Soccer Aid result: Rest of the World beat England on penalties in charity game at Old Trafford
Celebrities and former players lined up together to raise funds for Unicef
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Celebrities and former players lined up in the annual Soccer Aid charity match on Sunday as an England side fell to a Rest of the World outfit on penalties.
The game, which raised more funds for Unicef than any previous edition of the event, saw former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney managing the England team while the Rest of the World were coached by Harry Redknapp.
Former Tottenham striker Robbie Keane opened the scoring early in the second half after a drab opening period, but England immediately fired back through comedian Yung Filly. A penalty shootout ensued, with musician Chunkz missing the decisive spot-kick as Rest of the World lifted the Soccer Aid trophy. Re-live all the updates below:
Comedian John Bishop, playing for England tonight, calls Rooney ‘The Don’.
"When the team was named and Wayne had a few words with everyone, it was like the Don from the Godfather saying this is all about winning." he said.
Kick off is expected at around 7:30pm. You can donate £30, £20 or £10 if you text the words THIRTY, TWENTY or TEN to 70818.
Sam Allardyce and Wayne Rooney have opted for a ‘flexible’ diamond in midfield with Gareth Barry just in front of the back line, Kelly Smith and Katie Chapman bringing pace to the wide areas and captain Olly Murs controlling the play. We’ll have to see if it works out.
Here’s the World XI starting line up. Harry Redknapp has set them up in a 4-3-3 formation.
The commentators for tonight. Radio 1’s Chris Stark and commentary legend Clive Tyldesley:
So far this year, Soccer Aid has raised £2,200,974. For every £1 donated, the UK Government and Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance wil treble it to £3 - up to £3 million.
Well then, here we go. The teams head out onto the pitch and Soccer Aid 2020 is about to begin. There are more celebrities than ever, Old Trafford is venue and raising money for generation covid is the cause.
8-year-old Benjamin, one of the young kids being helped by the donations to Unicef tonight, kicks off the match passing to Olly Murs and jogging off with Dermot O’Leary.
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