ENGLAND THROUGH TO THE WORLD CUP (just) (World Cup 2002 - the build up)

Member Name: Mr White

Product:	World Cup 2002 - the build up
Date:	07/10/01 (28 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great Permance by Beckham, Good perfomance by Martyn

Disadvantages: Terrible performance by the rest of the team

Throughout last week I noticed how much the newspapers were not only saying that we would win but we would qualify for the World Cup in style maybe scoring four or five against a struggling Greek team who have failed to find any sought consistent form. How wrong were they.

A packed to capacity Old Trafford was expecting England to qualify easily, knowing that if England were to win they would finish first in the group unless the Germans scored six or seven goals against Finland. The one worry for England was that they were without the injured Michael Owen who was in world class form. They were also without keeper David Seaman and Arsenal centre-half Sol Campbell. So in came Leeds United keeper Nigel Martyn. Arsenals Martin Keown who would play in defence with Rio Ferdinand, Gary Neville and Ashley Cole. The Usual midfield of Nicky Barmby, Paul Scholes, Steven Gerrard and Captain David Beckham. Sven Goran Eriksson opted to play an unfit Robbie Fowler alongside Emile Heskey. The Greeks made a late change to there starting eleven playing the big number nine Angelo Charisteas who was to cause England problems in the first half.

The first half was completely dominated by Greece. It was so frustrating to watch such a poor performance by England, especially the two central midfielders Gerrard and Scholes. They were giving away the ball on so many occasions and didn’t put one good pass together in the first half. The defence once again was the part of the team that most worried. The overrated Gary Neville had a very questionable first half, as did the keeper Martyn who never really made a clean save. The thing that was most frustrating was the lack of any midfield service to the two forwards. Robbie Fowler didn’t have a chance of getting involved with the match as Gerrard was belting long balls from his own goal line and Scholes doesn’t know what a football is judging by his performance. However you cannot take anything away from Greeks.


They looked a different class to England. The impressive Karagounis dominated the midfield play showing lots of determination and making excellent passes and through balls, and the even more impressive Charisteas who had a number of good opportunities. It was only a matter of time until they scored and they did on 36 minutes. Charisteas struck home a powerful opening goal that was well deserved. That goal left the Old Trafford crowd shocked and disgraced by terrible first half performance. 1-0 to the Greeks at half time.

The second half was slightly more positive with England playing more positively and not so deep. Eriksson felt it was time to add a different attacking threat in Andy Cole. He had a good opportunity to score but from a good save from a Greek keeper who was a having excellent game. There was a time when could have went 2-0 down but Nigel Martyn made a brilliant save to keep England in the match.

News was coming through that Germany were still drawing with Finland which meant if the results stayed the same England would go to the playoffs to face a difficult Ukraine side. The manager thought that it was time for a change he took off the disappointing Fowler and brought on Teddy Sheringham. England won a freekick on the left side which Beckham swung in on to the head of Sheringham who looped the ball over the keeper an in to the back of the net. Great goal and he was only on the field for ten seconds.

It all seemed that England were now on their way to World Cup and would go on to win the game but this was a very, very strange game. Within a minute England were behind again thanks to a freekick that was poorly defended which broke to Nikolaidis who drove it past Nigel Martyn. After that England were all attack in one player who was Captain David Beckham. Beckham was by far the best player on the field and a class ahead of every England player. He seemed to play the game on his own and the midfield of Gerrard and Scho
les just got in his way. When the 90 minutes were up the referee called four minutes of injury time. On the 93rd minute Sheringham won a freekick just outside the area. Beckham had so many chances from set pieces and you thought that one had to go in and this one did. If there was a player who deserved to score it was the captain. The final score was England 2- 2 Greece.

The players and crowd were jubilant once it was known that Germany drawn which qualifies England automatically for the World Cup. Even though we qualified it cannot take away the fact of how appalling England actually were, with the exception of David Beckham who was quite easily man of the match.

Who cares about the performance though its all history now, all that matters is that were through to World Cup in Japan and Korea. The Germans may well call us lucky but now they know how we felt after Italia 90 and Euro 96. After us hammering the Germans at Munich I don’t think it would have been justified if Germany had finished 1st, after all not only did we have a much better goal difference than them but Finland did as well.

Even though this match was hell to sit through and watch, it is moments like that David Beckham goal that make football the best sport in the world. Anyway I had know doubt at all that England would qualify (honest).

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