Great Britain 3 Emirates 1
Great Britain 3 United Arab Emirates 1, Wembley Stadium, Olympic Match, July 29, 2012. Team Great Britain overcame the United Arab Emirates by 3-1 in front of a crowd of over 85,000 people at Wembley thanks to goals by Ryan Giggs, Daniel Sturridge, and Scott Sinclair. Stuart Pearce´s side now had four points from their first two group matches and would progress through to the Olympic Quarter-Finals if they avoided defeat against Uruguay.
Team Great Britain entered the clash on the back of a 1-1 draw against Senegal, while the United Arab Emirates had suffered a 2-1 defeat against Uruguay in their previous game. Liverpool´s Craig Bellamy created the first goal of the Olympic fixture after seventeen minutes of play when he sent a brilliant cross which Manchester United veteran Ryan Giggs headed past United Arab Emirates shot stopper Ali Khaseif and into the net. In the 60th minute of the encounter, however, Amer Abdulrahman found Al Wasl midfield playmaker Rashed Eisa who calmly slotted the ball past goalkeeper Jack Butland to level the score for the United Arab Emirates. Then, in the 73rd minute, Team Great Britain went into the lead for the second time in the match when the always dangerous Bellamy managed to set up Swansea City winger Scott Sinclair who hammered home from six yards out, and just three minutes later Chelsea striker Daniel Sturridge sealed the victory for the hosts with an excellent lob. Great Britain Team: Jack Butland, Neil Taylor, Steven Caulker, James Tomkins, Micah Richards, Marvin Sordell, Ryan Giggs, Joe Allen, Tom Cleverley, Aaron Ramsey, Craig Bellamy. Substitutes: Scott Sinclair, Daniel Sturridge, Jack Cork. United Arab Emirates Team: Ali Khasif, Abdulaziz Hussain, Mohamed Ahmed, Hamdan Al Kamali, Ahmed Khalil, Abdelaziz Sanqour, Amer Abdulrahman, Khamis Esmaeel, Omar Abdulrahman, Rashed Eisa, Ismail Matar. Substitutes: Habib Farzan, Saad Surour, Ahmed Ali.
Ryan Giggs Quickfacts
A versatile winger with exceptional dribbling skills and an eye for goal as well, Ryan Giggs managed to collect an impressive total of 64 senior caps for his native Wales, notching up twelve goals during the process. Giggs, who initially announced his retirement from international football at the end of 2006-07 season, was without doubt one of the greatest players ever to appear for The Welsh Dragons.
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