2006 FIFA World Cup Coverage

Beckham goal carries England

A second-half free kick sneaks into the net for a 1-0 win against Ecuador and a quarterfinal berth.

By TIMES WIRES
Published June 26, 2006

STUTTGART, Germany - David Beckham curled a 25-yard free kick inside the post in the 60th minute, the lone highlight in England's 1-0 second-round win over Ecuador on Sunday.

England was eliminated by South American teams in the previous two World Cups, Brazil in the 2002 quarterfinals and Argentina in penalty kicks in the second round in 1998, when Beckham was ejected for a foul a minute into the second half.

For an hour against this South American club, England aimlessly passed the ball, surrendering chances and missing a few of its own. The game turned on Edwin Tenorio's foul of Frank Lampard near the penalty area.

The English captain's free kick hooked over a defensive wall of four Ecuadorians toward the corner. Keeper 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.

"The last two days, I've been struggling, even in training," he said. "(Teammate Wayne Rooney) said to me before the game, 'You've been terrible the last two days, so you're going to get one tonight.'

"And I got a text from (Brazilian defender) Roberto Carlos this afternoon saying 'Score me a free kick.' And he's brought me good luck."

Later, Beckham struggled in the heat, vomiting on the field and coming out of the game in the 87th.

"I didn't feel well before the game," Beckham said. "I felt fine in the first half. In the second, it just came out."

Ecuador, in the second round for the first time, almost scored in the 12th. Defender John Terry's header popped up behind him. Carlos Tenorio, one-on-one against keeper Paul Robinson, settled the ball, but Ashley Cole slid to deflect the ball off the crossbar.

"We leave with our chins very high," Ecuador coach Luis Fernando Suarez said. "It was decided as I expected, either on a dead ball or a genius move."

Portugal 1, Netherlands 0

Boots bashed into thighs and shoulders, heads butted and elbows flew in Nuremberg.

"FIFA talks about fair play," Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said. "There was no fair play."

Said Dutch coach Marco Van Basten: "If you talk about fair play, you should watch yourself first. They were a bit more experienced with all these tricks and all this time wasting."

The 16 yellow cards (nine for Portugal) tied a record. A record four, two from each team, were ejected. And the tournament, whose motto is "A time to make friends" and has 12 games left, has set a record with 23 red cards.

Against England, Portugal will be without key starters Deco and Costinha. And starting forward Cristiano Ronaldo sustained a leg injury on a hard foul. His status was uncertain.

The difference was a goal by Maniche in the 23rd. Pauleta touched the ball to Maniche, who skipped inside a defender and beat Edwin van der Sar from 16 yards.

After that, the bile began to rise, and the best the Dutch could do was send cross after cross. Phillip Cocu's volley hit the crossbar in the 48th.

"It is sad there was so little soccer played in the second half," Van Basten said.

The sides did agree on one facet of the game: referee Valentin Ivanov.

"It is a pity the referee made a mess of this game," Van Basten said.

NO VIOLENCE: German police said all was calm after England's win. Beer, expletives and songs flowed freely in a downtown square near where English fans watched the game in a free public viewing area. About 2,000 officers kept a low profile but said they had help from hooligan experts from England. Saturday, police arrested 400 English and 14 Germans after a clash between fans from both countries.

BRAZIL: Robinho, a key reserve, did not practice a day after injuring his right thigh. He likely will be a game-time decision.

MEXICO: A panel will decide on renewing Ricardo Lavolpe's contract as coach when it ends July 30. Lavolpe, Mexico's longest-serving coach, was criticized for an inconsistent first round but praised after Mexico played well in losing 2-1 in overtime to Argentina in the second round.

SWEDEN: Defender Teddy Lucic retired from international competition a day after earning two yellow cards against Germany. Other longtime players, including Fredrik Ljungberg, Henrik Larsson, Anders Svensson and Niclas Alexandersson have not determined their futures. Lucic, 33, who played 85 international games, was a reserve in the 1994 World Cup, when Sweden finished third, and a regular in 2002 and 2006.

DRUGS: No positive doping cases were reported in the first round. Two players from each team were tested after each game.

[Last modified June 26, 2006, 01:24:01]