England starts rebuilding with victory over Hungary
England slowly picks up the pieces of their shattered dreams in South Africa, starting with a win against Hungary in an International Friendly at Wembley Stadium. It was truly a victory for England, as their coach Fabio Capello did not expect much since their disastrous World Cup performance. Furthermore, Fabio Capello did not change his starting XI. He retained the players who competed in the World Cup, unlike new Brazilian coach Mano Menezes, who only retained 4 World Cup players in his team. Joe Hart, Glen Johnson, John Terry, Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard, Gareth Barry, Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney were all part of the tragic defeat in the South Africa. But as said earlier, Capello did not expect much. "I expect boos. Why not? We win together, we lose together. Always, I respect the crowd but I am the boss. They have to boo me like the players," explained Capello.
It was probably a good decision though, as England beat Hungary 2-1. According to Michael Landon of goal.com, England started off with understandable tension. It elicited a few boos here and there from the crowd. But England picked up their pace and in less than five minutes, the boos turned into cheers. There were attempts that nearly made it but Hungarians would not let England penetrate their defense. Gerrard set up a good corner for Jagielka but it went past the wrong side. Gerrard had an opportunity to sprint on a goal but the Hungarian goalkeeper Gabor Kiraly was too quick. No goals were made but as early as the first half, it was clear that the English boys played with purpose and conviction; something that was not seen in their World Cup campaign.
The second half was dramatic for the English team. Phil Jagielka’s own goal in the 62nd minute threatened to dampen the spirits of the English team but Gerrard saved the day with a goal at the 69th minute. The Liverpool midfielder fought back with a 25-yard shot. Four minutes later, Gerrard raised the confidence of England once again with a little help from Ashley Young’s cross. He put the ball on near the post, taking out three defenders and leaving them astonished. He shot the ball past Kiraly and made it 2-1 for the match. Naturally, Gerrard was named Man of the Match by Turkish Airlines for his double saves that proved to be crucial in the English team’s rebuilding process.
This victory is important for Capello’s boys as it is their first step towards redeeming themselves from the ashes. Captain Steven Gerrard stepped forward and took initiative in exorcising England from its own World Cup demons. Yet, it is not only the captain’s victory. According to goalkeeper Joe Hart, "It means the world [winning the game], I think Stevie's celebration, and the boys' celebration, shows that.”
An international friendly is nothing like the World Cup. Nothing will ever compare to winning the World Cup. However, England has to start somewhere. And this is where they have started. Most people may say that it was a relatively easy match, as Hungary ranked an obscure 62 in the Coca-Cola World Ranking, nothing compared to England’s number 10. But there is no small team or big team in football anymore. The turn of events in South Africa proved that. Almost nobody expected Slovakia to send the Italians home in tears. And it is quite a surprise to many that Uruguay has surpassed the so-called big teams in football such as Portugal, Italy, France, Brazil and Argentina.
Congratulations to England for taking the first step in rebuilding their status. As far as their World Cup experience and this international friendly are concerned, there are two important things they should etch in their minds. First, their is no such thing as a small team. They should always be on their toes, no matter who they are up against. Second and more importantly, they should always play as a team. If one stumbles in the game (Jagielka), the other should take initiative in redeeming the team (Gerrard). The English team will go a long way if they emulate Gerrard’s determination.
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