Pauleta fires Portugal rout

Group D
Portugal 4
Poland 0

Striker Pauleta scored a hat-trick as Portugal crushed Poland 4-0 in torrential rain yesterday to re-ignite their World Cup campaign and dump the Poles out of the competition.

As the month-long tournament is almost half-way through, Portugal recovered from their shock 3-2 defeat by the US to overwhelm the hapless Poles.

Portugal's victory left them on three points in Group D, one fewer than both underdogs South Korea and the US. Poland, who lost 2-0 to the Koreans in their opener, are eliminated without a goal to their name.

"It was a well-fought game in which Portugal entirely and justly got the result they deserved. Everything is still open but we do have our first three points," Portugal coach Antonio Oliveira said.

"The difference today was the team spirit."

Pauleta, whose hat-trick was the first by a Portuguese player at the finals since Eusebio in 1966, opened the scoring in the 14th minute.

He brought down a diagonal cross from Joao Pinto on the left, turned inside his marker and beat Jerzy Dudek at his near post with a powerful drive.

The Portuguese had the better of the rest of the match but pouring rain turned the pitch into a skating rink, thwarting their attempts to play their trademark fluid football.

But in the 65th minute Pauleta added his second, stealing inside his marker and sliding in on the edge of the six-metre box to meet a Luis Figo cross and force the ball over the line.

Figo curled a shot against the base of Dudek's left hand post two minutes later as the Portuguese continued to pile on the pressure.

Pauleta completed his hat-trick in the 77th minute, weaving past Tomasz Waldoch before slamming a low shot past the unfortunate Dudek.

The rain which many had predicted would be a major feature of this World Cup finally came just before kick-off of this 32nd match of the tournament.

It continued throughout the match, prompting a number of sliding tackles from both sides.

The Portuguese had three players cautioned before the break, while Polish midfielder Piotr Swierczewski and substitute Arkadiusz Bak were also booked.

Swierczewski, shown the yellow card against South Korea, will miss his side's final match against the US.

Pauleta, the French first division's top scorer last season with his club Bordeaux, was a threat to the Polish defence from the start.

Portugal's first real chance fell to him when he fired just wide of Dudek's left hand post from outside the penalty area.

The Poles rarely threatened, despite fielding a three-pronged attack led by Nigerian-born striker Emmanuel Olisadebe, whose best effort was a slightly underhit left foot shot which Vitor Baia saved comfortably.

Oliveira's side continued to dominate in the second half and Poland's only response was a disallowed goal. Forward Pawel Kryszalowicz headed the ball in following a scramble in the box but was rightly adjudged to have fouled Baia during the build-up.

Oliveira brought on Rui Costa on the hour to add a further touch of class to the Portuguese attack and the substitute added the fourth goal three minutes from time when he poked home a right-wing cross.

Portugal, playing in their third World Cup finals and first since 1986, now face South Korea in their final group match with their campaign well and truly back on track.

The Poles, who finished third in the 1974 and 1982 World Cups, will return home bitterly disappointed with their showing in their first appearance at the finals since 1986.

Coach Jerzy Engel was philosophical after the match, saying he realised there was a possibility he would be sacked.

"We coaches are always ready," he said. "We are sitting in the mouth of a volcano. We always have to be ready for something to happen. But I don't think so.

"We have a new target - EURO 2004. But you never know. I have been a coach for 27 years so I know how it works."

Portugal: Baia; Frechaut (Beto 64), J. Costa, Couto, Jorge; Petit, Bento; Conceicao (Capucho 69), Pinto (Rui Costa 60), Figo; Pauleta.

Poland: Dudek; Kozminski, Waldoch, Hajto, Zewlakow (Rzasa 71); Swierczewski, Kaluzny (Bak 16), Krzynowek; Olisadebe, Kryszalowicz, Zurawski (Zewlakow 56).

Referee: Hugh Dallas (Scotland).

Scorers: Pauleta 14, 65, 77; Rui Costa 87.

Yellow cards: Frechaut, J. Costa, Jorge; Swierczewski, Bak.

HT: 1-0. Attendance: 39,700.