VARIOUS: England lead Paraguay after Gamarra own goal; Supporters of Argentina and Ivory Coast express confidence in their teams ahead of their match

Record ID: 481342

  • Title: VARIOUS: England lead Paraguay after Gamarra own goal; Supporters of Argentina and Ivory Coast express confidence in their teams ahead of their match
  • Date: 11th June 2006
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) PETER (NO LAST NAME) ENGLAND FAN SAYING: "Three points is enough. We will win the World Cup in 2006. Come on England, come on England, come on England!" (SOUNDBITE) (English) PAUL HARRISON, ENGLAND FAN SAYING: "It was a poor performance but we will play better and we will win, Ingerland, Ingerland, Ingerland!"
  • Embargoed: 26th June 2006 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA61D1U5IQ282UIJZQS12NIU3I1
  • Story Text: Thousands of raucous England fans celebrated in the sunny squares and bars of Germany's financial centre Frankfurt on Saturday (June 10) as their team defeated Paraguay 1-0 on the second sunny day of the World Cup finals.
    England supporters without tickets assembled under clear sunny skies in Frankfurt's Romerberg square, flying the English flag of St George and chanting "Ingerland, Ingerland, Ingerland".
    Thousands of fans also gathered in bars and outdoor venues in central London, where giant screens broadcast the match from Frankfurt, Germany.
    In the English city of Birmingham, men, women and children gathered under a sunny sky to watch the match.
    "We are going to win this World Cup, it's only eight games, this is one game out of the way, another seven to go and we've done it," one fan declaimed.
    Meanwhile, far away from home in Kabul, British troops stationed in the Afghani capital watched the match at their base.
    More than a 1000 British troops are based in the capital Kabul, serving as a peacekeeping force. A larger number of British troops are deployed in the restive province of Helmand, south of Kabul, where the Taliban are active. The total number of British troops in Afghanistan are estimated at more than 4000.
    England needed an own goal by Paraguay captain Carlos Gamarra to grind out a 1-0 victory in Saturday's Group B opener.
    England made a dream start on a hot afternoon at the Waldstadion when Gamarra headed a David Beckham free kick into his own net after three minutes.
    But they failed to show the killer instinct coach Sven-Goran Eriksson had urged and at times rode their luck against skillful opponents.
    England, who had lost two and drawn one of the opening games in their last three tournaments, will be satisfied though with a winning start in a physical encounter.
    The first attack produced a goal when Beckham's ball soared into the danger zone and Gamarra sent a glancing header past keeper Justo Villar under pressure from Michael Owen and John Terry.
    Things got worse for Paraguay four minutes later when an injured Villar was replaced by 20-year-old reserve Aldo Bobadilla, the fastest keeper substitution in World Cup history.
    The newcomer promptly gave away a free kick inside his area, Frank Lampard's shot came back off the wall and though he ballooned the follow-up, the midfielder then warmed Bobadilla's gloves with a 25-metre drive.
    England were in control, despite several crunching tackles by both sides, with Paraguay defending tenaciously and shooting from distance.
    Striker Nelson Valdez had their best chance before the break with a shot that flew narrowly wide.
    Paraguay were more ambitious after the break and Valdez again made the more threatening moves.
    Striker Owen, recently back from a lengthy injury layoff, made way after 56 minutes for midfielder Stewart Downing.
    Joe Cole, who had been giving Paraguay a torrid time down the left, was briefly pushed up as a strike partner for Peter Crouch before the Chelsea midfielder also went off with seven minutes to go.
    Paraguay nearly levelled when Paul Robinson flapped at a cross but Carlos Paredes failed to get his effort on target.
    Thousands of jubilant England fans have celebrated their team's win over Paraguay in Frankfurt's Roemerberg square chanting "Ingerland, Ingerland, Ingerland".
    "Three points is enough," Peter, an English fan, said.
    "We will win the World Cup in 2006. Come on England, come on England, come on England!," he screamed.
    Another England fan, Paul Harrison, said: "It was a poor performance but we will play better and we will win, Ingerland, Ingerland, Ingerland!," Harrison screamed.
    In Hamburg, fans from Argentina and Ivory Coast gathered outside the AOL Arena on Saturday, ready for their World Cup Group C match in the evening.
    Ivory Coast are having their first taste of the World Cup while seasoned veterans Argentina are hoping to win it for the third time.
    "Today we are going to take Argentina. I have full confidence in my team," Ivory fan Diomande Aboubakar told Reuters Television confidently.
    Their enthusiastic fans have been attracting local friends to the team nicknamed the Elephants.
    Not to be outdone, Argentina's fans were equally confident as they prepared for the game, which kicks off at 1900gmt.
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