Swiss World Cup bid gets boost after friendly
2005-08-18 08:49 (New York)
GENEVA, Aug 18 (AFP) - Switzerland's 2-0 win against Norway in a
friendly in Oslo has given the Swiss side an important mental boost
ahead of a brace of World Cup qualifying ties in coming weeks, coach
Koebi Kuhn said Thursday.
"It was important to do what we did. It's not just about the
result, but the manner which pleases me," Kuhn told the Swiss
newspaper Le Matin after his side convincingly stifled Norway on
Wednesday evening.
"We had a great match, this is what I wanted to see," he added.
Switzerland are currently second in Group 4 with 12 points, one
point behind Ireland with a game in hand.
The are due to face Israel in Basel on September 3, followed by
a trip to Cyprus, and can ill afford to drop a point or let the best
goal difference of the group slip with opponents like France and
Ireland looming in October.
The tabloid daily Blick said it was Switzerland's best game for
30 months.
"We are on the way to the World Cup," Blick headlined.
Striker Alexander Frei, top scorer in the French league with
Rennes last season, shrugged off his club's barren start to the
championship with Switzerland's first goal from a corner just after
half-time.
"Koebi Kuhn's players showed reassuring control, which says a
lot about their current possibilities," Le Matin commented.
Despite their performance against an unimaginative Norwegian
side, the Swiss were also helped by on a touch of luck.
Switzerland secured victory with an own goal after Norwegian
defender Claus Lundekvam's last ditch attempt to clear the ball from
the feet of a Swiss striker ricocheted off a teammate into the back
of the net.
Young Arsenal defender Phillipe Senderos was hailed by the Swiss
news agency ATS as "one of the best central defenders on the
continent".
After an unsettled career over the past year, midfield playmaker
Hakan Yakin - potentially Switzerland's creative response to
resurrected French midfielder Zinedine Zidane - marked his return to
the national side with an unusually combative performance.
"We saw that he was a great player. Hakan can still make
progress and we know what he's capable of," Kuhn said.
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