Football News - ENGLAND in JAPAN 2
Osaka
England 0 Nigeria 0
A
very hot and humid afternoon in South Osaka with much pre-match talk amongst
the England fans about the Nigerians being used to the heat. Nearly everyone
except the police is wearing England colours, including the Japanese who
have adopted England as their second team.
Many people in the crowd are holding pieces of card with ‘I Need Ticket' written on them. There are also official signs forbidding ‘scalping', though this is not preventing the exchange of tickets for monetary gain. The going price seems to be about 35,000-40,000 yen ($282-$328).
The homeless who normally populate the park in which Nagai Stadium stands are distributing flyers - in Japanese – on which is written that while they support the World Cup they wish to remind people of their plight. South Osaka has the highest concentration of homeless people in Japan. The authorities removed their tents before the tournament began. Some fans are willing to part with 100 yen (80¢) to sit on seats provided by the homeless.
The match itself is a formality of half-hearted attacks by both teams and as time goes on it becomes clear that a draw is going to suit both teams. The Nigerians don't lose face by losing another match; England, by coming second in Group F, avoid the heat of a Round of Sixteen match in Oita on southern Kyushu Island against the dangerous Senegalese.
There is some moaning on the part of England fans, calling it a poor performance by their team. In fact, England appear to be in control of the match from the kick-off and it was only a great save which prevented Scholes (ENG) from scoring for the Three Lions. England clearly have gears in reserve and Eriksson has done a good job in telling the players to go easy. There are apparently no player injuries.
Soccerphile match rating: 2
MVP: Okocha (NIG)
by Peter Rodd ©Soccerphile Ltd
Niigata
England 3 Denmark 0
It is much cooler here than in Osaka, which will suit both teams. Niigata is on the northern coast and is famous for the Japanese alcoholic drink ‘sake'.
The England fans greatly outnumber those from Denmark judging by the people wearing team shirts. Where are the Danes?
There are very few places where fans can watch the Germany v Paraguay match on TV in Niigata, which is an indication of the general lack of interest in football in Japan, but the helpful information volunteers point us in the direction of a bar which has Sky PerfecTV.
We get the free shuttle bus to the Big Swan Stadium passing the steady stream of people who have decided to make the hour-long journey on foot. There is an ‘exclusion zone' designed to prevent those without tickets getting anywhere near the ground, but this is evidently very ‘leaky', for on arrival there are knots of fans holding up signs indicating they are willing to pay for tickets. They appear to be unsuccessful and are forlornly watching the lucky ticket holders entering the stadium. It is with a mixture of anger and sadness we see the empty seats inside when we know there are genuine fans stranded outside. The English FA, corporate sponsors and FIFA itself are objects of vilification for the ridiculous way the ticket distribution has been handled.
Both sets of fans are conspicuous by the carnival atmosphere and passionate support. Masks, wigs, hornèd helmets and dragon outfits is a small sample of the bizarrerie on show. The English support is multi-ethnic too.
The early error by goalkeeper Sørensen, the Owen strike and Heskey's low drive mean the England fans are in raptures. In the second-half, as soon as one section of the spectators starts doing the conga, it's the cue for the vermicular dance to appear in all areas of the stadium, excepting, I think, the corner occupied by the Danish fans. The attempts by the smiling stewards to prevent it prove futile.
Even a heavy shower of rain is met by a rendition of the song ‘Singin' in the Rain' as well as ‘We're not getting wet' to the tune of ‘Knees up Mother Brown'. That is until the wind changes direction and blows the rain in under the roof, which means the song changes to ‘We're getting slightly wet'.
In an astonishing display of mutual support, not known since the Anglo-Japanese Treaty of 1902, the English join in when the Japanese fans of England start chanting ‘Nippon! Nippon! Nippon!'.
Ah, the football: Rio Ferdinand imperious at the back, great tackling by Mills and Cole, Butt and Scholes busy in midfield and Owen and Heskey harassing the Danish back line. Denmark look ordinary, though Gravesen put in a lot of effort.
Soccerphile match rating: 5
MVP: Rio Ferdinand (ENG)
by Peter Rodd ©Soccerphile Ltd