[NYT]For England, A Day and A Goal to Savor

?? 2002? 6? 8? 23? 03?

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He ran directly to the Argentina section in the stands, containing all those celestial blue and white jerseys, and he tilted back his head and he roared. David Beckham was releasing four years of emotion, four years of frustration. Rarely do you see a man exult and atone so publicly, so viscerally, but there he was, spiky hair and all, showing his teeth and flapping his red England jersey, in front of Argentina.

He had wanted this moment for four years, since the night in the French Alps four summers ago when he made a fool of himself in front of the world. Now he had been given a chance for redemption, and he had made the most of it. He had been given a penalty kick in the 44th minute, courtesy of yet another gallant run by Michael Owen, and he had plunked the ball into the goal. And after a second half of tenacious defense, England had the 1-0 victory that kept it very much alive in the World Cup.

This was yet another epic game in a World Cup that is still young. Already there has been Senegal’s upset of France, South Korea’s hum-iliation of Poland, the United States’ stunning defeat of Portugal.

Beckham had gotten himself kicked out of a qua-rterfinal game four years ago. Diego Simeone of Argentina had fallen on him, and leaned all his weight on him, in the annoying manner of soccer players all over the world. And Beckham had lashed back with a trivial little kick, except that the referee caught it and redcarded him out of the game. England lost that game on penalty kicks, and Beckham was vilified for a year or more in England. It did not help him at all when Simeone boasted that he had intentionally precipitated Beckham’s anger.

June 8, 2002. By George Vecsey(Sapporo)

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