No problems for France, Spain

No problems for France, Spain
AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE

Paris, March 30: France and Spain threw down the Euro 2000 gauntlet with impressive 2-0 victories over Scotland and Italy respectively on Wednesday night as Europe's National teams warmed up for the continental championship.

But Italy and defending champions Germany, who were held 1-1 in Croatia, were served with further reminders that they need to sharply improve if they are to make a serious challenge in the summer. Sadly, hooligans also used this free mid-week in the Euro club calendar to tune-up for the continental championship with more than a dozen Dutch fans arrested ahead of the match in Brussels between Euro 2000 co-hosts Holland and Belgium, which finished in a 2-2 draw. Portugal beat Denmark 2-1 in the other match between Euro 2000 finalists.

The Croatia-Germany clash was a re-match of the 1998 World Cup quarter-final won 3-0 by the Balkan side -- ending the German managerial reign of Berti Vogts. But this match in Zagreb had more than a hint of farce about it with huge pools of water on the pitch frequently frustrating attempts to play flowing football and players having to contend with driving rain, although conditions improved after the interval.

Hertha Berlin's Marko Rehmer put Germany ahead after 12 minutes with a header from the vicinity of the penalty spot. Lothar Matthaus was winning his 145th cap for his country, having broken Swedish goalkeeper Tomas Ravelli's world record tally of international appearances against Holland in his previous outing in a German jersey.

The Croats hit back in the second period. After 71 minutes, Robert Jarni and Davor Suker launched a surge down the left and Nico Kovac arrived at the far post and stooped to direct a header just inside the post.

World champions France, despite the absence of their talismanic playmaker Zinedine Zidane, were simply a class apart from Scotland. It took them 54 minutes to make the breakthrough with a goal made in Bordeaux. Substitute Johan Micoud, who replaced debutant Ludovic Giuly at the interval, fed his team-mate for club and country Sylvain Wiltord -- who scored with an angled shot.

A minute from time, Arsenal striker Thierry Henry celebrated his return to the international fold with a fine goal. A third Bordeaux player hoping to make the Euro 2000 squad, goalkeeper Ulrich Rame, was not given much of a chance to show his skills in front of a weak Scottish attack.

Spain were as impressive in Barcelona to give Dino Zoff's Italy further food for thought. Goals from Alfonso and Abelardo -- both thanks to slack marking at corners -- ensured Spain won convincingly to further crank up the pressure on Zoff, who won the European Championship in 1968 as a player as well as the World Cup in 1982.

Jon Dahl Tomasson gave Denmark a fifth-minute lead with a header in Leiria only for Manuel Rui Costa of Fiorentina and Barcelona's Luis Figo to give Portugal a 2-1 win. Rui Costa scored from the penalty spot before Figo out-foxed Peter Schmeichel after dribbling into the penalty area.

In Teplice, the 1996 runners-up the Czech Republic were always in charge of their 3-1 victory over Australia in a match where both teams were handicapped by the absence of leading players. Headers from Milan Fukal and Jan Koller and a goal from Ivo Ulich put the Czech's 3-0 ahead before a late Craig Foster consolation for Australia.

The Czechs are in the `Group of Death' in Euro 2000 having been paired with co-hosts Holland, world champions France and 1992 champions Denmark. Romania, drawn alongside Germany, England and Portugal in Euro 2000, were defeated 2-0 by Greece. Georgios Amanitidis volleyed the Greeks ahead before Lambros Choutos headed a second two minutes from time.

Sweden, who will line-up with co-hosts Belgium, Turkey and Italy in Euro 2000, left if late to secure a 1-1 draw in Austria. Thomas Flogel gave the hosts the lead at the Arnold Schwarzenegger Stadium and there were only four minutes remaining when Jorgen Petterson equalised for the Swedes.

Norway -- who play alongside Yugoslavia, Spain, Slovenia in Euro 2000 -- also had to settle for a draw, this time in Switzerland. A 73rd-minute penalty by Bent Skammelsrud for Norway ensured a 2-2 scoreline.

Headlines of the wrong sort were made in Brussels in the battle between the co-hosts of this summer's extravaganza. Dutch fans were arrested before the kick-off at the King Baudouin Stadium that was renamed to banish memories of perhaps the worst hooligan-related incident in history.

In 1985 -- when the stadium was known as the Heysel -- 39 Italian and Belgian fans lost their lives their when a wall collapsed following a stampede caused by rioting Liverpool fans before the European Cup final against Juventus.

Wednesday's incidents will do nothing to soothe the Euro 2000 security concerns of the Belgian authorities, still haunted by that incident. In the match itself, Barcelona striker Patrick Kluivert salvaged a draw for the Dutch with two goals after Gert Verheyen and Emile Mpenza had put Belgium 2-0 up in the opening half hour.

Holland's Clarence Seedorf missed a glorious chance to win it in the closing seconds. Thanks to a cut-price ticket scheme, Finnish and Welshplayers had the unusual experience of playing in front of 66,500 at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium with the Scandinavians prevailing 2-1 despite a super Ryan Giggs goal for Wales.

Hungary drew 0-0 with Poland in another match with no Euro 2000 interest. Bosnia beat Macedonia 1-0, Israel drew 1-1 with Georgia and Bulgaria trounced Belarus 4-1 in Sofia in other matches involving teams that failed to qualify for Euro 2000.

BRUSSELS: Euro 2000 organisers and UEFA officials have launched the European Championship's official websit hoping it will turn out to be he biggest ever. ``This is the largest website ever created ... with over 1,000 pages,'' UEFA technical official David Farrelly said.

``Fans are the priority ... This will be a good way to reach the real football fans,'' Euro 2000 director Alain Courtois said.

Organisers said they expect to set an internet record with over 150 million internet visitors per day during the June 10-July tournament. Officials said the France 1998 World Cup site attracted a record 72 million hits per day.

``It will be the largest internet event,'' said Harry Hobbs, of PSINet, which will host the new site.