Green’s gaffe on bouncer costs England

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This article was published 13/06/2010 (5956 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

RUSTENBURG, South Africa — Goalkeeper Robert Green’s stunning blunder cost England victory and forced his team to settle for a 1-1 draw with the United States in their World Cup opener Saturday.

An apparently harmless 25-yard left-footed 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.

“It’s one of those that you see and people say, ‘How come that never happens to me,'” Dempsey said. “Finally, it’s a goal that probably the ‘keeper should have made a save on. They all count the same when they go in.”

England captain Steven Gerrard had given England the lead in the fourth minute, charging into the area and shooting with the outside of his foot past U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard.

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, who was voted player of the match.

“It was a difficult game,” Gerrard said. “I think the important thing in the first game is not to lose.”

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.

England manager Fabio Capello refused to blame his goalkeeper.

“He made one mistake but in the second half he also made a good save,” Capello told a news conference. “This is football. The most important thing is the score at the end of the game.”

Gerrard saw Green’s error as the game’s turning point.

“Unfortunately we’ve let a poor goal in and we couldn’t go on and get the winner,” he said. “The goal shocked us a bit… It took us a while to get over it.”

England won nine of its 10 qualifying games to secure a spot in South Africa but in warm-up games it recorded a series of uninspired performances.

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.

“Our first game is still about getting something, but when you go behind early, I thought the response was good,” U.S. coach Bob Bradley said. “I think after the goal, we started to put some plays together and built up confidence.”

Bradley commended his players on holding their own against England.

“It was a fast, hard game and we were pleased with the way our midfield was able to compete with England,” he said.

Green’s slip recalled a similar mistake by Scott Carson against Croatia that denied England a place at the 2008 European Championship.

The goalkeeping position has long been England’s weakest link. Paul Robinson, who started at the 2006 World Cup, lost his place after a series of errors. David James was on the bench in Rustenburg despite his nickname “Calamity.”

Dempsey became only the second American to score in two World Cups. He also scored in the 2006 tournament.

“At least we got a point, that’s the positive,” Dempsey said. “We’ve got to go out and win these next two games.”

Both countries can still claim one of the group’s top two places and advance to the next round. The other two teams in the group, Algeria and Slovenia, play today.

Gerrard’s early strike helped settle England, while the Americans struggled.

The U.S. 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.

— The Associated Press

England 1 0 — 1

U.S. 1 0 — 1

First Half

1. England, Steven Gerrard 1, fourth minute

2. U.S., Clint Dempsey 1, 40th.

Second Half

No Scoring.

Shots — England: 18: U.S.: 12.

Shots On Goal — England: 7; U.S.: 4.

Attendance — 38,646.