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England finally took some revenge for previous often bitter, World Cup matches against archrival Argentina, Friday, with a 1:0 victory on a David Beckham penalty in the 44th minute. The free kick was awarded after Mauricio Pochettino brought down Michael Owen as he marauded into the left of the penalty area on one of his menacing runs into the box.
England dominated the first half and could have been up earlier, but Owen's tight angled shot came off the post midway through the half. Argentina wasted no time coming back with Gabriel Batistuta having a clear header from eight yards, which he directed straight into David Seaman's hands.
Numerous chances for both sides went begging, through dogged defense by the teams' back lines until Beckham's penalty sealed the half.
The second half opened with Argentina looking for the equalizer and substitute Paulo Aimar was the first to strike with a 20-meter shot blocked by Seaman. However, this was countered by a Paul Scholes volley off a half clearance that had Pablo Cavallero scrambling to punch away. Next Beckham had a shot wide, followed by a spectacular volley from substitute Teddy Sheringham, which again Cavallero managed to keep from finding the back of the net.
With the match drawing to a close Argentina threw everybody forward, but England battened down the hatches to form a defensive wall the South Americans could not penetrate, gaining a sweet revenge from their last two World Cup encounters. The Argentines now face group leader Sweden in a match they must win to qualify, while England take on the already eliminated Nigeria.
(Chris Price, chris @chosun.com)
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