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World Cup Soccer qualifying round
England conclude qualifying campaign on winning note
MANCHESTER—England have concluded their World Cup qualifying campaign as
Group Six winners with a 2-1 victory over Poland at Old Trafford, even
as a suspension forced star skipper David Beckham to sit out. Newcastle
striker Michael Owen had given England a deserved lead just before
half-time in rain-soaked Manchester before Tomasz Frankowski levelled
matters in first-half injury time.
But the Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard’s volley on 80 minutes gave
England the three points they needed to top the group ahead of
December’s draw for the finals in Germany next summer. “If we keep this
spirit and the quality it will be very difficult to beat us,” said coach
Sven-Goran Eriksson.
“We won the group, I am very happy for the team. They had one chance and
they scored, but apart from that we have to be happy”. Eriksson’s
England side were already through to the finals as one of the two best
runners-up following Saturday’s lacklustre 1-0 victory over Austria.
But defeat against Northern Ireland last month and a 4-1 drubbing by
Denmark in a friendly, their heaviest defeat under the phlegmatic Swede,
had put the pressure on Eriksson’s side, who raised their tempo against
the Poles without gaining the early dividends they wanted. England
dominated the opening exchanges without genuinely threatening a
breakthrough against a Polish side who had also already qualified.
Spurs defender Ledley King, switched to midfield in the absence of the
injured Steven Gerrard and the suspended David Beckham, went close on 18
minutes when his drive from 20 yards just eclipsed the bar. Celtic
goalkeeper Artur Boruc collected easily from Lampard’s header on 24
minutes before Wayne Rooney and Joe Cole both fired over the bar on the
half-hour mark.
But Owen gave the hosts a deserved lead on 41 minutes when his superb
reflex back-heel from Cole’s shot from distance left Boruc stranded.
Just as the fans and players alike were waiting for the half-time
whistle, Frankowski stole in at the far post to make it 1-1 at the
break.
England maintained their pressure in the second half with Rooney, back
in the starting line-up after missing Saturday’s game through
suspension, firing over from six yards with his back to goal on 53
minutes. Cole fired home on 63 minutes from Rooney’s through pass only
to be thwarted by the linesman’s flag. Boruc denied Owen his second goal
of the night on 64 minutes when he saved well from the former Real
Madrid man’s header.
Owen should have done better when Rooney’s incisive pass put him clear
but Boruc was up to the striker’s lame attempt to find the far corner of
the goal.
But Lampard settled the issue after a fine flowing move involving Cole
and Rooney, his fully outstretched right boot finally beating Boruc in
his top corner.—Agencies
Top teams qualify for
2006 Soccer World Cup
HAMBURG—Top teams of the world have qualified for the 2006 football
World Cup and play-off matches.
The teams include Africa: Angola, Ivory Coast, Togo, Ghana, Tunisia.
Asia: Japan, Iran, South Korea, Saudi Arabia.
Europe: Germany (direct entry as hosts), Ukraine, Netherlands, England,
Croatia, Poland, Italy, Portugal, Sweden, France, Serbia & Montenegro.
North, Central American and Caribbean: The US, Mexico, Costa Rica.
Oceania: No team qualified yet.
South America: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Ecuador.
Qualified for the play-off matches:
Europe: Czech Republic, Norway, Turkey, Switzerland, Spain, Slovakia.
Asia: Bahrain.
North America: Trinidad and Tobago.
South America: Uruguay.
Oceania: Australia.—Agencies |
