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England's Opponents - Later stages
England progressed to the knock-out rounds of the World Cup. Thing were set to get interesting, with
some top quality opposition offering the chance of exciting maatches.
True to form however the English provided lacklustre performances.
Sven's (lack of?) tactics left England weak at the front and unable to score,
only midfielder Beckham, able to find the back of the net to provide their one goal.
Anyway, they are out. Better luck next time.
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| "Argentina, Brazil, Germany? They are all rubbish. England has nothing to be worried about." |
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Ecuador
Date: Sunday 25th June, 1600 BST
Venue: Stuttgart
Result: England 1 : 0 Ecuador
England progress to the quarter finals. But only after relying on a trademark free-kick from David Beckham to put
the ball in the back of the net and win the match.
Both teams produced a less-than-entertaining performance. After a first half which included one strike off the bar
by Ecuador, England stepped up a gear (2nd gear??) producing, well nothing special, until David Beckham saved the
Englanders with a excellent free-kick into the back of the net.
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Portugal
Date: Saturday 1st July, 1600 BST
Venue: Gelsenkirchen
Result: England 0 : 0 Portugal, Portugal win 3-1 on penalties
Knocked out by: France
England had a score to settle with Portugal and their coach, Luiz Felipe Scolari. Under Scolari, Portugal were responsible for
eliminating the English from Euro 2004. Similarly, Scolari led Brazil to deafeat England in the last World Cup.
3 in a row for Mr Scolari. Well done! Thanks also to Wayne Rooney and his violent disposition, puting England at a disadvantage.
And let's not forget Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher. Nice!
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Germany
Status: Host nation
World Cup titles: 3
Knocked out by: Italy
Germany and England are keen rivals. Ever since England's controversial win forty years ago
any meeting of these two teams evokes strong emotions in both players and fans alike.
Germany won Group A with a full 9 points. Their opening match against Costa Rica was convincingly won 4-2, followed
by an impressive effort against Poland. Their final group match against Ecuador finished of this stage with a
further show of skill. Germany were unfortunately dispatched from the World Cup by Italy in the semi-final when
they scored twice in the dying moments of extra-time.
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Brazil
Status: Previous champions
World Cup titles: 5
Knocked out by France
Although not inspiring the same passion as some other rivals Brazil have a history with England that makes them
take notice. After their 2-1 defeat at Brazil's hands in World Cup 2002 England were paying a great deal
of attention to them this time round.
Brazil were considered favourites at the start of the competition. However, after their recent display against Croatia,
many are not so sure. An average game and slim 1-0 victory has sewn a seed of doubt in the minds of many. This doubt
was furthered by an average performance against France who squeezed the Brazilians out with a 1-0 defeat.
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Argentina
Status: Knocked out
World Cup titles: 2
Knocked out by Germany
Argentina are almost undoubtedly England's bitterest rivals. Ever since the 'Hand of God' incident, when Diego Maradona
scored against England (using his hand) in the quarter-final match of the 1986 FIFA World Cup the relationship between these
two teams has been tense and sometimes vicious.
Argentina are many people's second favourites. Despite an impressive history in the World Cup many did not consider this team
capable of wining the tournament. With an impressive series of results, including a 6-0 drubbing of Serbia & Montenegro,
many opinions have changed. However they were unable to get past the Germans and will be waiting a further four year to try
for the World Cup.
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