Berlin, July 2 (DPA) England midfielder Owen Hargreaves was named FIFA man of the match Saturday despite his team losing out to Portugal on penalties in the quarter-finals of the World Cup.
The Bayern Munich player produced an energetic performance in the centre of the field with England reduced to 10 men after Wayne Rooney was sent off in the 62nd minute.
'Owen Hargreaves was the best player on the pitch,' said Roy Hodgson, a member of FIFA's Technical Study Group.
'If you pick out one, it would be Hargreaves who encapsulated the England performance. His work rate was incredible with the number of balls he won in midfield and he still found the time to get forward,' said Hodgson.
© 2006 DPA |