Football: Progress for Ireland

THE REPUBLIC of Ireland booked their place in the second round of the World Youth Championship with a 4-0 victory against Australia in Ibadan, Nigeria, on Saturday.

The Millwall striker Richard Sadlier opened the scoring in the 20th minute, with the Blackburn winger Damien Duff, the Huddersfield midfielder Tom Heary and Garry Crossley completing the scoring in the second half.

Six points was enough to put the Irish, who lost their opening game 1- 0 to Mexico but then beat Saudi Arabia 2-0, through to the second round of the three-week tournament after qualifying from Group C.

Yesterday, Uruguay and Portugal reached the second round with a goalless draw. In one of the drabbest games of the tournament, both sides were content with a draw knowing they would qualify.

The three-time champions Brazil beat Zambia 5-1 to ease into the second round. Brazil, who finished Group F with seven points, came back from 1-0 down with goals by Ronaldo, Fabio Aurelio, Fernando Baiano, Mancini and Rodrigo Gral.

Zambia, making their first appearance in the tournament, opened the scoring in the ninth minute with captain Andrew Sinkala's goal. But Brazil bounced back, Ronaldo scoring with a header in the 30th minute. Aurelio scored one of the best goals so far in the tournament in the 45th minute, a free- kick from 22 yards into top corner.

Baiano chipped in the third over Mumba's head from 10 yards out in the 66th, and Mancini broke into the area from the right and scored the fourth in the 71st minute.

Rodrigo Gral scored the fifth for the South Americans from a penalty five minutes from the end after Fernando Baiano was pulled down in the area by Mumba, who was sent off.

Tunisia became the first team to qualify for the last 16 of the African Nations' Cup finals on Saturday, beating Uganda 2-0.

Goals by Hassan Gabsi in the 18th minute and Faouzi Rouissi in the 41st lifted Tunisia in Kampala, sending the country to its fourth straight appearance. The victory was Tunisia's fourth in as many qualifying games, giving them 12 points and moving them eight ahead of both Algeria and Liberia in Group Seven.

Four angry fans filed suits yesterday against a leading Egyptian team after the players walked off the pitch.

The match between Egypt's two top teams, El-Zamalek and El-Ahly, lasted only four minutes on Friday night. When the referee ordered an El-Zamalek player to leave the pitch because of a foul, the rest of the team walked off in protest.

The withdrawal gave the victory to El-Ahly, while the Egyptian Federation fined El-Zamalek 150,000 Egyptian pounds (pounds 27,000).