And so it goes that the so-called golden team of England was unceremoniously dumped out of the World Cup by a meandering, play-acting and diving team of Portugal.
Did they deserve it?
Probably. They played atrociously, have played atrociously, and under the stifling hand of Sven Goran Eriksson, were terribly dull and lacklustre. One would have expected some sparks and wit of splendid players such as Steven Gerrard, John Terry and Frank Lampard but there were none forthcoming.
Perhaps, the critics were right. English players are brilliant at club level but stink on the international arena. They just aren’t world class material.
Was this the moment that England’s fortunes went even further downhill than was expected? I did not think Rooney deserved the card, especially since it didn’t seem like he was stamping on Carvelho, but who knows?
Whatever it is, England has been tried and tested and proven wanting. And it ends like this.
Yannisms 