Tuesday, June 30, 1998                     http://www.HWCI.com/wc98
Issue # 26.2.4 "The penalty kick..."

		1998 HWCI WORLD CUP TOURNAMENT POOL
		===================================

      VIRGIN CROATIA AND VETERAN ARGENTINA ARE INTO QUARTERFINALS
                AS PENALTY KICKS DECIDE BOTH MATCHES
  Just seven are left vying for top prize while eight are eliminated

	EL SEGUNDO, CA (smt)-  Davor Suker's penalty kick gave
Croatia (3-1) a 1-0 victory over Group G champ Romania (2-1-1) to
send the first-time World Cup'ers into the quarterfinals.  The 
first penalty kick shootout occured as Argentina (4-0 or 3-0-1-0?) 
won the shootout, 4-3, over England (2-2-1) after playing to a 2-2
draw after regulation and 30 minutes of sudden-death overtime.  
All four regulation goals came in the first half and two were the
result of a penalty kick.  England had to play the last 73 minutes
down a man.  Gabriel Batistuta scored his fifth goal of the tourney
on a penalty kick in the 6th minute.  There will be a two day 
break before the Quarterfinals begin on Friday.

	SOCCER SPICE missed the chance to go 8-0 in the Round of 16 
but England's loss in the PK shootout spoiled that.  He was the 
only one to pick Croatia and had moved within a point of MLSBOB.  
England's win gave MLSBOB 104 points and his six-point lead was
restored.  MLSBOB has now led wire-to-wire.  Four people went 7-1
including CANTONA, who although can't win first place, has moved
from 15th to tied for 9th since the end of the first round.  A total 
of eight people have been eliminated from winning any money (i.e., 
can't finish 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th).  THE BRUTE SQUAD got Argentina 
right but still sits in last place with 64 points and got a HWCI-low
of 3 of 8 2nd round picks correct.  SWEETTEETH was is not so sweet 
as she was eliminated yesterday (as well as MM).  FLASHER joins the 
group with Romania's loss.  England's defeat sent 2 of the 3 England
supported out (NO KORNIKOVA FOR RONALDO and RUSSO) as well as TRIPLEX.
KING OF THE WORLD won't be king, and can't finish higher than 4th.  
ERIC THE RED can't finish higher than 3rd and four can't win the top 
prize but could get 2nd (NAW'DEEN, SAN DIEGO SUCKERS, CANTONA, and 
JAYBIAN IV).  The rest (7) still have a chance for the $115 top prize.  
There are only seven matches left (not including 3rd place match) and 
128 possible endings.  Only one will be true.  

(DISCLAIMER: My elimination claims are about 92% accurate (so there
still might be hope) because of modifications in the program not
compatible with the World Cup (used for NCAA pools).               )

Two days to recover...
Scott HW
                                            
-----------------------------------------\\ || /\ || //  ___
Scott M Tamashiro, HWCI Engineering       \\||//\\||//  /o-o\\ \ \ `
WC98 Pool Administrator                    \  /  \  /  (o-o-o)) ) > > >
Email:    scott@hwci.com                    ||    ||    \`o'// / / ,  
Updates:  http://www.HWCI.com/wc98          ||    ||  WORLD CUP   
----------------------------------------------------  POOL 1998