Brits Top Argentina At World Cup

David Beckham made good on a penalty kick in the 44th minute of play Friday, lifting England to a 1-0 victory over old rival Argentina in a match that drew heavy security against repeats of past fan violence.

Thousands of police, including riot troops armed with net-guns and water cannons, had mobilized for the match in northern Japan, determined to ensure that Asia's first World Cup isn't marred by hooliganism.

Dressed in red to match the team's jerseys, the English roared "God Save the Queen!" and "Rule Britannia!" and drowned out the Argentine national anthem with piercing whistles. Cries of "England! England!" echoed through the roofed stadium as the teams took the field.

So far, the world's most popular sport has enjoyed a peaceful tournament. But the biggest test came Friday evening when the bitter rivals, whose fans have a long history of soccer stadium violence, faced off for control of soccer's so-called "Group of Death," its top tier of teams.

During the 1998 World Cup in France, hundreds of overzealous fans went on a rampage during the tournament, leaving more than 60 people injured. Avoiding a similar scene is a matter of national pride for this year's co-hosts, Japan and South Korea.

As thousands of fans poured into Sapporo for Friday's game, the mood was mostly festive. Fans on both sides soaked up the sun in a city park or danced down the streets in team jerseys, singing and waving banners.

Local Japanese, more curious than alarmed, eagerly snapped photos of the boisterous visitors, occasionally shielding a snicker or two.

"There has been a lot of preparations for months for the worst case scenario," said Kevin Miles, an organizer of England's "Fan Embassy." "A lot of the population, including the police, are a bit nervous... But there is precious little indication of any problems here."

Sapporo mobilized 7,000 officers to make sure it stays that way. Four English fans were arrested Thursday night on charges ranging from assault to theft, while another 38 British nationals have been denied entry to Japan as suspected hooligans.

"This isn't just another game," Argentina coach Marcelo Bielsa said before kickoff. "It's one that carries a lot of history with it, and we won't be ignoring that."

England fans still haven't forgotten Diego Maradona's infamous "Hand of God" goal in the 1986 World Cup, when he apparently used his hand to punch the ball past the keeper in Argentina's 2-1 win over England. Argentina went on to win the title that year.

At France '98, Argentina again knocked out England, winning a penalty-kick shootout 4-3 after a game in which England star David Beckham was controversially ejected.

But bitter feelings stretch back even further over the Falkland Islands War, a 10-week battle in 1982 that left more than 700 Argentines and 200 English soldiers dead.

In Britain, bookies predicted more bets would be placed on Friday's England-Argentina showdown than on any other soccer match, with some $16.8 million in expected wagers.

One oddsmaker had England favored at 11-5 to win, while one rival had Argentina at 11-10 favorites. There were even odds of 10-1 on one or more of the Argentineans shedding tears during or after the game.

While the England-Argentina match grabbed most of the attention, fellow "Group of Death" team Sweden beat Nigeria 2-1 in the western Japanese city of Kobe. Meanwhile, Spain defeated Paraguay 3-1 in South Korea to clinch a place in the second round.

Even without fans fighting in the streets, this year's organizers are struggling to avoid a different embarrassment--thousands of unsold seats.

Average attendance at the early matches had been below 38,000, considerably off the 43,500 average in France at the same stage, with only 75 percent of the seats filled.

FIFA, soccer's governing body, and organizing committees in both countries have overhauled earlier plans and are now selling tickets over the Internet and by telephone.

The new approach is a hit.

So many fans in Tokyo called for tickets that they crashed the transmission system of mobile phone operator NTT DoCoMo when sales opened at noon Friday.

Those lucky enough to get through snapped up the 750 tickets remaining for Sunday's Japan-Russia match in 20 minutes, while 1,600 leftover seats for the Italy-Croatia game sold out in 45 minutes.