Well, after the first five minutes it was a bit of an uninspiring match.
I thought the Paraguayans were a bit rough, with the number of hard fouls they committed on our boys, but I guess its a man's game.
Contrast that with the poncey Argies, though, and one can see why South American teams are not respected for their sportsmanship (except perhaps Brazil). Playing Cote d'Ivoire they just flopped about like stranded fish when brushed by an Ivorian during play. Just time-wasting.
I wish refs would give cards for play-acting - not just diving.
Admittedly we didn't see the best of England yet. I am hoping that we win the Cup despite Erikkson. I worry that he has the boys play defensively when they have a 1 goal advantage and I'm not sure that will work against a first-rate team like Argentina, Netherlands or Brazil. It certainly didn't work in the last 'Cup.
That said, we did dominate possession until mid-way through the second half when they got tired. A little worrying if they have to play OT.
Posted by artandscience at June 10, 2006 02:52 PM