RIO DE JANEIRO, 12 September 2003 — Bolivia and Paraguay, both thrashed in their opening World Cup qualifiers at the weekend, hit back by scoring four goals each on Wednesday in an astonishing start to the marathon South American tournament. World champions Brazil beat Ecuador by a modest 1-0 in Manaus, which lies in the heart of the Amazon rainforest, and are the only team with maximum points from two games.

Ronaldinho bundled in an early goal but it was not enough for the crowd who jeered the five-times World Cup winners. Bolivia, hammered 5-0 by Uruguay on Sunday in a performance which their own coach Nelson Acosta described as naive, bounced back to thump Colombia 4-0 in La Paz.

Uruguay, for their part, crashed to a 4-1 defeat in Asuncion against Paraguay - who had lost their opening match by the same scoreline to Peru. With two of the 18 rounds of matches in the marathon South American competition complete, Argentina and Chile have four points each followed by Uruguay, Peru, Paraguay, Bolivia and Ecuador with three. Colombia and Venezuela have yet to get off the mark.

Record-breaking strikers Joaquin Botero and Jose Cardozo both hit hat tricks for Bolivia and Paraguay respectively. Botero, who scored 49 goals for Bolivar in the Bolivian championship two years ago, helped sink Colombia in La Paz with goals in the 28th, 49th and 58th minutes after Julio Baldivieso had opened the scoring with a 12th minute penalty.

It was a miserable evening for Colombia’s Ivan Ramiro Cordoba as the Inter Milan player gave away the penalty with a handball and was sent off in the second half for hacking down Limberg Mendez.

Acosta, who had publicly mauled his players after the Montevideo debacle, hailed the victory, saying: “We have the capability and football to fight for a place (at the World Cup).”

Uruguay’s eccentric coach Juan Ramon Carrasco could find himself under fire after making six changes to the team which hammered Bolivia. He dropped his entire midfield, including captain Alvaro Recoba who was the inspiration in Montevideo. Javier Chevanton fired Uruguay ahead with rocketing long-range free kick in the 24th minute but Cardozo, who scored 36 goals in 25 games for Toluca in the Mexican championship in 2001, headed the equaliser three minutes later.

In the second half, Carlos Paredes gave Paraguay the lead and Cardozo helped himself to two more. “We were angry,” said Cardozo.

Carrasco remained surprisingly upbeat. “We can learn from these slip-ups,” he said. “I’m not worried about losing in this manner.”

Brazil’s players had brashly promised a footballing feast in Manaus but instead served up an unappetizing display, with nothing to show except one scrambled goal which was awarded to Ronaldinho even though it seemed to go in off defender Neicer Reasco.

Ecuador were unlucky not to be awarded a penalty in the second half after Reasco was bundled over in the penalty area. “The important thing was to start with two wins,” said left-back Roberto Carlos. “They defended for the whole 90 minutes, that’s why it wasn’t a good game.”

Mental Frailty Blamed as

Dutch Falter Once Again

Despite boasting a strike force that is the envy of most countries, the Netherlands are fighting to avoid missing a second successive major tournament as they go to the wire in the Euro 2004 qualifiers.

The Dutch, who failed to reach last year’s World Cup, lost 3-1 in the Czech Republic on Wednesday, condemning them to second place in Group Three and a place in the November playoffs. They did not help their cause in Prague when, in the 14th minute, midfielder Edgar Davids was sent off for bringing Karel Poborsky down in the box and Jan Koller put the Czechs in front from the penalty spot.

It was the 13th red card of the combative Juventus player’s career and his third with the national team. Poborsky put the Czechs two up in the 38th minute before Rafael van der Vaart pulled one back with half an hour to play. Milan Baros added to the Czechs’ tally in injury time.

The Dutch media said yesterday that former coach Louis van Gaal might have been right in blaming the players for their failure to reach the 2002 World Cup finals. They quoted his reference to their “lack of mentality” after a decisive 1-0 defeat to Ireland in Dublin in September 2001.

With a forward line of Patrick Kluivert and Ruud van Nistelrooy and the likes of Roy Makaay and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink on the bench the Dutch should be world beaters. Quality runs right through the team with Davids and Marc Overmars in midfield and Frank de Boer and Jaap Stam at the back.

Instead, arguably the world’s greatest under-achievers, with the 1988 European Championship their only major title, are now wary of playoffs that could pit them against strong opponents like Spain, Italy, Germany, Turkey or England.

How the Dutch fare may depend on whether UEFA decide to seed the 10 teams that will go into the draw. European football’s governing body will make its decision at an executive committee meeting in Bratislava next week.

So far, along with the Dutch the only team sure of a second place finish are playoff specialists Slovenia, who have qualified for the last two major championship finals, Euro 2000 and the 2002 World Cup, through the playoffs. Slovenia finished second in Group One behind European champions France, one of four qualifiers decided on Wednesday along with the Czechs, Sweden in Group Four and Bulgaria from Group Eight.

Losing World Cup finalists Germany have secured at least a playoff berth from Group Five which could still be won by Iceland with Scotland and Lithuania also retaining the chance of finishing second.

England and Turkey meet in Istanbul on the last day of the qualifiers on Oct. 11 to decide who wins Group Seven with a draw enough for David Beckham’s team. Italy look set to win Group Nine although Wales, sure of a playoff berth, could still overtake them.

Spain, barring an unlikely Greek collapse at home to winless Northern Ireland, should take second place in Group Six. Belgium and Croatia are vying for the Group Eight playoff berth while Romania, Denmark, Bosnia and Norway are all still in the fight in Group Two.

Group 10, led by Switzerland who host Ireland in their last qualifier, remains a three-way fight with Russia also possible winners and in Group Four Latvia, Hungary and Poland are vying for the playoff berth.