While England V Sweden, I had my own ball game going ;o) (England vs Sweden)

Member Name: chele2002

Product:	England vs Sweden
Date:	09/06/02 (373 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Didn't lose

Disadvantages: .

Now trust me I am not a big fan of football one bit, the last football game I watched was back in 1990, when I was just 17 (sounds like a teeny magazine out). I was watching one of the World Cup matches with a couple of friends at the time, who lived in the flat across the hall in my first ever digs away from home. Many of you will probably remember the game that took place between England and Germany, I certainly do and it wasn't from it being a memorable game (if you ask me they played like pussies at the time), but more from the saga with Gazza, the card and the tears!! To be honest the game was such a disappointment that it put me off watching football until now.

Recently there has been quite a nice atmosphere with all this World Cup malarkey go on around the site and in the tooyoo guestbook and over the last few week I have made a few friends that I consider special who have shown a great passion for football, and its with those interest and the atmosphere that has got me watching once more and writing about a sport that is completely alien to me.

Before lying down to find out what time the England V Sweden match was set to kick off, I have to say I went into it with negatives views due to past performance and didn't hold much hope for England getting anywhere near walking away with the World Cup and title. Flicking through the channels, I find as I get to ITV that the game had already started, but by some change it was only into the game by a couple of minutes. I position myself quite nicely into the 69 position, to ensure maximum comfort and snugness around the contours of my body (OK lumps, bumps and cellulite). Ah much better!! As I lay like a couched potato, assuming the role of football viewer, surrounded by everything I could quite fancy at the time (just a shame the loo wasn't portable) eyes transfixed on the TV in hope to watch something spectacular, and perhaps a game that would be marked down in history for years to c
ome.

Unfortunately spectacular was not what I was seeing, more what I would call average and sometime slipping below average performance, but they did manage to maintain the edge over Sweden during the first half. After watching just a few minutes of the first half, my heart kind of lost all focus of even a slight chance they could come through this game to be taken further into the World Cup and I simply lost interest in the game as a result. Despite the fact I witnessed quite a number of good kicks; the game lacked any kind of challenge, or spirit from either team, it was enough to drive me sleepy, so much so that I asked hubby to join me in a cosy lay down on the sofa ;) and possibly a snooze, only we ended out having other things to keep us amused while the game continued.

Catching a glimpse of the screen from time to time between all the groans of our own ball game in play, I didn't notice any change in the game whatsoever. That was until the sound of cheers rose above the moans and groans, of reaching our own climax, I could barely bring myself to turn towards the screen, in fear of the cheers being a result of a Swedish goal, but to my relief England had bagged their first goal of the World Cup. I didn't actually see the goal at the time but I must say the re-play showed a terrific goal, direct from the head of Sol Campbell only 24 minutes into the first half. It was after the first goal where I spotted a change in the way England were playing, perhaps getting a bit more risky with there moves and tackles, but it didn't last.

The second half was really poor and what ever sparkle the game had been generated for England after their goal, started to show signs of diminishing, once again to the disappointment of fans, viewers, players and everything involved in football. Performance was starting to mirror some of the past World Cups; it was like they were giving the game away and with Sweden starting to pick up pace and t
aking pot shots at the goal, my thoughts were slowly getting backed up from what I was seeing. So once again the game had managed to draw me away from it, in the end assisting me to dose off to sleep. As I lay there falling further into my state of sleepiness, I suddenly hear the rant of my husband shouting 'Stupid w***ers!! Substituting one of our best players! Are they for real?' Despite being woken from my pending rude dreams I did feel it didn't help England one bit and left them wide open and heading for a huge fall. By this time Sweden had showed signs of fighting back and bagged a goal of their own, what didn't help was the lack of defence from England, leading to Niclas Alexandersson comfortable slipping in an equalizing goal 59 minutes into the game.

England never really did recover from Sweden's equalising goal; it was like they had lost the fighting spirit for the final half of the match, despite both teams taking chances by any moments of weakness displayed, Sweden managed to give that little extra effort come the end.

I can not in all honesty say that England were the weaker team as both sides showed moments of weakness through out the game and both teams got a result at the end of the day, probably not the results we all wanted but none the less it has managed to keep England in the game.

Since the match England has managed to redeem their spirit, their fight and skills that lacked during the England V Sweden game, with their 1-0 win over Argentina (WELL DONE LADS). The recent win has now made me that little more optimistic now, and I actually think that we have as good a chance as all the other teams of walking away with the World Cup.


*~*~*Dedicated to marandina for his display of football passion and because he's a nice bloke too, hope my ops not a ball's up :o)*~*~*

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