East Rutherford, New Jersey, AP

The same number of goals and the same result clearly had different meanings for Colombia and Scotland.

A 2-2 draw between the two World Cup-bound sides on Saturday night before a highly-partisan Colombian crowd of 56,404 left Colombia quiet, withdrawn and almost defensive, while Scotland were nearly giddy.

“A draw is not a boost,” Scotland coach Craig Brown said. “But the way we played for an hour was a boost. It proved we can play with a good South American side, and that will give us confidence.”

Freddy Rincon tapped in a ball that ricocheted off both posts with 11 minutes remaining and Columbia salvaged a draw in a match in which they were clearly outplayed.

Faustino Asprilla split the Scottish defence before hitting a right-foot drive that struck the right post, rolled along the line and hit the left post before Rincon knocked it in.

It was a goal that saved Colombia after an otherwise disappointing performance. Coach Hernan Dario Gomez took very few questions from reporters afterwards and his players all walked to the bus en masse without talking to anyone despite before the game announcing their dressing room would be open.

“For the first time that we played together, it was all right,” Gomez said. “We had many chances that we didn’t finish in the second half and we had to face a very strong rival.”

Colombia took the lead with a somewhat dubious penalty in the 22nd minute, but Scotland equalised two minutes later and then went ahead 12 minutes before half-time.

With the play fairly even early on, Colombia got a break when American referee Brian Hall penalised Christian Dailly for shoving Wilmer Cabrera in the area.

Both Dailly and Cabrera had turned away from goal and were chasing a high ball when Dailly ran into Cabrera and the Colombian went down.

Hall pointed to the penalty spot which Dailly buried his face in his hands. Carlos Valderrama then converted the penalty.

Despite bringing the crowd to life, it did little to affect the Scots.

A bouncing ball in the penalty area was tapped back by Darren Jackson to John Collins who fired an 18-metre rocket into the top corner.

Jackson set up the second Scottish strike, sending Craig Burley down the left and he fired past Colombian keeper Miguel Calero.

“It was encouraging,” Collins said. “Passing-wise, we kept possession, we had two good goals. Their first goal was a silly penalty. The second they came right down the middle. We thought it was offside. But I think we got tired.”

“It was a very soft penalty, but it was a penalty, a needless penalty,” Brown said. “You can’t afford in this level of football to give away goals.”

Amsterdam, Reuters

The “dream” European Cup Final between Juventus and Real Madrid at the Amsterdam Arena today is a throwback to the earliest days of continental club football – but with far more at stake.

Prize money, sponsorship deals, and new contracts for the players are all on the line when the Italian and Spanish aristocrats line up today.

It brings together two of the biggest and most glamorous clubs in Europe, who between them have played in 25 European finals and won 14 trophies, but who until now have never played each other in a final.

This will be Juventus’ fourth consectutive European final. Following a defeat by Parma in the 1995 UEFA Cup Final, they won the European Cup on penalties against Ajax in Rome in 1996 before losing last year’s final 3-1 to an inspired Borussia Dortmund a year ago in Munich.

Real are likely to be at full strength, with no suspensions carried over from earlier rounds.

Defender Fernando Hierro and Christian Karembeu have recovered from knocks, while striker Fernando Morientes is also likely to be fit in time for the game. Veteran Croatian striker Davor Suker is the probable replacement if Morientes fails to get over a groin strain.

Juventus coach Marcello Lippi has no injury worries with Del Piero and Filippo Inzaghi leading the attack and with French playmaker Zinedine Zidane being given a free role in a new-look five-man Juventus midfield designed to allow him the maximum opportunity to create chances for the front two.

Although European Cup finals in recent years – unlike the days when Real won with scorelines like 4-3 and 7-3 – have produced dour, goal-shy games, today’s could produce a classic. Both teams are at their best going forward and like to score.

Rio de Janeiro, Reuters

Brazilian football fans believe that a fifth world title is little more than a formality for a team that boasts players such as Ronaldo, Roberto, Carlos and Romario.

But Brazil’s opponents can take heart from the fact that the defending champions have learned little from the mistakes made in the past.

Over-confidence, a tendency for players to negotiate club deals during the World Cup and internal wrangling have all hit Brazil during previous tournaments and there are indications that they could strike again in France.

On paper, Brazil are clear favourites. They have lost only three full internationals since winning the World Cup in 1994, clocked up a run of 15 consecutive wins last year and their line-up makes formidable reading.

Ronaldo is widely acclaimed as the world’s best player and, after hitting a sticky patch, he now appears to be back to his best.

He will be partnered in attack by 1994 World Cup hero Romario, who is now 32 but is still deadly in and around the penalty area.

Coach Mario Zagallo also boasts a unique record in the World Cup – he has taken part twice as a coach, twice as player and once as assistant coach and won the title on all but one occasion. Zagallo’s priority is the title rather than putting on a show.

Yet Brazil have also shown that they can be beaten. Critics are not convinced that Zagallo’s chosen central defensive partnership of Junior Baiano and Aldair is the most secure, while Taffarel, who is almost certain to be Brazil’s first-choice goalkeeper for the third World Cup running, is seen as being past his best.

In-fighting has often pursued Brazilian World Cup squads and with so many stars, it could be a real threat again.

Rio de Janeiro, Reuters

From the breathless high altitude of the Bolivian Andes to the mud and snow of a Moscow spring, it seems that nothing can stop Ronaldo scoring goals.

The world’s best paid and most feared player is set to experience his first World Cup in France and claims he wants to celebrate by breaking Frenchman Just Fontaine’s record of 13 goals in a single tournament.

He can strike from almost anywhere. In a March friendly against Germany, Ronaldo had barely touched the ball until the last minute, when he raced through the German defence and calmy slotted home the winning goal.

And not even the appalling conditions in snowbound Moscow could stop him scoring twice for his club Inter Milan in April’s UEFA Cup semi-final match away to Spartak Moscow.

He has come a long way since his childhood days when he lost out on a chance to join Rio de Janeiro club Flamengo’s youth training set-up because he could not afford the train fare.

Ronaldo was eventually picked up by Sao Cristovao, a smaller Rio club before making his professional debut for Cruzeiro in 1993 at the age of 16.

Fifty goals in two seasons quickly raised eyebrows around the world. Ronaldo was sold to Dutch side PSV Eindhoven in 1994, then moved on to Spanish club Barcelona in 1996 and Inter Milan in Italy the following year.

He made his national team debut when he came on as a substitute against Argentina in a friendly in March 1994 and scored his first international goal the following month against Iceland.

For all this, Ronaldo has had lean spells and suffered some vicious criticism from the Italian media when the goals temporarily dried up this season at Inter Milan.

In France, he will relish the opportunity to silence any remaining doubters for good.

Italy in mourning

Rome, Reuters

Italy was in a state of mourning yesterday after their worst possible start to the World Cup campaign – a 1-0 defeat by Ireland.

The loss at the hands of a team Italy have beaten in their last six meetings made banner headlines in most newspapers, which stepped up pressure on Italian team coach Arrigo Sacchi.

The streets of Rome emptied shortly before the match began on Saturday night and remained deserted after it ended.

“Everyone is staying at home to cry,” said one restaurant waiter. On the Mediterranean island of Capri, the holiday spirit evaporated soon after Ireland’s 12th-minute goal.

In Milan, the home of league champions AC Milan, the city was stunned. The tooting of car horns that is the mark of any major football engagement died down with minutes of Ray Houghton’s winner.

Exuberant celebration by ‘Jack’s army’

New York, Reuters

New York became a sea of green on Saturday as Irish fans exuberantly celebrated Ireland’s dramatic victory over Italy.

“I can go home in a coffin now after this win,” said Paul Richford of Dublin.

All over New York and New Jersey, where the game was played before 74,000 fans, the Irish erupted into ecstatic celebration.

When Ireland scored what proved to be the winning goal, the stadium went wild, and Irish fans leaped to their feet, dancing, singing, cheering and embracing one another.

The Irish fans, dubbed “Jack’s Army” after coach Jack Charlton, the English manager of the team and known as Ireland’s favourite Englishman, seemed to have taken over the stadium with banners and flags and singing.