By Myles Palmer
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Sweden 1 Senegal 2 (golden goal)
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Ireland 1 Spain 1 (AET Mendieta winning pen. 3-2)
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Was this morning the most entertaining period of golden goal extra-time ever played?
Senegal and Sweden were both really going for the winner-not playing timidly, negatively, afraid of losing.
How refreshing!
With playmaker Fadiga back, Senegal can beat Japan and maybe even beat Turkey, if it is Turkey.
With a settled team, nine players having started all four games, Sweden were solid in a game that was far better than the Paraguay-Germany snoozathon or the England walkover.
Again, the first goal came from a corner, Henrik Larsson connecting with ANDERS SVENSSON’S dipping inswinger into the six-yard box, getting there ahead of keeper SYLVA and butting the ball down past the man on the line.
Eleven minutes, 1-0.
EL-HADJ DIOUF is a flashy, fiery striker of huge potential, zooming wide very well, showing huge appetite, power, audacity.He will beat the first man,barge the second, fall over, bounce up and have a shot. He makes things happen, so he is fun to watch.
But just when I was becoming convinced that Swedens defensive organisation was exemplary, HENRI CAMARA chests down Diouf’s long chip, shuffles across Mjallby and buries a low 20-yarder in the bottom corner.
After 80 it was still 1-1.
Sweden are a 1-1 sort of team – but they now looked capable of scoring again.
The game was stretched, Senegal looked the more ragged of the two teams, the Swedes looked like getting a goal.
BUT IT WENT INTO GOLDEN GOAL EXTRA-TIME and after five minutes of that ANDERS SVENSSON spins round, shoots quickly-and hits the post!
DIOUF nutmegs Mellberg but almost hits the corner flag.
After 13 minutes of vivid, see-saw play, play that is as compelling as football ever gets, Mettomo backheeled to HENRI CAMARA and he beat Mjallby and hit a low shot in off the base of the post.
THE SECOND AFRICAN TEAM TO REACH THE WORLD CUP QUARTER-FINALS !
A carnival erupts and we all wish we were in Dakar. Well, some of us do.
Patrick Vieira may be there now, having said he would visit the land of his birth for the first time since he left at the age of seven.
AFTER THE IRELAND-SPAIN GAME, I agreed with David O’Leary : Why didn’t KILBANE sidefoot the rebound from IAN HARTE’S penalty after it was saved by Casillas?
KILBANE lashed at the ball and shinned it eight yards wide!
One of the points I made in The Professor was that Robbie Keane would have been good with Overmars and Bergkamp.
I explained at length how Robbie Keane’s agility, his ability to bend his runs, to head the ball,to volley and flick instinctively, would have made him the ideal striker to replace Anelka.
Robbie Keane has played for Wolves, Coventry, Inter and Leeds – so he has never played for a good team. Think what he would be like in a good team!
Keane scored two World Cup goals before his penalty today, including a 92nd minute saver against Germany.
He didn’t get many good passes against Spain, but he was always a threat, even on a very awkward half-chance in 43, where he stayed onside and tried an off-balance flick from a near-impossible position.
MORIENTES had headed in PUYOL’S simple cross after only eight minutes but Spain failed to build on that 1-0 lead.
MORIENTES later shot straight at Given in 47, a good chance to finish the game. Any shot to the side, even a scuffed shot past the advancing keeper, was a goal.
The Irish passed and battled and played some good stuff, but the Spaniards seemed to have two players wherever Ireland had one, three where they had two, terrific support play.
Then DAMIEN DUFF took on Juanfran and won a dodgy penalty in 61, a much dodgier penalty than the Owen-Pochettino penalty.
IAN HARTE fired at Casillas, the ball rebounded and Kilbane smashed the loose ball wide of a gaping goal. Justice, really. But what a miss!
ALBELDA for Morientes after 71 was Camacho surrendering the initiative. Luque for Raul didn’t help Spain much either, although Luque is a useful striker.
After 83, ROBBIE KEANE went in bravely with CASILLAS, volleying as he jumped.The ball hit the keeper’s elbow and CASILLAS then slammed into Keane: OUCH!!!
But as soon as the 90th minute penalty was awarded, for HIERRO holding QUINN’S shirt, I yelled,”Robbie Keane will take it-and score!”
Refrigerated Robbie took the coolest, coolest penalty, hypnotising Casillas into the middle of his goal as he buried it to the keeper’s right.
YES!!!!!
EXTRA TIME, but no more goals
In the shoot-out, Keane took the first penalty beautifully : 1-0.
Hierro scored, Matt Holland hit the bar, Baraja then made it 2-1, David Connolly shot straight at Casillas and JUANFRAN shot wide-INCREDIBLE!
But Kilbane’s effort was saved and then Valeron came up to finish it AND HIT THE OUTSIDE OF THE POST !!!!!
Four consective penalties had just been missed.
Fulham’s Steve Finnan then made it 2-2 !
The 10th penalty, to win the game, was Mendieta and he took them for Valencia, so I knew he would score and he rolled it down the middle, missing Shay Given’s foot by six tiny, crucial,ghastly inches.
Angrily, I said, “Spain won’t win the World Cup!”
16th June 2002.