South Korea advanced to the quarterfinals at the Athens Olympics yesterday after a bizarre own goal from Adama Tamboura gave them a 3-3 draw with Mali. The Africans also went through but they were forced to survive a nervous finish after squandering a three-goal lead in the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki.
South Korea trailed 3-0 when Tenema Ndiaye completed a poacher’s hat trick in the 55th minute. But two goals in three minutes by striker Cho Jae-jin gave the Koreans a lifeline.
Tamboura sent South Korea into the last eight of the men’s soccer competition in the 64th minute with a comical own goal. Substitute Choi Sung-kuk whipped in a cross from the left and Tamboura, attempting to clear the danger, powered a header past Mali goalkeeper Cheick Bathily.
Both teams finished with five points from three games in Group A, Mali coming top with a superior goal difference. Meanwhile, Mexico beat hosts Greece 3-2 in the other game in Volos but the result was academic.
In Group C, an early goal from Andres D’Alessandro gave co-favorites Argentina a 1-0 win over Australia, preserving their 100 percent record in the tournament.
Argentina, who had already booked a quarterfinal spot. Australia also advanced despite the result, the “Socceroos” finishing above Tunisia on goal difference. The Tunisians beat Serbia and Montenegro 3-2 in the other Group C match. Tunisia rounded off their campaign in bizarre fashion when they were forced to take the same penalty six times in their 3-2. With the Group C match level at 1-1 and in the dying stages, Tunisia were awarded the spot kick for a foul in the box.
Up strode experienced striker Mohamed Jedidi to take the kick and he scored confidently into the corner. At least, he thought so.
Referee Charles Ariiotima from Tahiti ordered the penalty to be taken again and again after Tunisian players were accused of encroachment as Jedidi twice more found the net successfully. Jedidi then had the fourth kick saved by Nikola Milojevic. Again Ariiotima was unhappy claiming that it was the Serbian players who had drifted into the 18-yard area and the Europeans were accused of the same offence on the fifth kick which again was stopped by Milojevic. Incredibly, the 25-year-old Jedidi kept his nerve to legally convert the sixth kick.
Scheidt in Control
of Laser Fleet
• Former Olympic champion Robert Scheidt again led the Laser fleet a merry dance as calm conditions returned to the Saronic Gulf yesterday.
The Brazilian, the Atlanta champion who was denied another title in Sydney by Briton Ben Ainslie after an epic final race, remained on course to take gold again with a third and first-place finish on day four of the regatta.
Scheidt has 15 points after four races, 17 clear of Belgian Philippe Bergmans. His advantage will diminish when the worst score discard takes effect after the next race but the seven-times world champion is the man to beat.
Europe gold medal favorite Siren Sundby suffered a blow to her title hopes when she was disqualified in race three.
The Norwegian double world champion was blamed for causing interference to two rivals at the start and as a result lost her overall lead to Austrian Sarah Blanck.
There was at least some consolation for the Sundby family when brother Christoffer Sundby and crew member Frode Bovim were handed victory by the race committee in the opening 49er race. Poland’s Marcin Czajkowski and Krzysztof Kierkowski crossed the finishing line first but were later disqualified for not having personal buoyancy on board.
