Becks: another date with destiny

Argentina	0-1	England
		Beckham 44pen
World Cup, Group F, Sapporo

Scott Barefoot reports

In a city twinned with Munich, England produced their finest performance since that famous 5-1 mauling of Germany - and David Beckham finally got his World Cup revenge.

On an amazing evening for England, Beckham's 44th minute penalty rejuvenated their Far East campaign, as a display of guts and gusto earned them their first win over Argentina for 22 years.

The spotlight was always going to be on Becks after his red card four years ago turned his world upside down.

	A scoreline 22 years in waiting

He hit back in the perfect way, wiping the St Etienne slate clean under the Saporro Dome. He wasn't alone in his heroism, however.

Rio Ferdinand got rid of any doubts over his big match temperament, Ashley Cole was unbeatable on the left and Michael Owen scared the tournament favourites senseless. David Seaman's safe hands were also faultless.

Politics and passion aside, Sweden's victory over Nigeria earlier in Kobe turned up the heat on Eriksson's men. But the three points hoist them up into second in Group F and right back in the equation. A point against Nigeria will see them reach the last 16.

The momentum gained from this electrifying win could take them much, much further though - maybe even force them back in the fray to make the final. And who would have thought that after Sunday's mash-up against the Swedes?

The performance wasn't as classy as the 5-1 win over the other old foe, but the determination and sheer desire to win was mountainous. Passes were strung together, but it was the rock-solid platform that, at times, took the breath away.

Argentina contributed but this wasn't their day. They made the pace early on and Javier Zanetti warmed Seaman's hands with a long shot on five minutes and Gonzalez lashed just wide of the keeper's right post soon after.

Batistuta set up the chance with a backheel but he soon blotted his copybook with a late tackle on Ashley Cole that earned him an early yellow card.

Rio and David are delighted

He nearly gained a quick second when he elbowed Beckham in an aerial challenge.

England's revised 4-4-2 system was jolted out of its stride before it had even opened its legs. Owen Hargreaves, a victim of misfortune rather than foul play, had to depart after 19 minutes and on came that member of the international jet set, Trevor Sinclair.

But the change didn't seem to disadvantage England, as Sinclair grew into his role of emrgency rescue man. On 22 minutes Michael Owen twice had Argentina on the back foot with runs from deep in what was a pregnant spell for Eriksson's men.

First Owen wriggled free of Walter Samuel as he broke into the box and after appearing to let the opening escape him, slapped the post with a low shot across the keeper's face. He then nearly got the chance to do the same a minute later.

After a cautious start, England finally got to grips with the match as well as the occasion. Argentina, though, were potent on the counter and Gonzalez smacked a volley just over the bar after Ortega had swung a cross to the back post.

England's movement and use of the ball was ten times better than five days earlier in Saitama. But for all their poise and pressure, there was still no real goal threat. But they surged into a lead on 44 minutes - thanks to that man Owen's hoodoo over the Argentines.

Owen collected Scholes' pass just inside the left of the box and seized the moment as he found himself one-on-one with Mauricio Pochettino.

	The bench are up as Becks hammers home

The Liverpool striker dipped to his left and moved to his right, foxing the hesitant defender.

Pochettino flicked out a leg, Owen went down, Collina pointed to the spot and Beckham blasted down the middle. England, of course, had a half-time lead over Sweden and failed to hold onto it. But this time they came up trumps.

Juan Veron continued his misery with all things English and was withdrawn at the break after a poor 45 minutes. Pablo Aimar, his replacement, took 20 seconds to get the pace and his shot from distance after a one-two with Batistuta worked Seaman.

But England looked comfortable on the counter and Owen nearly got the goal his all-round display deserved when he rolled Diego Placente and got a yard of space. His shot went wide of the far post but the danger signs were still there.

On 54 minutes, Beckham exploded out of nowhere and got ahead of Placente to collect the busy Sinclair's ball into space, but his admirable poke went wide. Pablo Cavallero then stopped Sheringham's volley from claiming the goal of the tournament award.

After a few more changes from coach Marcelo Bielsa, his side romped back into the game. Lopez spun Mills and got a testing cross in that Seaman plucked from the head of Juan Pablo Sorin's head and Aimar went over from 20 yards.

Sheringham's flick from Beckham's 69th minute free-kick teased the massed ranks of England fans as it drifted in and then outside of the far post.

Beckham: four years of hurt over

Their nerves were already fraught after watching England's defence hang around their own box.

The pressure was beginning to tell when Pochettino's flick went just wide and Lopez skinned Mills before his cross was bundled out by the Leeds defender, who had made a speedy recovery. Ferdinand saved England soon after at the near post.

The game turned to attack versus defence for the final 20 minutes. Blue and white shirts, camped in the red half, knocked on the door time and time again. But Seaman saved Pochettino's knock-down and then snatched off the head of Lopez as he attacked a bouncing ball. But they did it - somehow.

Eriksson said on Thursday that he 'will know whether we are a big team after this game'. He now knows the answer. The celebrations on the team coach may not be as spectacular as Argentina's four years ago, but he will know.

MAN OF THE MATCH: FERDINAND (ENGLAND)
Sentiment says Beckham, but Ferdinand's performance was too big to ignore.

Argentina (3-4-3):12-Pablo Cavallero; 4-Mauricio Pochettino, 6-Walter Samuel, 13-Diego Placente; 8-Javier Zanetti, 14-Diego Simeone, 11-Juan Sebastian Veron (16-Pablo Aimar 46), 3-Juan Pablo Sorin; 10-Ariel Ortega, 9-Gabriel Batistuta (19-Hernan Crespo 60), 18-Kily Gonzalez (7-Claudio Lopez 64)

England (4-4-2) 1-David Seaman; 2-Danny Mills, 3-Ashley Cole, 5-Rio Ferdinand, 6-Sol Campbell; 7-David Beckham, 8-Paul Scholes, 21-Nicky Butt, 18-Owen Hargreaves (4-Trevor Sinclair 19); 10-Michael Owen (14-Wayne Bridge 80), 11-Emile Heskey (17-Teddy Sheringham 56)

Match referee: Pierluigi Collina (Italy)
Linesmen: Hector Vergara (Canada) Mohamed Saeed (Maldives)

Ferdinand celebrates his goal

England	3-0	Denmark
Ferdinand 4 Owen 22 Heskey 42
World Cup, Rd 2, Niigata, Jun 15

Scott Barefoot reports

Sven's World Cup bandwagon rolls on to Shizuoka after a devastating first half destroyed Danish dreams and put England on course for a quarter-final date with Brazil.

Three goals in 42 amazing minutes from Rio Ferdinand, Michael Owen and Emile Heskey wiped the floor with Morten Olsen's side in a rain-lashed Big Swan stadium.

If Belgium are negotiated by Brazil on Monday, England will face the current tournament favourites next Friday in what will be an afternoon kick-off in the midday sun at the foot of Mount Fuji.

The four R's - Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho and Roberto Carlos - may present the biggest task left in the competition, but this team revels in the challenge.

	Heskey wheels away after strike

And the bigger the better.

England may not be indulging a world audience with the most fluid football on the face of the planet, but the knockout stages are about winning and the class of 2002 certainly know how to do that.

The trademark of their Far East tour is mental strength: determination is tangible and the sheer will to win is all over the pitch. They also have two of the best players at the finals in Ferdinand and Nicky Butt.

Be it Diego Simeone's handshake, Jay Jay Okocha's bag of tricks or Stig Tofting's tattoos - England move forward. And the momentum is building thanks to this classy dismissal of another major player.

The Danes had pedigree: they sent reigning champions France packing on the way to winning Group A, and boast one of the World Cup's most feared strikers. Yet they were overpowered with relative ease.

With nerves and tension omnipresent early on, a quick goal was required to give England a platform. Three in 42 was the stuff of Sven Goran Eriksson's bedroom wonderings, but his dreams came spectacularly true.

Ferdinand capped another fine display with his first goal for his country. He latched onto a 4th minute David Beckham corner and sent a downward header at the back post towards goal. Thomas Sorensen's attempts to stop it only helped it on its way.

Then Owen got the strike his group stage performances have earned. Butt's intelligent flick from Trevor Sinclair's pass landed at his left foot midway through the first period. He mastered the ball, turned and calmly sidefooted inside the far post.

Heskey finally added his name to an England scoresheet for the first time in 11 games when Beckham slotted the ball into his path on a swift counter. His firm shot from outside the box squirmed in underneath Sorensen who had a day he will want to forget.

What happened in Niigata was, at times, perplexing.

Owen gets the goal he deserves

Denmark dominated possession - the stats show a 61% to 39% advantage before the break - but England stayed three goals to the good and looked comfortable, especially without the ball, refusing to surrender their advantage.

The Danes threatened on occasions too. Ebbe Sand should have scored on 27 minutes while Jon Dahl Tomasson wasted a good position moments later. Jesper Gronkjaer had a great chance on 59 minuites too, but the razor-sharp cutting edge that sliced Uruguay and France apart was woefully absent.

Thus, Ferdinand, Sol Campbell, Ashley Cole and Danny Mills - the quartet starting their fourth consecutive game together - kept yet another clean sheet. One goal conceded and three clean sheets provide the sort of  stat required to stop the prospect of Brazil giving you nightmares.

And while a nation dares to dream, it must be noted that their team has the youngest average age of any in Japan and Korea. A quarter-finals appearance represents rapid progress, but this is not the last crack at the trophy these lads will get. But while they are here they will believe they can win it.

And why not when just 270 minutes away?

MAN OF THE MATCH: FERDINAND
Not content with being labelled the best defender at the finals, he showed he can score goals as well. Another commanding performance from a rapidly improving player.

England (4-4-2): 1-David Seaman; 2-Danny Mills, 3-Ashley Cole, 5-Rio Ferdinand, 6-Sol Campbell; 4-Trevor Sinclair, 7-David Beckham, 8-Paul Scholes (23-Kieron Dyer 49), 21-Nicky Butt; 10-Michael Owen (9-Robbie Fowler 46), 11-Emile Heskey (17-Teddy Sheringham 69)

Denmark (4-4-2): 1-Thomas Sorensen; 3-Rene Henriksen, 4-Martin Laursen, 6-Thomas Helveg (20-Kasper Bogelund 7), 12-Niclas Jensen; 2-Stig Tofting (14-Claus Jensen 59), 7-Thomas Gravesen, 8-Jesper Gronkjaer, 19-Dennis Rommedahl; 9-Jon Dahl Tomasson, 11-Ebbe Sand

Referee : Markus Merk (Germany)
Linesmen: Heiner Mueller (Germany) Evzen Amler (Czech Repubic)