Red Devil
Jun 7 2002, 04:55 PM
Delighted Becks: That was unbelievable
Euphoric David Beckham hailed England's victory over Argentina as 'unbelievable' after firing home the decisive penalty just before half-time.
The England skipper kept his cool to smash the spot-kick past keeper Pablo Cavallero following Mauricio Pochettino's foul on Michael Owen.
It was a magic moment for Beckham, infamously sent off as England lost to Argentina on penalties in the 1998 World Cup.
And a superb team performance from Sven Goran Eriksson's side ensured that the strike secured three vital points.
Delighted Beckham said: 'It's just unbelievable. This just tops it all off.
'We battled really hard for the whole 92 minutes - it was not just about my penalty.
'As a footballing nation I think we've been waiting for that victory for a long time, and to do it in the World Cup in the group stages is something special.
'A lot has happened in my career and a lot happened four years ago, and it's just nice that finally I can hopefully lay it to rest.'
It was England's first World Cup win against Argentina since 1966, and manager Eriksson praised his team for their performance following the disappointment of the 1-1 draw against Sweden.
He said: 'I was pleased that we played football for more than 45 minutes.
'In the second half we created some good chances. The last 15 minutes was very difficult but the players worked extremely hard.
'We played very good football for 70 to 75 minutes. We played with a big, big heart. It pleased me that we played football for more than 45 minutes.
'This win was very important of course after the first game - but we have to work very, very hard and try to go further on.'
Downcast Argentina counterpart Marcelo Bielsa admitted: 'It was obviously a very important match. We did not get the three points we needed, so it makes it difficult.
'This was a very tightly-fought match. There were some opportunities on both sides, and unfortunately we were unable to take advantage of some of the chances we had.
'The next match will be a match for classification. We will need to focus on the task in front of us and try to put the sadness of this defeat behind us.'
ESPN
Euphoric David Beckham hailed England's victory over Argentina as 'unbelievable' after firing home the decisive penalty just before half-time.
The England skipper kept his cool to smash the spot-kick past keeper Pablo Cavallero following Mauricio Pochettino's foul on Michael Owen.
It was a magic moment for Beckham, infamously sent off as England lost to Argentina on penalties in the 1998 World Cup.
And a superb team performance from Sven Goran Eriksson's side ensured that the strike secured three vital points.
Delighted Beckham said: 'It's just unbelievable. This just tops it all off.
'We battled really hard for the whole 92 minutes - it was not just about my penalty.
'As a footballing nation I think we've been waiting for that victory for a long time, and to do it in the World Cup in the group stages is something special.
'A lot has happened in my career and a lot happened four years ago, and it's just nice that finally I can hopefully lay it to rest.'
It was England's first World Cup win against Argentina since 1966, and manager Eriksson praised his team for their performance following the disappointment of the 1-1 draw against Sweden.
He said: 'I was pleased that we played football for more than 45 minutes.
'In the second half we created some good chances. The last 15 minutes was very difficult but the players worked extremely hard.
'We played very good football for 70 to 75 minutes. We played with a big, big heart. It pleased me that we played football for more than 45 minutes.
'This win was very important of course after the first game - but we have to work very, very hard and try to go further on.'
Downcast Argentina counterpart Marcelo Bielsa admitted: 'It was obviously a very important match. We did not get the three points we needed, so it makes it difficult.
'This was a very tightly-fought match. There were some opportunities on both sides, and unfortunately we were unable to take advantage of some of the chances we had.
'The next match will be a match for classification. We will need to focus on the task in front of us and try to put the sadness of this defeat behind us.'
ESPN