Beckham Lays World Cup Ghost to Rest

Beckham (photo) - the villain of the piece when the two teams met in France four years ago - had much to prove and now with the added responsibility of leading his country against such distinguished and notorious opposition, the game took on even more significance.

The most attractive clash in the first phase kicked off in Sapporo, Japan with pressure on both sides.

It was a game neither side could afford to lose.

Destiny pitted historic rivals against each other

Ever since destiny brought out the two team names together from the World Cup hat, the media and fans alike have been reliving everything from the Falklands War of 1982 to the ‘hand of God’ incident in Mexico ’86.

Although both aspects had been talked up beyond hype, the result would be far greater than the sum of its parts.

With Argentina, the almost obsessive desire to put English football in its place might have inspired the players more than their need to win.

After beating Nigeria in their first game, the much fancied Argentines were plotting a good course to the second round.

England, who had disappointed more than their own nation with a stale and uninventive draw with Sweden, also had pride on their list of targets but the all important three points remained the only option if they hoped to progress further.

Errors and injuries built up nailbiting tension

The game began in a flourish of scrappy, hurried passes and tackles. The pace in the opening exchanges was to set the tempo for the whole match as both teams rose to the challenge.

The frantic opening saw first Zanetti and then Killy Gonzalez test England keeper David Seaman but the experienced Arsenal goalie was positioned well to deal with both attacks.

The desire to press forward for both teams led to an early rash of mistimed tackles and late challenges that increased the temperature on the pitch.

England responded well with fair commitment while frustration crept into the Argentine game. This resulted in a 12 minute booking for striker Gabriel Batistuta.

England, having floundered without any left sided stability in their first match, once again showed their weakness by filling the job no-one wants with Paul Scholes, a more natural and accomplished centre player. With Nicky Butt and Owen Hargreaves holding the middle, England eventually settled only to be disrupted by Hargreaves limping off in the 18th minute.

The Clincher

His replacement, Trevor Sinclair, added width to the midfield, dropping into the wide left role and allowing Scholes to return to the centre. Sinclair made his first contribution a telling one when he combined well in the build up that saw Michael Owen hit the post squarely after 23 minutes.

Argentina were forced back as England surged forward in a reverse of their negative play against Sweden. The physical battle was still very much still up for grabs as clashes across the pitch led to a number of verbal warnings and free kicks. England’s Ashley Cole picked up a yellow card on the half hour.

Sinclair was causing more problems on the left and after the England defence had recovered from a Gonzalez volley that flashed over the bar, the West Ham player fed the ball into Michael Owen in the Argentine box.

Owen twisted and showed a clean pair of heels to Mauricio Pochettino before being brought down by the defender.

Beckham picked up the ball and showed a captain’s composure to rifle the penalty in low past the static Burgos. England led 1-0 with two minutes left to play in the second half.