A brief history of England-Argentina

By Brian Glanville, World Soccer

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NOW, in World Cup terms, it's England 3 Argentina 2.

Despite Sven-Goran Eriksson's truly bizarre decision to pull off Michael Owen, the clear terror of the Argentine defense, to put on not Darius Vassell nor Robbie Fowler, but for Heaven's sake a left back in the shape of Wayne Bridge, England retained their lead. This, despite virtually saying to the Argentines, "Come and get us!"

Attack isn't always the best form of defense, but in this case a skeleton attack, however substantial a skeleton Terry Sheringham may be, seemed ludicrous.

I saw those first three games against Argentina. Also the first ever between the countries at Wembley in May 1951 when a big, brave goalkeeper called Rugilio kept England at bay, the famous Labruna-Lostau left wing pair sparkled away, and Boye, a powerful outside right, headed, if I remember well, Argentina into an alarming lead. England squeezed through 2-1 and it would be another years plus before their unbeaten record was smashed by the Hungarians.

The day after that first game I visited the Argentines in the distinguished company of Vittorio Pozzo, winner of two World Cups with his Italian team. He was received with reverence. After all, had he not used three Argentines --Luisito Monti, Raimondo Orsi and Enrico Guaita -- in the Italian team, which won the 1934 World Cup final?

How Argentina now must hate the very sight of Owen? Two penalties procured in those two most recent World Cup games, Friday's somewhat more convincing than the one in Saint-Etienne where he also got a dazzling goal. And how cleverly in Sapporo he shot through the legs of the twisted and turned Walter Samuel. In France, Argentina could defeat England's 10 men only on penalties.

In the Azteca in 1986 it was Diego Maradona's shameful, or shameless, Hand of God goal which opened the way for his team -- followed by that coruscating dribble. Though an Italian journalist remarked to me that England were then still in a state of shock, like a man who's just had his wallet lifted.

How strange but ultimately positive the saga of Trevor Sinclair. Flying home to London and West Ham after what he admitted was a nightmare of a display in the game against friendly opposition, suddenly and surprisingly recalled by Eriksson when injury beset the squad, then used in what was his original position long since with Blackpool and surely his best, against Cameroon when one fine header almost brought a goal.

Perversely it seemed, Eriksson announced days before England's first World Cup game against Sweden that Emile Heskey, woefully below par, would be on the left flank. But when Owen Hargreaves came off injured against Argentina, on blessedly went Sinclair on the left, to convince again.

Managers, though, do the strangest things, not least at international level. How could France's Roger Lemerre for a moment believe he wasn't running a colossal risk by picking Frank Leboeuf to play at center back.

True he seemed to feel some perverse sense of loyalty to those players who had served him well so far, but Frank four years ago was a very lucky man to pick up a World Cup gold medal, filling in for the sadly suspended Laurent Blanc. All season for Marseille he had been far from solid, and it was odds on that the clever, quick, elusive, strong Senegalese striker, El Hadji Diouf, now en route for lucky Liverpool, would take him apart. This indeed he did on three major occasions, one of them producing the winning goal.

But Lemerre's cup must really have been full when Thierry Henry committed that stupid, spiteful foul to get himself sent off against Uruguay.

Speaking of stupid, spiteful fouls, it was another Senegalese, also bound for Liverpool, Salis Diao, who got himself expelled in Daegu's heat and humidity with his shocking challenge on Rene Henriksen. Diao had quite a game. He'd needlessly given away a penalty with a shove on Jon Dahl Tomasson (how do Newcastle feel about rejecting him now Milan have paid so much for him?) and scored his own team's goal after a glorious long move. The pass came from Khalilou Fadiga who himself could well have been sent off for a bad earlier foul; yet he survived to put Diao through for the goal.

Fadiga himself has had quite a tournament. Bang to rights for stealing a gold necklace just before it began he was luckier than Bobby Moore in 1970, falsely arrested over that bracelet in Bogota. Fadiga returned the necklace, the jeweler decided not to press charges, and the prosecution let things drop on the charitable grounds that they didn't want to upset Fadiga before Senegal's coming games! Since he'd already been a star of the victory over France with his fine left foot, this almost seemed superfluous!

Brian Glanville is Britain's most celebrated football writer. He also writes a monthly column in World Soccer magazine.

His latest book, a fully updated edition of THE STORY OF THE WORLD CUP is available in all good bookshops. Readers of worldsoccer.com can buy this highly-acclaimed history of the World Cup and enjoy a 10% discount by clicking here.