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June 15, 2006
ENGLAND SINKS SOCA WARRIORS
Crouch, Gerrard score in 2-0 loss
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Kenwyne Jones (r) battles England's John Terry, whose goal-line save seconds before halftime denied the Soca Warriors a 1-0 lead.
Photo by Tony Quinn |
NUREMBERG, Germany -- Every World Cup has its Cinderella. And, in every World Cup, the wheels eventually fall off the pumpkin coach. For unheralded Trinidad & Tobago, that breakdown came in the 83rd minute of Thursday's match against England at the Franken-Stadion, when David Beckham curled a pinpoint 35-yard free kick to Peter Crouch, who soared over defender Brent Sancho to break a scoreless tie and send the British Lions through to the second round of Germany 2006.
Steven Gerrard slotted an insurance goal from distance in stoppage time, spinning past his weary defender and finding the upper right corner past goalkeeper Shaka Hislop to give England a 2-0 victory.
The two quick goals rescued the England team from the profound embarrassment of failing to score against the World Cup's biggest underdogs. Prior to the goals, the play of the day for England came seconds before the halftime whistle, when defender John Terry saved Stern John's soft header off the goal line to deny the Soca Warriors a 1-0 lead.
From the start, Trinidad & Tobago deployed the same packed, patient, organized defense that produced the team's historic 0-0 draw against heavily favored Sweden in their first Group B match. The formation held despite England's concerted attempts to draw their defenders out of the penalty area. When England did manage to work the ball inside, shot after shot sailed off-target, or was picked off by Hislop.
Crouch had a particularly horrendous outing, sending no fewer than five shots high or wide before finally hitting the mark. As he did against Sweden, Hisplop stepped up early and often for the Soca Warriors, starting with the save on Beckham's 25-yard shot in the sixth minute. He also picked off a point-blank shot by Frank Lampard in the 76th minute, and deftly defused Ashley Cole's breakaway in the 79th.
England backstopper Paul Robinson had a few scares, especially after LA Galaxy forward Cornell Glen entered the match for Trinidad & Tobago in the 70th minute. Within six minutes, Glen had mounted two unsuccessful breakaways into the England area, but was unable to get off a dangerous shot. Seconds after Gerrard's capped, Glen found Stern John just off the England goal line, but John's nifty backheel goal was called back for offside.
Wayne Rooney, sidelined since April 29 with a broken bone in his foot, made his first World Cup appearance in the 58th minute, to the wild cheers of the British fans in attendance. He added energy and unpredictability to the England attack, but was denied any serious chances.
England
Paul Robinson; Ashley Cole, Rio Ferdinand, John Terry, Jamie Carragher (Aaron Lennon-57); Steven Gerrard, David Beckham, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole (Stewart Downing-74); Michael Owen (Wayne Rooney-57), Peter Crouch.
Trinidad & Tobago
Shaka Hislop; Brent Sancho, Dennis Lawrence, Cyd Gray; Christopher Birchall, Aurtis Whitley, Carlos Edwards, Densill Theobald (Evans Wise-84); Stern John, Kenwyne Jones (Cornell Glen-69), Dwight Yorke.
Goals
England -- Peter Crouch 83
England -- Steven Gerrard 91+
Discipline
Trinidad -- Densill Theobald (yellow card) 18
Trinidad -- Aurtis Whitley (yellow card) 19
Trinidad -- Kenwyne Jones (yellow card) 46+
Trinidad -- Shaka Hislop (yellow card) 47
Trinidad -- Cyd Gray (yellow card) 56
England -- Frank Lampard (yellow card) 64
Attendance -- 41,000
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