My Favourite World Cup Memory - A Summer's Night In Saint-Étienne

[mcgillianaire]

I was fourteen when I watched this live on the telly, sat alone in our house in Chennai on the night of 30 June 1998. It was nearly an hour past midnight and we were barely a quarter-hour into the Round of 16 clash between rivals England and Argentina. Eighteen year-old Michael Owen was playing in his first World Cup but the occasion didn't affect him. This was the first World Cup encounter between the two countries since Maradona single-handedly (pun unintended!) dumped England out at the Quarter-Final stage of the 1986 World Cup. But his second-goal solo effort in that match was still fresh in the memory of English football supporters. It is widely considered to be one of the greatest goals ever scored. And when Argentina took an early lead through a penalty, it looked like a familiar storyline. But England hit back almost immediately with a penalty of their own which Shearer duly converted. As the teams settled in, Michael Owen made a couple darting runs at the two-time World Cup champions showcasing his pace. Then came that pass from Beckham and Owen did the rest. Pace, strength and a clinically precise finish. The tables had been turned and about time too. I was in dream land. England imposed their dominance but as luck would have it, the Argentinians equalised with a cunningly crafted free-kick on the stroke of half-time. It was a cruel blow and once Beckham was sent-off for a petulant back-heel, England did well to take the game to penalties. And you know the rest. In six attempts at the World Cup and Euros, England have won only once on penalties. The Argentinians had knocked England out again. But even today, those forty-five minutes remain the best first-half of football I have ever watched. All thanks to a wonder goal by eighteen year-old Michael Owen.