Yahoo Sports Iconic Performances: Beckham’s Greece goal earns England redemption
David Beckham’s career contained a catalogue of defining moments. From an early emergence as part of Fergie’s Fledglings at Manchester United, to treble success with the club in the late nineties and a Galactico move to Spain in the new millennium.
Beckham was box-office. A ground-breaker. He helped merge football and celebrity, a brilliant footballer with boy-band good looks, one whose brand refused to be confined to the parameters of the pitch. But to discuss Beckham’s evolution into pop culture is to do a disservice to his talent.
For all the moments on and off the pitch in a colourful career, it is one game, one swing of that unerringly accurate right boot, that evokes the mind’s eye when remembering Beckham.
October 6th, 2001.
Sven-Goran Eriksson’s England welcomed Greece to Old Trafford in a World Cup qualifier. The Three Lions had all but turned around a qualification campaign that had begun disastrously, with Kevin Keegan resigning as manager after an opening defeat to Germany at Wembley.
Results improved under his Swedish successor, including a 5-1 thrashing of Germany in Munich. Heading into the final fixture with Greece, England needed only to better the German’s result against Finland to book their place in the Far East.
Few anticipated an upset. Greece had been poor travellers in the group, losing each of their three games outside of Athens, including a 5-1 defeat in Finland a month earlier. Vasilios Daniil’s side flipped the script, however, when Angelos Charisteas handed the visitors a shock lead.
That goal stoked a fire within Beckham, who charged around the pitch in perpetual motion. As others around him seemed frozen under pressure, Beckham was an example of endeavour and fight, willing his side forward with sheer effort.
England trailed at the break and Eriksson opted for change. Teddy Sheringham was introduced for Robbie Fowler and combined with Beckham to bring the hosts level.
Beckham’s bustle bought England a set piece. He roved from his right-wing role and twisting and turning down the left earned England a free-kick. The delivery, dangerously curled towards the six-yard box, was met by Sheringham’s head for an England equaliser.
England were level but parity lasted less than a minute. The Greeks were game and stunned the Manchester crowd with a second goal. Demis Nikolaidis shrugged off Rio Ferdinand to fire the visitors in front again, as Galanolefki made a mockery of their previous away-day blues.
As the Greeks gained confidence, white shirts wilted. Almost all, but one.
With the captain’s armband around his bicep, Beckham charged around the pitch, passing, probing, and refusing to be beaten. Unable to force an equaliser from open play, one final chance arrived.
Beckham stood over a free-kick in second-half stoppage time as a nation held its collective breath. Teddy Sheringham’s plea to take the kick had been dismissed, as the captain pulled rank. He had failed with five previous set-piece attempts and knew this would be England’s final chance. With Germany held by Finland, an equaliser would be enough.
And how it arrived.
Historic. 🙌#OnThisDay 2️⃣0️⃣ years ago, David Beckham sent the #ThreeLions to the 2002 @FIFAWorldCup! 🤩pic.twitter.com/R69z3x3R1C
— England (@England) October 6, 2021
Beckham left Antonis Nikopolidis no chance as he struck the defining goal of his career into the top corner. Fittingly, at a ground nicknamed the Theatre of Dreams, it was a free-kick from fantasy. An eruption of relief and rejoicing followed as Beckham’s picture book strike nestled in its final destination, with the midfielder taking in the applause arms outstretched.
This the a goal – and performance – that had taken England to the World Cup but for Beckham it was much more than that. The villain of their 1998 exit after his red card against Argentina, it was the conclusion of an arduous road back to redemption.
Through heroic hustle and hard work, sweat and spirit, he had got England over the line.
“That was the moment that England supporters forgave me for what had happened a few years before,” Beckham said, as per the BBC.
“For me personally, that was redemption for what had happened, because up until then, there was always that cloud around the sending-off.”
“It’s probably the clearest moment that I have in my memory of my football career and it was probably one of the most special moments,” Beckham later said on the goal.
“To represent my country, to captain my country, to score a goal that meant so much to our country and the fans… and to do it all at Old Trafford. For me, it couldn’t have been any more perfect.”
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