Have you ever reminisced on a momentous moment in time and wondered what it would have been like if Twitter was around back then? Or football betting online for that matter.
It is October 6th, 2001, and England have it all to do against Greece in a crucial World Cup qualifier.
A little over a month earlier, Sven Goran Eriksson’s Three Lions had pulled off a remarkable 5-1 besting of Germany in their own back yard, but an underwhelming start to their qualifying campaign meant only a win would suffice against a decidedly average Greek outfit in order to gain automatic entry to South Korea and Japan.
Anything less and a play-off awaited versus an ever-dangerous Ukraine.
Given the underdog nature of the opponents it is a surprise therefore to discover England a goal down here, deep into injury time, with Old Trafford a sea of nerves.
Against the run of play, the unfancied Greeks had taken the lead in the first-half, and then gone in front again following Teddy Sheringham’s equaliser.
So here is where you find us, with mere seconds remaining and disaster looming fast, despite the best efforts of David Beckham who has been inspirational on this cloudy afternoon, covering every blade of grass in a stadium he considered home.
It should be said that Beckham’s positive influence on the international scene extended beyond these ninety minutes, the midfielder on a one-man crusade for redemption after being held personally responsible for England’s exit in 1998, flicking his leg out at Diego Simeone and seeing red in a quarter-final clash against Argentina.
Widely castigated for his petulance, the Manchester United superstar had responded admirably, putting in a series of brilliant displays, and then raising his levels even further when handed the captaincy in 2000.
Yet for all this, the English public could only forgive, and not forget. And unfair or otherwise, what was truly needed to put the past to bed was a moment. An iconic, redemptive moment.
The game is nudging into the fourth minute of added-on time and Teddy Sheringham makes the most of a slight nudge. He goes down and a free-kick to England is given a full 30 yards out.
At this precise juncture, let’s press pause on the reminiscing and return to the earlier question.
Considering that Beckham curled a beautiful effort right into the top corner and millions of us exploded in joy and relief and disbelief, just imagine how wonderful Twitter would have been as a communal place to share these feelings.
Alas, the social media platform didn’t exist for another five years.
As for the online football betting, that did exist but in nascent form, and besides, it would have been all about the live betting anyway, a future entity.
Pre-match, England would have been strong favourites, but those odds would have changed dramatically late-on and as the clock ticked down, only those blinded by patriotic optimism still backing a home victory.
But as the referee blew for a foul, and arguably the greatest free-kick specialist of his generation claimed the ball and began his familiar routine of taking three angled strides back, who would have lumped on then?
The suspicion is many of us would, because as football supporters we believe in something others are typically sceptical of. We believe in destiny.
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*
