http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/060316/1/6b5x.html Starlets give encouraging signs 12 March 2006 by FIFAworldcup.com For the young stars of international football, the friendly fixtures played on 28 February and 1 March were an ideal opportunity to show their respective coaches that they are ready and able to do a job for their countries at this summer's FIFA World Cup?. Read on as FIFAworldcup.com analyses the performances of the talented youngsters with their sights set on the Gillette Best Young Player Award at Germany 2006. Argentina lights candle for Messi If Argentina coach Jose Pekerman took one positive from his country's 3-2 loss against Croatia, it had to be the performance of Lionel Messi. La Pulga (The Flea) removed any lingering doubts about his entitlement to a starting berth in Germany with another towering display. The Albiceleste started poorly on the night and fell behind, before two bits of Messi magic turned the game round. The first saw the Barcelona man make space for himself in a crowded box and put Carlos Tevez through for the equaliser, while the second – a moment of individual brilliance – came after he cut in from the right, made straight for goal and curled an unstoppable left-foot strike into the far corner. Most of Argentina's best moves stemmed from the feet of the youngster, leading one of the country's dailies, Clarin, to warn of the risk of "Messi-dependence" . The whole of Argentina then got a fright after seeing the young prodigy limp off in Barcelona's UEFA Champions League game with Chelsea, though the player should be sidelined for no more than a month and fully fit again before the FIFA World Cup kicks off in June. Cesc outstanding, Ramos steady Spain's impressive performance in coming from 2-1 down to beat Cote d'Ivoire 3-2 included star turns from two men hoping to light up the finals in June, Cesc Fabregas and Sergio Ramos. The former, making his full debut at just 18, gave a dazzling performance in midfield as he celebrated becoming the youngest player to be capped for his country for 70 years. His dynamism and ability to dictate the tempo appear to have won over Spain coach Luis Aragones, who had this to say about the Arsenal man afterwards: "He demonstrated his quality and showed himself to be unfazed by international duty." Fabregas, for his part, would only say: "I'm happy with how everything has gone, but best of all is that we won." Ramos, meanwhile, started the night at right-back, an area where Cote d'Ivoire enjoyed little success it should be said. Although some poor marking in the Spanish rearguard saw the Iberians fall 2-1 behind, the Real Madrid man's influence grew as the game wore on and he almost scored with a header from a corner. In the second half, he made his presence felt by moving to centre-back and doing a fine job of marking Didier Drogba, something Aragones picked up on afterwards. "When Sergio Ramos got into his stride, we looked much more solid at the back and better able to contain a very tough opponent." Ronaldo works his magic Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo turned out to be the star of Portugal's 3-0 win over Saudi Arabia on 1 March. As well as being a key provider and the hub of his side's attacking play, Ronaldo proved again what an adept goalscorer he is, netting twice. His first was a header from a Luis Figo corner, while his second, a moment of pure genius, saw him cap a blistering solo run down the left with a low shot into the corner. Despite his own dazzling display, the player remained modest afterwards, preferring to focus on the team's performance: "The win will give us more self-confidence, and the reassurance that we're on the right track for the World Cup." Rooney, a tireless worker England's 2-1 win over Uruguay saw Wayne Rooney demonstrate once more how a striker can be instrumental in a team's victory without providing either a goal or an assist. On the pitch for just over an hour, he followed coach Sven-Goran Eriksson's instructions to open up the right side of the pitch with his strength and direct running. And although this kept him out of the danger area for long periods, leaving not a few England fans disappointed, his movement opened up holes in the Uruguayan defence, which his team-mates were able to exploit. His overall performance went down well with the press in England, who applauded his selfless running and attitude. Senderos' strong character Holding down a place in any side that has qualified for the FIFA World Cup is a tall order, even more so when you are just 21. Yet that is what the young Swiss defender Phillippe Senderos has managed to do. During his side's 2-1 win in Scotland, he again proved up to the task, both on and off the pitch. Reminded by a journalist in the build-up that Scotland had never lost to Switzerland on home soil, the Arsenal centre-back replied confidently: "Records are made to be broken." And for the 72 minutes he played, Senderos showed impeccable timing and anticipation, and a strong conviction when joining the attack. He was understandably pleased afterwards: "We played well and earned a good away win, which will help build momentum ahead of the World Cup." Disappointment for Podolski Germany's surprising 4-1 defeat in Italy was a match many German players will be anxious to forget, Lukas Podolski among them. Such was the domination of the Azzurri that the FC Cologne striker got precious little of the ball, and even less sight of goal, before being replaced by Gerald Asamoah during the interval. Kaebi looking solid Finally, the importance of having a solid, reliable players in your defence is something every team can appreciate. Hossein Kaebi is one such player, and he was at his steadfast best again in helping Iran to a hard-fought 3-2 win over Costa Rica. The right-back was vigilant early on and after some attacking forays as Iran went 3-0 ahead, he was back to shore up the defence in the second half when the Ticos cut the deficit to a single goal. "It was an important win, as Costa Rica play a similar game to Mexico, one of our World Cup opponents," Kaebi told the Iranian press afterwards. -- 我以為小猴也是新人XD --

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