By Cheah Wen Bin
Cheah Wen Bin (with armband) of Serangoon Junior College. (Photo © Les Tan/Red Sports archive)
South Africa, Wednesday, June 23, 2010 — Group C is concluded with USA and England making it to the last 16. USA finished on top of Group C after a dramatic last-gasp 1-0 win against Algeria while England edged past Slovenia 1-0 to finish in second spot.
This World Cup may have taken some time to get going, but yesterday’s Group C battle for qualification was one of the most nerve-wracking one ever seen at a World Cup. Pre-World Cup favourites England, whom many expected to breeze through the group stages, ended up having to depend on the last match of the group to ensure their qualification.
England have so far failed to set their wheels in motion, with players appearing to have succumbed to the immense pressure heaped on by the press and everyone else. I never would have expected England to fare so poorly in their group stages. Before yesterday’s game, I had the feeling England would do a France and get knocked out in the first round.
The game against Slovenia yesterday was one of the best matches played by England in the group stage. They finally came out of their shells and proved everyone wrong that England could not perform at the World Cup. The first half was completely dominated by England, with majority of the possession going England’s way.
The midfield pairing of Lampard and Barry finally managed to stamp their authority in the midfield and prevent Slovenia’s midfield from playing their game. Gerrard was superb on the left flank, switching play to Milner on the right with many cross field balls. Who said anything about the Jabulani being hard to kick and difficult to predict? Gerrard proved them wrong with his precise passing.
James Milner on the right had a brilliant game, putting in crosses that caused havoc in the Slovenia penalty box. A tactical masterstroke by Capello was to replace the ineffectual Heskey with the pacey Defoe. Defoe’s pace and aggression caused tremendous problems for the Slovenian defence. England’s solitary goal was scored through Milner’s teasing cross and Defoe beating the defence to smash the ball home. Rooney however had an average performance, a far cry from his Manchester United days. He failed to convert many of his chances, with one hitting the post.
England however were very wasteful in front of goal which resulted in them having to protect their slender lead. There were so many heart-stopping moments whereby the Slovenians managed to get in front of goal but were blocked due to some fantastic blocks and saves. If England had conceded a goal, they only had themselves to blame for not finishing the game off when they could.
The sight of England players having to bring the ball down the line and employing time-wasting tactics was a depressing one. However this was the least of their concerns, with their mindset of winning at all costs. England were prepared to play ugly football as long as they got the result. I wouldn’t blame them for this as qualification from their group was so close that had they drawn the game yesterday, they would have been knocked out.
Meanwhile the last gasp-goal by Landon Donovan truly broke the hearts of both Algerian and Slovenian players. Had USA drawn with Algeria, Slovenia would have qualified in place of them. The most unbelievable fact is that USA now stand top of the table with England on second place.
We will now have a second round clash of the titans between Germany and England – a mouth-watering tie. I can feel Capello shaking from here. England will have to up their performance by another 10 notches if they want to qualify for the quarter-finals.
More News on Algeria vs England
Video highlights of the game
Goal.com players’ ratings
Goalscorer Defoe credits change approach
ESPN Soccernet: Concerns remain for England
Goal.com: Fabio Capello got his tactics right
ESPN Soccernet: Concerns remain for England
England fans celebrate victory in South Africa
England to face old foes Germany
More News on USA vs Algeria
Video highlights of the game
Landon Donovan interview after the game
Goal.com: Landon Donovan does what no one else can for USA
| GROUP C | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
USA  | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 3 | +1 | 5 |
ENGLAND  | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 5 |
SLOVENIA  | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
ALGERIA  | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 1 |
For the World Cup fixtures list with Singapore broadcast timings as well as group tables and the list of CCs with free screenings, go to: http://redsports.sg/2010-world-cup-fixtures-groups/
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