WELL-DESERVED PRAISE

Des Kelly in the Mirror.

'ALL THE attention was on David Beckham that much was inevitable on this
historic night. But as the celebrations began, two redheaded teammates
quietly clapped one another on the back and congratulated themselves on a
job well done.

England's Ginger Ninjas, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt, ruthlessly brought
Argentina to their knees in Japan with a quite brilliant performance and then
slipped away down the tunnel with a satisfied chuckle.

They might not go in for photo-shoots, they aren't the type to model
sunglasses or parade on the catwalk, but on this marvellous evening the two
most unassuming of players spoke loudest of all. When they paired up in
midfield you could almost see the half-smile on their lips.

This was the Manchester United midfield proper. There is no point Sir Alex
Ferguson persevering with a player like Veron if he disrupts the kind of
telepathic understanding Butt and Scholes obviously have. But that is for
another time. This was England's night and the Argentine squad obviously felt
the stinging pain of their humiliated captain.

The real revelation, however, was Butt. When the team sheet was handed
out, he seemed to have been cast in the role of jailer. His job was to police
Veron and snuff out his passing threat. Yet he did far more. Butt reminded the
watching world that he is capable of being more than just some dogged
artisan, more than a mere foil for supposedly more talented artistes.

In the Sapporo Dome, it was Butt's passing that was causing all the problems.
Time and time again he sent Michael Owen clear of the Argentina defence
with a distribution that was razor-sharp. He barely put a foot wrong all night
against the tournament favourites.