England advances, welcomes back Rooney
(AP)
Updated: 2006-06-16 07:36 "Through 83 minutes I thought we played well and had a few chances," Hislop
said. "With a little bit more luck, we could have gone in at halftime one-up. It
just wasn't meant to be. In the end, when the dust settles we will be very proud
of our performance today. Right now, we're very disappointed."
Any shot at a draw ended when Gerrard beat Hislop with a hard, left-footed
shot from the edge of the penalty area in the final moments. Gerrard had scored
two goals and a penalty kick against Hislop in the FA Cup final, which Liverpool
won in a shootout over West Ham on May 13.
"As the minutes tick by and the game goes on, your hopes build and you get
more and more excited," Trinidad coach Leo Beenhakker said. "Our heads dropped
after that and I wasn't surprised to see England score the second."
Trinidad and Tobago has one point after two games, and still has a slim
chance to advance to the second round if it can beat Paraguay next Tuesday and
England beats Sweden. England can clinch first place with a tie against the
Swedes.
Trinidad's defensive strategy frustrated the English and quieted the crowd
that had been singing and cheering loudly at the start of the game.
It was Rooney's entrance in the 58th minute that turned the tide. The
20-year-old forward broke a bone in his right foot on April 29 playing for
Manchester United and wasn't expected back this soon.
But he was cleared to play by doctors earlier in the day, and combined with
Lennon to bring more energy to England. The early struggles prompted the fans to
chant Rooney's name in the first half, and they broke into a loud standing
ovation when he came on in place of Owen.
"The fans want to see him play and so do we," Beckham said. "Considering he's
been out for six to seven weeks, he changed the game a little bit. Wayne said he
felt fine, so that's the main thing.
Owen missed one of England's first-half opportunities when he shot wide all
alone in the middle of the box off a rebound in the sixth minute. Crouch also
blew some early chances, including one rushed shot all alone in the middle of
the box that went well wide.
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