Yugoslavs Reach 2nd Round for First Time Since 1974

Yugoslavia scored early, scored late and also dominated the middle of its 4-1 victory over the United Arab Emirates Tuesday. The victory, coupled with an earlier win over Colombia, clinched second place in Group D for Yugoslavia, which advanced for the first time since 1974.

“Now we have a week to work, to regroup and to start anew,” said Ivica Osim, the Yugoslav coach. “The second round and its knockout system is like a different World Cup.”

No games can end in a tie after the first round, with shootouts used after two 15-minute overtime periods.

Newcomer Darko Pancev scored twice for the Yugoslavs, who were the first to qualify for the World Cup from European groups.

“The most important thing is that we won and advanced,” Osim said. “We were the favorites but we had to prove it on the field.

“My team was a bit nervous because it had to win, and we made some mistakes that would have been very costly against a stronger team.”

But the UAE showed little in its first World Cup.

“We paid the price for our inexperience,” Coach Carlos Alberto Perreira said.

Pancev scored in the ninth and 46th minutes. Safet Susic scored in the fifth minute and second-half substitute Robert Prosinecki connected in the closing seconds.

Ali Thani Juma’a scored in the 22nd minute for the United Arab Emirates, which finished the game with 10 players. Japanese referee Shizou Takada sent off defender Khaleel Mubarak in the 75th minute for kicking Pancev in an incident away from the ball.

After Yugoslavia’s fast start, it was lured into a slower pace. But as soon as the United Arab Emirates scored, Yugoslavia again took charge.

Susic headed in the earliest goal in the tournament on a crossing pass from Refik Sabanadzovic. Four minutes later, Pancev scored after the defense failed to clear a loose ball on the edge of the penalty area.