1.   Agassi has long regarded Sunday consolation matches as potentially hazardous to his health and ultimately meaningless in the Davis Cup scheme of things, in everything save gate receipts.

2.   But in the Olympic year, coming a month after the Games, worlds have all the allure of a consolation match.

3.   Instead, all he got was aggravation and a chance to win a bronze medal by winning his next four or five consolation matches.

4.   Lose and it is one consolation match after another.

5.   Normally, the consolation match is just that, one more payday for FIFA, and two sets of weary athletes slogging through their paces.

6.   Today, Sweden and Bulgaria meet in a consolation match for third place.

7.   Argentina and Oman will play a consolation match Sunday before the championship.

8.   Ghana and Zambia, who had been favorites to reach the final, play an earlier consolation match for third place.

9.   He lost to eventual champion Steve Stricker, but bounced back to beat Ernie Els in the consolation match.

10.   He said both teams had trouble concentrating in the consolation match of a tournament they wanted to win.