June 12, 2010 11:31 PM
- Text
World Cup: U.S.-U.K. Match Ends in 1-1 Tie
(CBS/AP)
Last Updated 4:38 p.m. ET
The United States held England to a 1-1 draw in their World Cup opener Saturday, with a stunning blunder by England goalkeeper Robert Green costing his team victory.
An apparently harmless 25-yard left-foot shot from Clint Dempsey in the 40th minute went straight at Green but the ball bounced off his right glove and trickled over the line for an equalizer.
England captain Steven Gerrard had given England the lead in the fourth, charging into the area and shooting with the outside of his foot past Tim Howard for his 17th international goal.
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England, pursuing its first World Cup title since 1966, created more chances but the Americans held firm under pressure with a string of saves from Howard.
Green's error brought looks of dismay from English fans who were a majority in the sellout crowd of more than 38,000 at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium.
At the final whistle, American fans applauded and waved their flags as their team came over to greet them while the English supporters stood mostly in silence after their team filed off the field with heads bowed.
Green's slip recalled a similar mistake by former goalkeeper Scott Carson against Croatia which denied England a place at the 2008 European Championship.
Dempsey became only the second American to score in two World Cups. He also scored in the 2006 tournament.
Gerrard's early strike helped settle the England team while the Americans struggled to find any rhythm.
The United States had little to show for its efforts before its goal. The best chances came from headers as playmaker Landon Donovan twice set up Jozy Altidore to head wide.
Wayne Rooney, regarded as England's most threatening player, saw little of the ball and had little impact on the match.
Emile Heskey slammed into Howard in the 29th, hitting the goalkeeper in the chest with the toe of his boot as both went to meet a low cross from Aaron Lennon.
Heskey, making his first start since October, broke clear in the 52nd but shot straight at Howard, who came sprinting to the edge of the penalty area.
Howard was called into action again soon after as he tipped an effort from Frank Lampard over the bar, and at the other end Green deflected a shot from Altidore onto the crossbar in the 65th.
Rooney almost connected with a cross from Gerrard at the back post, and then set up substitute Shaun Wright-Phillips for a clear shot from the left which Howard stopped.
England coach Fabio Capello cranked up the pressure late in the match, bringing on Peter Crouch with 10 minutes remaining to supply Rooney with more possession, but there was no way through the American defense.
Lineups:
England: Robert Green, Glen Johnson, John Terry, Ledley King (Jamie Carragher, 45), Ashley Cole, Aaron Lennon, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, James Milner (Shaun Wright-Phillips, 31), Wayne Rooney, Emile Heskey (Peter Crouch, 79).
United States: Tim Howard, Steve Cherundolo, Jay DeMerit, Oguchi Onyewu, Carlos Bocanegra, Landon Donovan, Michael Bradley, Ricardo Clark, Clint Dempsey, Jozy Altidore (Stuart Holden, 86), Robbie Findley (Edson Buddle, 77).
In Other Matches Today:
South Korea eased to a 2-0 win over a lackluster Greece side in Saturday's first Group B match of the World Cup.
Lee Jung-soo tapped in unmarked to open the scoring in the seventh minute at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium and captain Park Ji-sung doubled the lead in the 52nd with a slick solo goal.
The Manchester United midfielder collected a misplaced pass from Vassilis Torosidis and skipped past two defenders before slipping a shot across goalkeeper Alexandros Tzorvas and in at the far post.
Striker Park Chu-young had another three chances to score for South Korea and Fanis Gekas had a shot saved with 10 minutes left for what was Greece's first clear effort.
"If we had been a little bit calmer, we could have had an even better result," South Korea coach Huh Jung-moo said. "In terms of scoring goals, it could have been a little bit better for us."
Greece coach Otto Rehhagel stood on the touchline at the end of his team's fourth straight World Cup finals defeat, his hands on his hips and a fierce scowl on his face.
"We really have to get our act together," Rehhagel said. "We've got to improve a couple of things and be brave and courageous enough."
Nigeria, Greece's next opponent, lost 1-0 to Argentina in Saturday's other Group B match.
In the two-thirds full 45,000-seat stadium, South Korea spent much of the opening minutes giving the ball away to the former European champions and defending desperately.
But it scored from its first real chance.
Ki Sung-yong curled in a free kick with his right foot from near the left corner flag and the ball brushed the top of Konstantinos Katsouranis' head before reaching Lee at the far post, where the central defender easily tapped into an unguarded net.
"You've got 18 people in the penalty area and there is a hard hit cross, anything can happen if the defender doesn't head away the ball properly," Rehhagel said.
Rehhagel took off captain Giorgos Karagounis at the interval but South Korea continued to dominate despite Greece's adventurous three-man attack and Park Ji-sung made it 2-0.
Torosidis gave the ball away to Park midway inside his own half. Park surged forward and beat two sliding tackles before coolly scoring with a low shot.
"We said we shouldn't sit on our laurels and we should attack," Huh said. "I said at halftime that we would have more opportunities and we should take advantage."
Greece mustered only a couple of blocked shots and appealed desperately for a late penalty when Gekas' shot hit a defender. The South Korean had his arms raised but replays showed the ball hit his body.
Gekas then unleashed a shot from about 12 meters (yards) but goalkeeper Jung Sung-ryong punched it over the bar.
South Korea faces Argentina on Thursday and must now try to improve on its 2006 showing.
After reaching the 2002 semifinals as co-host with Japan in 2002, South Korea won its 2006 opener against Togo but was still eliminated from the first round after drawing with France and losing to Switzerland.
The Euro 2004 winners dominated the opening exchanges and Torosidis shot over the bar from a third-minute corner by Karagounis, but South Korea rallied and won its crucial free kick near the corner.
"We conceded that really quick goal," Alexandros Tziolis said. "It took us by surprise and threw us off our game."
Park Chu-young put a low shot wide and the lone striker then surged clear into the area after breaking free of Greece's four-man defense, only for Tzorvas to block his firm shot and deflect it over the bar.
Rehhagel substituted Karagounis for Christos Patsatzoglou at halftime, but South Korea created the first chance of the second half through Cha Du-ri, whose shot was blocked by a defender.
Park scored and, after Gekas' late efforts, Lee Chung-yong had a final chance pushed past the post by Tzorvas.
Greece goes for its first ever World Cup win against Nigeria on Saturday, when central defender Vangelis Moras should be fit to return from a persistent groin injury.
"I think it was a fair result. We didn't play well," Tziolis said. "We have very few options. There's no other option than to go all out."
Who Will Win the World Cup?
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World Cup Guide for Americans
How the U.S. Can Beat England
The United States held England to a 1-1 draw in their World Cup opener Saturday, with a stunning blunder by England goalkeeper Robert Green costing his team victory.
An apparently harmless 25-yard left-foot shot from Clint Dempsey in the 40th minute went straight at Green but the ball bounced off his right glove and trickled over the line for an equalizer.
England captain Steven Gerrard had given England the lead in the fourth, charging into the area and shooting with the outside of his foot past Tim Howard for his 17th international goal.
CBSNews.com Special Section: 2010 World Cup
Underdog U.S. Team Aims For Another Cup Upset
England, pursuing its first World Cup title since 1966, created more chances but the Americans held firm under pressure with a string of saves from Howard.
Green's error brought looks of dismay from English fans who were a majority in the sellout crowd of more than 38,000 at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium.
At the final whistle, American fans applauded and waved their flags as their team came over to greet them while the English supporters stood mostly in silence after their team filed off the field with heads bowed.
Green's slip recalled a similar mistake by former goalkeeper Scott Carson against Croatia which denied England a place at the 2008 European Championship.
Dempsey became only the second American to score in two World Cups. He also scored in the 2006 tournament.
Gerrard's early strike helped settle the England team while the Americans struggled to find any rhythm.
The United States had little to show for its efforts before its goal. The best chances came from headers as playmaker Landon Donovan twice set up Jozy Altidore to head wide.
Wayne Rooney, regarded as England's most threatening player, saw little of the ball and had little impact on the match.
Emile Heskey slammed into Howard in the 29th, hitting the goalkeeper in the chest with the toe of his boot as both went to meet a low cross from Aaron Lennon.
Heskey, making his first start since October, broke clear in the 52nd but shot straight at Howard, who came sprinting to the edge of the penalty area.
Howard was called into action again soon after as he tipped an effort from Frank Lampard over the bar, and at the other end Green deflected a shot from Altidore onto the crossbar in the 65th.
Rooney almost connected with a cross from Gerrard at the back post, and then set up substitute Shaun Wright-Phillips for a clear shot from the left which Howard stopped.
England coach Fabio Capello cranked up the pressure late in the match, bringing on Peter Crouch with 10 minutes remaining to supply Rooney with more possession, but there was no way through the American defense.
Lineups:
England: Robert Green, Glen Johnson, John Terry, Ledley King (Jamie Carragher, 45), Ashley Cole, Aaron Lennon, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, James Milner (Shaun Wright-Phillips, 31), Wayne Rooney, Emile Heskey (Peter Crouch, 79).
United States: Tim Howard, Steve Cherundolo, Jay DeMerit, Oguchi Onyewu, Carlos Bocanegra, Landon Donovan, Michael Bradley, Ricardo Clark, Clint Dempsey, Jozy Altidore (Stuart Holden, 86), Robbie Findley (Edson Buddle, 77).
In Other Matches Today:
South Korea eased to a 2-0 win over a lackluster Greece side in Saturday's first Group B match of the World Cup.
Lee Jung-soo tapped in unmarked to open the scoring in the seventh minute at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium and captain Park Ji-sung doubled the lead in the 52nd with a slick solo goal.
The Manchester United midfielder collected a misplaced pass from Vassilis Torosidis and skipped past two defenders before slipping a shot across goalkeeper Alexandros Tzorvas and in at the far post.
Striker Park Chu-young had another three chances to score for South Korea and Fanis Gekas had a shot saved with 10 minutes left for what was Greece's first clear effort.
"If we had been a little bit calmer, we could have had an even better result," South Korea coach Huh Jung-moo said. "In terms of scoring goals, it could have been a little bit better for us."
Greece coach Otto Rehhagel stood on the touchline at the end of his team's fourth straight World Cup finals defeat, his hands on his hips and a fierce scowl on his face.
"We really have to get our act together," Rehhagel said. "We've got to improve a couple of things and be brave and courageous enough."
Nigeria, Greece's next opponent, lost 1-0 to Argentina in Saturday's other Group B match.
In the two-thirds full 45,000-seat stadium, South Korea spent much of the opening minutes giving the ball away to the former European champions and defending desperately.
But it scored from its first real chance.
Ki Sung-yong curled in a free kick with his right foot from near the left corner flag and the ball brushed the top of Konstantinos Katsouranis' head before reaching Lee at the far post, where the central defender easily tapped into an unguarded net.
"You've got 18 people in the penalty area and there is a hard hit cross, anything can happen if the defender doesn't head away the ball properly," Rehhagel said.
Rehhagel took off captain Giorgos Karagounis at the interval but South Korea continued to dominate despite Greece's adventurous three-man attack and Park Ji-sung made it 2-0.
Torosidis gave the ball away to Park midway inside his own half. Park surged forward and beat two sliding tackles before coolly scoring with a low shot.
"We said we shouldn't sit on our laurels and we should attack," Huh said. "I said at halftime that we would have more opportunities and we should take advantage."
Greece mustered only a couple of blocked shots and appealed desperately for a late penalty when Gekas' shot hit a defender. The South Korean had his arms raised but replays showed the ball hit his body.
Gekas then unleashed a shot from about 12 meters (yards) but goalkeeper Jung Sung-ryong punched it over the bar.
South Korea faces Argentina on Thursday and must now try to improve on its 2006 showing.
After reaching the 2002 semifinals as co-host with Japan in 2002, South Korea won its 2006 opener against Togo but was still eliminated from the first round after drawing with France and losing to Switzerland.
The Euro 2004 winners dominated the opening exchanges and Torosidis shot over the bar from a third-minute corner by Karagounis, but South Korea rallied and won its crucial free kick near the corner.
"We conceded that really quick goal," Alexandros Tziolis said. "It took us by surprise and threw us off our game."
Park Chu-young put a low shot wide and the lone striker then surged clear into the area after breaking free of Greece's four-man defense, only for Tzorvas to block his firm shot and deflect it over the bar.
Rehhagel substituted Karagounis for Christos Patsatzoglou at halftime, but South Korea created the first chance of the second half through Cha Du-ri, whose shot was blocked by a defender.
Park scored and, after Gekas' late efforts, Lee Chung-yong had a final chance pushed past the post by Tzorvas.
Greece goes for its first ever World Cup win against Nigeria on Saturday, when central defender Vangelis Moras should be fit to return from a persistent groin injury.
"I think it was a fair result. We didn't play well," Tziolis said. "We have very few options. There's no other option than to go all out."
Who Will Win the World Cup?
World Cup: 5 Players to Watch
World Cup: 5 Players to Ignore
World Cup Guide for Americans
How the U.S. Can Beat England
(AP/CBS)
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