London: The British headline writers had a field day critiquing Robert Green's horrendous fumble which cost England a victory over the United States in their opening World Cup match on Saturday night.
"The Hand of Clod" was so obvious that it was the headline tabloids News of the World and the Sunday Mirror both used as a banner over images of the bumbling England goalkeeper.
For more than two decades, the British have been referring to a contentious goal by Argentine Diego Maradona which knocked England out of the 1986 World Cup quarterfinals as the "Hand of God."
The News of the World, calling it Shock 'N' Draw, asked if "Rob still too Green for England" and describing his "howler" as Yankee doddle to Yankee doodoo.
Even the Sunday Times tapped into a deep well of sentiment in the Anglo-American meeting, making an oblique reference to U.S. anger over the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and the British oil giant BP's inability to stop the massive environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.
Under the headline Green Fingers, the newspaper's football correspondent in Rustenburg wrote that it was: "One disastrous spill the Yanks won't complain about."
"A scrappy, uncomfortable draw against the second-ranked side in Group C may not stop Capello's men topping it, but it is hard to see England going too far in the knockout rounds if they fail to improve," the paper reported.
Green was well positioned as he went down to stop a seemingly innocuous 25-yard left-foot shot from Clint Dempsey in the 40th minute, but the ball slipped off his gloves and rolled into the net, giving the U.S. an equalizer. The match finished 1-1, upsetting England fans while American fans rejoiced.
For his part, Green doesn't think the blunder will scar him mentally, or wreck England's chances of progressing to the next stage from a group which also includes Slovenia and Algeria.
"It's done, it happened," Green said. "It's about being steady and taking the rough with the smooth, but that's life as a goalkeeper.
"I've been in this situation before and it's about holding your head up high, facing you guys (the media), taking the flak which is going to come. That's life."
The Daily Star on Sunday described Green's performance as "Rob-bish," saying it cost England two vital competition points, then added him to the list of England's Hall of Goalkeeping Horrors under the heading "Rob-bed of the Points."
The Mail On Sunday, called it a "Calamity!" But that's not likely to help matters for England's already low stocks of goal custodians. David James, another of the England squad keepers, already has that nickname.
The British anthem, a favorite of England football who sing it loudly and proudly before and during matches, even came into play in Sunday Mirror's analysis. Instead of invoking God Save The Queen, the Mirror reported: God Save Our Green.
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