Ecuador dreams of second soccer World Cup victory, 2nd round place
15/6/2006 15:33
Convinced that a second win in the World Cup will give them their first
second round place, Ecuador hope to beat Costa Rica in Hamburg in their second
Group A game, Mexican television channel Televisa reported yesterday.
But
while Ecuador is already dreaming about the second round, Costas Rica has to win
or wave goodbye to its World Cup chances, giving Ecuador a narrow
advantage.
Manager Luis Saurez is also lucky to have a team without a single
injury or yellow card, and whose 2-0 victory over Poland cost them little. While
Carlos Tenorio and Ivan Hurtado were both involved in some incidents on the
pitch in the first game, they will both be back in action for the
second.
Saurez has told his players they have taken a big step in the right
direction, but said that the battle is not over yet, a phrase that will be
ringing in their ears.
Costa Rica's manager, Alexandre Guimaraes appeared
calm before press cameras, and told press: "Our rival will reach the pitch
knowing that even a draw is good for them. That is why we have to play
clever."
Costa Rica is counting on Paulo Wanchope and Walter Centeno Coria,
who express comparative confidence ahead of the match, telling press: "Despite
the nerves we had at the start of the competition, we give Germany a good game,
and we had a lot of good players. We have digested the loss and we are focusing
on winning our first victory."
Xinhua News
|
