England Loses to Norway
Norway put itself in position for its first World Cup soccer berth since 1938, stunning England in a World Cup qualifying match at Oslo, 2-0, Wednesday. It was the first time Norway had beaten England since 1981, and the defeat threatens England’s chance to advance to the tournament.
Norway (5-0-1) leads Group 2 with 11 points. England is second at 3-1-3 and nine points, followed by the Netherlands (3-1-2) and Poland (3-0-2) with eight points each. The top two teams in each European group qualify for the World Cup.
A brawl before the game resulted in the arrest of 73 English fans, who were accused of severely damaging a bar. Twelve more English fans were arrested during the day for minor offenses.
Meanwhile, Russia became the fifth team to qualify for the 1994 World Cup by tying Iceland at Reykjavik, 1-1, and clinching the second spot in Group 5. Russia and Greece, which qualified Sunday, are 4-0-2.
The United States qualified automatically as the host nation and Germany qualified as the defending champion. Mexico qualified from the North and Central American and Caribbean region.
Hockey
Scotty Bowman, the NHL’s all-time victory leader, reportedly will become the next coach of the Detroit Red Wings.
The Detroit News reported that Bowman, who coached the Pittsburgh Penguins the last two seasons, has agreed to a two-year contract with the Red Wings worth $2.6 million.
Detroit General Manager Bryan Murray, who stepped aside last week after three seasons as coach, would neither confirm nor deny the agreement.
Bowman won five Stanley Cups with Montreal, including four in a row from 1976-79, and coached the Penguins to last season’s championship.
Roger Neilson, who has coached five NHL teams, among them the Kings, signed a three-year contract to coach the expansion Florida Panthers, who will begin play next season.
Neilson, 58, whose record is 293-245-93, began coaching with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1977. He coached the Vancouver Canucks to the 1982 Stanley Cup finals.
He was fired by the New York Rangers last January.
Golf
Freshman Rob Bradley shot a 67, five under par, and led North Carolina to a two-stroke lead in the first round of the NCAA golf tournament at Lexington, Ky.
North Carolina, which finished with a 284 total, was followed by Texas and Georgia Tech at 288 each.
Names in the News
Dutch soccer star Marco Van Basten, the three-time European player of the year, will undergo arthroscopic surgery today on his ankle. . . . Miami Dolphin nose tackle T.J. Turner announced his retirement.
