Violence Erupts During England’s Win
Even as England and Tunisia played out a fine example of the “beautiful game” at the sun-drenched Velodrome on Monday, soccer’s ugly side was violently evident in this Mediterranean city.
Only a few miles from the field where England smoothly recorded a 2-0 victory before 54,587 emotional but well-behaved fans, police used tear gas to quash incidents that erupted between rival fans watching the game on huge TV screens at a Marseille beach after England scored its first goal, a header by Alan Shearer off a free kick by Graeme Le Saux in the 43rd minute.
After the game, police massed around the stadium and targeted other problem-prone areas of the city in hopes of heading off a repeat of violence that began Sunday night and stretched into Monday morning.
The afternoon incidents--and the threat of further trouble as the evening wore on and fans drifted to bars and restaurants--dropped a curtain of tension on an otherwise beautiful day. There was certainly little tension during England’s triumphant return to World Cup play after failing to qualify for the 1994 tournament.
Glenn Hoddle’s team, which had played together only rarely because of players’ club commitments before the tournament, looked cohesive and sure at both ends of the field. It thoroughly controlled the Group G game with strong midfield play, clever passing and tenacity on the ball.
Only several acrobatic saves by Tunisian goalkeeper Chokri El Ouaer--including a diving, one-handed tip off the crossbar of a volley by Teddy Sheringham in the 36th minute and a backward-leaning stop on Paul Scholes’ header two minutes later--kept the game from becoming a rout. That’s how thoroughly England overwhelmed the Tunisians, who worked hard and have some players with good individual skills but don’t have much depth or creativity.
“You are always a little bit anxious before the first game, especially for the amount of time we had to wait to play,” said Hoddle, whose team was among the last to make its debut. “There have been some smashing games and today was no different.
“I thought we could have won by three or four goals today, but it was a fantastic performance for the boys and a great start for us.”
Hoddle started Scholes in the midfield spot formerly occupied by the flamboyant Paul Gascoigne, who was cut before the tournament because of his celebrated late-night exploits and questionable fitness. Scholes, who plays for Manchester United, was among England’s best players and was a scoring threat throughout the game.
The 23-year-old dynamo connected in the 89th minute, taking a pass from Paul Ince and dodging a couple of defenders before sending a rising, curving shot inside the right post for his fourth goal in eight international appearances.
“Scholes showed maturity and talent. He played his natural game under these circumstances, and that’s good to see,” Hoddle said. “Paul Scholes has set the scene for himself, but the whole team played well and we did not get too stretched in the closing stages. We looked fit and strong right to the end.”
Henry Kasperczak, Tunisia’s coach, agreed England was simply too strong in too many areas for his team to make an impact in the nation’s second World Cup appearance and first since 1978.
“We came back and played well in the second half, but we could not create the chances,” he said. “The Tunisian team was in good shape and was well organized in its game. We lost because the English more effectively controlled the midfield. . . . The English team has a very good midfield. The midfielders work extremely well with the strikers and they are also very dangerous on set pieces.”
Shearer, the Newcastle United striker who is England’s captain, said the team had worked on set pieces frequently in the past few weeks and praised Le Saux’s work on the first goal.
“It’s always nice when one comes that way,” Shearer said. “I was delighted. . . . It just takes a little bit of the pressure off now. It’s nice to get off the mark. I enjoyed the goal, but I enjoyed the final whistle more.”
A fine start, certainly, but it was only the beginning. “It’s been a good result,” Shearer said, “but let’s not get carried away.”
If only the fans would heed that advice too.
