England 1 Paraguay 0

Hmm.

It was one of the rare occasions where I actually sat down and watched a footy match.. and what more than an England match.. versus South Americans Paraguay. I found the match slightly one-sided in the first half, with Beckham pinning in a goal which was slighted into the net from the Paraguayan captain Gamarra.

That was the sole goal from the England side, with the only other notable exception at on-the-spot shots coming from Lampard, who seemed to hold his ball very well. I give him two thumbs up for his two attempts, which incidentally also earned England corner kicks on both occasions.

During the second half, the Paraguayans seemed more spirited. They somewhat ditched the English style of having the ball in the air, as compared to the more south american approach of dribbling within striking distance. However their attempts to break the England defense seemed to come up short with Ferdinand's towering presence and Gerrard's continuous blocking of shots.

The Paraguayan side also had their shining moments with good play by Cuevas, Parades and Bonet. However the only thing I have to complain about this match is the fact that striker Peter Crouch seemed to be constantly on the bad side of the referee. After receiving repeated warnings, he was eventually slapped with a yellow card. In my opinion, his playing style was as English as it could get i.e. his hands pushing down on opposition players' shoulders when attempting to head the ball. Could you vilify an England player for playing in his native style?

This match showed how nervous Paraguay was in the first quarter of the match, but eventually revealed their aggressive side towards the end of the second half. A fine effort by both teams, and a hearty congratulations to England for their 1-0 victory, which might have been marred by the fact that it was an own-goal by Paraguay.


Cheers,

Crawldaddy