China coach Ratomir Dujkovic admits Brazil are favorites to win the men’s Olympic soccer gold medal, but feels his side has an excellent chance of joining them in the knockout rounds.
Brazil, who are expected to field superstars Kaka and Alexandre Pato, and China were drawn in the same group on Sunday, but they avoided defending champions Argentina and World Cup holders Italy.
Also in their section are Belgium and New Zealand, with the top two from each group progressing to the quarter-finals.
Hosts China open their Group C account against New Zealand on Aug. 7 and play their final match against Brazil.
“It’s not a bad draw. Of course I hope Brazil will play with us when it already has six points. Then we have a big chance of advancing into the next round with them,” Dujkovic told the China Daily newspaper.
Argentina will be pleased with the way the draw panned out for them, pitted in Group A with Olympic newcomers Ivory Coast, surprise European qualifiers Serbia and Australia.
Group B comprises three-time bronze-medalists the Netherlands, the US, Nigeria and Asian stalwarts Japan, while Italy take on South Korea, Cameroon and Honduras in Group D.
Italy coach Pierluigi Casiraghi was happy with the draw.
“I think it’s a good draw for us, even if it is a bit difficult as we don’t know the Olympic teams we will be facing very well,” he said. “But we will analyze them now. Cameroon can prove very difficult and South Korea are almost playing at home.”
OFFENSE SHINES: First baseman Pan Chie-kai hit a solo homer in the fifth inning as all 10 batters Taiwan used contributed at least one hit toward their team total of 14 One day after their first shutout loss at the WBSC Premier12, Taiwan yesterday bounced back with a commanding 8-2 victory over the US, keeping their hopes for a spot in tomorrow’s final alive. The win in the Super Round marked Taiwan’s first triumph over the US at a top-tier international baseball tournament since 2003. Their previous win over the US was at the 2003 Baseball World Cup, with only one win in the previous 10 matchups since 1999. Yesterday’s game was tightly contested through the first six innings, with the margin never exceeding two runs. However, the tide turned in the top of
WELL-AGED: Although the youngest team in the tournament, Taiwan featured several veteran stars, including Sunday’s home-run hero Chen Chieh-hsien “I will never forget today,” veteran Taiwanese pitcher Chen Kuan-yu said after Taiwan on Sunday night blanked Japan to secure their first ever gold in the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s (WBSC) Premier12 championship. Chen, who at 34 is the oldest member on the team, said Taiwan “made every difficult step to come to today’s victory. I will never forget today.” Taiwan made history when they won their first gold medal of the Premier12 tournament, beating Japan in a 4-0 shutout victory in the final at the Tokyo Dome. It was a jaw-dropping victory for many baseball commentators who went into the game with
“Please love us. Please cheer us on. We have been working hard. Do not give up on us.” Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien’s heartfelt plea echoed across the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s (WBSC) Premier12 tournament after a historic victory. Rather than boasting, Chen was making an earnest appeal after leading Taiwan to a 4-0 victory over Japan to claim their first major international baseball title at the senior level. Chen’s decisive three-run homer in the fifth inning and his Premier12 leading .632 batting average secured him the Premier12’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) title. He was also named one of the tournament’s outstanding defensive players
Nikola Jokic on Saturday scored 34 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to spark the Denver Nuggets over the Los Angeles Lakers 127-102, continuing their dominance of the NBA rivalry, while Scotty Pippen Jr scored a career-best 30 points to lead the Memphis Grizzlies past the Chicago Bulls, 142-131. The Nuggets won for the 13th time in the past 14 contests against the Lakers, including ousting the Lakers in the playoffs the past two seasons. Serbian star Jokic failed to achieve his sixth consecutive triple-double, managing only eight assists, but his effort was plenty as Michael Porter Jr added 24 points and 11
RSS