SM
Newcastle vs. West Ham: 22 hrs 38 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews

On this day in 2001: David Beckham scores last-gasp free kick against Greece

:Headline: On this day in 2001: David Beckham scores last-gasp free kick against Greece: ID:417441: from db_amp
The Three Lions captain produced a wonderful display against Greece.

David Beckham stepped up when his country needed him on October 6 in 2001 to score a last-gasp free kick which salved a 2-2 draw against Greece and booked England's place at the 2002 World Cup.

A difficult qualification campaign had seen three different people take charge of the Three Lions but five consecutive Group Nine wins under new boss Sven-Goran Eriksson had seen hopes of topping the group reignited.

It all came down to the last match against Greece, with an eye on Germany's home fixture against Finland too, but entering stoppage time at Old Trafford it was going horribly wrong for the hosts.

Greece were 2-1 up despite substitute Teddy Sheringham's 68th-minute effort and with the Germans drawing, it was they who were set to qualify automatically and England would need to beat Ukraine in a qualifier.

England's Teddy Sheringham scores against Greece to keep alive their hopes of topping Group Nine (Phil Noble/PA)

Captain Beckham had other ideas though, and a stunning long-range free-kick into the top corner took the roof off his home stadium and sent Erikssen's side through to the finals in South Korea and Japan.

After only being awarded the captaincy 11 months earlier, it was the latest step on the road to redemption for the Manchester United midfielder, who had been chastised for his red card at the 1998 World Cup against Argentina.

He would gain revenge at the tournament in South Korea and Japan with a penalty to defeat Argentina 1-0 in the group stage, but another free-kick ended England's hopes of glory in the tournament.

Ronaldinho's effort from range outwitted David Seaman in the quarter-finals and Brazil would march on to the final where they beat Germany 2-0 to be crowned world champions again.

Beckham would remain England captain until 2006 – with the midfielder now plying his trade at Real Madrid – and made his 100th appearance for his country two years later before he surpassed Bobby Moore's tally of 108 caps a year later.

A ruptured Achilles tendon at AC Milan prevented him from playing at the 2010 World Cup and with Fabio Capello eager to look to the future after, the Leytonstone-born footballer never played for his country again.

The former LA Galaxy ace retired from playing in 2013 after a short spell at Paris St Germain and is now co-owner of new MLS club Inter Miami while also a director at Sky Bet League Two outfit Salford City.

amp_article__417441 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2020-10-06 07:50:36:
html db last update - 2020-10-06 07:50:36 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html
Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool1210112481631
2Manchester CityMan City127232217523
3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1261527131419
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest125431513219
8Aston Villa125431919019
9Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
10Fulham125341717018
11Brentford125252222017
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd124441313016
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Ipswich TownIpswich121651323-109
19Crystal Palace121561017-78
20Southampton121110924-154
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .