Liveblog: England vs. Portugal

July 1st, 2006 | by: WC Bob | Comments(530)

It came down to a penalty shoot out and in the end Portugal was able to convert and England did not. It was an even game that saw Portugal unable to score even though they were a man up for the last 50 minutes. Portugal advances to the semifinals. England heads home. You can read the play-by-play below and leave your comments about the game and teams.

Final: England 0-0 Portugal (A.E.T. 3-1)

Final England once again is bitten by the penalty shoot out bug with Portugal able to convert on 3 of their 5 kicks and England only making 1 of 4. Portugal keeper Ricardo came up big in the penalty shoot out to vault Portugal into the final four. Scolari’s unbeaten run in the World Cup continues. Thanks for joining me. My fingers hurt but the sacrifice was worth it.

Portugal penalty #5 Cristiano Ronaldo looking to put Portugal through to the semifinals. He hesistates and drills it in the goal to give Portugal the win in penalty kicks 3-1.

England penalty #4 Carragher takes it but the referee didn’t blow the whistle. He has to retake it. It is saved by Ricardo who dives to his left. 1 made, 3 missed.

Portugal penalty #4 Postiga looking to put Portugal up. He punches it to the left and Robinson is flat footed. 2 made and 2 missed for Portugal.

England penalty #3 Gerrard looking to put England up one. But it is saved by Ricardo who guesses to the right again. Still 1-1

Portugal penalty #3 Petit on for Portugal’s next kick. He misses the goal completely. 1 good and 2 misses for Portugal.

England penalty #2 Hargreaves looking to equalize and he is able to sneak it by Ricardo. 1-1

Portugal penalty #2 Viana up next for Portugal. He hits it off the post and is out. Still 1 for Portugal and 0 for England. England is back in it.

England penalty #1 Lampard taking the first one for England. It is saved by Ricardo who guesses to the right.

Portugal penalty #1 With his teammates at midfield locked arm in arm, Simao steps up to open up the penalty shoot out. He rubs his hair. Looks around the stadium. Robinson is on the line looking nervous. Simao drills it left corner. GOALL 1 for Portugal

Penalty shoot out We’ve got Paul Robinson in goal for England and Ricardo in net for Portugal. Both teams will select their first five penalty takers. Figo said earlier this week that Portugal has not been practicing penalty kicks. Will that come back to haunt them if it is true?

End of extra time After 120 minutes the two teams are tied and a spot in the semifinals will come down to a penalty shoot out. The drama ahead should be outstanding after a game that largely lacked drama.

120+ Maniche with one last chance with a pass from Miguel and it is over the crossbar.

119:34 England fans giving one last cheer as they are hoping for a miracle before we replay the 2004 Euro penalty shoot out. This time, Beckham will not be involved.

118:18 England going with a sub. Jamie Carragher on for the sub Lennon. Planning ahead for pk?

116:34 Portugal contiuing to display nothing. England continuing to hang on and press their luck with penalty shots.

114:57 John Terry cramping up for England. They haven’t been time wasting even though they are a man down. My left index finger is either cramping or out of joint. I can’t feel enough to tell.

113:58 These two countries played to a penalty shoot out in Euro 2004 and this one looks like it might be headed that way too. Petit with a shot that Robinson grabs with ease.

112:16 Crouch working like a ballerina in the midfield but when he gets into the box the long legs just don’t do what his brain tells them to do.

111:11 I just typed five 1s. This game is long. Lennon runs out of bounds into the MasterCard side. That was priceless.

110:03 Portugal playing with a bit of desperation. They have been a man up for a long time now but still can’t put away an England team that is playing a strong defensive game. Carvahlo shown a yellow.

108:34 Lennon creating for England but he doesn’t have much support up front.

107:03 Positga heads it in for Portugal but he is offside. No goal. That would have done it but the linesman called it right.

105:59 Lennon in the box goes down and the referee does not call it. Looked like Valente got the ball first and it was the right decision. Hargreaves given a yellow for dissent.

105:01 One more stanza to go and if no one scores we will see a penalty shoot out. Beckenbauer is in the stands and he is hanging with Mick Jagger. Not bad company.

End of first overtime Still no score. We’ll play 15 more and pray that fingers don’t fall off.

104:12 Ronaldo with a strong left footed shot that just brushes over the crossbar. Good effort from the boy wonder.

102:58 I’m tired so I can only imagine the players must be too. England having to expend a lot of energy playing a man down but both teams look sluggish.

101:45 Simao with a low, hard shot that Robinson punches away. Another long Portugal shot that the England keeper is able to block.

101:03 Sven working the water bottle on the sideline and almost looking like he is at a football match.

99:49 Portugal with eight players lined up across the England box but they are unable to find room to create a shot. England’s defensive game plan working like a charm at the moment.

98:13 Gerrard with a nice move and a cross to Crouch but Miguel was defending in excellent position. Foul called on Crouch.

97:47 Gerrard gets a free kick from far away and it is Hargreaves who takes it. Four players in the box and it is cleared away by Portugal.

96:23 No sign of Beckenbauer today. He decided to do something more exciting like paint his living room. Portuagl demonstrating that 11 against 10 does not always lead to an advantage,

95:02 The crowd demonstrating a remarkable lack of noise. England hanging in despite being a man down. Portugal up to the same old routine with Ronaldo jiving and the other players standing.

93:59 England intent on finding Crouch’s head high up there but the stick man is not able to extend his neck more than a meter or three.

92:46 Cavalho called for a foul for pulling down Crouch in the air. Lampard tries to find Crouch on the free kick but the big man can’t get too it. No dreadlocks for him to pull on the play.

92:04 Ronaldo and Ashley Cole playing cat and mouse. Portugal showing patience as the strategy for England seems to be to sit back. Petit with a shot that goes high.

90:48 Portugal back once again passing around and England sitting back trying not to use up too much energy.

90:01 We’re underway in the first of two 15-minute extra periods. Both teams have used two subs and have one remaining. England will continue to play a man down. Portugal might even notice they have an extra player. Will someone get a winner or will we head to a penalty shootout? We will know the answer 30 minutes from now.

End of Regulation After 90 minutes of play in Gelsenkirchen we are headed to extra time. We’ll play two, 15-minute periods. If the score is still tied we will go to a penalty shoot out. My fingers are about to fall off but someone has to win and I think I’ll stick around to see who it is.

90 England with a pair of corner kicks and comes close to scoring. Ronaldo races to the other end and Portugal also comes close but no cigar.

89:46 Maniche gets a shot on goal that Robinson easily eats up.

88:55 Portugal rolling it around but still not looking like they have a prayer of finding the goal. This one might be headed to 30 more minutes of typing.

87:03 England playing all their men behind the ball except for Crouch and Portugal unable to break through the sea of white shirts.

85:19 Postida in for Figo who gives up his armband to Simao.

85:12 Maniche has perfected hitting it over the crossbar and then looks glum. If he scored that frown would be turned upside down.

83:45 Portugal playing a man up but still unable to take advantage as they are forced to take long shots that aren’t a serious threat.

81:57 Lennon earns a free kick from straight on and we get a shot of Beckham looking glum on the bench. This one will be taken Lampard who drived it on goal and Ricardo gives up a rebound but Lennon is unable to punch it in.

80:56 Viana’s vision improved enough to drive one on goal and Robinson makes the save.

80:21 Hugo Viana appears to have lost his right eye or maybe a contact lens. If Portugal players keep droppping England might make up for the man advantage. He is back on the pitch with 20/20 vision.

78:45 Valente rolling around with the wind knocked out of him. He is getting a massage on his buttocks. That looks kind of pleasant.

77:54 Portugal building the attack and Figo chips it on goal. Robinson forced to extend for the save. Nice play from the England keeper.

77:34 Big Phil on the sideline wondering why his team isn’t playing like Brazil in 2002.

76:23 Maniche with a long shot from far outside and it goes well over the bar. Not much hope displayed on that one.

74:08 Hugo Viana on for Tiago as Portugal searches for answers in the final 15.

73:04 Gerrard breaks free and crosses it but even Crouch doesn’t have Inspector Gadget legs that are long enough to haul it in.

72:45 I wonder what Rooney will say to Ronaldo next time they are together in the Man U locker room.

71:34 Portugal might be a man up but it doesn’t show when they get near the goal.

69:57 Hargreaves breaks into the box and crosses too high for Crouch and that is saying something.

68:35 Ronaldo gets hit on the back of the leg and rolls four times on the ground. Excellent gymnastics display that wins the call.

67:47 Simao wearing a shirt that is four sizes too small. Corner kick is skied high by Figo as we continue in a scoreless quarterfinal.

67:02 Will Portugal take advantage of being a man up? Thus far they haven’t been able to crack the England defense.

65:39 Peter Crouch is in and Joe Cole is off as Sven shuffles his team to make up for the Rooney expulsion. Crouch always takes a long time to get used to watching.

64:12 Portugal with a man advantage puts in Simao for Pauleta. Crouch looking likely to come on as England’s lone forward has been sent to the shower.

62:45 That is tough call against Rooney. He did step on the Portugal players’ private area but it wasn’t intentional. The push against Ronaldo was soft and didn’t seem like red worthy.

61:23 Rooney shoves Cristiano Ronaldo and he is booked for a red card. Wow, a really harsh call. Rooney’s temper comes back to bite him in the arse.

60:11 England with the better run of play thus far in the second half as Portugal continues to lack initiative in the offensive end against a strong England defense.

58:35 Lennon using his legs to get into the box and Rooney muffs it to Joe Cole who skies it over the bar. Play set up by Lennon’s speed.

57:03 England with a corner kick and Ricardo races off his line to snag it. Maniche on the ground looking like death is on his door step. Hargreaves did nothing to cause pain. What a faker.

54:35 Beckham likely to get an endorsement for tissue paper after shedding those tears. Ronaldo upset that he isn’t the center of attention decided to yell at the ref. Nothing much happening in the run of play.

54:05 England with most of the British Isles behind the ball. Beckham on the bench crying like a baby. He looks like an older Cristiano Ronaldo.

52:52 Corner kick and Lampard is unable to finish even though he was wide open. Lampard is having himself one poor World Cup.

52:01 Neville takes the captain’s armband from Beckham who limps off the pitch looking wasted. He played a poor game but managed to keep his lunch in his stomach.

51:21 Rooney with a nice move and he passes it to Beckham who kicks it into the Portugal defender’s hand and calls for a hand ball. That was the right no call. Beckham rewarded by being replaced by Lennon.

49:58 Ronaldo with no end of stepover moves and yet he does not go by a soul. Lennon is up and ready to come in. Will he take out Beckham?

48:46 Ronaldo falls over and swipes the ground after the refereeing does not reward him for poor acting skills.

48:03 Lennon warming up on the sideline for England. I always enjoy his pace so we’ll see if Sven wakes up and makes that move.

46:58 Beckham down on the ground after getting a tap from Valente. Beckham will live. Teenagers throughout Asia are relieved.

45:56 No changes to start the half. If you loved the 22 from the first half you are in luck. If you hated them, well, too bad.

45:01 We are back underway in the second half from Gelsenkirchen. England and Portugal are deadlocked. The winner plays in the semifinals. The loser joins all the other teams sitting at home watching the World Cup on television. Thanks for joining me this half. May we all be spared the sight of seeing Posh Spice.

Halftime After 45 minutes of play we have yet to see a goal. England might have had the slight edge when it comes to good chances but the game has largely been an even struggle played in the middle of the field. I’m going to go contemplate life more. I’ll be back in the second half. Fire away with your thoughts and comments on the first half.

44:12 Beckham from outside the box with a free kick that bends right into the wall and is merely mortal.

42:58 Beckham takes a corner and it is headed away by Portugal. Petit then picks up a yellow for launching himself into Joe Cole. That will mean he is out the next game if they advance.

42:34 Figo looks old but he still is crafty over the ball. Both teams facing the same challenge of how to crack through the final third.

41:12 England’s backline is very well organized. Portugal with a corner kick that sees Tiago get a header in on Robinson who fumbles it around but without danger.

40:03 Just a reminder that we will be liveblogging the Brazil-France game next so stay where you are and don’t move an inch. That game might just be a good one. Let’s hope so. Still time for this one to heat up.

38:48 Some games when I sit her typing I start questioning my life. This is one of them. Portugal on the other end and Figo with a tricky shot that goes why. Back to questioning life.

37:02 Gerrard with a good first touch and a cross through the box that goes for nought.

35:39 Rooney has three port red shirts around him at all times as this game has disintegrated into a series of turnovers in the midfield.

33:56 Ashley Cole continually has a problem keeping his boots on. He must have missed the shoe tying lesson in kindergarten. I did too. Thank goodness for velcro.

33:29 Still scoreless in Gelsenkirchen where both teams have had a few chances with the key word being “few”.

32:12 Maybe Sepp Blatter should coach England. They might play two forwards and be more fun to watch plus he wouldn’t be able to continue his corrupt FIFA regime.

30:49 Terry will be out the next match if England does get through. At this point that is far from a given.

29:37 Tiago and Terry collide heads. Terry looking to be the worse of the two. He looks like he could barf it like Beckham. Sol Campbell shown getting offf the bench. Terry is shown a yellow to go along with his pain.

28:02 Ronaldo continuing to try to do it all on the left side for Portugal but he is denied. On the other end Rooney is alone on an island without a coconut to eat.

26:57 England sure has a lot of coaches on the bench and Sven looks to be the one who is least interested in the action.

26:17 Miguel with a poor give away in his defensive end. England back to the futile rolling around that leads to nothing near the goal.

24:57 Hargreaves does something positive by stripping the ball from Miguel. Rooney gets his noggin kicked in and it doesn’t make him look any prettier. He does remind us all that he knows some four letter words.

23:12 Methinks that Portugal is missing Deco in the midfield. There is a lot of room in the mid when England has the ball.

21:49 Ronaldo with a long run and Gerrard shows that you don’t have to be pretty to run fast. Great hustle play from Gerrard to get back.

20:27 Lampard unable to control a pass from Gerrard right in front of the Portugal goal. Neither team sitting back but England has had more of the attack.

18:45 Ronaldo abuses Neville on the left side but his shot flies well over the goal and we get a closeup look of a man grimmacing for the cameras.

18:23 Gerrard passes to Beckham in the area and he gives it back but it is broken up. England showing slightly more creativity in the attack this match.

17:15 Rooney with a pass in the box but England is unable to punch it in. Portugal’s backline is clearing the ball like a bunch of schoolkids.

16:16 England deciding now would be a good time to pass it back and forth across the midfield. Portugal deciding now is a good time to let them pass it around. I’m thinking it is a good time for another beer.

15:38 Hargreaves showing his skill, or lack thereof, by taking down Figo. Big Phil told to sit down on the bench and to think about his unbeaten record in the World Cup.

14:12 Maniche gets a love tap from Beckham and you would think that death was going to happen. He amazingly gets up. Beckham is such a hard man.

12:44 Portugal ball int he box is punted around by the England defense and Tiago was right there but could not get it away from Robinson. Dodgy defense from England.

11:56 Miguel and Ronaldo making the England defense fall to the ground like a chainsaw through a forest.

10:46 Hargreaves takes down Ronaldo and the referee shows restraint with the cards. Hargreaves looked hurt but he will never go away so he continues to play.

9:19 Ronaldo gets off a shot and tests Robinson who hasn’t been tested much this World Cup. The two young guns with back-to-back shots.

9:12 Rooney gets a low liner on goal and Ricardo gobbles it up without a rebound. Rooney showing signs of life early in this one. Joe Cole doing his usual Brazil imitation.

8:23 Watching Ronaldo play with the ball makes me feel like I have a nervous tick. He is all over the place but wastes a lot of energy to get there. Sven on the bench learning the rules of the game from McClaren.

6:15 Petit knocks down Ashley Cole and we are treated to the first Beckham free kick of the quarterfinals. It is punched away by Ricardo.

4:34 Beckham wearing his usual long sleeves to shield the kids’ eyes from the tattoos. Both sides feeling each other out.

4:11England fans start to clap and hope that this might wake up both sides. Most of the play thus far in the midfield as I expect it will be for most of this game.

2:48 Neither team showing much desire to run. Just a nice Saturday kick about in the park. Neville takes down C. Ronaldo but it is a soft foul.

1:43 Figo with a cross into the box and Robinson easily eats it up.

0:56 England starts with the possession and Portugal is pressing. Hargreaves getting to start in celebration of the Canadian holiday.

Kickoff: We’re underway in Gelsenkirchen in a quarterfinal clash between England and Portugal. Thank you very much for joining me. Your comments throughout the match are appreciated. Keep them clean, have fun and love one another. Here’s hoping for a memorable day of World Cup action.

3 minute countdown: Portugal’s turn to sing. One verse I especially like is:

To arms, to arms
On land and sea!
To arms, to arms
To fight for our Homeland!
To march against the enemy guns!

5 minute countdown: England is arm and arm to sing about saving the Queen. She appreciates the sentiment as do we all. Gary Neville chooses to sleep rather than sing. Always important to gets your zzzzzs.

7 minute countdown: Beckham reads a statement against racism. It was short and sweet and he got through it with nary a stutter, but the feedback on the mic has left me deaf. Figo also does a nice job reading. It is a good message.

8 minute countdown: The captains Figo and Beckham lead their teams onto the pitch. The kid escorts are looking a lot happier than the players who look either hungover or a sick from nerves.

10 minute countdown: The two teams are lineup in the tunnel. England is wearing white shirts, navy blue shorts, and white socks. Portugal is clad in port red shirts, port red shorts, and port red socks. I am not drinking port wine, but am enjoying a crisp pilsner here in Berlin. Go ahead and enjoy your own beverage of choice. It is Saturday after all and a holiday in Canada, I think.

15 minute countdown: On German television Boris Becker is interviewing Sir Geoff Hurst, a member of England’s lone World Cup championship team. I get a sense that Germany would like nothing more than to play England in the final this year and to avenge the loss in the ‘66 final. Also get a nice shot of Wayne Rooney’s numerous tattoos. A lot of ink has been used on that lad’s body.

20 minute countdown: The roof is closed on the stadium in Gelsenkirchen. Not sure why FIFA made the decision to go with a closed roof, but that should spare us all from burning our retinas while we try to follow the ball through the sun and shadows. The stadium has its share of England flags and you can bet we’ll hear a rendition or two of God Save the Queen in this match. There is a bit of a hangover today on the streets in Germany after a long night of partying following Germany’s victory over Argentina. I’m feeling as fresh as a daisy and can’t wait to see who will join Germany and Italy in the semifinals.

25 minute countdown: The referee for today’s match is Horacio Elizondo from Argentina. He called the opening match of the World Cup, as well as the South Korea and Switzerland game where there was some controversy. Today he will be in charge on an England team that is tied for the fewest cards through the quarterfinals, as well as Portugal which has the most cards entering this stage. Five Portugal players are carrying yellow cards into the match.

30 minute countdown: Portugal will be without midfielders Deco and Costinha due to card suspension. Cristiano Ronaldo is back from injury and ready to do the step over pout. England gets Gary Neville back from injury and is at full strength except for Michael Owen who is out for eternity. Your liveblogger has escaped suspension and avoided injury to this point although he has no feeling in his right hand. Here are the starting 22 that will make your stomach feel as good as Beckham’s on a hot summer day.

England
1. Paul Robinson, 2. Gary Neville 3. Ashley Cole, 4. Steven Gerrard 5. Rio Ferdinand 6. John Terry, 7. David Beckham, 8. Frank Lampard, 9. Wayne Rooney 11. Joe Cole, 16. Owen Hargreaves

Portugal
1. Ricardo, 5. Fernando Meira, 7. Luis Figo, 8. Petit, 9. Pauleta, 13. Miguel, 14. Nuno Valente, 16. Ricardo Carvalho, 17. Cristiano Ronaldo, 18. Maniche, 19. Tiago

40 minute countdown: By now you might have read somewhere that Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has England’s number. His teams have eliminated England at the past two major championships, the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004. None of that matters today. England enters the quarterfinals without a loss to their name, but also having displayed less than impressive football. They face a Portugal side that has won all four of its matches and is coming off an ugly affair against Netherlands. Hopefully both teams will scrub the ugliness today and put of a beauty. Starting lineups up next.

50 minute countdown: It is a warm summer day here in Germany as we get set for an exciting slate of World Cup football. Today’s first match between England and Portugal promises to be a hard fought affair. The two countries played a memorable semifinal match in 1966 with England winning on its home soil. In 2004, it was Portugal that got revenge winning on a penalty shoot-out at Euro 2004 on its own home turf. Today’s game is on neutral ground in the ever so exotic German city of Gelsenkirchen. I’m pumped and my fingers are ready to type like they have never typed before. Starting lineups and other information coming up soon.

Pregame: Who will come out on top?