Australia Draws with England in ARAFURA Games Opener
The arch-rivals both hit the cross-bar in the final three minutes, in a Oceania Paralympic Championship match that more than lived up to the pre-game hype.
Played in front of a healthy crowd, England looked the dominant side throughout the second half but just could not find the decisive winner. English duo Richard Fox and Graham LeClerc each hit the woodwork late in the contest.
And then inside the final minute, Australian skipper David Barber looked like he had snatched victory for his country, only for his curling free kick to agonisingly hit the cross bar as well.
At that moment, it seemed destined that the two rivals would not be split this time round.
Australian coach Paul Brown praised the spirit of his men, and said he was already looking forward to the next meeting between the two sides ? quite possibly in Saturday?s gold medal match.
?Considering it was our first International match for a while, I thought the boys did extremely well,? Brown said.
?I?d like to see them play with a bit more direction. Their runs have to be cleaner and more decisive.?
?But it gives us something to work on for next time. I can?t wait to play England again.?
Australia plays their second round match against Korea on Wednesday night at 6:30pm
2009 ARAFURA Games
Paralympic Men’s Football 7-a-side (CP Football) Tournament
Official Match Schedule
Venue: Marrara Hockey Centre, Marrara Sporting Complex, Darwin
Tuesday 12 May 2009
6.30PM ENGLAND 0:0 AUSTRALIA
8.00PM KOREA 1:2 JAPAN
Wednesday 13 May 2009
6.30PM AUSTRALIA v KOREA
8.00PM JAPAN v ENGLAND
Thursday 14 May 2009
6.30PM JAPAN v AUSTRALIA
8.00PM KOREA v ENGLAND
Friday 15 May 2009
REST DAY
Saturday 16 May 2009
6.00PM 2ND v 3RD – (Game 2)
7.30PM 1ST v 4TH – (Game 1)
Sunday 17 May 2009
9.00AM Bronze Medal Match – LOSER Game 1 v LOSER Game 2
10.30AM Gold Medal Match – WINNER Game 1 v WINNER Game 2
For more information please visit the official ARAFURA games website www.arafuragames.nt.gov.au
