Beckham's goal lifts England over Ecuador
STUTTGART, Germany - David Beckham was feeling nauseous. England's offense
was just as sickly, with nothing to show for an hour of aimless passing against
Ecuador in the 90-degree heat.
England's David Beckham celebrates with Ashley
Cole after scoring the opening goal during the Round of 16 World Cup
soccer match between England and Ecuador at the World Cup Gottlieb-Daimler
stadium in Stuttgart, Germany, Sunday, June 25, 2006.[AP]
|
Then Beckham's right foot lived up to its fame, squeezing England into the
World Cup quarterfinals.
Beckham curled a trademark 25-yard free kick just inside the post in the 60th
minute Sunday, his first goal for England in nearly 15 months ¡ª and the lone
highlight in an otherwise ugly 1-0 victory over Ecuador.
A few minutes later, he vomited on the field because of dehydration, and left
the match in the 87th minute.
"The last two days I've been struggling, even in training," Beckham said.
Then he recounted what teammate Wayne Rooney had told him to give him a lift:
"Wazza said to me before the game, `You've been terrible the last two days, so
you're going to get one tonight.'"
Seeking its first World Cup title since 1966, England next plays Saturday
against Portugal, which beat the Netherlands 1-0, but will have two starters ¡ª
Deco and Costinha ¡ª suspended for the match.
While Beckham is soccer's best-known player, he is far from the best, a
31-year-old midfielder criticized for his lack of defense and inability to score
from the run of play.
But his status as a cultural icon has grown in his decade with England,
especially since his marriage to pop star Victoria Adams, formerly known as Posh
Spice. He has opened a soccer academy in California, and he is considering
ending his career in the U.S. with Major League Soccer.
His goal ended a 13-match scoreless streak dating to a World Cup qualifier
against Azerbaijan on March 30, 2005.
For England, the wait was worth it.
"Obviously, Becks is crucial," teammate Owen Hargreaves said.
Before Beckham's goal, the English surrendered chances to Ecuador and missed
a few of their own. The game finally turned when Edwin Tenorio fouled Frank
Lampard outside the penalty area, giving England the free kick.
The English captain, whose darting shots inspired the 2003 movie titled "Bend
it Like Beckham," snatched the ball from the referee, lined up his planned
trajectory and sent the ball spinning and twisting toward the goal.
It hooked ever so carefully over a defensive wall of four Ecuadoreans in
bright yellow shirts and dipped toward the corner. Goalkeeper Cristian Mora
dived to his right and caught a piece of it with his fingertips, but couldn't
stop it from grazing the post and squirting into the net.
"He proved his worth today," teammate Rio Ferdinand said.
Becoming the first Englishman to score in three World Cups, Beckham ran
wildly toward the center of the field, hooking an arm around Ashley Cole. Adams,
the focus of television cameras, jumped up in the stands.
"I have stopped saying anything to the critics about David Beckham," England
coach Sven-Goran Eriksson said. "He's maybe the best player on set pieces in the
world, and he's still criticized."
Despite the heat and muggy weather, Beckham oddly switched from short sleeves
to long at halftime, and left late in the game despite feeling better.
"We've got to overcome this because there will be other days like this,"
Beckham said. "We make things hard for ourselves. We don't keep the ball as well
as we can do."
Beckham's goal was just his 17th in 93 international appearances, but one
sure to be included on the tournament's highlights.
Ecuador coach Luis Fernando Suarez, whose team had advanced beyond the
opening round for the first time, said he was proud of his team's accomplishment
in the face of an overwhelming favorite.
"An extremely complicated match," Suarez said. "It was decided as I expected,
either on a dead ball or a genius move. All the credit is for the person who
kicked it. My men did not fail."
