I came into work at 7am this morning to watch the England vs. Brazil quarter final match of the World Cup. I’m never sure if I want England to win or the opposition but I knew I’d find out when the first goal went in.
When Owen scored for England I was disappointed, so I guessed I was on Brazil’s side (I was alone in that opinion being, as I was, surrounded by a few Englishmen). Watching some of the skill and pace of the Brazilians was awe-inspiring and it was only a matter of time before they equalised (which they soon did after a fantastic run by Ronaldinho set up Rivaldo). But then I was in a quandary. I felt myself wanting England to score again.
After half time Brazil got another from what looked like a cross gone-wrong (again from Ronaldinho) that went in. So at 2-1 I wanted England to score again and for the match to go into extra time. When Brazil went down to 10 men I really wanted England to finish them off and get through. I admit it, I wanted England to win! But instead Brazil dominated possession and England didn’t even have a single shot on target (and to cap it all, the manager replaced goal-scoring supremo Michael Owen with the unproven Darius Vassell – crazy).
It was a let down and I was disappointed that it wasn’t a better contested game, although as a Scotsman I won’t be losing any sleep over it. And the rest of the matches will be a lot less interesting to watch now. Maybe I’ll just have to follow Senegal…
Unlucky England, I wouldn’t have minded you doing well. Winning the final would have been a bit much, but getting there would have been all right with me.
Harsh comments against the manager! Owen wasn’t getting the through balls or knock downs that he needs. In the second half he was VERY quiet. The midfield was our problem. When in possesion they passed OK, but there was a lack of creativity. Any striker needs the type of balls mentioned above, or decent crosses, none of which we were producing today. Our best chances came from the odd ball over the top. Vassell, whilst not being a “seasoned international striker” has played very well in almost every match he’s been on the pitch. In the end the change made no difference, ‘cos the midfield still couldnt provide any decent balls. I’m as gutted as anyone that we went out, but I don’t blame the manager. I dont think England were on top form, and we just needed a bit more inventiveness in midfield.
Fair assessment. I’d have put fowler on for heskey up front, and joe cole on for mills (more attacking options)… And why did mills keep getting into the positions beckham should have been crossing from?
I hate football 99.99% of the time, but even my “footballing heart of coal” softens when we’re in the world cup. It’s usually lubricated by several beers, but this time drinking ales first thing in the morning BEFORE work just didn’t seem on. So soberly I watch. Get excited even – but I actually felt quite saddened by it all this morning. I’ll not attempt to anylise (or spell the word correctly for that matter) here like Blakey, but just say that being an English cricket fan, I’ve been used to disappointment over the years. But if the boys in white trousers can pull off the impossible on Monday, I’m sure the ones in white shorts can do the same soon – maybe Euro 2004? Chin up – could be worse. Argentina or france could still be in…. …….but germany still are….
What would you lot know about football anyway? We out-thought and outpaced the Brazilians in every position. If we hadn’t been cheated by a biassed ref (remember France-Uruagay?) we would have hammered them. And that 2nd goal should definitely have been disallowed – Seaman wasn’t given time to stand in the correct position. Just wait for Euro 2004 – bring on Saudi-Arabia (is that a country in Europe by any chance?)
If you think you’ve got problems, try being Scottish. We wouldn’t even make the ladies world cup.
i thought that drinking at 07:00 would be a problem, but luckily with a bit of effort me and my mates managed to work through it to be 7 pints to the good by lunchtime… the rest of the day was a bit of a blur though… 😉