Japan & South Korea 2002 - World Cup Memories and betting suggestions.

My lord, how we drank. The earliest games started at seven-thirty and the sun was only truly past the yardarm for the midday kickoffs. Sensible types would have watched the early games with a cup of tea and then taken themselves off to work. However, in those days, my friends and I were as far from sensible as it was possible to be. It was a tournament of alcopops for breakfast, of getting to the pub at six-thirty in the morning to make sure you got a seat. It was crazy, irresponsible behaviour but we were young and took it all in our stride. 2002 is probably my favourite World Cup and, unless England somehow manage to win one, will most likely remain so until my untimely death.

Breakfast is served, 2002 World Cup style.

https://www.groupon.com.au/deals/gg-neotrade-2

England’s qualification for 2002 had been a troubled affair. Kevin Keegan took charge of the first game, a man whose disdain for concepts such as defending and tactics was well known. However, defeat to Germany in the last match at old Wembley proved the final straw. Red-eyed and grey-faced, Keegan resigned live on the television, declaring himself not up to the job. Howard Wilkinson, shockingly still the last English manager to win the English league way back in 1992, and then Peter Taylor took charge for a solitary match each while a new permanent appointment was lined up. Keegan’s ‘up-and-at-em-lads’ style replaced with the icy cool Swede, Sven-Goran Eriksson. At one stage it looked like England would fail to qualify. In the papers, talk of starting to focus on 2004 and 2006 was bandied about, but then came Eriksson's defining moment. Life under the Swede would never get better than the 5-1 triumph in Munich on September 1st, 2001. Michael Owen’s hat-trick, Steven Gerrard and Emile Heskey both chipping in with one each. England's final match was against Greece, and they needed a last-minute equaliser from David Beckham to pip Germany to the automatic qualification spot.

Goosebump alert #1, Beckham's last minute goal sends England to the World Cup.

England’s squad was decent if not spectacular. In Michael Owen, Alan Shearer, Paul Scholes, Rio Ferdinand, Sol Campbell they had players of international quality. Gerrard, one of the stars of that afternoon in Munich, was unfortunate to miss out through injury. Yet it was another injury that would occupy the nation's thoughts in the build-up to the tournament. Nobody had ever heard of a metatarsal before David Beckham, now a national hero, broke his in early April 2002. The newspapers went crazy over that broken bone. In the pub everyone was talking about Beckham’s foot, it was utter madness, but perhaps fair enough. You need your best players fit for big tournaments and Beckham, foot mostly healed, was to give us England’s finest moment in this one.

It was a tournament of oddities. Reigning champions France were dumped out in the group phase without scoring a goal, both Turkey and South Korea made the semi-finals, the latter with the help of some, ahem, generous refereeing decisions. Fancy an outside bet this summer? Get some money on Russia to make the last four, it may be written in the Tsars. However, after the controversy surrounding his involvement in the 1998 final, this would be Ronaldo’s World Cup. His eight goals, only four teams at the tournament managed more, bestowed on him legendary status and helped Brazil win their fifth title.

Some questionable refereeing helped South Korea to the semi-finals.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_FIFA_World_Cup

England’s first group game was a 1-1 draw against Sweden, Sol Campbell finally getting his World Cup goal just four years too late. Argentina were next, our conquerors from '86 and '98. What terrible way they would find to beat us now? However, this time it was different, England seemed a little bit more streetwise. Late in the first-half England are attacking the Argentina penalty area. One moment Beckham flings himself to the ground, no free-kick given and then, seconds later, Owen launches himself towards and over the outstretched leg of Mauricio Pochettino. The referee points to the spot and the Argentines are deliciously furious. A penalty perhaps, but I would have been furious if the award had been the other way around. Watching the clip back now the tension is still palpable. Defeat to Argentina would have all but sent England home, more than that though, another defeat would have been impossible to bear. As Beckham spots the ball and takes a few backward paces, Diego Simeone is all up in Beckham’s grill, no doubt reminding him of 1998. Yet somehow the England skipper holds his nerve, slots the ball calmly into the bottom corner, and delight spreads across his face and halfway around the world. It was the only goal of the game and joy was unconfined. England had beaten Argentina, if felt like a weight was lifted off our collective shoulders. In Brighton we celebrated like England had won the World Cup, the sun was shining and we hit the streets. Smiles on our faces, drinks in our hands, flags around our shoulders. We boozed long and heartily, deep into the early hours, it was a wonderful day.

0'28" Beckham fouled. 0'33" Owen fouled. 1'50" what it meant.

The final group game was a 0-0 draw with Nigeria, just enough to send England through and Argentina out. I remember it at all only for the seven-thirty kickoff. We watched in the Pride of Spitalfields, just off Brick Lane, then we moved to the Ten Bells on Commercial Street. In my mind, Ireland were playing on the television, but checking the fixtures now it can’t have been. I recall being politely asked to leave the Ten Bells at some stage during the afternoon. Fair enough, we had probably had enough by then. In the last sixteen, England swept past Denmark and were suddenly in the quarter-finals against Brazil, the overwhelming tournament favourites.

Seven in the morning, another dawn walk through the streets of Brighton with a bag of Smirnoff Ice in my hand. There was hope of course but little expectation. Owen scored for England early on but it couldn’t last, just before half-time Rivaldo equalised and we kind of knew the game was up. Ronaldinho got the winner five just minutes into the second half, chipping David Seaman with what looked suspiciously like a cross, and was then promptly sent off seven minutes later. England had 30 minutes to conjure an equaliser against the ten men but none would come. Brazil were through and England had been knocked out of a tournament with no controversy or drama. There was no sense of having been robbed, nothing that VAR would have altered, to keep our disappointment company. Quite simply the better team had won, life was as it should be, the stars were aligned. The game finished at nine in the morning and we decided to have a street party. Chairs and music were moved on to the pavement, more beers were purchased, passers-by were waved at and it was smiles all around. For the final time that World Cup we drank until the early hours, football and the local off-licenses had been the winner.

Ronaldo v1 scored eight goals in Japan and South Korea.

http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/brazil-legend-ronaldo-reveals-reason-behind-famous-2002/6j0s0ux1s8ny167exv54tzrss

Germany, shrugged off that 5-1 defeat in Munich to reach the final but nothing could stop Brazil. Their triumph in 2002 had an inevitability about it I can not remember at a tournament before or since. They won all seven of their games, and not once did they require extra-time in the knockout rounds. Ronaldo had his second World Cup and nobody had any reason to complain.

Brazil lift the World Cup for the fifth time. Is number six just a few weeks away?

https://sackthemanager.wordpress.com/2011/07/02/sparkys-archives-winners-of-the-world-cup-2002/

WORLD CUP BETTING - Tip 4
Friday 15th June accumulator.
Uruguay to beat Egypt.
Morroco to beat Iran.
Portugal and Spain to draw.
2 points at 12.91 (just under 12/1) with BetStars.

A speculative bet this one. The Uruguay match will come too soon for Mo Salah even if the Egyptian is to feature later in the tournament. Morroco should prove too tough for Iran and I fully expect Portugal to snuff the life out of their game with Spain.

Check out my other posts in this World Cup Memories series below:

https://steemit.com/sbc/@marcusbraeburn/mexico-1986-world-cup-memories-and-betting-suggestions

https://steemit.com/sports/@marcusbraeburn/italia-90-world-cup-memories-and-betting-suggestions

https://steemit.com/sports/@marcusbraeburn/france-98-world-cup-memories-and-betting-suggestions

And if that still isn't enough of me then head over to DTube and watch my latest video in the 20 Steps to One Million series:

https://steemit.com/dtube/@marcusbraeburn/czixjzvf