Portugal Gets Best of Russia in 2-0 Victory
Portugal defeated Russia, 2-0, Wednesday at Lisbon in the European Championship, keeping alive its hopes of advancing to the quarterfinals while knocking the Russians out of contention.
At Porto, Portugal, surprising Greece tied Spain, 1-1, to stay in contention for a quarterfinal berth. Greece beat Portugal, 2-1, in its opener.
Nuno Maniche scored for Portugal in the seventh minute at Stadium of Light. Maniche took a centering pass from Deco and shot the ball into the right corner from 12 yards.
Russian goalkeeper Sergey Ovchinnikov was ejected in the 45th minute for handling the ball outside the penalty box.
Substitute Rui Costa scored in the 89th minute to secure the victory. Russia needed to win to stay alive after losing to Spain, 1-0, in its first game.
“We thought it would be easier against 10 men, but it was harder,” said Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, who guided Brazil to its fifth World Cup victory in the 2002 final against Germany. “But winning by two or 10 goals is the same. We won.”
After the match, jubilant fans flooded onto the streets of Portuguese cities, singing, dancing and celebrating the victory.
Earlier in Porto, surprising Greece tied Spain, 1-1, to stay in contention for a quarterfinal berth. The Greeks beat Portugal, 2-1, in their opener.
At Porto, Angelos Charisteas shot under goalkeeper Iker Casillas for the tying goal in the 66th minute. Fernando Morientes scored for Spain in the 28th minute.
Spain and Greece lead Group A with four points each, followed by Portugal with three. Russia has no points, making it the first team to drop from contention.
Also at Euro 2004, the Danish team said it would lodge a complaint with UEFA about the alleged misbehavior of Italian striker Francesco Totti during the opening game of the championship.
The Danish DR TV posted images on its website of Totti spitting at midfielder Christian Poulsen during a 0-0 tie.
There was another outburst of violence when English hooligans clashed with police in bars in Albufeira, a vacation resort on the Algarve coast about 120 miles south of Lisbon, and an English fan was jailed for two years for rioting.
Gary Mann, 47, was among 12 England fans to be taken to Albufeira’s courthouse to face charges after Monday’s riots. Mann will serve his sentence in England.
Not So Fast, Freddy
Freddy Adu was held scoreless by Brazil’s under-20 men’s team in its 2-0 exhibition victory over the United States at Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Wagner and Neto scored for the defending under-20 World Cup champions.
Adu, 15, had his best shot on goal in the 53rd minute, when his attempt near the 18-yard box landed in the netting outside the left post.
Canada Advances
Canada became the first team to reach the CONCACAF third round of World Cup qualifying when it beat Belize, 4-0, at Kingston, Canada, and won the home-and-home series, 8-0.
Dwayne De Rosario scored twice, and Tomasz Radzinski and Jim Brennan had goals.
Two Belize players were ejected from the physical game.
Seeking a Solution
FIFA, soccer’s governing body, has invited representatives of the Kenyan government and the national soccer association to meet July 9 at its headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, to discuss a solution to a continuing disagreement between the parties.
FIFA suspended Kenya from international soccer this month, citing governmental interference in the federation, which contravenes FIFA rules.
The ruling bars Kenya’s national teams and clubs from friendly or competitive matches, including qualifying for the 2006 World Cup.
Quick Passes
Germany midfielder Torsten Frings, 27, has agreed to a three-year contract with Bayern Munich, the Bundesliga club said. The transfer fee was a reported $10.16 million.... Rafael Benitez, who led Valencia to the Spanish league and UEFA Cup titles last season, was introduced as coach of Liverpool of the English Premier League.... Lazio officials said they would seek compensation for Roberto Mancini’s contract breach after the coach left the financially troubled Roman team to join Inter Milan of Italy’s Serie A league.... Former powerhouse Fiorentina stepped closer to a long-awaited return to the Serie A by beating host Perugia, 1-0, in a first-leg playoff for a berth in the league.... Former Spanish international Javier De Pedro signed a two-year contract with Blackburn of the English Premier League.
