Beckham’s Goal

GREAT goal by Beckham.

IMHO, this was the second-best goal of the tournament so far.

Absolute perfection (especially coming from a player who was barely present the rest of the match).

The only goal I would rate better was Maxi Rodriguez’s shot in the prolongation against Mexico. I rate Maxi’s shot higher for two reasons:
1) coming when it did, to win the match; and
2) what great skill, accuracy, and cojones for striking it off the chest volley from 20+ yards out.

Please!!! Goalie should have saved it.

Ulli,

Part (though not nearly the greater part – see Shawn’s description above) of what made the goal great was Beckham’s recognition of a serious deficiency of keeper Christian Mora:

On the previous free kick Beckham noted that Mora did not have the near-post protected. His second free kick capitalized on a weakness in the Ecuador defense.

Combine all the marks of the shot – skill, accuracy, pace, and decision-making – and you’ve got a great goal.

I agree with your assessment. In the States, we don’t get to see much of Beckham, but what I’ve seen of him in this Cup, I’ve liked. His precision placement of the ball is impeccable.

I don’t understand the hostility toward him from English fans, as I’ve read on many other boards. Beckham is providing most the goals and creating scoring chances for his teammates. Without him, England doesn’t stand much of a chance to advance.

It was pure perfection, no doubt.

But what about Becks puking his ring up five minutes later? Bad pint last night you reckon?

[...] Beckham promised us “no more excuses”, and kept to his word by scoring from an excellent excellently executed free kick. With the final score England 1-0 Ecuador, we’re in the Quarter-Finals. «« Previous: The Metropolitan Police Comments » [...]

it was an excellent goal… best england performance so far.

Now I get it why this guy has a movie named after him.

As an Ecuadorian fan, I am dissapointed. Becks kick was awesome, not perfect, because many other keepers may have gotten to it, but good enough to beat us.

I think the play of the game is the slide by A Cole on Tenorio’s shot. Not many people are talking about that play, but things could have been different.

Overall the game was not enjoyable. Both teams were taking dives and the ref was horrible. England has to improve a great deal if they want to get passed the next round.

Beckham’s a waste of space, only around to make money for himself and his dopey wife.
Done jack for England for the last threee years and should have been dropped ages ago.

Becks’ goal was amazing, no question about it. The downside, the English team doesn’t look, at least for me, like champion material… yet. We are all still waiting for the big explosion of the English talent. And, may I say one more thing?? Wayne Rooney is probably the most overrated player of the whole tournament. Anyhow, I’m cheering for you guys on the next game.

PLEASE BEAT THE PORTUGEES!!!!!

It shouldn’t be too hard!

Beckhams goal was a good goal dont get me wrong but it wasnt perfect. like mentioned before, any goalkeeper over 5′5′ (lol) would have gotten to it. i agree that he is needed even tho for 89 minutes he dont do nothin but puke and give long balls

rooney isn’t overrated, he just isn’t getting enough chances because of sven’s stupid formation. any time rooney got the ball he looked dangerous, but he was up there alone and not even 100% fit… silly sven.

beat the Portuguese? shouldn’t be too hard? England will be playing Portugal’s B side. You have an obligation to beat them. Period. No excuses. Good luck.

You guys are all dumb David Beckham is one of the top players in the world you guys have no idea about soccer and yes the goalie should have gotten that ball but he didn’t so one hell of a goal by beckham

I hope you cheating brits get knocked out once and for all. The most overhyped, boring worthless, uncreative, luckiest team in the cup award goes to England.
England is the laughing stock of the european countries.. you dont deserve to be here, or have beaten Ecuador.
You are celebrating send offs from Portugal to try and sneak your way into the tournament.
How pathetic and disgusting attitude – I dont blame you, England doesnt have any skill.

What a pitiable performance on both sides.

We were totally underwhelmed.
(The most honourable staff members of the world’s most intellectual newspaper THE SUN will probably proclaim it as something only second to Nelson’s Trafalgar victory.)

Bad luck for Ecu with that hit against the cross-bar; good luck for Beck with his perfect shot.

Beyond that? Beyond that?Beyond that?

What a prolonged yaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhwwwwwn … !

Remember Germany vs. Sweden and Portugal vs. Holland ? The tempo, the drama, the artistry ?

And yet England proceeds … after 4 ugly matches ! AWFUL !

But they will soon get the cup -of tea, that is, back home; in Derbyshire or Yorkshire or Shshshshire ( don’t mentiom the CUP, please)- well, with plenty of cups yet no world.

All I want to say is the American announcer Marcelo Bilboa is an @@@@@@, he is one of these announcers that were hired who is a HAS BEEN,who only watches soccer when it suits him. He bad mouthed David Beckham not 20 minutes before his KICK A**S goal. After he scored, he was “thats why he is the best, he is the captain”" blah blah. Shut the hell up”!! you are an idiot Bilboa. You did the same thing in the Argentina game last week, etc. You know nothing, you just watch a few games and make harsh comments. I doubt that you even watch the Argentine league, the Mexican league or the English Premier league. you are an embarassment as an American announcer, thank god for Julie Foudy and Alexi Lalas.

it was a lovely goal, nice to have a little reminder of why we keep Becks around, as sometimes I really do wonder. England had better pull their socks up for the game against Portugal, they’ll have to work a lot harder for a victory than the previous matches so far. Come on England! Please don’t make me listen to Portuguese car horns all night July 1st.

they were fortunate..
it was an awful dull game n i wonder why considering they have all the stars in it.
why cant they play like they did in the EPL?
…*sigh…

Becks scored a fine goal, not one of the tournament’s best, but a fine goal. Cutting ti the chase, what was up with the negative/cautious tactitics Sven used? This seemed like a prime moment to pick an attacking lineup or play an attacking formation. Why not a 4-4-2 with Rooney and Crouch playing in front of Gerrard and Lampard…or Gerrard and Carrick? Also, it seemed odd to me that with a five-man midfield they played the ball over the top so consistently rather than playing to feet. If Crouch were up front it would make more sense, but I was puzzled by the way they constantly whacked the ball in the air. I can only guess that since England’s supposedly great midlfielders seldom run off the ball, except a few times each game, that their greatness is nullified? As someone else wrote, why are these guys full of hustle and bustle for their club teams but don’t run for the national team?

I wonder if it ever occurred to any of the constant critics that England is actually playing extremely good teams that are actually trying to make it hard for England? And England wins anyway. I loved the comment about the artistry in the Germany-Sweden game – you mean the two moments of artistry? Surrounded by 88 minutes of boring football? Oh – wait – that sounds like your description of the England-Ecuador game! Or Netherlands-Portugal – I give you drama there – lots and lots of it – including from the ref. Didn’t see a lot of goalscoring skill though.

ooo…that is bad performance about
Carrick in the vs Ecuador. 4-1-4-1 is a good formation but has put a wrong guy,
The place of Carrick should replace by Hargreaves.
Which team wants to win after Germany …Please watch out Frings…the player make a importent for Germany…

“Remember Germany vs. Sweden and Portugal vs. Holland ? The tempo, the drama, the artistry ?”

The cheating, the diving, the gamesmanship, the headbutting, the begging for red/yellow cards…
The Port v Holl match will be remembered only for the worst elements of the beautiful game.

Go England!

Praise the lord that he is gifted different people with different qualities. Beckham has truly been gifted with a great right foot, and the intelligence to use at critical moments. He has got to be in the team just for this quality.

wonderful goal!!!

but be careful

world cup is swiss cup.

Damn it! referee!!!!!

British newspapers want Figo out of game… Jesus Christ!!! all that fear? the game is played next saturday, 4pm… don’t try to play it earlier… leave it to the pitch…

So much from so many about which they know little. Don’t write for a while guys, study the game a bit first, as many posters online are just like Marcel Bilboa the ABC TV commentator only ten times worse. The English are at the end of a hard season. We should play a Winter World Cup and see the difference as ‘other’ skills come into play. Do you think the South American and Africans would do well then? The stadium was very hot. Soccer is not meant to be played in that heat. The tempo has to be reduced. The near misses for England were ‘created’ and it could have been 4-1. The near misses for Ecuador were mostly as a result of good fortune as in the Ashley Cole intervention. The game was sound and entertaining if you understand and have put ‘time in’ to soccer. This is a Championship and you have to stay the course unlike Pope of USA and Deco of Portugal. I have put in 50 years and get a great deal more than most of you ‘new to soccer’ posters do obviously and I include the ones from UK. I was a paid professional Videographer for senior clubs up on the gantry at Liverpool and Newcastle and West Ham and helped coach players. I was in Germany as a soldier in 1966 when my team captain and two other West Ham players won us the World Cup. For the Argentina V Mexico match I donned my Sombrero and went to my local Mexican Restaurant and supported them and made new friends and loved every minute, especially the fine goal from Argentina. But there is just as much luck to get that goal as there is for Beckham to get his. You still have to have the nerve to try and then face the wrath when you ’sky’ it or miss. That makes the character of the player. Being a ‘fanatic’ is to support your side thru thick and thin. The English fans were behind their team from start to finish and deserved their win. The American commentators are cr*p and have no passion for the game. I enjoyed better listening to the passion of the Spanish Commentators without even understanding them. Get rid of dispassionate no nothing commentators and see the ratings go up. Put explainers on that know the game. America has invented terminology like ‘make up call’ and ‘put out of bounds’ when the goalkeeper makes a terrific save and puts it ‘out for a corner. They say ‘foul on so and so’ when the foul is against ’so and so’. It would suffice to say that the foul was on England by Ecuador or vice versa. They need to admire the wonderfully well timed tackles that rob the attacker without fouling him and to understand, like the players do that if they are given a yellow it’s their fault and no one else’s. Unlike was the case in the reporting of the US matches. They need to identify and explain that to foul to break up play as Ghana did is not the same as to foul with a hasty two-footed tackle from behind just in front of the referee that might injure as US players and others did. There were handball instances and pushing in the box on Sunday that might have led to penalties in other matches and especially in German matches at home and you have to accept that. It is part of the beautiful game. Please don’t let these post match analyzers spoil this game by introducing time outs (for advertising) and re runs of incidents. The game works best when left to the ref and you have to accept the good with the bad. The ref in the Portugal V Holland match had an enormous task and people don’t seem to understand that. Who could have done better? Would you have liked to officiate at such a game. He kept his nerve very well when many might have run away to the dressing room and cried. These are hot blooded soccer players and Portuguese and Italians are known for that. There are some South American teams who are known for boiling over also. I risk sounding pompous but if that’s what it takes so be it. Get some time in before thinking you are an expert at defining and explaining and criticizing soccer.

its time the FREAKING BRITISH MEDIA/ENGLAND FANS start appreciating david beckham. without him. probably the 1st game against paraguay will be a draw. no goals for the 2nd game and of course not a win against ecuador.

NO ONE CAN BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM!!!!!

Lennon IN, Beckham OUT….

I’ll give England a perfect score thus far. Not pretty to watch but generally concrete. I can’t say anything bad about Beckham neither. Altough he does take every effing free kick so he should put one in every blue moon. I’d like to see Crouch supporting Rooney with the nod-ons and it is maybe a shame that we didn’t give Theo Walcott a run out maybe during the last game of the group against Trinidad, so we could what if anything he might do, but I willhave to accept that Sven’s conservatism is paying off. Anyway, I am glad were still in it and I am glad we are facing the Portuguese at the next stage rather than the Argentines or Brazilians or Italians or even the Dutch. The draw is working for us thus far, and the team should be improving enough to meet each growing challenge. Were as good as any of them, and lets just hope we can see some positive fruitful attacking play.

I’ve seen Becks score this goal before. But it was nice to see it again.

I HATE PORTUGAL! arghh ..BECKHAM ROX FOREVER !

BecKs, you rocks!!

you know, england lost and they fully diserved it. they are fighting agaist them instead of playing the game. i would not tolerate that for a second. btw, i have a portuguese mother so i know what im talking about and i wont let these jokes get to me.