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Croatia: Germany is beatable
Posted: Friday July 03, 1998 11:17 AM
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How much longer will Croatia's run last with Germany up next? (AP) |
LYON, France (AP) --
For his 100th game as coach, Berti Vogts could get no better present from
his German team. A victory over Croatia in Lyon
on Saturday would take Germany to the
semifinals of the World Cup, Vogts' minimum goal in France. "I really
want to win this game, not because it's my 100th, but because my team
deserves it, they have worked so hard," Vogts said Friday. Vogts
took over from Franz Beckenbauer after Germany won the 1990 World Cup in Italy. In 1994 in
the United
States, Germany was eliminated by Bulgaria in
the quarterfinals. Vogts' record is 66-22-11 and includes the
European Championship title in 1996 and a runner-up finish in 1992. If he
adds a World Cup title -- Germany's fourth -- Vogts would join Beckenbauer
and Mario Zagallo of Brazil with
championships as both a player and a coach. Germany beat Croatia 2-1
in the European quarterfinals two years ago, an ill-tempered, foul-filled
match in which Croatia finished with 10 men. The Croats still believe they
should have won at Old Trafford. German captain Juergen Klinsmann,
who scored one of the goals in that match, admits that he was luck to
escape without a red card for a vicious foul. "We know them and we
know that it will be a hard job. They have skilled individuals. And they
were very aggressive in Manchester," Klinsmann said. "We have to take
charge early and keep the pace fast. I hope it won't be like in Manchester.
"With all due respect to Croatia, however, it's really up to us and
I am very optimistic. We want to go to Paris [for the semifinal July 8] and
it really depends only on us." Vogts said his team should expect
Croatia to be aggressive. "But we have to remain cool and focus on
our strengths," he said, "and I believe if we do so, we have a very good
chance of qualifying." Croatia's coach, Miroslav Blazevic, and his
players believe Germany is vulnerable. "I hope we won't stop now
because Germany is beatable. We can go all the way," Blazevic said.
But he was also cautious. Most members of the 1996 Croat
team are back in France for the World Cup. They include striker Davor
Suker, who scored the goal against Germany and has three at the World Cup.
"He will score against Germany, I promise you," Blazevic said.
Igor Stimac, a Croatian forward, said his team was eager for the chance
to avenge the 1996 defeat. "The Germans are always able to win the
World Cup. It's always the same. Two years ago they were playing the worst
football I've ever seen and they won the game," Stimac said. "We
have two more years of experience with more big games in our legs and we
expect to give them a good revenge. But we are positive in our minds, we
don't think we're gong to do something bad during the game."
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