The Geneva Contention

There’s no such thing as a friendly between England and Argentina – even if you stage it in Geneva and throw in a team of Swiss officials noted for their neutrality and, as it turned out, surprisingly competent.

But those who insisted that, far from being the football equivalent of an episode of ‘Friends’, this would be all-out war, were mistaken – apart, that is, from a little pre-match unpleasantness from the Argies as they practised their singing on the team coach.

In some respects, the omens were not good. Eriksson’s team selection included an inexperienced right back, a left back who, having been sidelined for an eternity with a serious injury, was barely fit and certainly not match fit, and a tactical set-up that seemed to banish Steven Gerrard to the left flank for most of the time. As for the BBC TV coverage, Alan Hansen kicked off with a characteristic burst of surly, gruff and grumpy punditry, before John Motson launched his commentary with a mouthful of arid statistics. Typical.

Fortunately, the game itself was a revelation, a pulsating contest that ebbed and flowed right to the final whistle. And for England to win it was a triumph because from the outset it was clear that Argentina were technically superior. Inspired by Juan Riquelme, who gave a virtuoso performance in midfield that mocked Mourinho’s boast that Frank Lampard is the best player in the world, they dominated the first 20 minutes with slick incisive passing that was in stark contrast to England’s more pedestrian attacks, and but for three outstanding saves by Robinson they would have led comfortably.

A disallowed header from an offside Michael Owen was matched by a Crespo ‘goal’ ruled out for a foul, then Rooney was desperately unlucky to hit the post before Argentina took the lead in the 34th minute when Crespo bundled in a right wing cross which Ferdinand ought to have intercepted. But within 5 minutes England were level after Beckham’s glancing header allowed Rooney to produce the calmest of finishes.

Early in the second half there were times when England looked bewildered in the face of Argentinian attacks, and Walter Samuel’s headed goal from Riquelme’s exquisite free kick epitomised the naivety of some of their defending, because it was clear everyone in a white shirt expected the midfielder to shoot.

It was a time when we began to wonder what Brazil might do to us, a time when England (and especially Paul Koncheski) fell back on safe passes sideways and backwards and seemed to scorn anything more adventurous.

Fortunately, it didn’t last. The substitution of Joe Cole for Ledley King, and later Crouch for Luke Young, brought a new impetus to England’s attacks for which the manager must take some credit, and Lampard missed two good chances before Gerrard’s pinpoint cross brought Michael Owen’s equalizer – then in stoppage time Owen grabbed a dramatic winner with another header from Joe Cole’s pass.

It was a victory that owed much to the English spirit and even more to particularly heroic performances from goalkeeper Paul Robinson, captain David Beckham, the wonderful Wayne Rooney and the clinical Michael Owen.

George Orwell once described sport as ‘war minus the shooting’. He was wrong. There was plenty of shooting here and the contest was fiercely competitive, but it wasn’t a war. And it wasn’t friendly either. It was simply irresistible.