The European heavyweights of the Deaflympics men’s soccer tournament traded blows in the second round of group matches yesterday morning at Yingfeng Sports Park in Taipei, but not one team managed to land a knock-out punch.
In Group A, close neighbors and arch rivals Great Britain and Ireland, both winners in the first round of matches, played out an entertaining 0-0 draw that was mired in controversy.
Britain made five changes from the team that started their first game against Japan, while Ireland made just one.
In a match played mainly in midfield in which both defenses dominated, chances for scoring were few and far between. The first shot on target didn’t come until the 20th minute, when Britain finally tested Ireland keeper Michael Walsh.
Ireland had a shot cleared off the British goal line in the 39th minute, but at halftime it remained goalless.
MAD MINUTES
In the 58th minute, Ireland’s Mark Sinclair finally lost his marker when a cross was delivered in the British penalty area, but he directed his header wide of the post. Then 11 minutes later, a mad couple of minutes changed the match.
With Britain keeper Gary Spotswood receiving treatment for an injury, the players gathered in front of the dugouts to take on some water.
Without a ball being kicked, referee Chen Kun-shan inexplicably showed a straight red card to Ireland’s Joseph Watson, for what could only have been dissent.
Two minutes later, Britain’s Olly Monksfield went on a mazy run down the left wing and was hauled down by Ireland’s Noel O’Donnell. While it was certainly a yellow card offense, Chen produced another straight red for O’Donnell, and then to the bemusement of the players and both sets of supporters, also showed Monksfield a straight red.
The best chances of the match came in injury-time.
Britain’s Nick Gregory produced a great cross from the right that fellow substitute James Clarke fired against the post.
Just a couple of minutes later, Ireland substitute Jason Maguire attacked Britain’s penalty area from the left wing and came inside, but his powerful shot also hit the post.
MORE DRAWS
In the afternoon match in Group A, Japan and the US, who both lost their first-round matches, also played out a 0-0 draw.
In Group B, Germany and Spain played out another 0-0 draw yesterday morning, which in the three-team group means Germany are the first to qualify for the quarter-finals. Spain will have to do battle with Iran for the second spot.
In Group C, France and Russia drew the early match 2-2, a result that puts the pressure on France, who were the only European side to lose in the first round. Nikolay Afanasyev scored his eighth of the tournament for Russia, for whom Viktor Gribachev added the other. Hakim Boughanmi and Malick Babo scored for France.
In the afternoon match in Group C, South Africa produced the comeback of the tournament after their 15-0 thrashing by Russia in the first round by beating South Korea — first-round winners over France — 2-1.
Captain Andrew Du Plooy and Yolisile Nyokana got the goals for the Africans, while Jeong Jun-yeong scored the Koreans’ consolation goal.
In Group D, Denmark and Ukraine also drew 2-2 in their early kick-off. Dmytro Nevenchenko and Bukin Makar scored for Ukraine, while Brian Bille and Martin Jacobsen scored for Denmark.
In the afternoon match, Argentina recovered from their first-round defeat to Ukraine to emphatically beat Kazakhstan 10-0 and end any hopes the Kazakhs had of reaching the quarter-finals.
Ricardo Mestre Picon scored four and skipper Claudio Alverez grabbed a hat-trick.
Maxiliano Cid, Jorge Chazarreta and Nelson Zalazar also netted.
Group A
Team | P | GD | PTS | |
1 | Ireland | 2 | 2 | 4 |
2 | Great Britain | 2 | 1 | 4 |
3 | Japan | 2 | -1 | 1 |
4 | United States | 2 | -2 | 1 |
Group B
Team | P | GD | PTS | |
1 | Germany | 2 | 1 | 4 |
2 | Spain | 1 | 0 | 1 |
3 | Iran | 1 | -1 | 0 |
Group C
Team | P | GD | PTS | |
1 | Russia | 2 | 15 | 4 |
2 | South Korea | 2 | 0 | 3 |
3 | South Africa | 2 | -14 | 3 |
4 | France | 2 | -1 | 1 |
Group D
Team | P | GD | PTS | |
1 | Ukraine 2 | 5 | 4 | |
2 | Denmark | 2 | 1 | 4 |
3 | Argentina | 2 | 5 | 3 |
4 | Kazakhstan | 2 | -11 | 0 |
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