Post by radovic on Sept 8, 2008 16:56:05 GMT -5
Montenegro's 'dark horses' primed for Irish after near miss
Montenegro 2 Bulgaria 2
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Independent.ie WebSearch By Vladimir Novak
Monday September 08 2008
After narrowly missing out on victory over Bulgaria on Saturday, Montenegro, the self-proclaimed dark horses of Group 8, are eager to rectify matters against Ireland on Wednesday.
In the build-up to Montenegro's first two World Cup qualifiers as an independent nation, against Bulgaria and Ireland, many outsiders have been puzzled by the self-confidence and optimism among the Montenegrin public, an optimism that is shared by the players.
And while their original goal of six points from two games is now out of reach, this proud nation still has its sights set on a three-point haul against the visiting Irish this week.
Those who really know the Montenegrins will realise that this optimism is nothing unusual. While it is true that this tiny country, with a population of 600,000 and 6,000 registered footballers, is a newcomer to the international scene, they are loath to wear the underdog tag. Many even think that Montenegro has a realistic chance to qualify for World Cup 2010.
While they accept Italy are clear favourites to win the group, they believe the 'Brave Falcons' can realistically compete with Bulgaria and Ireland for second place.
Euphoria preceded the Bulgaria tie, which was labelled as a 'historic game', as it was Montenegro's debut in competitive football. Since becoming an independent country in 2006 they have only played friendlies.
For national coach Zoran Filipovic -- a prolific centre forward with Red Star Belgrade and Benfica Lisbon in the '70s and '80s -- one of the main tasks was to deflect his players' attention from the public fervour.
"I know that this atmosphere can become a boomerang, but I'm sure that the players are focused on their job and will give their best in order to achieve a positive result," Filipovic said ahead of the Bulgaria match.
In the end, they almost got that dream start. After 90 minutes Montenegro had a 2-1 lead, but a stoppage-time free-kick goal by Georgiev prevented a triumph for the hosts in front of 12,000 fans. In truth, the 2-2 draw was a realistic result as Bulgaria created some great chances. Nevertheless, Montenegro could indeed have a shot in the race for South Africa.
But for the Montenegrin players, it was two points lost rather than one point gained.
"The 2-2 was a shock. It's a shame that we couldn't hold the lead. But, we must forget this quickly and we will do everything in order to correct things and to beat Ireland next Wednesday," defender Savo Pavicevic said.
Flair
So, what awaits Ireland in Podgorica? How good are Montenegro really? The team has attacking flair with the dangerous 'V-J-V' trio capable of inflicting damage. They are strikers Mirko Vucinic (Roma) and Stevan Jovetic (Fiorentina), and attacking midfielder Simon Vukcevic (Sporting Lisbon). Most of the credit for the two goals against Bulgaria goes to them.
It was Vucinic's goal from a free-kick that brought Montenegro back on terms after Bulgaria had taken the lead through a Stilian Petrov strike.
Vukcevic played an instrumental role after being introduced in the second half, having started on the bench after struggling with a shoulder injury.
Nine minutes from time, Jovetic fired Montenegro ahead from the penalty spot after a foul on Vucinic, but Georgiev's equaliser broke Montenegro hearts.
If Giovanni Trapattoni's men can neutralise this attacking trio they are likely to take at least one point from this game. At the other end, Montenegro's defence is seen as weak, so there could be real opportunities for Robbie Keane and Kevin Doyle.
- Vladimir Novak
Montenegro 2 Bulgaria 2
Share Digg del.icio.us Google Stumble Upon Facebook Reddit Print Email Text Size
NormalLargeExtra LargeArticlesTopicsArticles
U21s look to break scoring duck against Bulgaria
GUESSING GAME
'Hopefully the new managerwill pick on merit' -- Hunt lashes out
Super-sub O'Toole ends U-21's goal drought
El Tel's back at top of Republic list
early road trip
Topics
Bulgaria
Montenegro
Ireland
Mirko Vucinic
Sports
Soccer
Simon Vukcevic
Also in Soccer
A lot done ... more to do
Cork angry with FAI over Brady's Arkaga meeting
Method with no madness
Rooney goal famine big worry for Capello
Wales' new 'Hartson' saves face for Toshack
Soccer Home
Search
Query:
Independent.ie WebSearch By Vladimir Novak
Monday September 08 2008
After narrowly missing out on victory over Bulgaria on Saturday, Montenegro, the self-proclaimed dark horses of Group 8, are eager to rectify matters against Ireland on Wednesday.
In the build-up to Montenegro's first two World Cup qualifiers as an independent nation, against Bulgaria and Ireland, many outsiders have been puzzled by the self-confidence and optimism among the Montenegrin public, an optimism that is shared by the players.
And while their original goal of six points from two games is now out of reach, this proud nation still has its sights set on a three-point haul against the visiting Irish this week.
Those who really know the Montenegrins will realise that this optimism is nothing unusual. While it is true that this tiny country, with a population of 600,000 and 6,000 registered footballers, is a newcomer to the international scene, they are loath to wear the underdog tag. Many even think that Montenegro has a realistic chance to qualify for World Cup 2010.
While they accept Italy are clear favourites to win the group, they believe the 'Brave Falcons' can realistically compete with Bulgaria and Ireland for second place.
Euphoria preceded the Bulgaria tie, which was labelled as a 'historic game', as it was Montenegro's debut in competitive football. Since becoming an independent country in 2006 they have only played friendlies.
For national coach Zoran Filipovic -- a prolific centre forward with Red Star Belgrade and Benfica Lisbon in the '70s and '80s -- one of the main tasks was to deflect his players' attention from the public fervour.
"I know that this atmosphere can become a boomerang, but I'm sure that the players are focused on their job and will give their best in order to achieve a positive result," Filipovic said ahead of the Bulgaria match.
In the end, they almost got that dream start. After 90 minutes Montenegro had a 2-1 lead, but a stoppage-time free-kick goal by Georgiev prevented a triumph for the hosts in front of 12,000 fans. In truth, the 2-2 draw was a realistic result as Bulgaria created some great chances. Nevertheless, Montenegro could indeed have a shot in the race for South Africa.
But for the Montenegrin players, it was two points lost rather than one point gained.
"The 2-2 was a shock. It's a shame that we couldn't hold the lead. But, we must forget this quickly and we will do everything in order to correct things and to beat Ireland next Wednesday," defender Savo Pavicevic said.
Flair
So, what awaits Ireland in Podgorica? How good are Montenegro really? The team has attacking flair with the dangerous 'V-J-V' trio capable of inflicting damage. They are strikers Mirko Vucinic (Roma) and Stevan Jovetic (Fiorentina), and attacking midfielder Simon Vukcevic (Sporting Lisbon). Most of the credit for the two goals against Bulgaria goes to them.
It was Vucinic's goal from a free-kick that brought Montenegro back on terms after Bulgaria had taken the lead through a Stilian Petrov strike.
Vukcevic played an instrumental role after being introduced in the second half, having started on the bench after struggling with a shoulder injury.
Nine minutes from time, Jovetic fired Montenegro ahead from the penalty spot after a foul on Vucinic, but Georgiev's equaliser broke Montenegro hearts.
If Giovanni Trapattoni's men can neutralise this attacking trio they are likely to take at least one point from this game. At the other end, Montenegro's defence is seen as weak, so there could be real opportunities for Robbie Keane and Kevin Doyle.
- Vladimir Novak