World Cup 2006: Day 17
Today's action saw England take on Ecuador in the first match, and Portugal v Holland in the second game.
England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson sprung his customary starting lineup surprise yet again by naming Owen Hargreaves at rightback, Michael Carrick as a holding midfielder and Wayne Rooney as the lone striker in a 4-1-4-1 formation. Ecuador retained the same lineup that had started their first game against Poland. From the very outset, this had all the makings of a defensive battle, and that is exactly what transpired. Both sides struggled to come up with attacking moves of any real danger and the first real chance fell to the South Americans when John Terry miscued his defensive header and Carlos Tenorio was clean through on goal. However, a fantastic saving tackle from Ashley Cole deflected the striker's shot onto the crossbar and out of play!! A superb chance squandered by the South Americans. They would not create another chance of note throughout the whole game as well. England also labored to break down the stubborn Ecuadorean defence as Rooney was often left all alone up front to fight against 4 defenders. The sweltering heat of 92 F in Stuttgart seemed to sap the energy of the English in particular. The mindnumbingly boring game finally sparked to life when David Beckham curled home a perfect free kick on the hour mark to put England ahead. You could argue they deserved it because of their possession advantage. Beckham himself struggled severely with dehydration before being taken off with 10 minutes to go for Aaron Lennon. The diminutive Spurs winger injected some energy into the game and Frank Lampard squandered a pair of golden chances to wrap the game up for England. However, with the Ecuadoreans barely managing an attack, Eriksson threw on Jamie Carragher for Joe Cole and effectively killed the game for the remainder of the time. A horrendous game for spectators to watch, sadly, but England go through courtesy of their captain's deadball expertise.
In contrast, the flair and attacking endeavor of Portugal and Holland promised a far more entertaining matchup, and both teams came out playing some good football which was pleasant on the eye, especially after enduring the torture of the morning. Dutch coach van Basten caused major headlines by omitting star striker Ruud van Nistelrooy from the side, he would not play any part in this game! Portugal struck first in the 23rd minute as Maniche displayed terrific close control inside the box before smashing home a fierce shot which left Dutch keeper van der Sar with no chance. The Dutch seemed to get a little energy out of this goal and pressed forward in search of an equaliser. This is where Russian referee Valentin Ivanov stepped to the fore! The game was being played at a fast and physical pace, but the referee seemed to be card-happy and intent on punishing the merest of challenges. Several yellow cards, some genuine some unnecessary, were shown to both sets of players, and when Costinha inexplicably chose to handle the ball in the middle of the park, he became the first casualty of the game. He was correctly shown his second yellow card of the day and sent off for an early bath! The Dutch had the numerical advantage and created several great chances in the second half. Philip Cocu was desperately unlucky to volley his shot onto the crossbar from 5 yards! The action got a little testy out on the field and the referee persisted with his card-happy behavior. Soon, the game turned into a farce as Holland had Bouhlarouz and van Bronckhorst sent off while Portugal's Deco also joined the growing contingent of players watching from the sidelines!! A potentially intriguing match was destroyed by the referee and by the time the final whistle was blown, there had been 16 yellow cards and 4 red cards shown, a new record for the World Cup! Unbelievable officiating!! Portugal displayed great defensive intensity to hang on to a 1-0 win, but will surely rue the suspensions to Deco and Costinha as they face England next in the quarter finals! What a game! Loads of drama, but most of it unrelated to real footballing matters!
England must consider themselves fortunate. They are playing terribly but are in the quarter finals and will face a side without its best offensive player and a key defensive midfielder! Lady Luck seems to be smiling at them, but can they make it count by upping the quality of their own play?...
England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson sprung his customary starting lineup surprise yet again by naming Owen Hargreaves at rightback, Michael Carrick as a holding midfielder and Wayne Rooney as the lone striker in a 4-1-4-1 formation. Ecuador retained the same lineup that had started their first game against Poland. From the very outset, this had all the makings of a defensive battle, and that is exactly what transpired. Both sides struggled to come up with attacking moves of any real danger and the first real chance fell to the South Americans when John Terry miscued his defensive header and Carlos Tenorio was clean through on goal. However, a fantastic saving tackle from Ashley Cole deflected the striker's shot onto the crossbar and out of play!! A superb chance squandered by the South Americans. They would not create another chance of note throughout the whole game as well. England also labored to break down the stubborn Ecuadorean defence as Rooney was often left all alone up front to fight against 4 defenders. The sweltering heat of 92 F in Stuttgart seemed to sap the energy of the English in particular. The mindnumbingly boring game finally sparked to life when David Beckham curled home a perfect free kick on the hour mark to put England ahead. You could argue they deserved it because of their possession advantage. Beckham himself struggled severely with dehydration before being taken off with 10 minutes to go for Aaron Lennon. The diminutive Spurs winger injected some energy into the game and Frank Lampard squandered a pair of golden chances to wrap the game up for England. However, with the Ecuadoreans barely managing an attack, Eriksson threw on Jamie Carragher for Joe Cole and effectively killed the game for the remainder of the time. A horrendous game for spectators to watch, sadly, but England go through courtesy of their captain's deadball expertise.
In contrast, the flair and attacking endeavor of Portugal and Holland promised a far more entertaining matchup, and both teams came out playing some good football which was pleasant on the eye, especially after enduring the torture of the morning. Dutch coach van Basten caused major headlines by omitting star striker Ruud van Nistelrooy from the side, he would not play any part in this game! Portugal struck first in the 23rd minute as Maniche displayed terrific close control inside the box before smashing home a fierce shot which left Dutch keeper van der Sar with no chance. The Dutch seemed to get a little energy out of this goal and pressed forward in search of an equaliser. This is where Russian referee Valentin Ivanov stepped to the fore! The game was being played at a fast and physical pace, but the referee seemed to be card-happy and intent on punishing the merest of challenges. Several yellow cards, some genuine some unnecessary, were shown to both sets of players, and when Costinha inexplicably chose to handle the ball in the middle of the park, he became the first casualty of the game. He was correctly shown his second yellow card of the day and sent off for an early bath! The Dutch had the numerical advantage and created several great chances in the second half. Philip Cocu was desperately unlucky to volley his shot onto the crossbar from 5 yards! The action got a little testy out on the field and the referee persisted with his card-happy behavior. Soon, the game turned into a farce as Holland had Bouhlarouz and van Bronckhorst sent off while Portugal's Deco also joined the growing contingent of players watching from the sidelines!! A potentially intriguing match was destroyed by the referee and by the time the final whistle was blown, there had been 16 yellow cards and 4 red cards shown, a new record for the World Cup! Unbelievable officiating!! Portugal displayed great defensive intensity to hang on to a 1-0 win, but will surely rue the suspensions to Deco and Costinha as they face England next in the quarter finals! What a game! Loads of drama, but most of it unrelated to real footballing matters!
England must consider themselves fortunate. They are playing terribly but are in the quarter finals and will face a side without its best offensive player and a key defensive midfielder! Lady Luck seems to be smiling at them, but can they make it count by upping the quality of their own play?...
posted by Manoj at
2:07 PM
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