England pay the penalty after Rooney sees red
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Artykuł pochodzi z pisma "Guardian"
It was, in the end, not quite enough. Yet again England exited a major tournament after losing on penalties, leaving fans to think about what might have been following a dramatic game that saw Wayne Rooney shown the red card and David Beckham limp off early in the second half.
With England's World Cup hopes cruelly jettisoned, despite their spirited last-ditch stand at the Gelsenkirchen stadium, it's goodbye to Sven-Goran Eriksson, goodbye to the Wags and, in all probability, goodbye to what was England's best hope of World Cup glory for a generation.
Eriksson, who now faces a forensic dissection of his management style, was defiant in defeat. 'I must say they fought enormously when it was 10 against 11,' Eriksson said. 'Then there was the sending off. We held the game up very well and lost on penalties again and I'm really sorry about that. I don't think we deserved to lose and I think the boys deserved better.'
For Portugal's manager, Luiz Felipe Scolari - the man whom the FA earlier unsuccessfully wooed to replace Eriksson - last night's triumph was the completion of a humiliating hat-trick over his rival.
The man they call 'Big Phil' managed Portugal in Euro 2004, when the team beat England on penalties, and coached Brazil in 2002 when, after a 2-1 victory over Eriksson's men, the South Americans went on to lift the World Cup.
At the death, and following a tense second half, it was Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo who sealed England's fate, converting his side's fourth spot kick and giving Portugal a 3-1 victory on penalties. England's first penalty taker, Frank Lampard, had his shot saved, as did Steven Gerrard, who took the third. Jamie Carragher, who was forced to retake his penalty, saw the follow-up saved, by goalkeeper Ricardo who, having stopped three kicks, emerged the hero. It means England must now add Germany 2006 to a long list of ignominious exits on penalties - the 1990 World Cup (to West Germany), Euro 96 (to Germany), the 1998 World Cup (to Argentina) as well as the Euro 2004 defeat.
'We practised penalties so much, I really don't know what more we could do about it,' Eriksson said afterwards.
The manager was reluctant to be drawn on Rooney's red card, saying he would have a better idea after reviewing the match. But he added: 'I don't think we can complain about that red card.'
The game will be remembered as a nail-biter. In terms of drama, it had an epic narrative that has become all-too-familiar to England fans: one that starts with so much promise but ends with the dismissal of a star player and the implosion of a dream.
Gary Neville, who wore the captain's armband after Beckham went off, admitted England were poor for much of the match. 'For England and the expectations of England, and for the people and for ourselves, it is not good enough. I wouldn't want to use anything as an excuse,' he said.
'It is difficult what to say tonight. I've been knocked out of tournaments before and you come out of them thinking you didn't have the belief or the confidence, or you maybe didn't play well.'
Lampard admitted that he had broken down in tears after the match had finished. 'It is the worst feeling I've ever experienced,' he said. 'I don't want to talk too much and I am devastated. I cried a couple of times at the end of the game. We showed a lot of guts and even with 10 men we went at them and went for the win. We didn't sit back and hope for penalties and extra time.'
At 31 and too old to contemplate another World Cup, Beckham may have played his last game for England. Last night bookmakers William Hill were offering odds of 9-2 on the England captain never representing his country again.
If so, it would be a harsh end to a distinguished career. Limping off five minutes into the second half to a standing ovation from wife Victoria and fellow 'Wags' (Wives and Girlfriends), he cut an abject figure. Within minutes of his substitution, Rooney joined him on the bench, sent off for stamping on Ricardo Carvalho, a foul which his Manchester United team-mate, Ronaldo was quick to draw to the referee's attention. Old Trafford might be a rather volatile place in the months ahead.
'I think there is every chance that Wayne Rooney could go back to the Manchester United training ground and stick one on Ronaldo,' Alan Shearer suggested after the match.
Tory leader David Cameron paid tribute to the England team's spirit: 'I watched the match at home with my family and I feel very sad for the team because they tried so hard and after all that effort they deserved to win. But we can all be proud of what they've achieved.'
Before the match, around 70,000 England supporters poured into Gelsenkirchen, only around 30,000 of whom had tickets. But despite the influx of fans, local police said there was little trouble preceding the game: 13 English fans and 30 Germans were held following scuffles.
The Wags of have been subjected to a barrage of media attention. Their well-oiled nocturnal outings have been followed avidly by the German press in particular, with one magazine going as far as to call them 'hooligans with visas'. For the Wags - and their other halves - respite from the media may be the only compensation for this, another moment of heartbreak.
The World Cup in numbers
16 Number of hours German police officers in Dachau spent learning useful phrases in English for dealing with England fans, such as 'you are under arrest' and 'I need to search you'.
50,000 Number of two-and-a-half pint glasses in the shape of the World Cup trophy bought at Tesco in the past three weeks. 'The most patriotic place seems to be Tunbridge Wells,' says a spokesman.
8.8 Average mark (out of 10) that visiting supporters have given Germany for their hospitality during the World Cup.
45m Number of sausages sold by Tesco to lightly char on the 7.5 million disposable barbecues bought at the store since the competition began.
20% Reduction in people shopping at 4pm yesterday compared with a normal Saturday.
4m Number of cans and bottles of beer bought at Sainsbury's yesterday.
avidly- gorliwie
barrage- lawina, nawał
be subjected to- być narażonym na
break down in tears- wybuchnąć płaczem
char- zwęglić się
contemplate- planowac, rozważać
convert- zmieniać, przekształcać
defiant- oporny, niepokorny, czupurny
devastated- zmartwiony, niepocieszony
distinguished- wybitny
forensic dissection- badanie sądowe
guts- odwaga, brawura, jaja
hat-trick- trzy kolejne gole w piłce nożnej wbite przez tego samego gracza
ignominious- haniebny, niecny
implosion- implozja
influx- przypływ, napływ
jettison- wyrzucać, pozbywać się balastu
limp off- odkuśtykać
nail-biter- wydarzenie trzymające w napięciu
nocturnal- nocny
odds- szanse
outing- wypad, wycieczka
pay tribute- oddać hołd
penalty- karny
reluctant- niechętny
respite- wytchnienie
scuffle- bójka, przepychanka
seal sb's fate- przypieczętować czyjś los
see red- wpaść w szał, wybuchnąć gniewem
tense- napięty, spięty
well-oiled- pijany, pijacki
woo- zabiegać, ubiegać się
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