| England began their France 98 World Cup campaign with a solidly impressive
2-0 victory against Group G outsiders Tunisia in the Stade Velodrome, Marseille
thanks to goals by Shearer and Scholes. All the pre-tournament trials and
tribulations were dispelled as Glenn Hoddle's side produced the desired result in
a thoroughly professional manner to send out a warning to the rest of the world.
There was only one real surprise in the starting line-up as the England coach
plumped for Darren Anderton in place of David Beckham in the right wing-back
role as both sides opted for a 3-5-2 formation. The match began in tentative
fashion typical of most of the matches seen so far in the tournament as England
adopted a cautious approach whilst the Tunisians were content to sit back and
encourage Glenn Hoddle's men to push forward. Having settled comfortably
England gradually began to up the tempo and Scholes should have opened the
scoring on 30 minutes from Graeme Le Saux's excellent left-wing cross only to see
his header directed straight at the 'keeper el-Ouaer. This sparked the men in
white into all-out attack and Teddy Sheringham rattled the crossbar with a
magnificent 25-yard volley before Scholes again saw a close-range effort saved. It
was no surprise when skipper Alan Shearer headed his side in front with the goal
after 42 minutes coming at the perfect time just before the break. However,
Khaled Badra's header in first-half stoppage time ensured that England could
not afford to be too complacent. After the interval, with Tunisia chasing the
game, England took advantage of the extra space in attack as the SAS of
Shearer and Sheringham enjoyed greater possession in the final third to create
chances. Adams was denied following Sheringham's delightful cross and Shearer
shot straight at el-Ouaer following good play by Scholes, whilst the North
Africans flattered to deceive without causing too many problems to a defence
superbly marshalled by Tony Adams and David Seaman. Michael Owen became
the third youngest player in history, after Norman Whiteside and Pele, to appear
in the World Cup finals when replacing Sheringham after 85 minutes. The
Liverpool youngster had a shot blocked as he savoured the unique atmosphere
before Scholes sealed victory with a stunning curling shot in stoppage time for his
fourth international goal in eight games. England will be delighted with the three points
achieved and now top Group G following Romania's 1-0 victory over Colombia in Lyon this evening. |
