18 -The Michigan Daily-Monday, July 6, 1998

Jailbreak!
Cup may
have helped
'Thaisescape
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - Eight
jail inmates sawed their way to freedom
during the Croatia-Germany World Cup
soccer match, but Thai police refused to
say the escape occurred because the
guards were too busy watching the
match.
Thai media reported that the inmates
sawed through their cell bars and fled
the detention facility in Rayong, 90
miles south of Bangkok, after televised
coverage of the match began at 2 a.m.
local time yesterday.
Officials rejected speculation that lax
attention because of the World Cup
enabled the escape, telling Thai radio
that heavy rain at the time prevented
officers from making their customary
external rounds of the jail.
Thirty-two more inmates could have
escaped but did not, possibly out of fear,
Thai radio said.
The escapees, six serving time for
vagrancy and two for assault and rape,
were still at large late yesterday.

Croatia
reaches

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elite statu
LYON, France (AP) - A cou
that didn't even exist seven yea
has made a sweet, stunning climb
heights of the World Cup.
Set ablaze by patriotism, Ge
put-downs and a two-year-old I
Croatia claimed a triumph for socc
small powers and for its fledgl
nation's pride.
"When I heard (German coach) B
Vogts called us a small country,
raised our morale by 200 perce
exulted star striker Davor Suker. "
were fired up to send the Ge
packing. This shows that small ca
big."
Croatia is the first team si
Portugal in 1966 to reach the semifi
in its World Cup debut. Portugal by
time had been around for centur
Croatian statehood is just getting st
ed.
The Croatian team didn't exa
come out of nowhere. The core of
squad, including playmaker Zv
Boban of AC Milan, goes back
Yugoslav team that won the 1987 w
youth championship.
When Yugoslavia broke up
Croatia gained independence in a 1
war, most of its talent went to club
Western Europe. The national t
surged onto the world stage in the 1
European Championship, in whic
was ousted in a rough quarterfinal
Germany, the eventual champion.
Croatia got revenge in Sat
World Cup quarterfinal with a 3-
tory.
Aided by the 40th-minute expuls
of German defender Christian Woe
after a tangle with Suker, the Croats
a goal in firt-half injury ime fr
Robert Jamni.
The Germans, seeking their fo
world title, never recovered and, wit
man advantage, the Croats were fre
run a sparkling counterattack*
after the break.
Croatia's bench jumped up to ct
brate when Goran Vlaovic knocked
goal No. 2 in the 80th minute,
Suker added to the Germans' mis
with a classy close-range goal five r
tes from the end, the Real Mac
striker's fourth of the tournament.
'For 45 years in Yugoslavia,
never played with the same fire as
are for Croatia," said defender I
Stimac, whose sending off in th@
game helped down the Croats then.
some 7,000 Croatian fans in Ger
Stadium was President Fra
Tudjman.
"We were very motivated, a
because our president was here" Stir
said. "I've been dreaming for two yc
about meeting Germany again."
The Adriatic country of 4 ill
people was savoring the bigges
success in its young history.
"The country is exploding with
tonight," Suker said. "I'm really pr
to be a Croat."

AP PHOTO
Croatia's Goran Vladvic (19) and Zvonimir Soldo (14) battle for a header with Germany's Jorg Heinrich as Dietmar Hamman
(16) watches. Croatia advanced to the semifinals of the World Cup with Its 3-0 victory over the highly touted Germans.

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Hopker

O

FINALS WEEK
No, the summer term just
started, but for soccer
(OK, football) fans around
the world, it's finals time.
World Cup finals time.
The schedule:
Tomorrow: Brazil vs.
Netherlands 3 p.m. ESPN
Wednesday: France vs.
Croatia 3 p.m. ESPN
Saturday: 3rd-place
match
3 p.m. ABC
Sunday: World Cup
Championship match
3 p.m. ABC


0 0
June 30, 1998
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