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British troops take time off for Cup action
British marines took a break from the war in Afghanistan on Sunday to watch England's opening World Cup match at their base in Kabul.
- Indo-Asian News Service
- Updated: February 25, 2007 08:27 AM IST
Read Time:2 min
Kabul:
British marines took a break from the war in Afghanistan on Sunday to watch England's opening World Cup match at their base in Kabul. England drew first blood with a goal from Sol Campbell, but Sweden equalised with a shot from Niclas Alexandersson. A feeling of quiet expectation settled on the British contingent at Camp Gibraltar. The British were also joined by some Swedish allies as their teams fought it out on the pitch. The British marines leaped to their feet with a roar, pumping their fists when Campbell drew first blood with a first-half goal. But the troops left dejected. England fell apart in the second half, while Sweden dominated. There were groans as English star David Beckham left the field, and moans and silence for the rest of the game as England failed to rally and wound up with a 1-1 tie. The British soldiers were not that impressed with their side's performance and did not hold out much prospect of England getting through to the next round. "It was an impressive first half, the performance was good, but not the second half. The players were getting a bit tired," remarked Lance Corporal Sue Johnson. The longer the England team stays in the tournament, the more of a diversion the marines will have at Camp Gibraltar, a dust-blown collection of tents behind a wall of dirt barricades that serves as the British section at Bagram air base north of Kabul. Britain plays Argentina in their second Group F match on June 7. (SNTV)Topics mentioned in this article
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