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Post Draw: Quotes and Analysis |
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Brazil
(BRA) |
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Coach: Luiz Felipe Scolari
Brazil has learned from our slips, and we will not make the same mistakes. Now we’re going to sit down and think about our adversaries, but of course they must all be respected. Look at Honduras in the Copa America - they shocked people. Costa Rica has been playing very well. I will talk to some of the Brazilian players who have played in Turkey about them.
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Turkey
(TUR) |
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Coach: Senol Gunes
We are facing three countries very far from Turkey, and we are the only European team in this group, which is difficult for us. We don’t know Costa Rica or China very well, but of course we know Brazilian football. Naturally, they are the favourites, and then the other three teams are about equal.
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China PR
(CHN) |
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Coach: Bora Milutinovic
Well, Brazil, they’re Brazil. What can you say that people don’t already know. Even if they have had some (poor) results, they are still the favourites, or one of them. But every game is difficult. We are happy to be in the World Cup, and I hope that we can give some enjoyment to the Chinese people.
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Costa Rica
(CRC) |
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Coach: Alexander Guimaraes
It’s an honour to play against one of my teachers who now coaches China. We have to do in the finals what we did in the preliminaries and with good preparation, we should do just as well. It will be nice to take the challenge against Brazil. I haven’t seen so much of the other teams, but I imagine that now everyone will start watching each other.
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Group Analysis:
Though they have only qualified once for a FIFA World Cup, Costa Rica have already met group rivals Brazil, who beat them 1-0 at Italy 90. Both teams made it through to the second round, however.
The Ticos' coach at the time was one Bora Milutinovic, who has brought China to their first final phase. The Yugoslav-born coach is no stranger to this level of competition, however - this is his fifth consecutive FIFA World Cup final, each time with a different team (all of which will coincidentally be present at the 2002 FIFA World Cup Final). On the past four occasions, he has seen his team through to the second round, so China's group rivals should beware, even though the country had the lowest FIFA/Coca-Cola Ranking at the time of the Final Draw of all 32 qualified teams (55th).
Turkey has reached its first final phase since Switzerland 1954, where they defeated Korea Republic 7-0. They also reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA EURO 2000, so are currently on a good run of form.
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