England's Avengers

Rev

enge is a dish best served cold, and for David Beckham, it has been a long, long wait. On Friday night in Sapporo in an enthralling first round World Cup tie, England claimed a 1-0 victory over highly-fancied rivals Argentina — secured by Beckham's coolly drilled penalty just before the end of the first half. For the England captain, who was sent off against Argentina when the two sides last met in the World Cup in France in 1998, the win was doubly satisfying. "I don't think it could be any sweeter than that," he beamed after the match. "We've been waiting for that for four years. For a long time."

The relationship between Argentina and England has historically been laced with acrimony, both on and off the pitch. In the days leading up to the match, senior members of the Argentine camp had reportedly made reference to the 1982 Falklands War, in which Britain had beaten Argentina, as a way of motivating their players. In England, football devotees still wince at the thought of Argentine legend Diego Maradona's 1986 'hand of God' goal against England at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, when Maradona scored from a handball. The clash in Sapporo, which would also pit Beckham against Diego Simeone, the man whose theatrical gamesmanship earned the Manchester United man a red card in 1998, was expected to be bitter and brutal.

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But the malice never materialized, and instead, the two sides fought out a fast, furious and highly entertaining game of football. In front of a 35,927 crowd, many of whom were clad in the red-and-white of the flag of St. George, England looked a far more cohesive unit than when they managed only a tentative draw against Sweden five days earlier. Their defense, which had looked dangerously porous in that match, tightened markedly, absorbing wave after wave of Argentine attacks. Argentina had the lion's share of possession — 65 percent — and won nine corners to England's three. Although England's youngsters put on a solid display, veteran keeper David Seaman, 39 this year, also impressed — particularly with his vital save from a Pochettino header in the 78th minute.

Despite their dominance, Argentina failed to create more than a handful of genuine scoring chances. Some of their biggest names also failed to fire — both captain and playmaker Juan Veron, and striker Gabriel Batistuta, were substituted before the hour mark, after indifferent performances. The team must now regain its touch for the vital clash against Sweden next Wednesday, or face the ignominy of being eliminated in the first round from a tournament in which they were among the favorites. On the same day, England will face Nigeria, knowing that if they beat the already-eliminated Africans, they are likely to win the group. Going in, they can also take confidence from Friday night's efforts by their depleted and refashioned midfield.

But at the end of the day, this match was all about the fortunes of David Beckham coming full circle. Following his dismissal from the World Cup in 1998, the England captain endured vile abuse from fans, who believed that he and he alone was responsible for England's elimination from that tournament. But he stood his ground and played his way out of it. Last year, his last-minute equalizer against Greece ensured automatic qualification for England to World Cup 2002. Two months ago, it seemed as if he might miss the World Cup altogether, when he was felled by a challenge during a Champions League match and sustained a broken bone in his foot.

But he regained his fitness, playing just over one hour against Sweden. Against Argentina, a different kind of test came his way. Just before the penalty, Simeone indulged in a little gamesmanship, trying to shake Beckham's hand. But the Captain would not be distracted, putting the ball cleanly past the Argentine keeper. "I've always said that I never get nervous, but I was certainly nervous then," Beckham said. "I wanted it. I put the ghosts to rest. Finally."