England 2-3 Croatia: Full time report – hang on we could still…no, we’re out!

Ollie Irish

21st, November 2007

11 Comments

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England are out of Euro 2008. We got off to the worst imaginable start by gifting Croatia two goals in the first 15 minutes – the first our now traditional goalkeeping howler, this time from Scott Carson, and the second a lesson in how not to defend.
McClaren must have done his best Winston Churchill impression at half time but it was blind luck from the referee that got us back into the game with a penalty awarded for the slightest of shirt pulls – scored by Frank Lampard. Then the roof came off when Peter Crouch finished superbly from a beautiful cross from our new supersub, David Beckham – who completed what was a Sven midfield.
But as is always the way, we defended too deep and didn’t take the game to the talented Croats leading to the inevitable heart breaking goal from Petric who had only been on the pitch for a few minutes.
Was this “one of the most humilating defeats in modern football history?”

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11 Comments

  1. pla says:

    I can’t imagine myself being an English fan right now. Sorry guys, but you played a real poor football and Croats were simply much, much better. And what’s with the goalkeepers? When England had a decent goalkeeper for the last time?

  2. Chris says:

    I was just waiting for that for the last 9 1/2 years…
    The English arrogance came finally to an end…
    It all happened in at the WC 1998 when England just crashed out and the skysports TV commentator mentioned:
    With that squad, being that young, we can rule the world in a few years… How can anybody just say this after crashing out?
    The golden generation was a huge failure… Euro 2000 was a desaster, WC 2002 – lost to ten men Brazil, Euro 2004 Portugal and again in Germany 2006…
    The one and only 5:1 in Munich was the only fair result, but Germany are now one of the real top favourites for the Euro 2008… and they finished 2nd and 3rd in the last two world cups…
    I just wonder how badly England will do without Beckham in the future,,,

  3. Ashley says:

    Bollox – what a depressing night. Capello for England.

  4. Ollie, Pies Ed. says:

    I’d love Capello for England – can’t be worse than McClaren…
    Bollox indeed

  5. Rab Brownell says:

    absolute shambles. Mclaren may had made a few mistakes in selection but it was those overpaid premadonnas who messed it up. Not that no United players were on the pitch, Hargeaves would have won it for us and Brown would have put in a better performance than any of the back four. Oh and Neville should be back in the team, Richards looked lost.

  6. IVO SMRANADER says:

    Despite all the english arrogancy it´s sad not to have England on the next euro cause all the other great country´s will be there . Russia is not a better team than Enland and they will never produce such classic matches like England facing Germany , Italy or Spain. But Croatia beat you fair & square .
    You should look for a new couch . I suggest you take Slaven Bilić . Yes , correctly . He´s the croatian couch but his contract is almost over and he´s couching Croatia for a paycheck that´s 10 time less the money Mclaren earns on the english bench.
    And he didn´t manage to qualify you for the next tournament . He and the lack of luck are probably responsable for that .
    I can´t remember when it´s the last time i´ve seen so many high class player injured in such an important game .Better luck next time

  7. Craig Shuttleton says:

    Best game of football i’ve seen since 66!

  8. Craig the Jock says:

    see above

  9. Anonymous says:

    that pissing umbrella.
    i’d bet my house max clifford instructed him to use that, so the rain wouldn’t flatten his thin remaining hair, and him be exposed for the beaten soaked balding man he is.
    i can’t remember which paper mentioned it, but you can judge a manager on their first signing, maclaren’s was max clifford – says a lot.
    still, i do think the players get away with murder sometimes, it’s never their jobs on the line.

  10. subengi says:

    yes, it so happens that great teams can also be defeated abd i like what happened for endland against croatia.just give new talents a chance, im tired of having the same countries with same players in different tournaments!

  11. Zvonko says:

    Face the facts boys, Croatia just out played England even with the Refs help in giving a bogus penalty kick, I’ll give Crouch credit he made a beautiful header and got rewarded, again Beckham besides one cross was inaffective, yet poeple think he’s a GOD of football. He again just proved that the media has made him what he is and nothing else, medeoaker at best. The actual score should have been 3-1 Croatia. Englands’ pompus attitude can’t carry you any more other countries actually come out to play while you expect the win to be given to you. Doesn’t work that way anymore lads. This should be a good awakening for the squad, The problem doesn’t nessarily lay with the coach as much as the players not working as a unit. 11 should play as 1 not 11 play as 11.

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