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Goalkeeper blunder hands US 1-1 draw with England

(Agencies)
Updated: 2010-06-13 06:18

England's Steven Gerrard (C) shoots to score past Ricardo Clark (R) of the US and goalkeeper Tim Howard during the 2010 World Cup Group C soccer match at Royal Bafokeng stadium in Rustenburg June 12, 2010. [Agencies]

England, pursuing its first World Cup title since 1966, created more chances but the Americans held firm under pressure with a string of saves from Howard, who was voted player of the match.

"It was a difficult game," Gerrard said. "I think the important thing in the first game is not to lose."

Green's error brought looks of dismay from English fans who were a majority in the sellout crowd of more than 38,000 at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium.

But England manager Fabio Capello refused to censure his goalkeeper, publicly at least.

"He made one mistake but in the second half he also made a good save," Capello told a news conference. "This is football. The most important thing is the score at the end of the game."

Gerrard saw Green's error as the game's turning point. "Unfortunately we've let a poor goal in and we couldn't go on and get the winner," he said. "The goal shocked us a bit. ... It took us a while to get over it."

England won nine of its 10 qualifying games to secure a spot in South Africa but in warmup games ahead of the tournament it recorded a series of uninspired performances.

At the final whistle, American fans applauded and waved their flags as their team came over to greet them, while the English supporters stood mostly in silence after their team filed off the field with heads bowed.

"Our first game is still about getting something, but when you go behind early, I thought the response was good," U.S. coach Bob Bradley said. "I think after the goal, we started to put some plays together and built up confidence."

Bradley commended his players on holding their own against the more favored England team.

"It was a fast, hard game and we were pleased with the way our midfield was able to compete with England," he said.

Green's slip recalled a similar mistake by Scott Carson against Croatia which denied England a place at the 2008 European Championship.

The goalkeeping position has long been England's weakest link. Paul Robinson, who started at the 2006 World Cup, lost his place after a series of errors. David James was on the bench in Rustenburg despite his nickname "Calamity."

Dempsey became only the second American to score in two World Cups. He also scored in the 2006 tournament.

"At least we got a point, that's the positive," Dempsey said. "We've got to go out and win these next two games."

Both countries can still claim one of the group's top two places and advance to the next round. The other two teams in the group, Algeria and Slovenia, play Sunday. Both are regarded as weaker teams than England or the U.S..

Gerrard's early strike helped settle the England team while the Americans struggled to find any rhythm.