England get a last minute corner! Gerrard to take. Algeria clear and the final whistle goes! Boos ring around the stadium and rightly so. A desperate performance by England here. Really, really awful. There wasn’t a player in that team who can hold his head up in the dressing room after that.
We are now one minute into the three minutes to be played… The maths are complicated but if it stays at 0-0 then England will definitely have to beat Slovenia if they are to go through to the last 16. Slovenia of course, will be their toughest opponent of the group stage.
Bougherra challenged for a cross, rising with James. James caught it before landing directly on top of the defender who was in a seated position. He folded up like an accordion! That really must of hurt. Lucky he didn’t break his kneck!
Rooney is playing absolute dirt. He’s lost possession three times there in the space of a minute. England are lucky this Algerian side aren’t up to much. If they play like this against Slovenia they will be torn to shreds. Mesbah meanwhile is coming on for Yebda. The latter has worked hard in midfield. He’s earned the right to his rediculous hair cut.
Good work from Wright Phillips down the right and he wins a corner. Lampard swings it in and it’s defoe who gets on the end of it. Little he could do with that one though, and it bounces out for a goal kick.
He is indeed – Crouch is on for the final 6 minutes of the game with Barry being withdrawn. It’s going to be a bit of route one Wimbledon circa 1989. Bulldog spirit!
England can make another sub here. Will Capello mess with this wonderful system of his by bringing on another striker?
We’ve entered the final 10 minutes and although England are starting to get into the game against a somewhat tired looking Algerian side, they are still way off what their game. That said, they could still knick one.
Gerrard plays cracking ball forward for Defoe to chase. He does well to get to it and wins a corner. Not a great one though, and Algeria clear their lines.
Abdoun comes on for Boudebouz while Heskey is being withdrawn in favour of Defoe. There are 16 minutes left to play and it has to be said, England are starting to put a few chances together. It would be harsh on Algeria if they were to grab a late winner.
Gerrard plays in Heskey as runs into the box on the right hand side. It’s a cracking pass but Halliche slides in to block the shot. Great interception.
Algeria are spraying the ball around and letting England chase. The North Africans are giving them a lesson!
We’ve had a comment in from Stephen Carolan in Dundalk:
“Heskey’s attempt at a lollipop – more like a tangle twister! Shocking stuff from England.”
It’s been poor, it has to be said.
Belhadj takes the legs out from under Wright Phillips as he bursts towards the by-line. Barry to take – drops to Lampard in the box but he dithers and it’s cleared by the Algerian rearguard.
Terry with a slack back-pass towards his keeper and James has to scramble to get it clear! That’s shocking stuff.
Lampard plays in Lennon on the right – he chips it towards Rooney at the far post! Just touched over his head and out for a corner. That will be the last from Lennon – Shaun Wright Phillips has come on for him.
Shaun Wright Phillips is looking like he’s about to come on…
Carragher pulls down Yebda at the edge of the box and gets a yellow – he misses the next match. England are getting seriously short on defenders. Heskey might get that centre-half job yet.
Algeria have a corner here. They’ve had far more set piece chances. Played short to Ziani who whips it in! Cleared by Heskey of all people. Does he know he’s a centre forward?
It’s rolled to Yebda who shoots! Skips along the ground before being cleared. Should have whipped it in.
Algeria win a free about 30 yards out after a challenge from Terry. Too far for a shot?
And the second half is underway. No changes to either side.
Interesting stat on the first half – Algeria had marginally better possession than England at 51%. I’m hoping I don’t have to tell you the other percentage.
Liam in Dublin has something nice to say about England:
“They act as a buffer between us and the French.”
That got an lol! from me Liam.
And that’s the end of the action for the first half – England 0-0 Algeria.
Come on lads, have none of you got something nice to say about our closest neighbour? Eh? Oh.
Jay isn’t the only reader who is unimpressed:
“We’re seeing a World Cup-winning performance from England tonight. Sorry, I mistyped that. Where I wrote ‘World Cup-winning’ I meant to write ‘shite’.
Cathal, Birmingham.”
“England are not doing the business. They would have been expected to thrash Algeria and the USA for that matter. With a bit of luck they will go out and we won’t have to listen to the rubbish out of the commentators on the BBC and Sky making out like England actually matter in World football.
Jay, Kerry.”
Rooney pressing forward but fouls his man at the edge of the box. There hasn’t been much from him thusfar.
Algeria break with Ziani down the right – he’s got two men in the centre to chose from – decides to shoot! Wide on the near post. Should have whipped the ball in early to the waiting forwards.
Rooney wins the ball in the middle of the park – it’s played out to Lennon on the right who who whips it into the box. He’s found Frank Lampard in the six yard box who shoots! Great save by MBolhi. That was England’s best chance of the half.
Rooney links up with Gerrard before the Liverpool captain surges forward. He unleashes a shot! Keeper gets down well to gather. I hope England don’t concede. They will probably wreck the place if they do.
Terry has been involved in a clash of heads with Bougherra. The Algerian is up and about but the philanderer is clutching his head and kicking his legs like a little bitch. He gets up eventually, not a scratch on him.
Rooney has had to drop very deep to get involved in the game. He looks to be getting frustrated. Ireland look a bit devoid of ideas up front.
James makes a great catch for the corner in a cramped box.
Good work from Algeria in the final third of the pitch. Matmour and Yebda combining well around the edge of the area but the final shot is tame. A second attack is cleared and Algeria have another corner. They seem to be enjoying themselves all the same. England are suffering from a bout of stage fright by the looks of it. They need a goal badly but at the moment Algeria have had the better of the chances.
Kadir gets a cross into the box – cleared by England but only as far as Ziani who sends it back in! Shot by Yebda wasn’t a great one and it’s comfortable for Calamity James. Still counts as a shot on target for the Algerians all the same.
That’s a quick parody of the English media and their treatment of their national football team for you there. Just in case some of you are bit slow.
Here come England – good work from Lennon who releases Gerrard who shoots! Oooh, flies wide. That’s better from England. England are sensational. 2010 is their year. Spirit of the Blitz! It’s 1966 all over again!
Fat Frank Lampard is having a poor game so far. He’s given the ball away cheaply three or four times already. England are terrible. They’re the worst team on the planet. They’re worse than a pub side. They’re a disgrace to the shirt!
High ball drops in front of David James! He’s under pressure from Kadir! He opts to punch rather than catch and it’s horribly unconvincing. Barely clears the six yard box. That was a ropey moment for ‘Calamity’.
Ziani slid in on Rooney and the United man stepped on his head as he jumped over him! Deemed accidental. That lad is no stranger to the pies, I reckon that one hurt. Ziani is lucky his head didn’t pop like a watermelon.
Lennon puts his boot through a loose ball and Algeria win a corner. Delivery from Ziani is poor however – fails to beat the first man. The Algerians look relaxed – the pressure is all on the English to deliever.
Mistake from the Algerian goal keeper – he tried to pass it to one of his defenders but instead played it straight to Rooney of all people! Rooney played it wide to Lennon who ran into trouble and Algeria were able to clear. That was a hairy moment for the North Africans.
The stadia haven’t been filled for every game, but it’s packed to the gills tonight. There was a photo doing the rounds earlier showing an England football fan standing beside a young boy. The fan held a sign saying, ‘Will sell kid for tickets’.
And we’re underway!
-03
We’ve had a comment in:
“This is desperate, Ireland spanked Algeria around the place in the friendly in the RDS before the World Cup. The tournament is about bringing the best teams in the world together for a competition. The fact is that we are far, far better than a lot of the teams playing in South Africa. Fifa need to take a look at the qualifiers. The European allocation of qualifying teams should massively increased – it’s the only way you can prevent a situation in which you have teams which would do something at the tournament surrendering their places to lesser sides who just make up the numbers.
Ger, Bray.”
It’s hard to disagree with any of that Ger. There is not getting away from the fact that this isn’t about bringing the best teams in the world together – it’s about bringing the teams Fifa wants to play each other together.
-05
And don’t forget our shout@joe.ie email is there for a reason – to prevent you from shouting your footballing knowlege at the TV or wasting it on a disinterested girlfriend. JOE.ie cares what you have to say, so hit me up.
-10
Here are the official starting line-ups for tonight’s game:
England: James, Terry, Carragher, Johnson, Cole, Barry, Gerrard, Lennon, Lampard, Rooney, Heskey.
Algeria: MBolhi, Bougherra, Belhadj, Yahia, Halliche, Boudebouz, Lancen, Matmour, Ziani, Yebda, Kadir.
-15
David James has been named ahead of Green. It’s hard to know if that was the right decision. Green is a great player and appeared to have recovered his confidence after his mistake against the USA. If he had of been retained his confidence would have been through the roof. James meanwhile, known for his own errors, will be coming on knowing that he can’t afford any mistakes and is under massive pressure.
