England: 1 - Brazil: 1Stoppage time can be a blessing and a curse, and for yesterday's Brazil v. England friendly, it was probably both, depending on what team you were cheering for.
It appeared as though England was ready to claim victory of Brazil, a country that the Three Lions have not won against since 1990, but into the second minute of the three minutes of added time, the Brazilians proved again why they are so hard to beat, and the English proved again that not everything is quite as done and dusted as they wanted, no matter how little time was left on the clock.
The Brazil side showed signs of tiring but never of completely giving up, and the English took that for granted, allowing an otherwise easily defended goal to equalize the game. Within the second minute of the dying seconds of stoppage time, Brazil's Ribas Diego took Gilberto Silva's cross and headed into the net, cutting down the English morale that had been built and then destroyed, within mere minutes.
It was a disappointment, and on certain cameras, you could even read English coach McClaren's lips as they uttered "Shit." Shit indeed. The English have shown signs of an inability to defend well and in some ways, work as a team, since last year's world cup. With McClaren's tenure, fans hope that the roster of otherwise all star players could finally become cohesive, as the Brazilian's demonstrated. At times in the game the English felt as though they were slowing down the game, and Brazil indulged that, surprisingly, but not for long - they refused to allow England to claim a win, and both sides settled for a draw.
The saviors of the Brazilian team, Kaka and Ronaldinho, looked and played tired. Ronaldinho failed to net any of the free kicks awarded to Brazil. That wasn't the case for England, which was lucky for both Beckham and McClaren.
In the chatter surrounding Beckham's recall, ranging from otherwise selfish and grudging congratulations from the LA Galaxy, to dour faces from the English fans, to the wild applause that greeted Beckham as he walked off the field, there was not much really, reasonably, expected from his recall. For the first half, it appeared as though he was playing better than expected, but maybe not well enough to warrant all the fuss surrounding McClaren's decision to bring Beckham back. In the second half, that all changed, and the ex-captain's marvelous feet poised his kick straight to now-captain Terry, who headed it confidently into the net. That gave England a lead that lasted until the equalizer in the dying minutes of the game, but it was enough to boost the fans' response and McClaren's decision into a favorable light: Beckham is still a relevant and contributory player who deserves a spot in England's national team.
Last but not least, lets not let Beckham steal all the glory: Michael Owen was lively and excited and injury free. Owen played for nearly all of the 90 minutes, with 8 left to go before Crouch substituted, and the fans seemed to duly note that he was back, maybe not in full form, but just enough, and where his earlier skill dominated, his desire to play - which is uncontested - outshone what he may otherwise lack, and he looked proper on the pitch for England. Owen has made it a point to state that he wishes to come back and prove himself at the highest level, and he did that last night.
It was a comeback for Owen, Beckham, McClaren, and the English side altogether, boosting morale for the Wednesday Euro qualifier against Estonia, and it was a boost that all involved desperately needed. What will become of Beckham's MLS deal, considering his strong play and the interest in major Euro clubs who want him (who weren't otherwise when Beckham penned the MLS deal), is left to be determined, and the speculation is already flying. Should be an interesting summer, for certain.
