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
Your support helps us to tell the story
My recent work focusing on Latino voters in Arizona has shown me how crucial independent journalism is in giving voice to underrepresented communities.
Your support is what allows us to tell these stories, bringing attention to the issues that are often overlooked. Without your contributions, these voices might not be heard.
Every dollar you give helps us continue to shine a light on these critical issues in the run up to the election and beyond
Eric Garcia
Washington Bureau Chief
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:
34 mins: Huge chance for John Terry! Yung Filly takes the ball down the right wing, he’s been a bright spark for England since coming on. John Terry storms into the box and Filly finds him with a beautiful pass, Terry attempts to strike one on the volley but completely miscues the ball. Chance missed.
37 mins: Lee Mack comes onto the pitch, complete with his own theme song. ‘The One and Only’ by Chesney Hawkes. Chris Moyles has donated £1,000 to Unicef because of it.
40 mins: Kem Cetinay has replaced Serge Pizzorno for the World XI and Paddy McGuinness is on for John Bishop for England.
Michael Essien takes a shot from the edge of England’s penalty area. He hits it well but there isn’t enough curl on the ball to find the bottom corner and it goes wide.
42 mins: Wes Brown and Paddy McGuinness team up to sandwich Jeremy Lynch after Chelcee Grimes picks him out to the left of the box with a nice chipped pass over McGuinness’ head. Lynch goes down but Mark Clattenburg awards England a goal kick.
45 mins: Goalless at half-time. A tactical display from both teams, the World XI creating the better chances but they have been unable to convert. This fixture is known for it’s many goals so what will the second 45 minutes bring?
The deadlock is yet to be broken, what plans will the England brain trust come up with during the break?
Yung Filly has been good for England, he’s caused a few problems and has made a solid partnership with Chunkz up top.
A reminder, you can donate £30, £20 or £10 at any time by texting THIRTY, TWENTY or TEN to 70818, and with help from the UK government and Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, your donation will be tripled.
The amount raised so far for Unicef is £5,597,384, keep them donations coming in.
The second half is about to get underway, here’s a reminder as to where your donations will be going:
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments