Portuguese Clubs Take Big Steps
Portugal, which will play host to the European Championship in 2004 and whose national team recently defeated world champion Brazil, continues to enjoy a rise in good fortune.
On Thursday, two Portuguese clubs, FC Porto and Boavista, moved to the verge of qualifying for the UEFA Cup final with impressive semifinal results at home and on the road.
Porto turned in a dazzling display at its Das Antas Stadium to trounce Lazio of Italy, 4-1, behind two goals by Brazilian striker Derlei and one apiece by Maniche and Helder Postiga after Claudio Lopez had given Lazio the lead in the sixth minute.
Despite his team’s performance, Porto Coach Jose Mourinho remained cautious, with the second game in the series still to be played.
“There are 90 minutes to go, and those will be very difficult,” he said. “Lazio is a very good team and can cause us problems in Rome.”
Boavista, meanwhile, has already survived its away game by tying Celtic, 1-1, in Glasgow, where the Scottish team provided both goals.
An own goal by Celtic’s Joos Valgaeren, who deflected a cross into his net, gave Boavista the lead in the 48th minute, but Henrik Larsson, Celtic’s Swedish striker, tied it up barely 60 seconds later.
Larsson had the chance to score the winner late in the match, but his penalty kick was saved by Boavista goalkeeper Ricardo.
“The players are disappointed and frustrated, but we are capable of going to Portugal and winning,” said Celtic Coach Martin O’Neill.
The second leg of the semifinals will be played April 24, and Porto and Boavista, both from Oporto, Portugal, could become the first teams from the same city to play each other in a European final.
SARS Impact Grows
FIFA decided to postpone the scheduled May 24 draw for the fourth FIFA Women’s World Cup that was to have taken place in Wuhan, China, and to have been followed by a match between world championship host China and a world all-star team.
The decision was made “in light of the health risks” presented by the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in Asia, FIFA said. No new date was announced.
The potentially fatal virus Thursday also caused Portugal to cancel its planned matches against South Korea on June 8 in Seoul and against Japan on June 11 in Saitama.
Coach Luis Felipe Scolari’s team reportedly is trying to arrange a game against the United States in place of those matches, Reuters reported. The teams met in the 2002 World Cup, with the U.S. scoring a memorable upset victory.
Earlier this week, English Premier League teams Everton and Aston Villa both canceled planned postseason trips to Asia because of SARS-related concerns.
Tournament Returns
The 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship, which was to have been played March 23-April 16 in the United Arab Emirates but was postponed because of the war in Iraq, was rescheduled.
FIFA announced in Zurich, Switzerland, that the 24-nation under-20 tournament, for which the U.S., Mexico and Canada all have qualified, will now take place Nov. 27-Dec. 19 in the emirates of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah and the city of Al Ain, the same venues as before.
Quick Passes
World Cup winner Roberto Carlos of Brazil appealed against his provisional one-match ban from international competition for hitting referee Alon Yefet with his shoulder.... The English Football Assn. faces disciplinary action by UEFA after European soccer’s governing body claimed English fans engaged in racist abuse during England’s 2-0 victory over Turkey on April 2.... Bayern Munich, which extended Coach Ottmar Hitzfeld’s contract by one year, also said it will release 1998 World Cup scoring leader Davor Suker of Croatia, midfielder Thomas Hassler and other veterans in a cost-cutting measure.... Romario of Brazil has indicated he will rescind the $1.5-million, three-month contract he signed to play for Al-Saad in Qatar because he hasn’t settled well with the club and has even been relegated to the bench.
