Early goal gives England win against Paraguay

The Editor — Sat, June 10th 2006

England 1 - Paraguay 0

An early goal gave England a 1-nil lead in the Frankfurt sun, but they were unable to extend their lead and finished with lacklustre second half performance to give England much to improve on in subsequent games.

An own goal from a David Beckham free kick just 2 minutes into the game gave England an ideal start to their tournament. Playing a at high tempo England made the Paraguayan defence looked nervous early on but despite multiple England attacks, the South Americans held on and gradually came into the game, dominating the second half as England failed to retain possession of the ball.

The English midfield looked promising coming forward, but defensively reopened the questions about how well Lampard and Gerrard are able to play together in the middle of midfield. Only Cole continued to impress as England began defending deeper and deeper.

The first poor referee of the tournament, threatened to spoil an already patchy game. Some decisions too fussy, some plain inexplicable.

A victory in the first game will satisfy, and there is undoubtedly room for improvement.

Player ratings:

Robinson: Little to do, flapped at one cross. 5
Neville: Looked tired, but steady. 6
Cole (A): Energetic, but made a few mistakes. 5
Gerrard: Great when in the game, but occasionally disappeared. Booked. 7
Ferdinand: Kept Paraguay to minimal chances. 6
Terry: Occasional errors. 5
Beckham: Great free, look in better form than recent tournaments. 6
Lampard: Found his shooting boots later on, but like Gerrard disappeared at times. 6
Crouch: Fought hard up front, but too isolated when Owen substituted. Booked. 8
Owen: Looked rusty - a real worry for Eriksson. 5
Cole (J): England’s best source of creativity. Man of the match. 8

Subs:
Downing: 56min for Owen. Some good runs. 7
Hargreaves: 82min for Joe Cole

Owen’s lack of sharpness. Two world class midfielders Lampard/Gerrard in the centre unable to gain any control in the second half.

An all important win in the first game for England. Joe Cole impressive down England’s left.

The Fan