THIS POSTING HAS BEEN SUPERSEDED BY England 1 Slovenia 0: job done
Sod’s law prevails and if, like me, you are in France and don’t have Canal+, the usual option, TF1, is of no use since it is showing the unbelievably drab Algeria v USA game (0-0 five minutes into the second half).
Kurdistan Goals, or whichever of those iffy internet streams is prepared to give a picture from the England game, is doing so only sporadically, with two competing commentaries, one of them in English, but both ahead of the stuttering images.
I’d probably still be waiting to see the fine Milner cross, met well by Defoe (though he was a little lucky that his strike straight at the keeper went in). Fortunately, TF1 showed it several times before returning to the tedium of the other game.
So I’ll take the word of Roy Hodgson, at the BBC website, about the first half:
“I thought England played extremely well – the passing, tempo of the team and discipline has all been very impressive. They should be more than 1-0 up – the England crossing has been outstanding.”
… and hope they can keep it up. Come on England – and come on anySalut! Sunderland readers out there willing to post a comment or two to keep me updated.
Colin Randall
Well, England must’ve deserved to win because Slovenia clearly didn’t. One of the CBC commentators put it best: “The slightly worse team lost.”
England are still not playing great, or even good, football. Nor are there any indications that they’ll be able to up their game. Rooney, coming sulkily off the field, went to put his head in his hands. And missed.
The big news, though, was in the USA-Algeria game where a clearly superior American side were, for the second game in a row, robbed of a legitimate goal and the lead by inept officiating. But justice finally prevailed in the second minute of extra time, so they won’t be going home claiming, with full justification, “We wuz robbed. Twice.”
Something must surely be done, though, about these sub-standard officials. We’re told that their performance in every game is monitored. Is it too much to expect that, having made such a crucial mistake in a game, they’re immediately removed from the roster?
Rooney substituted. Joe Cole comes on. Probably not a moment too soon. Rooney, frustrated and angry, was reaching the point where he’d be more likely sent off than taken off.
If the USA didn’t have bad luck, they’d have no luck at all.
The England game’s far from sparkling — Rooney especially — and they’re offside more than on. Slovakia, alas, are even worse.