England 3 Hungary 1 at Old Trafford
Gerrard 47, Terry 51, Dardai 55, Crouch 84
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On this evidence, England have one world class player : David Beckham.
His quarterback skills shone like a beacon, even in a grim first half where England had no fluency, no tempo, no shape.The first 40 minutes were dire.
After 25, I switched off commentators John Motson and Mark Lawrenson and switched on Van Morrison, who was on the turntable. I carried on watching but listening to Van sing the first side of Moondance, which is medicine to me. I needed healing by then.
After 40 we saw a disgraceful dive by Gerrard. Dutch ref Peter Vink gave a penalty which Lampard took, shooting low to the keeper’s right.
That dive says everything about how badly England were playing.Were they so desperate that they had to cheat to win a warm-up game?
According to Myles’s Penalty Rule No.1, such penalties are invariably saved or missed and this one was duly stopped by keeper Kiraly.
After 40 minutes of garbage, Beckham produced crosses to give headers to Owen and Joe Cole. Owen headed a sitter straight at keeper Kiraly, Joe Cole nodded against the post.Two golden crosses, two missed chances.
HARGREAVES replaced Gary Neville at half-time, with Carragher switching from anchorman to right back
BECKHAM then hit free-kicks which were headed in by Gerrard and Terry.Two golden balls, two scoring headers, two priceless goals to lift a 62,000 crowd which contained many kids.
MICHAEL OWEN is as rusty as the Titanic.This World Cup is coming too soon for him.Owen needs six more games to sharpen up but we play Paraguay on Saturday June 10.
SOL CAMPBELL came on for John Terry in 75 and immediately got a yellow card when Ashley Cole played a sloppy ball to him. A Hungarian got in front of Sol, who clattered him clumsily.
THEO WALCOTT and Peter Crouch came on for Owen and Gerrard in 65 but Walcott did not get a chance to do much.
He is England’s youngest-ever player at 17 years and 75 days.
Crouch won the ball on the left side, gave it to Joe Cole and then turned on Cole’s pass and fired low into the bottom corner, as Geoff Hurst used to do in the Sixties.
PAUL ROBINSON had no chance with an awesome Dardai shot from 25 yards but made one great save, tipping over a shot that would have made it 2-2.
THE PROBLEM was that no player had the authority and presence to give shape to the others.
There was no leader, apart from Beckham on the flank.Bryan Robson used to give shape to the players around him, Gazza used to give shape to the players around him – and so did Rooney.
England are lucky to have David Beckham. But they need Ruud van Nistelrooy.