England celebrates win over Argentina

LONDON (AP) -- England erupted in wild celebrations Friday after its national soccer team beat Argentina 1-0 in the World Cup for its first victory over its fierce South American rival since 1966.

The country came to a virtual standstill as the game in Sapporo, Japan, kicked off at 12:30 p.m. local time.

Millions of people gathered to watch the game in city squares, pubs, factories, theaters, supermarkets, offices -- even churches. Huge TV screens were set up in public places for what newspapers described as "the longest lunch hour in history."

Across the land, fans went wild as captain David Beckham, an iconic figure in England, scored on a penalty kick to put England ahead 1-0 just before halftime.

After England withstood a surge of pressure from Argentina in the second half to hold on for the victory, fans were swept into a party atmosphere as they hailed one of the team's most satisfying wins in decades.

Byron Vale, a 26-year-old apprentice lawyer, was among hundreds of fans packing a bar near Smithfield Market in central London.

"It was the sweetest penalty I have ever seen," he said of Beckham's goal. "I don't know many people who like the Argentines very much when it comes to soccer, so when we scored people were going absolutely crazy and hugging complete strangers."

Simon Fallon, a 26-year-old headhunter for a London firm, said Friday's win was as sweet as England's 5-1 thrashing of Germany in a World Cup qualifying match in Munich last year.

"I absolutely cannot stand Argentina after all that has gone in past matches," he said. "But now I am absolutely ecstatic."

Lawrence Evans, a 22-year-old civil servant, said, "The last minutes were agony for me and I just went ballistic when the final whistle went. It feels so, so good to beat the Argies."

The result means England, which tied Sweden 1-1 in its first group game last Sunday, now is in good position to qualify for the second round.

Within minutes of the final whistle, British bookmakers slashed the odds on coach Sven Goran Eriksson's team winning the World Cup. Ladbrokes cut England from 16-1 to 7-1, while William Hill's odds went from 14-1 to 8-1.

Ladbrokes even quoted odds of just 10-1 on Beckham -- already treated with regal status here -- receiving a knighthood this year.

It was estimated that up to 6 million people -- one in every five workers -- stayed away from work to watch the match. In London, an Old Bailey judge even gave jurors in a rape case time off to follow the game.

Some employers offered flexible work hours and set up televisions and provided refreshments. Some businesses gave workers the day off -- as long as they make up the time when the World Cup concludes.

The Center for Economic Research said the absenteeism would cost the country 750 million pounds (dlrs 1 billion) in lost output and productivity.

Gareth Abbot, a stock trader at Marshall Securities Ltd. in London, said the phones in his office didn't ring once throughout the game.

"Nothing at all," he said. "Not a single sausage."

Annabel Lawrence, general manager of the Smiths of Smithfield bar, said she had four times as many customers as on a normal Friday.

"Normally the accountants and lawyers and media types sit down at the tables for lunch, but today they're all jumping up and down on the tables," she said.

British bookmakers said they expected that 12 million pounds (dlrs 17.4 million) would be wagered on the game, a record for a single soccer match.

Queen Elizabeth II, not known as a soccer fan, was kept abreast of the score as she visited an agricultural show in West Sussex. Her grandsons, Princes William and Harry, watched at home in Highgrove. Prime Minster Tony Blair watched from his Chequers residence.

"He is thrilled with the result and thinks the team fully deserved their win," a Downing Street spokesman said, speaking on customary condition of anonymity. "They showed skill, guts and commitment from beginning to end and he is really pleased for Sven and the whole squad."

The streets of London were virtually deserted during the game.

Some pubs even charged entry fees of anywhere between 2 pounds (dlrs 2.9 million) and 50 pounds (dlrs 72.50) to watch the game.

Some fans went to great lengths to watch the match.

Derek Mwanza, a 30-year-old British Gas customer service representative, donned a pink bikini and roller-skated down the main shopping street in Southampton to raise money for charity as part of a deal with his boss to get the day off.

The tabloids had gone into jingoistic overdrive for the game, portraying it as a chance for England to exact "payback" for previous controversy-filled World Cup defeats to Argentina in 1986 and 1998.

The mass-circulation Sun ran a front-page headline declaring: "We Can STUFF Argies!" The Mirror, playing on the theme that the Argentines are cheaters, asked, "How Foul Can They Get?"

There is a history of bad blood between the two sides, and the Falklands War is inevitably mentioned when the two countries play soccer. The 10-week conflict in 1982 left more than 700 Argentines and 200 English soldiers dead.

In addition, English fans have never forgiven Argentina for Diego Maradona's infamous "Hand of God" goal in 1986 which knocked England out of that year's World Cup. Maradona punched the ball past goalkeeper Peter Shilton for Argentina's opener in the quarterfinal in Mexico.

Then, four years ago, there was heartache for England again as Beckham was sent off and the team lost to Argentina in a penalty shoot-out at the World Cup in France.