England Keeps Winning Ugly

One goal on a set piece was the difference between England and Ecuador. For some reason, Ecuadorian goalie Cristian Mora, he of the pretty painted face, left Beckham about 80% of the net to shoot at, and Beckham tucked a nifty little curveball just into the left side. Beckham then celebrated with a case of the dry heaves, caught live by the ABC cameras. 1-0 was the final.

And how about a round of applause for Ecuador? They played their jheri curls off out there, and it was certainly a tremendous achievement to get as far as they did. Carlos Tenorio was fantastic through the whole tournament, and I tend to think that he won't be spending much more time in the Qatari League.

It should be a fantastic game a little later at 3 o'clock between Portugal and The Netherlands, the winner of which gets England next. The Dutch haven't lost a game in two years. That last loss, however, came to Portugal in Euro 2004, so they've got a little bit of pent-up Dutch aggression waiting to be unleashed. Cristiano Ronaldo should beware wooden shoes kicking him in the shins.

England 1-0 Ecuador [BBC Sport] Portugal v Holland [BBC Sport]