England: Time to heal
Portugal produces shootout victory
By KEN FIDLIN -- Toronto Sun
England has been dismissed from Euro 2004 and maybe that's for the best.
Twice in this tournament they lost, not just in heartbreaking fashion, but in ways that can leave ugly red welts on the spirit. Let them go home and mend. I mean, you don't want them to end up like the Boston Red Sox, for cripes sake.
As discouraged as the English must be after yesterday's excruciating shootout loss in the quarter-finals, you might have to go back six or seven centuries to find a more prideful day in Portugal's melancholy history.
These two sides played a football game for the history books yesterday, just as England and France did in the tournament opener 12 days ago, when England lost 2-1 on two France goals scored in injury time.
As much as players and coaches loathe it, the shootout, whether it's in soccer or hockey, is the most riveting, heart-in-your-throat moment in sports. It crackles with electricity.
This one was no exception, beginning with David Beckham's leadoff pop-up shank that missed the goal shockingly high and wide, to Portugal 'keeper Ricardo's amazing double that ended it.
With the score tied 5-5, Ricardo guessed correctly for the very first time, diving left to save Darius Vassell's penalty.
Now, all Portugal had to do was make the next penalty and a berth in the semi-finals was their's. So, who is the last man to shoot? Ricardo, the keeper, of course and he drilled it perfectly into the corner of the net.
"All wins are delicious," said Luiz Filip Scolari, the coach of Portugal. "But this one especially, after everything that happened, was spectacular."
After 120 minutes of tense football, the score was 2-2, setting up the drama to come.
England's history in shootouts is lamentable. Four times in the last 15 years England has been eliminated from either the European championship or the World Cup on penalties.
"It makes me wonder if we'll ever win a shootout," said Michael Owen.
Just as they had against the French, England carried the lead through most of the game, a fact that only served to make the pill more bitter to swallow when at last it was rammed down their throats.
SHOCKED STADIUM
Owen's goal three minutes in shocked the entire stadium and even though the Portuguese carried the attack to England most of the game, they did not get a ball past 'keeper David James until the 84th minute.
Just moments before the tying goal, Scolari curiously had substituted lightly regarded Helder Postiga for Luis Figo, the captain and heart and soul of Portuguese football. Figo left the pitch, his face a thundercloud, and the perplexed Portuguese fans turned to each other as if to say: "Has Scolari given up?"
Of course, 10 minutes later, it was Postiga in the right place at the right time, heading in Cristiano Ronaldo's cross, making his coach look like a genius.
In the second half of extra time, with just 10 minutes left, Rui Costa, another who came off Scolari's bench, drilled a laser beam of a shot past James for what everyone believed would be the winning goal.
Not so fast. With five minutes remaining in extra time, John Terry got his head on a Beckham corner and directed it back across the goal area to Frank Lampard, who pivoted and sent a screamer into the Portugal net.
All it did, however, was prolong the agony for England, making the end, when it came, even more painful than it might have been. In the 90th minute a Sol Campbell goal was disallowed when Terry was detected with an arm wrapped around Ricardo.
It was hard for Portugal to top their comeback win over Spain that allowed them to advance beyond the group stage but this just may have done it. Last night, Lisbon was aflame with national pride and so it should be.
And the English? Well, they know the drill. They've been down this road before. They played with admirable grit and determination and then, on cue, they fell on their swords. Now it's time to salve the wounds.
