ENGLAND 1-0 ECUADOR

England advanced to the last eight of the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ as a second-half free-kick from captain David Beckham proved enough to secure a 1-0 victory over Ecuador on Sunday, 25 June 2006.
Beckham had not scored a goal for England for more than three years but his superb strike on the hour in Stuttgart took his team through to a quarter-final date with either Portugal or the Netherlands in Gelsenkirchen on 1 July. It also made him the first England player to score in three separate FIFA World Cup tournaments.
Ecuador, playing in the second round for the first time, missed a golden opportunity to take the lead early in the game when Carlos Tenorio broke through on goal only to see his deflected shot strike the woodwork.
The match:1': Sven-Goran Eriksson elected to start with Owen Hargreaves on the right of a four-man defence, with Michael Carrick operating in central midfield. Wayne Rooney, operating as a lone striker, made his presence felt in the early exchanges which were encouraging for England.
11': They were afforded a huge let-off, however, when John Terry, attempting to head clear ten yards up from the edge of the England box, inadvertently played in Carlos Tenorio who was left with just Paul Robinson to beat. The goalkeeper went the wrong way, but a low shot from the Ecuadorian deflected off Ashley Cole's knee and thumped against the crossbar. 17': Steven Gerrard played a one-two with Frank Lampard just up from the edge of the penalty area but he hit his shot well over the bar and soon England were back under pressure.
19': A foul from Terry brought a free-kick ten yards up from the edge of the England penalty area. Edison Mendez curled in a low delivery and Rio Ferdinand sliced just past Robinson's right-hand post when clearing.
28': Lampard could not get a clean strike when driving from the edge of the area, while a short ball from Ashley Cole intended to set Rooney free hit the striker on the back as Eriksson's side struggled to get into any kind of rhythm.
41':A mistake from captain Ivan Hurtado on the edge of his own penalty area allowed Rooney a half-chance approaching half-time, but defenders converged to snuff out the danger.
Beckham the difference49': England were applying pressure at the start of the second half and a low ball from the left from Gerrard brought concern for the Ecuador back line but not the finishing touch the deliverer was looking for. 55': Ecuador began to see more of the ball, if not the final pass which was the key to gaining the edge in this tight game.
60': It was a match which needed something special – and it came in the shape of a Beckham special. A free-kick was awarded some ten yards up from the right-hand edge of the Ecuador penalty area and Beckham produced a superb delivery which had Cristian Mora scrambling across his goal just to get a fingertip to the ball on its way into the net. (1-0)
65': Ecuador threatened a reply when Segundo Castillo shot for goal from the edge of the penalty area forcing Robinson into a smart save at his right-hand post.
72': Clever footwork from Rooney saw him cut in from the left and set up Lampard. But the antithesis of the approach came with the finish as a shot from the edge of the penalty area cleared the bar by some distance.
75': As players tired in the heat chances became more numerous and Mora fell full-length to his right to gather a low drive from Rooney. 84': There was concern on two fronts in the closing stages for England as Robinson appeared to have a problem with his right leg, while Beckham, who was physically sick on the pitch, was replaced by Aaron Lennon.


In conclusion:It was a controlled performance from England which took them to the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup. Beckham's strike proved enough to settle a game of few chances against an Ecuador team who seemed to lack the belief to seriously threaten the opposition goal.

ENGLAND 2-0 TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

England secured their place in the Round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup™ with a 2-0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago but they left it late before striking through Peter Crouch and Steven Gerrard on Thursday, 15 June 2006.

Crouch broke the deadlock in Nuremberg with a headed goal in the 83rd minute and his Liverpool team-mate Gerrard added a superb second in the 91st minute. England, who welcomed back Wayne Rooney as a second-half substitute, have taken six points from their two Group B matches while Trinidad and Tobago remain on one point.

The match:
2': The unlikely figure of Jamie Carragher, in at right-back for the injured Gary Neville, had the first shot on target for England. He struck it with his less favoured left foot, but it was easily saved by Shaka Hislop.

6': Crouch laid the ball off for Frank Lampard via David Beckham's cute dummy and the Chelsea midfielder fired a shot at Hislop. The goalkeeper failed to hold it but Michael Owen stumbled as he tried to latch onto the rebound and Trinidad and Tobago escaped.

16': Joe Cole's cross reached the long legs of Crouch, stretching to meet it close to the goal-line and Hislop had to palm the ball away for a corner.

23': Trinidad and Tobago skipper Dwight Yorke got to the by-line and pulled a good ball across the box and Paul Robinson had to dive at full stretch to catch it.

28': A painful moment for Yorke as he blocked a thundering shot by Steven Gerrard on the edge of the area with his midriff and had to leave the field briefly for treatment.

36': Robinson came out for a corner by Yorke and missed the cross completely, but Stern John could not quite get on the end of it at the far post.

41': Joe Cole clipped the ball to Lampard in a great position, but his side-footed volley went over the bar.

43': Beckham crossed to an unmarked Crouch eight metres out, but he volleyed well wide of the mark and the England fans started calling for Rooney's introduction.

45': A heart-stopping moment for both sets of fans as Robinson came out and missed another cross and Terry had to hook the ball off the line after John's header looked to be going in.

England struggle
54': England still could not find any rhythm and Chris Birchall almost played in Kenwyne Jones at the other end, but Terry did enough to put him off his stride.

56': A fantastic free-kick by Beckham made its way to an unmarked Owen but he guided his header wide with his last contribution of the match.

58': A double substitution by Eriksson brought the England supporters to their feet. Carragher came off for Aaron Lennon and Owen made way for the man everybody in an England shirt wanted to see in action: Rooney.

61': England noticeably upped the tempo, with Lennon already looking lively and Beckham set up Lampard, though his flying volley attempt did not trouble Hislop.

71': Leo Beenhakker made a bold substitution of his own, throwing another striker on in the form of Cornell Glenn, who replaced Jones.

77': Rooney linked up well with Crouch, who freed Lampard but his shot went straight at Hislop. Lampard had yet another strike 60 seconds later, this one fizzing right across the face of goal and wide.

83': As T&T looked set to be hanging on for another famous draw, Beckham crossed for Crouch who headed in the opener. No robotic celebration from Crouch this time and England’s enormous relief was evident (1-0).

91': Gerrard, on his weaker left foot, blasted an unstoppable drive into the top corner to secure the victory (2-0).

92': John put the ball in the net for Trinidad and Tobago, but the offside flag was raised.


In conclusion:
England took their time to see off Trinidad and Tobago, but two late goals mean that, as against Paraguay, they did what they had to do. As for T&T, they emerged with huge credit, if no points, for giving Eriksson's side such a scare.

Budweiser Man of the Match: David Beckham

Source: FIFAWorldCup.com

ENGLAND 1-0 PARAGUAY

England got their FIFA World Cup™ campaign off to a winning start in Frankfurt with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Paraguay on Saturday, 10 June 2006.

However, they did not have their own way against the South Americans, who gave Sven-Goran Eriksson’s men some nervous moments during the 90 minutes.

The only goal of the game came in the third minute when David Beckham’s free-kick skimmed off the head of Carlos Gamarra and into the net.

Paraguay pushed for an equaliser in the second half, but despite their best efforts, a goal was not forthcoming and most now turn their attentions to their next Group B game against Sweden in Berlin next Thursday.

The match:
3’: England took an early lead, courtesy of an own goal by Carlos Gamarra. David Beckham curled in a free-kick from the left flank and the Paraguay captain inadvertently flicked the ball into the net with his head, beating the despairing dive of goalkeeper Justo Villar (1-0).

8’: Villar’s unhappy start to the tournament was compounded when he raced out to clear an England attack, but in kicking the ball away from Michael Owen he injured himself and Aldo Bobadilla came off the bench to replace him in goal.

10‘: Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard, passed fit for the match after struggling with a hip injury in the build-up, tried his luck with a right-footed volley but the effort flashed over.

13‘: Bobadilla conceded an indirect free-kick on the edge of his area but Frank Lampard failed to make the most of the chance.

17‘: Carlos Paredes tried to inject some life into Paraguay with a drive from 20 yards, but it passed harmlessly wide of England goalkeeper Paul Robinson’s post.

19‘: Cristian Riveros had a shot on target for Paraguay, but Robinson dived low to his left to smother it well. Gerrard picked up the game’s first yellow card for the challenge he made in trying to close Riveros down.

22‘: Lampard played a neat one-two with Crouch and forced Bobadilla into a save with a fierce drive.

43‘: After a relatively quiet passage of the game, Beckham tried to find his range from open play with a curling shot from 18 metres, but it flashed just past the post and out for a goal kick.

Paraguay push for equaliser: 47+‘: Nelson Valdez had Paraguay’s best chance of the first half in stoppage time after picking up a loose ball inside the penalty area and firing in a right-foot shot, although he failed to hit the target. 53‘: The second half began at a much slower pace, with the heat in Frankfurt having taken its toll on the players. Roberto Acuna tried to catch the England defence off-guard with a quick free-kick for , but it rolled through to Robinson without troubling him at all.

58‘: Joe Cole brought Bobadilla into action with a low drive, but the Paraguayan was equal to it with a smart stop.

59‘: An anxious moment came for Robinson when he failed to gather Carlos Bonet’s cross at the first attempt. Paredes tried to hook the ball over the onrushing keeper but could not keep the ball down.

64‘: Valdez turned inside Gerrard and sent in a decent shot with his left foot, but the effort went straight into Robinson’s arms. The Tottenham keeper brought a collective smile to the crowd when his towering clearance bounced back off the giant video screen hanging over the centre circle in Frankfurt.

73‘: With England struggling to find the rhythm they managed in the early part of the game, Lampard injected some dynamism back into their play with a stinging attempt which brought the best out of Bobadilla, who palmed the ball over the bar.

88‘: Lampard once again tested Bobadilla with a powerful shot, but the Paraguay keeper denied him by tipping the ball round the post for a corner.


In conclusion:
England got the opening win they were looking for, but the performance in the second half was less than convincing. Paraguay can take heart from their battling display, though they had no reward for their efforts.

Budweiser Man of the Match: Frank Lampard

Source: FIFAWorldCup.com

FIFA World Cup 2006

The FIFA World Cup (often called the Football World Cup, Soccer World Cup or simply the World Cup) is the most significant competition in world football. The world's most representative team sport event, the World Cup is contested by the men's national football teams of member nations of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) (the sport's global governing body). The championship has been awarded every four years since the first tournament in 1930, except in 1942 and 1946, due to World War II. However, the event is often ongoing, as the qualifying rounds of the competition take place over the three years preceding the final rounds.

The tournament's final phase (often called the "Finals") involves 32 national teams competing over a four-week period in a previously nominated host nation, with these games making it the most widely-viewed sporting event in the world.

In 17 tournaments held, only seven nations have ever won the World Cup Finals. Brazil is the current holder, as well as the most successful World Cup team, having won the tournament five times, while Germany and Italy follow with three titles each.

The current football World Cup Finals are being held in Germany between June 9 and July 9, 2006.