& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Asia getting football-savvy

AFP, Hong Kong
Asia is recognised as a world leader in many things but football is not one of them and it will take something special from its four World Cup hopefuls to drag the region out of the wilderness.
Only twice since 1954 has an Asian team progressed beyond the first round, most memorably the North Korean side of 1966 who were beaten by Portugal 5-3 in the quarter-finals in England after being 3-2 up at half time.
The only other occasion was in the United States in 1994 when Saudi Arabia fell 3-1 in the round of 16 to Sweden.
Support will not be a problem -of the 400,000 foreign fans expected in South Korea and Japan for the first World Cup staged in Asia, an estimated 100,000 will be Chinese while the co-hosts will enjoy home advantage.
The finals are massively important for football-crazy China which has finally hit the big time after failing in six previous attempts to qualify.
Much of the credit can be laid at the door of affable Yugoslav coach Bora Milutinovic who is, remarkably, at the World Cup for a fifth successive time -- leading a different country on each occasion.
China have used a 4-4-2 system ever since Milutinovic took over and its defence is top-notch, conceeding just five goals in 14 qualifying matches.
Chinese fans believe they can finish second to Brazil in Group C, but the reality is that the most populous nation on earth is unproven against quality opposition.
Milutinovic readily admits that hopes China can get through their first round group may be over-optimistic.
"China will certainly be a major force in the years to come, but for the moment it is too early. We are short of experience on the international level," he said.
"That said, in any match anything is possible."
Much will depend on defensive midfielder Li Tie and veteran defender Fan Zhiyi. Up front China will rely on Xie Hui and Hao Haidong, leading striker for top domestic side Dalian Shide.
Milutinovic is a past master in using astute tactics to get the most out of limited playing resources and if China can snatch a win against Costa Rica they will go into a crunch match with Turkey with a chance of proving the sceptics wrong.
South Korea will be cheering if they manage to win a single match. The co-host has qualified for an Asian record sixth time but has yet to taste victory in any game, let alone move beyond the first round.
But expectations in Korea are running high with Dutch coach Guus Hiddink at the helm. They are sick of being cannon fodder and are out to prove a point.
Hiddink has successfully moved South Korea away from the hectic kick-and-rush football which was traditionally the country's hallmark to a slower pace where the players have learnt to trust their own ability.
And he is experienced of football at the highest level having taken Holland to within a penalty shoot-
out loss to Brazil in the semi-finals of the World Cup in France 1998.
Hiddink has included two European-based players in his 23-man squad, Perugia midfielder Ahn Jung-hwan and Anderlecht striker Seol Ki-Hyeon, with the rest made up of home and Japan-based players.
The task is not easy in a group that will see the co-hosts scrambling with Poland and the United States for second place behind Group D favourites Portugal.
"We know our 40-something standing in official soccer ratings, and that the three teams we will fight are rated higher than us, but everyone is committed to fulfilling the national desire to make it into the last 16," Hiddink said.
He will look to inspirational captain Hong Myung-bo to rally the troops. Hong is one of the few men in world football to have amassed 100 international caps and will join an elite band to have played in four World Cups this year.
Japan, on their World Cup debut in 1998, lost all three matches -against Argentina, Croatia and Jamaica and only scored one goal, but they are a much improved squad and have had an impressive string of friendly results in the lead-up to the finals.
French coach Philippe Troussier has instilled a combative attitude in his young Japanese unit and they are considered Asia's best hope at the finals.
All the teams in Group H, Belgium, Russia, Tunisia and Japan, shown signs of quality but none is a standout and the Asian champions have a great chance to stamp their mark on the competition.
"To be really certain, we need to score two goals every match," said Troussier, who has steered his team to a 33rd world ranking.
"We don't have a team that can dictate (a game), but they have the capacity to surprise."
They have players with European experience, three of them midfielders.
Hidetoshi Nakata is beginning to shine at Parma after his move from AS Roma last July. Shinji Ono, of Dutch side Feyenoord, has become the first Japanese to reach the UEFA Cup final.
Portsmouth goalkeeper Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi and Arsenal reserve Junichi Inamoto are expected to contribute their English experience to Japan's campaign, but a lack of firepower in attack remains troubling.
Saudi Arabia have been been one of Asia's top footballing nations for two decades and are the first Arab nation to qualify for three straight World Cups.
But they will start underdogs in Group E with Germany and African champions Cameroon favourites to progress with the Republic of Ireland capable of an upset.
Saudi coach Nasser Al-Johar, a proponent of simple, direct football, led the team to five wins and a draw in qualifying after the sacking of former coach Slobodan Santrac, but the midfield remains a headache.
Al-Johar used no fewer than nine players there during the qualifying campaign.
Up front former Wolves player Sami Al-Jabar, who is poised to become the first Arab to appear in three World Cups, is a standout.