Reuters Soccer Blog

England melt in World Cup pressure cooker

After England treated their fans to a second excruciatingly dull World Cup performance in South Africa on Friday, those wanting answers were left with a bemused looking Fabio Capello and an irate Wayne Rooney rant to television cameras.

England 0 Algeria 0 was not what anyone had in mind for Friday’s Group C showdown in Cape Town and Three Lions’ fans certainly were not expecting to wake up to British tabloid headlines such as ‘Roo-boo-zela’ and ‘Cape Clowns’ the next morning.

England, who waltzed to World Cup qualification with two games to spare, were widely expected to put their opening (and for Rob Green, embarrassing) 1-1 draw with the United States behind them and take hold of the group with a straightforward victory over Algeria.

From kick-off it was painfully apparent that was not going to happen. Gareth Barry, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard appeared never to have played together before in England’s central midfield, while Aaron Lennon struggled to make an impact once more.

England talisman Rooney, enduring a barren scoring spell, spent much of the game too deep, desperately looking for the ball only to lose it when in possession.

Algeria, at times, played the better of the football, slicing through giant holes in England’s midfield, who often inherited possession rather than won it back – one of Capello’s pet hates.

The Italian coach’s substitutions also caused some confusion after bringing on Shaun Wright-Phillips, ineffectual in the tournament opener, and giving striker Peter Crouch just minutes on the field once more.

Ball not to blame for goalkeeping howlers

The standard of goalkeeping in the early stages of this World Cup has not been the best but blame cannot lie with the controversial Jabulani ball.

Keepers and even strikers have criticised the adidas ball for being too light but the makers have said it is the roundest and truest ball ever created.

If we look at the three major keeping howlers so far in South Africa, I don’t think any of them are down to the ball.

England’s Robert Green let Clint Dempsey’s shot through his fingers in a 1-1 draw with the United States simply through a lack of technique and maybe nerves. The ball was bouncing along the ground so swerve was not an issue.

Algeria’s Faouzi Chaouchi made a bizarre attempt to save Robert Koren’s goal in Slovenia’s 1-0 win, trying to shovel the ball wide but making a horrible hash. Again, the ball did not swerve and was bouncing, it was simply poor technique and maybe the roar of the vuvuzelas affecting concentration.

Paraguay keeper Justo Villar gifted holders Italy a 1-1 draw in their opener when he flapped at a corner allowing Daniele De Rossi to prod home. I didn’t see any deviation in the ball and De Rossi read the flight right even if the keeper did not.

The pressure of a World Cup is unimaginable especially for goalkeepers like these three who are not household names around the globe.

from FaithWorld:

Amid the prayers, some haj pilgrims talk football

The haj is supposed to be a spiritual highlight in a Muslim's life, but everyday issues can sometimes intrude. In between prayers and visits to various sites, pilgrims often discuss all kinds of current issues. Among Algerians and Egyptians on the haj here this year, the buzz is about the public row sparked by a soccer game to qualify for the 2010 World Cup. Algeria won that match 1-0.

The football rivalry has caused considerable bad blood between the two countries. Egypt has recalled its ambassador from Algiers after the play-off, accusing Algerian fans of post-match thuggery at the game's venue in Khartoum. Egypt had earlier complained when Algerian fans trashed the Algiers headquarters of Egypt-based Orascom Telecom's Djezzy mobile subsidiary. Before that, Algeria was irked after Egyptian fans pelted the Algerian team's bus with stones and some fans were hurt in scuffles on game-day in the first round of the qualifier in Cairo.

"We are brothers ... This should have never happened and I blame the media in the two countries for instigating ill feelings among the most foolish of us," said Khaled Salam Abdallah from Cairo.

Mohamed Lab'haj, an Algerian pilgrim, agreed.  "We are more than brothers ... The real criminals are the Arab governments. They play with us like they do with a ball ... If football had much use in it, they would not have kicked the ball with their feet," he said.

The haj, a duty for every able Muslim, emphasises the unity of all Muslims. This year's pilgrimage has offered the first big encounter between Algerian and Egyptian masses since the football showdown. Some 2 million Muslims have come to Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

Abdulwahhab Alyousha, an Algerian pilgrim, said he was outraged that such a spat erupted between two countries that shared a significant part of their modern history.  "Egyptians helped our Algerian revolution. I don't think this dispute will mar bilateral relationships for good," he said, referring to the movement which led to Algeria's independence from France in 1962.

Some refused to talk about the issue. "Soccer is a matter of earthly life, we are here to work for our afterlife," Egyptian pilgrim Adel Abdul-Shafi said.

France break Irish hearts to seal World Cup slot

France ensured the likes of Franck Ribery, Karim Benzema and Thierry Henry will be at the World Cup in South Africa next year after winning through with a goal that has left Irish fans seething.

There was nothing wrong with the finish from William Gallas, but Thierry Henry admitted using his hand to keep the ball in play and commentators and Irish supporters are already talking of “The Hand of God II” and “The Hand of Henry” in reference to Diego Maradona in 1986.

“Yes, there is handball but I am not the referee,” Henry told reporters. “I’m in the box, there are two defenders in front of me. The ball bounced off my hand, the referee did not see it and I played on.”

Ireland coach Giovanni Trapattoni called the goal a “great mistake” by Swedish referee Martin Hansson but he chose not to accuse Henry of cheating.

“I told the referee that it is possible to make great mistakes,” Trapattoni told a new conference after the game at Stade de France. “It is a bitter evening.”

Trapattoni said he felt the referee should have talked to his assistants and to Henry before awarding the goal.

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