In the end, I felt vindicated...once again. While my first reaction after finding out the final score for the Croatia-England (it's the 2010 World Cup qualifiers in Zagreb) match led me to think about mooncakes (don't ask why, maybe given it's the Mid-Autumn Festival this Sunday and I want to stuff myself those mooncakes with peace after knowing my team has won the match), it's actually the second vindication after Roger Federer beat Andy Murray on Monday to win his fifth US Open.
Many had been written about the downfall of Federer in the tennis arena, after his epic battle Wimbledon loss to Rafael Nadal. The Wimbledon has always been Ferderer's 'territory'. Nadal has always been the king of clay courts (the French Open is on claycourt, the one Grand Slam which has been eluding Federer in his tennis career so far), no doubt about that. Signs of the Swiss being on the wane has been around for a while, not even before the Wimbledon final. But the Swiss tennis star didn't give up and he said that he will take part in the Olympics, thus making the Olympic tennis tournament his 'last shot at redemption' (or so news agency AFP once described it). He got gold, but it was in men's doubles (the singles gold went to...Nadal). Then the 'Federer Express' (yes, I had always been a Federer fan and I always remember that is one of those nicknames being given to him when he was, invincible) arrived at the US Open and while his road to the final was kind of mixed, he still showed that he hasn't lost the drive in the final against Briton Andy Murray. When I learned that the Swiss won the US Open, I was like thinking - 'Take that, you Federer haters'. Via The New York Times, yesterday's edition of the TODAY paper had this headline - Federer's back to awesome. I had always knew the 'Federer Express' hasn't lost his drive.
Onto my original reason for this entry. I had always knew there will be an army of England critics waiting to pounce on Fabio Capello's side should they tumble and fall in Zagreb during 2010 World Cup qualifiers early this morning (Singapore time). Guess what? They can be silenced, for now. Not ever since Croatia broke up from the former Yugoslavia in 1994, any team has managed to beat the Croats at their own backyard. England created history yesterday morning. On the surface, the emphatic 4-1 away win might had meant that Capello's side had earned all the maximum points in their qualifying campaign so far (after the 'laboured' 2-0 win over Andorra away) and being seen in some way of undoing the wrongs of what Croatia had inflicted on them during the Euro 2008 qualifiers (Slaven Bilic's side famously did a double over the English and eventually causing them losing a spot in Euro 2008), the performance has been seen in some corners that not ever since Munich 2001, had England played this well. Capello having a...Munich moment? Some had cautioned though (which I can understand), given how England was like during the 2002 World Cup itself.
Seven years ago when qualifying for the 2002 World Cup, the morale back in England was at a low after Kevin Keegan resigned when England lost to Germany at home (1-0). Sven-Goran Eriksson was eventually being brought in, and the away qualifier in Munich was his maiden debut as the England coach. Not many will have thought England will give their old rivals a thrashing at their own backyard - that famous 5-1 scoreline (with Michael Owen scoring three in the process). And according to UK's Channel 4's The 100 Greatest British Sporting Moments in early 2002, viewers voted the famous 5-1 scoreline to come in third (England winning the 1966 World Cup was in second place). And time and again, my father (the England supporter) had always maintained the 5-1 scoreline was the best-ever performance he had seen from England. The 4-1 scoreline in Zagreb (freaky enough, Emile Heskey and Rio Ferdinand who were part of the squad in Croatia, were also part of the famous squad which beat the Germans in Munich seven years ago...David Beckham was, though this time he came on as a substitute), his next favourite.
Looks like the tossing and turning on the bed had um, worked. It was around the 57th minute before I let my father watched the England match (it was on the Football Channel and it began slightly after 3am and there was slightly 30-something minute left for the Germany one) given I had been watching the Finland-Germany match on SuperSports (it was then I decided to head for bed). There were two reasons I couldn't sleep and one of those was in regards to how England performed. When I went back to the living room asking my father what was the score (without wearing my spectacles, given I thought I will go back to sleep after asking about the score), I almost gasped. 4-1...to England? I cannot believe it! Croatia has a proud home record since their independence in 1994 and England has created history at the Croats' own backyard! Fabio Capello has done what no other coaches has done in Zagreb in the past 14 years - beating the Croatians at their stadium. In fact, it led to the Croatian newspapers all throwing praises at Capello and his side and that it gave their national coach Slaven Bilic a humiliating lesson ahead of his 40th birthday (Bilic turns 40 today).
It does throw back to the time when Fabio Capello's AC Milan was up against Johan Cyruff's Barcelona (or the 'Dream Team' as they were known at that time) in the 1994 Champions League final. Barcelona came in as the favourites but AC Milan went out 4-0 winners. This time, Croatia came into the qualifiers as the favourites but England went out 4-1 winners and all the more sweeter, beating the Croats at their own backyard and ending their proud home record. In fact, ahead of the match, Croatia coach Slaven Bilic was weary that Capello had the class as a coach to upset the odds. And for some reason, it almost made me burst into happy tears when I saw this headline - Reborn England storm Croatia fortress. The English media may be celebrating, but Capello...being for who he is, hailed the demolition of Croatia but reminded that it represented only a first step towards qualifying for the 2010 World Cup and the restoration of his squad's reputation. In fact, with Theo Walcott (who plays for Arsenal) being the hero of the night in Zagreb with his hat-trick (and he's 19), it might be seen that the David Beckham era could be really coming to an end.
One not-very-nice thing did emerged from the qualifying match though. The English FA has asked FIFA to launch an investigation into claims of racial abuse aimed at Emile Heskey during the team's World Cup qualifying win over Croatia. Monkey chants emanated from a section of the ground after Heskey was booked in the second half of the match and the Wigan striker confirmed that he had heard them.
To be honest sometimes, I am always worried Germany will get complacent after a win. I had seen this myself during Euro 2008 already. So imagine my worries did returned ahead of the away match in Helsinki against Finland (at least the worries were not as bad as before England play Croatia away). Getting too carried away after the 6-0 win away at Liechtenstein was my most biggest worry. It's not as if they don't know how the Finns play their football from the last time both met each other in the 2002 World Cup qualifiers. Playing the Devil's Advocate, sometimes I wish the following match after a win, they will either lose or draw and it will see them coming back to Earth.
In the end at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium with a boisterious home crowd, Germany escaped by the skin of their teeth. Yes, I am having my Simon Cowell moment (by being critical, given I don't do this often in the open). It could had been the real shocker after Austria's 3-1 win over France on Saturday but in the end, it was striker and stand-in captain Miroslav Klose eventually saving Germany's blushes with a hat-trick to seal a late 3-3 draw against Finland.
The other reason why I was tossing and turning on my bed was that before I went to bed, the scoreline was Finland 3-2 Germany. Finland taking the lead, thrice! What is that? I had already seen from almost the start that the Finns kept pushing the Germans. Definitely exciting in the first-half (to imagine the second German equaliser came like 90 seconds after the second Finnish goal happened), and it was the same in the second-half. I was half amused, half not-so-pleased. I didn't watch how the eventual equaliser from Klose (in fact at the same time, the three goals confirmed him ending his goal-scoring drought for the national side which many had been calling into question why was he in the squad in the first place) and so the highlights of the match made me recapping the match and watched what happened on the moments I missed.
After ending his goal-scoring drought in the 4-1 thrashing of Hertha Berlin for his club Bayern Munich before the international break, it's the case of when will Miroslav Klose will end his goal-scoring drought for the Mannschaft. Or rather, why is he still on the national team. At the end of the day, it's all about coach Joachim Loew having faith in Klose...which it paid off. At least the three goals will help to silence some of those critics, but the match exposed Germany's Achilles' heel once more - the defence department. I almost wanted to scream in front of the TV set this morning (when my parents were asleep), come to think of it now.
Because I know who was at fault twice - Schalke's Heiko Westermann. I know it's very tempting to start praising how good he is given of his performance of late at both the club and country level. But then again, he was in Germany's defence given Christoph Metzelder and Per Mertesacker (those two are regular starters in the defence department) were not fit enough. VfB Stuttgart's Sedar Tasci was Westermann's partner in the makeshift defence. But then, I was being reminded once again...those two are just starting out in the national team. Even Loew felt that both have 'a key role to play in the future'. Robert Enke's position as Germany's goalkeeper might had been called into question as well (he's in between the posts given Bayer Leverkusen's Rene Adler had to pull out due to injury) but, no worries for the coach yet.
At the end of the day, I can only just chuckle at AFP's round-up of the 2010 World Cup's European qualifying zone. This - Walcott and Klose do just the trick for England and Germany. This England and Germany supporter over here can take that kind of headline any day. Who wil have thought...one became famous for being called up for the squad despite no first-team action and din't even feature during the 2006 World Cup and the other was the Golden Boot winner in the same tournament itself. Theo Walcott and Miroslav Klose respectively. And hat-tricks always get recognition in the media when even the TODAY paper has the match reports of both the England and Germany matches...on the same page even! Happy days...
Matches' thought of the day: As much as I had sensed an upset on the cards on the Finland-Germany match (don't shoot me now, it just came to me the day before the match) and it almost happened, my thoughts were mainly actually on my 'first love' when it comes to international football. The England national team. As much as they don't always perform well in recent times, this time...I don't know, I mean, I was thinking about it this afternoon on when was the last time I was this happy as an England supporter. I only want to enjoy it while it last. I actually almost didn't want to sleep when my father told me the score: 4-1. At first I was fearing the worst before he said that it's 4-1 to England. You know what they say of first love. Sorry to disappoint but, Germany has all along being my 'second love'. In the end, whatever the Germans cannot do at the Euro 2008 group stages against Croatia, their arch-rivals England go one better. At least the English media (I'm not sure) can take heart in the fact that on the night Fabio Capello's side delivered the goods in Zagreb, their old rivals Germany managed only a draw against Finland. Now, when was the last time England play like a team like they did against Croatia? Continuing with the way how they play now in future qualifying matches, then everything will be fine. That is my only wish.
Three Lions get their pride back (PA Sport's Frank Malley looks back on an England victory that restored pride to the national game.)
England should think back to Munich before getting too excited (The 19-year-old Walcott certainly took his chances brilliantly against Croatia’s lumbering defence and Capello should be praised for opting to start the Arsenal player instead of David Beckham. But amid all the euphoria there needs to be some caution.)
Young stars benefit from Capello's qualities (John Brewin says England's win in Croatia bears the hallmarks of classic Capello.)
'Trio' Walcott: Greed is good (England went into this evening's fixture at the Maksimir Stadium in Croatia with history and the formbook stacked against them. Prior to the game, the Balkan nation had never lost a FIFA World Cup or UEFA EURO qualifying game on home soil and the last meeting between the two sides ended in embarrassment for the Three Lions. A little under two years ago, an Eduardo header and a freak own goal from Gary Neville had given Slaven Bilic's side a 2-0 victory as England stumbled on the road to Austria and Switzerland. A fatal 3-2 defeat at Wembley last November did little to help confidence and when the two sides were drawn together at the Preliminary Draw in Durban just four days after that match, it seems that the fates were laughing heartily at England's expense.)
Walcott comes of age (The boy wonder is back in the headlines - and with a bang.)
