SEOUL, 23 July 2003 — A Mark van Bommel penalty gave Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven a 1-0 victory over French champions Olympique Lyon in the final of the Peace Cup preseason tournament.
In torrential rain at Seoul’s World Cup Stadium, both sides struggled on a pitch that became increasingly water-logged.
The only goal came after a meandering run by Arjen Robben from the half-way line ended with him being brought down in the penalty area after 23 minutes.
Van Bommel coolly converted the penalty high into the left corner, bringing loud cheers from a partisan crowd of 33,778 who were mainly behind PSV, managed by former South Korea coach Guus Hiddink and including two South Korean internationals, Park Ji-sung and Lee Young-pyo.
It was a happy return for Hiddink, a hero in Korea after taking the national side to last year’s World Cup semi-finals on home soil.
A single goal was enough to secure PSV the $2 million prize in a game that became almost farcical at times as the players struggled to stand up on the water-logged pitch.
Lyon were mostly restricted to long-range efforts in the second half, although it took two attempts by PSV goalkeeper Ronald Waterreus to hold a long-range strike from Juninho Pernambucano.
At the other end, Gregory Coupet made a series of excellent late saves after Robben and substitute Mateja Kezman were clean through on goal.
Ten-Man Dortmund Reach German League Cup Final
In Aalen, Germany, Borussia Dortmund reached the final of the German League Cup pre- tournament for the first time by beating VfB Stuttgart 1-0 despite playing with 10 men for most of Monday’s game.
Dortmund, who lost their league title last term after finishing third, had goalkeeper Jens Lehmann sent off in the 15th minute for bringing down Germany striker Kevin Kuranyi. The six-time German champions, who had never gone further than the semifinals since the event was created seven years ago, will meet either Bayern Munich or Hamburg SV in the final next Monday in Mainz. Stuttgart, Bundesliga runners-up last season, missed a penalty, midfielder Horst Heldt hitting the post following Lehmann’s red-card offense. Czech striker Jan Koller headed the winner against the run of play two minutes from the break.
Duff and Bridge Fly Out to Malaysia
In London, New Chelsea players Damien Duff and Wayne Bridge flew to Malaysia yesterday to join up with their new teammates on tour in the Far East.
Duff joined the London premier league side on Monday for $27 million from Blackburn Rovers, while Bridge signed hours earlier in an $11.4 million-pound move from Southampton.
As they left Heathrow airport for Kuala Lumpur to play in a preseason tournament, Duff said his move to Stamford Bridge was one of the biggest decisions of his life.
“I didn’t really want to leave Blackburn because I was very happy there and it was a wonderful club,” he told reporters. “But it is time for a change. Chelsea are on the up. They are a huge club already and they are only going to get bigger.” Asked what had finally made up his mind, he said: “I suppose it was the gut feeling I had when I came down here. In the past week I’ve flown down about three times. It just feels right. It’s time to move on to a big new challenge for me.
Real Madrid Too Expensive for Malaysia
In Kuala Lumpur, Real Madrid’s Asian tour will not take in Malaysia, officials said yesterday, with media reports saying the Spanish giant’s demand for a $2.9-million appearance fee had been judged too expensive.
Real Madrid had been scheduled to play the Malaysian national team on Aug. 10 in Kuala Lumpur, and regional television stations had already advertised the game.
But Football Association of Malaysia assistant general secretary Yap Nyim Keong told AFP the game had been cancelled.
“The terms were not acceptable,” he said, without elaborating.
The New Straits Times said Real Madrid had wanted 11 million ringgit ($2.9 million) to play in Kuala Lumpur, while the total cost of staging the match would have reached 18 million ringgit. Real Madrid, keen to cash in on Asia’s love of soccer, are due to showcase David Beckham, Ronaldo, Raul and all their other stars in a series of matches across the region next month.
