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FROM THE BOUNDARY - Beckham parades his genius with an unstoppable shotTHE WORLD Cup of football entered its second round, the round of 16, on Saturday and up to Sunday, it was such that the promise is for some exciting and sometimes bruising action right up to the end on July 9 when the last two teams standing meet in the final in Berlin. The first two days of the contest involving the big boys ended with Germany, three-time champions, knocking out Sweden easily with a 2-0 score line and two-time champions Argentina clipping Mexico 2-1 in extra-time, one-time champion England pipping Ecuador 1-0 and Portugal edging the Netherlands 1-0 in three closely contested matches. GREAT GOALS While the Germany/Sweden contest was almost a one-sided affair, the other three went right to the wire with the losers giving as much as they got and the winners surviving courtesy of some great goals - and especially so those by Maxi Rodriquez of Argentina and David Beckham of England. With the match locked at 1-1 and in extra-time, Rodriquez on the right flank, moved in on a long pass by captain Juan Pablo Sorin from the left, collected the ball with his chest and from outside of the goal area, before the ball hit the ground, volleyed it with his left foot into the far corner. Goalkeeper Roberto Abbon-danzieri simply had no chance. In a tournament that has so far produced some fantastic goals, that but probably for Argentina's 24-pass beauty against Serbia and Montenegro, was, up to then, one of the very best if not the best goal of the World Cup. Less than 24 hours later, however, it was surpassed by Beckham's masterpiece - a trademark right-footed free-kick some 15 metres outside the goal area from the left of the goal that curved away from the goalkeeper and brushed the inside of the near post as it dipped into the goal. If ever a goal was unstoppable, that was it. It was an unforget-table shot from the boot of a free-kick genius. LIKE A WAR BECKHAM With one match almost a one-horse affair and two producing two magnificent goals, one, the contest between Portugal and the Netherlands in Nuremberg, the match in which 25 fouls were committed, 16 yellow cards were issued and four players, two from each side, were sent off, was, however, like a war. It was so bad that it brought back memories of the Brazil versus Hungary shoot-out in Berne in 1954 and the England/ Argentina clash in London in 1966. Known as the "Battle of Berne" in World Cup history, the quarter-final match in 1954 ended 4-2 in Hungary's favour, but not before a series of fouls and penalties in a match which saw Hungary jumping into a 2-0 lead before Brazil pulled one back through a penalty, before Hungary scored again through a penalty, before Brazil scored again, before, in a match of hot tempers, Hungary's Bozsik and Brazil's Nihil Santos were sent off, before Hungary scored again, and before, in the final seconds of the match, Brazil's inside left, Tozzi, was sent off for kicking Hungary's Lorant. And it did not end there. HOT TEMPERED After the match, Brazil's Pinheiro was struck in the face as he entered the dressing room by a bottle reportedly thrown by Hungary's ace forward Ferenc Puskas and all hell broke loose as the Brazilian team attacked the Hungarian team in their own dressing room. In the London clash, which was eventually won 1-0 by England, Herr Kreitlein of Germany was the referee, it was another hot-tempered match, the Argentines felt that too many of the decisions were against them, captain Rattin protested most of them, and just before half-time the referee ordered him off the field. Rattin, however, refused to leave the field, he argued with FIFA officials who tried to get him on his way and it was not until 10 minutes had passed that he finally left the field ? and that while exchanging insults with the crowd. Today, the round of 16 comes to an end, it will be Brazil versus Ghana and Spain up against France, and hopefully they will be matches to remember - not because of the number of yellow cards and red cards issued, not because of the number of players sent off, but because of some really beautiful football, some close and exciting contests and some memorable goals.
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