Sports

Keeping his legacy alive

Published

2 years ago

18/08/2022

MNN

BOGOTA－So-called sweeperkeepers such as Manchester City’s Ederson, his Brazilian compatriot Alisson Becker at Liverpool and Bayern Munich’s Manuel Neuer are all the rage in modern soccer.

But until FIFA changed the backpass rule 30 years ago, goalkeepers were rarely expected to use their feet to take part in the team’s build-up play other than to punt the ball upfield. They could take their time and throw the ball.

Former Colombia international goalkeeper Rene Higuita－famed for his outrageous overhead scorpion kick－claims he was responsible for the rule change.

“Football greats like Pele and (Diego) Maradona … (were) very good players, but they didn’t change a rule at FIFA,” Higuita told AFP by video call.

In Colombia, the decision to ban goalkeepers picking up a back pass with their hands is known as the “Higuita Rule”.

World soccer’s governing body FIFA decided to act after the 1990 World Cup in Italy came in for huge criticism for dull matches that produced a record low 2.2 goals per game.

Higuita, now 55, argues that in that tournament, he showed the way forward.

FIFA banned the back pass at the next Olympic Games in Barcelona in the summer of 1992, initially to confusion and ire.

“FIFA put an end to something that was awful, in the 1990 World Cup almost all the teams played backward, giving the ball to the goalkeeper,” historian Luciano Wernicke told AFP.

At that World Cup, goalkeepers such as Argentina’s Sergio Goycochea, Luis Gabelo Conejo of Costa Rica and Italy’s Walter Zenga “had the ball in their hands for a huge amount of time,” added Wernicke, an Argentinian.

Higuita stood out, not just for his frizzy locks, but also for his fearlessness with the ball at his feet and an ability to create attacking situations with his passes.

It was not all glory. Higuita’s ball-playing ultimately cost his side.

In the last 16, Higuita was tackled far outside his penalty box by Cameroon’s Roger Milla while trying to dribble past the forward.

Milla then raced away to score the winner and eliminate Colombia. His dancing celebrations of his two goals in that 2-1 win became iconic moments at the tournament.

‘Clueless’ keepers

Higuita, known as “El Loco” (the madman) also took penalties and freekicks, scoring 43 goals in his career.

“Now football is much faster, there’s more movement, every day the goalkeeper has to work a little more on his feet to give something to the team,” said Higuita, who is convinced that he was the reason for the rule change.

While Wernicke recognizes Higuita was unique, he disputes that theory.

“It’s not that the law changed because of Higuita but rather because of all the many goalkeepers who weren’t like Higuita.”

Many keepers, such as Barcelona great Andoni Zubizarreta, were against the new rule, arguing to El Pais newspaper in 1992 that it would “limit the goalkeeper”.

Higuita smiles mischievously when remembering how “clueless “keepers struggled to adapt.

Santiago Canizares, who played for Spain at the 1992 Olympics, recently spoke about how the back-pass rule made him nervous.

“It was a surprise for us,” he told Olympics.com. “We didn’t know that this could become part of our lives.”

The impact was immediate with the next World Cup in the United States in 1994 producing 2.7 goals per game, the highest figure since 1970.

“It is the best rule change in the last 40 years, it made football more dynamic,” said Wernicke.

Whether or not he was responsible, Higuita supports other measures that could help reduce time wasting in soccer－for instance, stopping the clock when the ball goes out of play.

“There is a lot of talk about introducing ‘real time’ like they have in basketball, and that’s not a bad idea,” said Higuita.

Should that happen, Higuita might take the credit.

Sports

Real Madrid coach hoping for ‘magical night’ against Bayern Munich

Published

19 hours ago

08/05/2024

MADRID, May 7 (Xinhua) — Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti was optimistic, but cautious when he spoke to the press ahead of Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League semifinal return leg at home to Bayern Munich.

A 2-2 draw in Munich a week ago means Ancelotti’s side goes into the game as favorites, but although the coach said it could be a “magical night” for the club, he advised his players were also “aware of the difficulties we may find.”

“We need to play an intense game both in attack and defense,” he commented, adding that his side could have defended better in the first leg.

“We have to try to be at our best. We’re excited because we’ve got a great opportunity to make it to the final again. We’re in good shape, highly motivated, and we’ll try to do our best,” advised Ancelotti.

Real Madrid goes into the game after assuring their 36th La Liga title with a 3-0 win at home to Cadiz on Saturday, and the coach said he backed his players to continue with their excellent form.

“We have this squad, which has done very well this season, and I’m confident the fans will get behind us. We are in a good position,” insisted Ancelotti.

Ancelotti, who coached Bayern between 2016 and 2017, said the German powerhouse and Real Madrid were “similar clubs,” with a “great tradition and history in the European Cup.”

“We respect them and they were the better side in the first leg,” he advised, before confirming that Andriy Lunin would start in goal, despite Thibaut Courtois’ return from injury at the weekend.

Source(s): Xinhua

Sports

Dortmund defeat PSG to reach Champions League final

Published

19 hours ago

08/05/2024

PARIS, May 7 (Xinhua) — Borussia Dortmund reached their first Champions League final since 2013, outplaying Paris Saint-Germain in a 1-0 victory on Tuesday, despite a lackluster domestic season.

Dortmund secured their spot with an aggregate score of 2-0, having won the first leg by the same margin.

The crucial goal came in the second half when Mats Hummels headed in from a Julian Brandt corner. Moments earlier, PSG’s Warren Zaire-Emery narrowly missed a golden opportunity, volleying against the post from close range.

Despite the French giants dominating possession and amassing 30 shots to Dortmund’s seven, they were thwarted repeatedly, hitting the woodwork four times in the second half alone.

Kylian Mbappe expressed his disappointment post-match, stating, “We always want to win at PSG, we feel sad.”

“We should have scored. We had the chances to score (and) when you don’t, when you’re not efficient at both ends, it’s difficult to go through,” Mbappe said after Tuesday’s defeat.

At the start of the season, no one could have expected Dortmund to be in the final of the Champions League after they were drawn in a tough group alongside PSG, AC Milan and Newcastle.

But Edin Terzic’s side finished top before they got past PSV Eindhoven in the round of 16 and then knocked out Atletico Madrid in the quarterfinals.

“The belief was there. We spoke about the game against Eindhoven (Dortmund’s last-16 tie) how short the road to London is. It’ll take us a bit of time to realize that, but we’re looking forward to it very much.”

The other semifinal pits Bundesliga’s Bayern Munich against Real Madrid, with their first leg ending in a 2-2 draw in Munich.

The Champions League final is set to be held at Wembley Stadium in London on June 1.

Source(s): Xinhua

Sports

Preview: Title, Europe, relegation intertwined in dramatic Premier League weekend

Published

5 days ago

03/05/2024

LONDON, May 3 (Xinhua) — Three teams are still involved in the race to win the Premier League this weekend, while three more continue their struggle to avoid relegation in a round of games that also has a lot to say about who will play in European competition next season.

Arsenal and Manchester City are the two favorites for the title race, with Liverpool five points behind Arsenal and four behind City.

League leaders Arsenal are at home on Saturday lunchtime to Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth, who have already beaten their record Premier League points tally.

Bournemouth press high and like to attack in numbers, which could leave them exposed to Arsenal’s mobility in attack, and with Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz in excellent form, a home win looks the most likely result.

Three points for Arsenal would put pressure on Manchester City in their Saturday evening match at home to Wolves. Gary O’Neil has done an excellent job with Wolves this season, but their campaign looks to be ending in mid-table after a brief flirtation with European qualification.

Wolves beat City 2-1 in September, but Pep Guardiola’s side was without the suspended Rodri for that game, and he will be in the engine room on Saturday.

With just one point separating Arsenal and City going into the weekend, goal difference could be a factor and with Arsenal’s currently seven better than their closest rivals, there will be no taking the foot off the gas even if a win has been sealed.

Liverpool’s title hopes look to have vanished amid poor recent results and stories of bad-feeling between Jurgen Klopp and Mohamed Salah. It has to hope the top two drop points and beat Tottenham, who travel to Anfield after three consecutive defeats look to have spoiled their chances of overtaking Aston Villa and climbing up to fourth.

Villa travel to face Brighton, whose season is in freefall with no wins and only two goals scored in their last six matches, as rumors continue over possible future destinations for coach Roberto De Zerbi.

Avoiding relegation and hopes of a place in Europe go head-to-head when Burnley entertain Newcastle United, with the home side now only two points behind 17th-placed Nottingham Forest after a run of just one defeat in eight games.

Confidence is high at Burnley after drawing away to Manchester United, but Newcastle will be a tough rival as they look to move into sixth place, with top scorer Alexander Isak in frightening form with seven goals in his last six games.

United have a difficult away game against a Crystal Palace side with ten points from the last 12 under new coach Oliver Glasner, and Palace’s pacy attack could have fun against United’s sometimes slapstick defending.

Chelsea’s 2-0 win at home to Tottenham on Thursday gives them a slight chance of qualifying for Europe, but first they have to navigate an always-feisty London derby at home to West Ham.

Luton will move out of the bottom three if they win at home to Everton on Friday night. Everton have nearly ensured their survival after three consecutive wins, but off-pitch financial issues continue to cloud their future, with rumors of possible administration on the horizon.

If Luton win, that would lift them above Nottingham Forest ahead of Forest’s must-win visit to already-relegated Sheffield United, with the home side captained by 20-year-old Oliver Arblaster, the only bright spot in an otherwise grim season for the Blades.

The remaining game this weekend is a southwest London derby between Brentford and Fulham, who have only local pride to play for.

Source(s): Xinhua