Power, Speed Combined To Crush N.Z. Soccer

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31384, 1 June 1967, Page 15

Power, Speed Combined To Crush N.Z. Soccer

Turning on power just when and where they wanted it, the masters of English soccer, Manchester United, overwhelmed New Zealand, 11-0, before a crowd of 10,000 at English Park last evening. With four goals in the first half and seven in the second, they drew a line for all to see between those who play soccer for their livelihood and those who play soccer.

It was a crushing defeat but New Zealand was not crushed underfoot, for the weapon Manchester United used was a rapier, not a sledgehammer. The English League champion cut and thrust with dazzling speed until it had found an opening and then struck sure and swiftly at the vital spot.

New Zealand had its chances to score, to make defeat a little more respectable, but its forwards lacked the speed and the power—and finally the ability —to take them.

In the fourth minute Manchester went ahead with a goal that stamped its authority on the game. New Zealand lost possession on the centre line, and in the space of time that it would take a pencil point to trace a triangle on a postage stamp, the ball sped from G. Best to R. Charlton, to N. Cantwell, to the back of the net. The movement was one of such simplicity that it went by almost unappreciated. It took the third goal, 11 minutes later, to rouse the cold and soaking crowd, to a full appreciation of the sheer brutal power of Manchester. Classic Goal Until then little had been, seen of the Best who had electrified the crowd at Auckland on Sunday. Then he exploded on to the scene with a classic goal. From 40 yards, through a packed goalmouth, the slightly-built Irishman shot. And no-one moved—until the New Zealand goalkeeper, A. Stroud, turned round to take the ball out of the net Late in the second half, as New Zealand legs became leaden and stamina weakened, Manchester scored almost at will, fi’ o times in the last 22 minutes.

The man of the match was Charlton, voted Europe’s and Britain’s “Soccer Player of the Year”, in 1966, and unanimous!. voted the destroyer of New Zealand soccer last evening. Charlton scored three and had a foot in six more. When he looks the least Interested in the game, Charl-

ton is at his most dangerous. The second goal of the match, in the sixth minute, revealed one of his secrets—tremendous acceleration. One moment he was standing still, the next he was at full speed to fasten on to a pass from Cantwell. All that was missing was Charlton’s famous blockbuster of a shot —but this time it was not necessary. There was time and space to slip the ball past a lonely, unprotected Stroud. However, Charlton showed he was more than just a speed merchant. Everything he did was sheer delight. His control of the ball, his deceptive change of pace, his made-to-measure passes, his complete control of the whole tactical plan under which Manchester works. Speed Vital Charlton covered the field bewilderingly quickly. There was one occasion in the first half when he stepped between the New Zealand forwards, C. Rennie and York, inside the Manchester goal area. Following up on the pass he made to clear his lines, in the next minute he hammered a low shot from 20 yards outside the New Zealand goal-mouth that almost beat Stroud. But the speed of every movement bewildered and shattered the New Zealand defence. The United players moved on to the through ball with the intuitive knowledge that it would come to them, and while the New Zealanders were still pondering the problem of taking the ball away from one attacker, another had it and was streaking goalwards. At His Best

Best was at his crowd-pleas-ing best with his two goals and his mazy dribbles, but several times he was heavilytackled out of the play and

was policed by two or three defenders whenever he had the ball. But no-one could deny him the power of his first goal and the cheeky artistry of his second. From an angle few would try to score, he chipped the ball over Stroud’s head with a scoring shot that might have been worked out by a ballistics expert. The ball rose just the right amount, took the exact amount of the wind and dropped at the crucial moment. Cantwell did a hat-trick, as he did in Auckland, twice taking his chances when shots from Charlton rebounded off Stroud. B. Kidd and J. Aston scored once each, and the unlucky New Zealand centrehalf, T. McNab, put through his own goal. New Zealand fought to the bitter end, never gave up trying, faltered only in the last 20 minutes. But grit and determination and an iinconquered spirit were no substitute for skill, power and speed. And Manchester’s 11 goals proved it. But the New Zealand forwards often played right into Manchester’s hands, by their refusal to move the ball swiftly and by running the ball into a barrier of defenders. Nor did they move off the ball intelligently, finding the open spaces to help the player with the ball. Held Too Long G. Lamont in the first half, and M. Burgess throughout the game, held the ball far too long, ruining even the faint hopes there were of breaking Manchester’s defence. And there were chances going begging, because the English League champion often threw everything into attack, leaving gaps for a swift counter movement. Far too often New Zealand gave the ball away after it had worked tremendously

hard to win it. Players were caught in possession, or passes were badly directed, or they went too slowly and were easily intercepted. The little centre-forward York never stopped trying, but he should have score immediately after the start of the second half when Manchester was leading only 4-0. He snapped up the ball after J. Rimmer, who substituted for A. Stepney, failed to gather cleanly, but shot wide. Neither, of the wingers, J. Legg and Rennie, was able to make much impression, and Rennie failed to use . his speed to the greatest purpose. He was more often at full stretch chasing hopeless balls than moving down the wing seeking a long through pass. Often Caught Gowans got througb a tremendous amount of work, made two 30-yard attempts to score but often was caught in possession and robbed. Of the defenders, the leftback, G. Lake, was the greatest success; He had a herculean task with both Charlton and Best bearing down on him, but Lake stuck to his task and several times broke away to launch attacks. Stroud was covered in mud at the finish, mute testimony t<. the desperate measures he had been fored to take. He was beaten 11 times but he saved as many, and was finally over-run, as were all the New Zealand defenders, by a soccer machine tuned to the highest pitch. The goals came: 4th minute, Cantwell; 6th, Charlton; 13th, Best; 30th, Chariton; 51st, Best; 54th, McNab (own goal); 68th, Cantwell; 69th, Cantwell; 80th, Kidd; 87th, Aston;. 89th, Charlton.