Wednesday, 13/10/2010
Goalkeeper Robert Green suffered a World Cup nightmare as England were forced to settle for a disappointing draw in the opening game of their campaign against the United States.
Steven Gerrard gave coach Fabio Capello the perfect start to this South African mission when he slid Emile Heskey’s pass beyond Tim Howard after only four minutes.
And while England rarely hit the heights, they were maintaining their advantage in relative comfort until five minutes before half-time when West Ham United’s Green suffered the lapse that will haunt him.
Clint Dempsey offered an effort that was little more than pot luck from 25 yards, but Green hopelessly allowed the ball to squeeze through him and roll agonisingly over the line as he tried to recover.
# Man of the Match: Emile Heskey - With all eyes on Wayne Rooney, Heskey took centre stage. A great lay-off for the opener, his physical strength caused the USA defence problems all night long and, although he should have scored when through one-on-one, his presence was a constant threat before he was subbed.
# England verdict: After a whirlwind opening in which Steven Gerrard scored, James Milner was hauled off and then Ledley King was injured at half-time. They struggled to assert themselves in the second period and, despite some good chances to get the winner, could not break down the USA defence.
# USA verdict: Hardly troubled the English defence in the first half, but a lucky goal roused the confidence. Jozy Altidore had a great chance to put them ahead, but they failed to test the defence much after that and will be happy with the point.
Tags: Clint Dempsey, England, England 1-1 USA, England vs USA, Steven Gerrad, USA, Video, World Cup, World Cup 2010
