David Beckham LA Galaxy Goal
Vs. Wellington Phoenix New
Zealand

This is how you take a
PENALTY

Becks draws record crowd -
Sportal

David Beckham came, saw action
for the full 90 minutes and
helped his LA Galaxy side
conquer Wellington Phoenix 4-1
as Saturday night fever hit
Westpac Stadium.

Beckha
more

David Beckham LA Galaxy Goal
Vs. Wellington Phoenix New
Zealand

This is how you take a
PENALTY

Becks draws record crowd -
Sportal

David Beckham came, saw action
for the full 90 minutes and
helped his LA Galaxy side
conquer Wellington Phoenix 4-1
as Saturday night fever hit
Westpac Stadium.

Beckham, capped 99 times for
England, had an influential
match.

He made two goals and scored
from the penalty spot in the
77th minute as Galaxy
completed its two-match tour
that also included a 5-3 loss
to A-League club Sydney FC on
Tuesday.

'I was surprised. I'm not the
penalty taker but (striker)
Landon (Donovan) told me to
have it and I was happy to,'
said Beckham.

'That's one of the biggest
parts of my game, striking the
ball, so I was pleased with
that.'

The match was played before a
record football crowd for any
match in New Zealand of
31,853. It bettered by more
than 300 the international
between New Zealand and Kuwait
at Auckland in 1981.

It was played at a
considerably lesser tempo than
the A-League match between
Phoenix and Adelaide United
the previous night, but
remained a willing contest.

The home side struck first
when in the seventh minute
Phoenix midfielder Michael
Ferrante forced Galaxy
goalkeeper Joe Cannon to parry
a shot away.

From the resulting corner,
delivered by Felipe, the ball
travelled to Phoenix captain
Ross Aloisi who rifled the
ball into the net from close
range.

Beckham instigated the
equaliser for Galaxy in the
17th minute when his right
hand cross found Donovan
inside Phoenix's penalty area.
Donovan's attempted shot was
blocked by goalkeeper Mark
Paston but Clint Mathis was on
hand to steer the ball home.
Galaxy's Cannon was twice
forced into action midway
through the half, first to
deny a goalbound shot from
striker Shane Smeltz and a
shot from midfielder Felipe.

However, Galaxy went into
halftime 2-1 ahead when
Donovan shot low and hard past
Paston into the goalkeeper's
right corner after Edson
Buddle's shot from in front of
goal was only partially
blocked by two Phoenix
defenders.

Beckham turned provider again
in the 48th minute when,
following a jinking midfield
run, he passed wide to Donovan
who crossed to Mathis at the
far post. Mathis' shot across
the face of the goal beyond
Paston was tapped in by Carlos
Pavon.

Phoenix continued to press,
with Royce Brownlie having the
best opportunities in the 68th
and 72nd minutes, but both
attempts failed to trouble
Cannon.

Beckham had the camera
flashlights going and the
crowd roaring when his spot
kick in the 77th minute was
clinically dispatched high and
to Paston's left after Phoenix
defender Steven Old had
earlier committed the foul.

SBS The World Game 1 December
2007

Category Entertainment

Tags David, , Beckham, Goal, La, Galaxy, England, Arsenal, Real, Madrid, Manchester, United, Liverpool, Wellington, Phoenix, New, Zealand