On a hot and humid afternoon in Montevideo, at the Cylindro stadium, England contested their last match of the 2002 World B Group Championship against the home team for third place and the all important final promotion place.
Coach Amaral, having succeeded with the same starting five throughout the championship sticks with the line up and defensive tactics of restricted man to man, but this time adding more double blocks in the attack to stay close to play maker & championship top scorer Claudio Maeso (with 12 goals).
Both teams worked hard for the chance to score the opening goal with opportunities at both ends keeping the partisan Uruguayan crowd of 1,500, who booed every time one of their players went down in a tackle, entertained!
10:00 minutes in Taylor fouled the crowd hero Claudio Maeso, with a crowd response that sounded like the roof would fall in, and Uruguay are awarded a direct free hit which Maeso takes and dribbles Barton for the 1st goal, and potential disaster for England!
With 8:00 left in the half Coach Amaral takes a time out to instruct England to apply more pressure on Uruguay and to support Wheatley playing inside their defensive zone, using his strength of course.
3:00 minutes left and S Pearce, on for Waddingham, shoots the ball from near the barrier on the half way line at the overweight keeper that parries the shot to Wheatley who knocks in England’s 1st goal (1-1)!
A minute later, 17 year old play maker, Taylor is double teamed against the barrier by Maeso and his captain and started looking battered, bruised and more frustrated by the minute.
At half time the score is a very respectable 1-1 with England having 14 shots to 8 and 50% possession.
8:00 into the second half, the match had turned into a series of end to end chances that both sides could have scored from. In an effort to break the deadlock Coach Amaral substitutes Taylor with Waddingham so that he can explain new tactics to the playmaker.
With 9:00 to go, both teams look seriously fatigued and the Uruguayan captain squeezes a great shot onto the England post that lifts the spirits of his team and the home crowd.
Just 6:30 minutes to go, and both teams wanting the win to avoid extra time, D Pearce plays a one/two with Waddingham and smashes the ball under the Uruguayan keeper’s legs. (2-1 England).
With England trying to hold their lead, 1:30 later Wheatley gets his 2nd yellow of the match and is sent off for 2 minutes, and the crowd gets behind their team as they know only the winner goes to the ‘A’s!!!
4:00 remaining on the clock, Taylor takes a quick free hit from his goal corner passing the ball up the length of the barrier to Waddingham who first time passes to D Pearce who slaps the ball, again, under the keepers legs for his 2nd vital goal!
It’s not over though, and with 2:00 remaining Taylor slips on the sweaty floor and the experienced Maeso hits the ball into him and is awarded a penalty by the referee.
Maeso tries to dribble Barton, as before, but loses the ball and England are safe thanks to some smart keeping. This is pressure stuff for both teams!!
With 49 seconds remaining in the match, young Taylor receives his 2nd yellow and is sent off after querying a foul on him, and allows the pressure of the occasion to get to him, venting his frustration at the time keepers desk (international committee), resulting with the referee rightly responding with a red. As he heads to the dressing room the Uruguayan team and 1,500 supporters let Taylor know exactly what they think of him… it must have been an experience!
The final score though is unaffected and England win 3-1, with 7 shots on target to 10 in the second half and 50% possession. Well done England! You are through to the A’s!!!
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Reporter: Kos Galtos
