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[Blwe_torch]

Bayern All Stars too hot to handle
- German veterans thrash East Bengal All Stars 10-3
A STAFF REPORTER

Calcutta: The difference in sporting culture of Germany and India came to the fore, and, how! A 59-year-old World Cup winner, who responds to the name of Paul Breitner, said after the 90-minute show that he was ready for 30 more minutes of action, whereas our veteran footballers were exhausted.

That they did not thank the referee for blowing the final whistle and saving them from more ignominy could not be verified, but that there was a fervent plea not to score more than 10 goals was confirmed by the Bayern Munich legend.

The final score of the charity match between Bayern Munich All Stars XI and the East Bengal All Stars XI at the near-empty Salt Lake Stadium, on Wednesday, was 10-3, and it could have been 17-4.

The Bayern stars turned the clock back and showed glimpses of the legendary German dedication and discipline. They got down to business without a fuss and ensured the job was done. As Breitner said the other day, “In Bayern dictionary, the word loss is not there.”

Paulo Sergio scored four goals, Markus Muench and Carsten Lakies netted a brace each while Harold Cazny and Wolfgang Dremmler found the net once. For East Bengal veterans, Kabir Bose pulled one back after Bayern had scored four and then Amit Das and Sanjay Majhi scored one each after conceding 10 goals.

“It was just that we don’t keep ourselves fit enough. Look, the difference in class will always be there. But even after quitting the game the likes of Breitner and Brehme have kept themselves so fit is just amazing. Here in lies the difference in sporting cultures. The Germans are just amazing,” East Bengal skipper Sudhir Karmarkar said after the match. “They were so serious about this tie whereas most of us took it as a fun game,” Karmakar added.

Indeed, Bayern were serious about this match. And they shot into lead as early as the fourth minute through Sergio off a trademark Andreas Brehme delivery from the right. As the floodgates opened, goals started coming thick and fast. Fifteen minutes later, Cerny made it 2-0 with a neat placement and in the 27 th minute Muench made it 3-0. Four minutes later, it was Sergio again. At the stroke of half-time, Kabir Bose pulled once back with a grounder. In between, Dulal Biswas failed to tap one home with not even goalkeeper Walter Junghans in front of him.

Sergio got his hattrick in the 55th and his fourth and Bayern’s sixth came in the 59th from a penalty. Muench then scored his second off a Lakies cross and then Dremmler made it 8-1. Lakies then joined the party scoring two. As the crowd braced for more goals, Amit Das reduced the margin and minutes before the final whistle, Sanjay Majhi got his name in the scoresheet.

As East Bengal coach Trevor James Morgan said: “It was a learning experience for these veterans.”

Very true, the chasm is so wide that even age could not narrow it down.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1101118/jsp/sports/story_13191089.jsp

[Blwe_torch]

There was a request not to score more, says Breitner
A STAFF REPORTER
Bayern Munich All Stars XI and East Bengal All Stars XI players before the start of their match, at the Salt Lake Stadium, on Wednesday. A Telegraph picture

Calcutta: Paul Breitner is an honest man.

When asked at the post-match press conference, whether there was any request from the East Bengal All Stars XI not to score more than 10 goals, he smilingly spilled the beans.

“I am always honest and speak the truth. There was a request not to score more than 10. But when you get an open net what do you?” Breitner said on Wednesday.

“As promised, we played a neat game and we won. We demonstrated that we are still good enough for 90 minutes of action. In fact, we could have played 30 minutes more,” Breitner said.

“Five years ago, we decided to form this All Stars XI and travel the world. We don’t get time to practice together more often but since we all work hard to maintain a certain amount of fitness it becomes easier when we get together,” the 1974 World Cup winner said.

This match against East Bengal All Stars was their last match of the season. “We call off our season. We played six matches and won all of them. When you play for Bayern only thing you can think of is win,” the 59-year-old said.

Breitner said he was not disappointed by the poor turnout at the Salt Lake Stadium. “We would have played even if there was one spectator.” For the record, 1,25,000 turned up at the Salt Lake Stadium to watch another Bayern legend Oliver Kahn’s last match in May 2008.

Breitner said the team was okay with the artificial turf. “If you are technically sound you don’t face any problem on any surface. We adapted well to the conditions here,” he said.

About the Indian standard of football, the German was diplomatic. “I will be in a position to talk about Indian football standard after I come here at least five times. But one thing if you work hard the future is yours. So, may be after 15 years we at Bayern will not connect India with only cricket. Football will also come to the scene.”

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1101118/jsp/sports/story_13191015.jsp