remain based in Guadalajara. Northern Ireland’s coach, Blly Bingham, has said publicly that “Northern Ireland will beat Brazil.”
Spain needs only a tie against the Algerians to advance, but they will have a hard time scoring against one of the tournament’s most acrobatic goalkeepers, Algeria’s Nacerdine Drid.
Finally, on Friday, Group E, the Group of Death, will be decided. West Germany and Denmark meet at Queretaro and Scotland takes on Uruguay at Nezahualcoyotl. The latter game offers the Scots one last chance to restore some pride in the British game.
The way this World Cup has gone, don’t count on it. As the English fans in Monterrey have shown, British soccer has hit rock bottom.
