Serbia will qualify for next year’s World Cup finals in South Africa if they beat France at home tomorrow, a result that would also leave the 2006 runners-up struggling even for a playoff spot.
The French, held 1-1 at home by Romania on Saturday, trail European Group 7 leaders Serbia by four points ahead of the clash in the cauldron of Red Star’s Marakana Stadium.
Serbia have 18 points from seven games, while France have 14 and are looking over their shoulders at Austria who moved up to third on 10 points after a 3-1 win over the Faroe Islands on Saturday. France host Austria in their final group game next month.
The winners of the nine European groups qualify directly for South Africa and the eight best runners-up play off for four more places.
France coach Raymond Domenech, under pressure after an early Euro 2008 exit and a patchy World Cup qualifying run, believes the difficult situation will bring the best out of his side.
“Our goal is to qualify, no matter how, and there are still points to be taken,” he told reporters after his team were jeered off the pitch on Saturday. “It’s not my style to let go.”
Defender Bacary Sagna said: “We’re going to Serbia to win, and if we show the same attitude as against Romania, we are capable of winning there.”
France created plenty of chances against Romania, but showed rare glimpses of the team which reached the 2006 final in Germany under the leadership of Zinedine Zidane.
Serbia, who will be roared on by 55,000 raucous home fans, are confident they can reach a major tournament for the first time as an independent nation.
Radomir Antic, who rejuvenated the team when he took over last year following a four-year break from coaching, refused to contemplate playing safe.
“We are not interested in any calculations, we got the result we wanted from the France-Romania match and it’s now our turn to prove our worth,” he said. “We know who we are up against, but we are improving all the time and we want to make an impact on the world soccer map, not just qualify for the World Cup.”
Antic may be tempted to field a 4-3-2-1 formation, with in-form wingers Milos Krasic and Milan Jovanovic either side of lone striker Nikola Zigic.
Domenech is likely to play Karim Benzema and Franck Ribery from the start and may also replace Julien Escude, who scored an own-goal against Romania, with Eric Abidal in the center of defense.
Japan’s Shohei Ohtani is the record-breaking baseball “superhuman” following in the footsteps of the legendary Babe Ruth who has also earned comparisons to US sporting greats Michael Jordan and Tom Brady. Not since Ruth a century ago has there been a baseball player capable of both pitching and hitting at the top level. The 30-year-old’s performances with the Los Angeles Dodgers have consolidated his position as a baseball legend in the making, and a national icon in his native Japan. He continues to find new ways to amaze, this year becoming the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases
More than 180 years of horse racing came to an end in Singapore on Saturday, as the Singapore Turf Club hosted its final race day before its track is handed back to the Singaporean government to provide land for new homes. Under an overcast sky, the air-conditioned VIP boxes were full of enthusiasts, socialites and expats, while the grounds and betting halls below hosted mostly older-generation punters. The sun broke through for the last race, the last-ever Grand Singapore Gold Cup. The winner, South African jockey Muzi Yeni, echoed a feeling of loss shared by many on the day. “I’d
PREDICTION: Last week, when Yu’s father made a wrong turn to the former champions’ parking lot, he said that his son could park there after this year With back-to-back birdies on the 18th hole, Kevin Yu fulfilled his driving range-owning dad’s prediction that he would win the Sanderson Farms Championship and become Taiwan’s third golfer to claim a US PGA Tour title. The Taoyuan-born 26-year-old, who represented Taiwan in the Olympic golf at Paris, saw off Californian Beau Hossler in a playoff at the Country Club of Jackson, Mississippi, on Sunday. Having drained a 15-foot putt to claw his way into the playoff, Yu rolled in from five feet on the first extra hole, ensuring he joined Chen Tze-chung (LA Open in 1987) and Pan Cheng-tsung (RBC
LeBron James and eldest son Bronny James claimed a piece of NBA history on Sunday after making their long-awaited first appearance alongside each other for the Los Angeles Lakers. The duo appeared together at the start of the second quarter in the Lakers’ 118-114 preseason defeat to the Phoenix Suns in Palm Desert, east of Los Angeles. While LeBron James impressed with 19 points in just 16 minutes and 20 seconds on court before sitting out the second half, Bronny found the going harder with zero points in just over 13 minutes on court. The younger James attempted just one