|
Yugoslavia goes home disappointed
Posted: Tuesday June 30, 1998 11:51 AM
| |
Vladimir Jugovic (left) and Yugoslavia had their chances in losing 2-1 to the Netherlands (AP) |
TOULOUSE, France (AP) -- A
mixture of bad luck, inconsistent play, and political turmoil back home
have combined to help eliminate Yugoslavia,
a dark-horse favorite, from the World Cup. But Yugoslav teams,
branded "European Brazilians" for
their technical skills, have a long history of such stumbles on big
occasions. Out of the nine World Cups in which it participated, Yugoslavia
only managed two semifinals: 1930 in Uruguay and in 1962 in Chile.
The others were a string of disappointments for the Yugoslavs,
considered one of the top European soccer nations. And history repeated
itself in France. On Monday, the star-studded Yugoslav team lost 2-1
against the Netherlands
in the first round of the knockout phase, on a goal by Edgar Davids in the
second minute of injury time. But with a bit of luck, the result
could have been in Yugoslavia's favor since its star striker Predrag
Mijatovic missed a penalty in the 51st minute when the result was tied 1-1.
"We go back home with our heads held up high. We lost against probably
the best team in the world," declared Yugoslav defender Zeljko Petrovic.
Other players were not so proud of their performance Monday,
indirectly blaming coach Slobodan antrac of "cowardly" tactics against the
Dutch. The Yugoslavs, known for their offensive play, closed down
completely in the first half allowing the Dutch several attacks and goal
chances. The team opened up only at the start of the second half, quickly
tying the score and getting the penalty. Then it was back to the
defensive strategy, something the Yugoslavs are not known particularly
noted for. "I don't know why we played so fearfully," said captain
Dragan Stojkovic. "A lot of things have to be analyzed after we cool our
heads." During the group stage, Yugoslavia edged 1-0 both Iran and the United
States, considered outsiders, in two lackluster performances. It tied
favored Germany 2-2
after leading 2-0 late in the second half in its best match of the
tournament. "Our play was up and down throughout the World Cup," said
Santrac, who is rumored to be on his way out because of the disappointing
result. "We had a lot of injury problems as well." Star midfielder
Dejan Savicevic only entered the U.S. and the Netherlands games late in the
second halves, but obviously fearing further knee ligament injuries he
avoided all duels. His entry against the Dutch in the second half also
contributed to the Yugoslav defeat. The Yugoslavs had severe
problems off the pitch, as their shrunken country is embriled in another
ethnic strife. More than 300 people have died since March in the troubled
province of Kosovo, and NATO is threatening air strikes against Serbian
forces unless they end their crackdown against ethnic Albanians there.
"Of course we were distressed by the troubles back home," said
midfielder Vladimir Jugovic. "Reporters were asking all those political
questions, and we were here only to play soccer and not deal with
politics." In another illustration of their political troubles, the
Yugoslavs pointedly avoided singing their national anthem before each game.
Their fans regularly boo the tune, a holdover from the communist federation
that collapsed in 1991.
| 
