USA and Britain tie in futbol (soccer)

Okay, I agree that this has absolutely NOTHING to do with Orthodox theology. But, THE USA TIED BRITAIN IN ITS FIRST GAME OF THE WORLD CUP!!!! There are no heavenly choirs singing, but certainly quite a few happy residents of the USA, whether they are here or stationed abroad. Britain is in a state of disbelief:

Goalkeeper Robert Green suffered a World Cup nightmare as England were forced to settle for a disappointing draw in the opening game of their campaign against the United States.

Steven Gerrard gave coach Fabio Capello the perfect start to this South African mission when he slid Emile Heskey’s pass beyond Tim Howard after only four minutes.

And while England rarely hit the heights, they were maintaining their advantage in relative comfort until five minutes before half-time when West Ham United’s Green suffered the lapse that will haunt him.

Clint Dempsey offered an effort that was little more than pot luck from 25 yards, but Green hopelessly allowed the ball to squeeze through him and roll agonisingly over the line as he tried to recover.

The reporting in the USA also reflected a state of shock and awe:

Rob Green’s howler is one of the worst goalkeeper gaffes in World Cup history. Everyone knew coming into this game that England’s weakest position was goalkeeper, but nobody could have predicated that Green would spill a harmless Clint Dempsey shot into his own net. Give some credit to Dempsey for creating space against Steven Gerrard to get off the shot from 20 yards, but Green’s two-handed-sieve parry over the England line was downright shocking. And for the second straight World Cup the U.S. gets an unexpected 1-1 tie against a world power thanks to a gift goal. (See: 1-1 tie in ’06 after an Italy own-goal.) It will forever be known as Green’s Giveaway Gaffe, but the U.S. also deserves plaudits for buckling down after the worst start imaginable, an easy goal in the opening minutes by Gerrard. Bonus points too for Tim Howard, who fought through an injury after a painful collision with Emile Heskey and made several key saves. The goalkeepers were the difference in this game.

But, then again, maybe it was the fault of the ball. The English coach said:

“I don’t think you can criticize the goalkeeper, people have been talking about the ball and it’s tricky and I’m sure he’ll play a big part later in the competition.

Sounds like sour grapes to me. OK, maybe it was not pretty, but I will certainly take it!