This year’s Soccer Aid showdown left celebrities exhausted and injured in the name of charity.
Credit/Copyright: Jon Super, AP Photo
Organiser Robbie Williams' England team won back the Soccer Aid trophy on Sunday night, with a 3-1 victory over the Rest of the World in a thrilling match that raised £4 million ($6.28 million) for UNICEF.
Football legends and celebrities including Teddy Sheringham, Will Ferrell, Gordan Ramsay, Graham Le Saux and Aston and Marv from JLS battled it out in front of close to 70,000 fans at Old Trafford in Manchester.
England’s celebrity players included Robbie Williams, Mark Owen, Aston Merrygold, Olly Murs and Marvin Humes, while the Rest of the World team fielded Mike Myers, Gerard Butler, Edward Norton, Woody Harrelson and Michael Sheen.
Serge Pizzorno of Kasabian opened the score in the 21st minute with a spectacular right-footed shot, beating former England goalkeeper David Seaman.
England trailed 1-0 at half time, but came back strongly in the second half with two goals in three minutes, from former Chelsea and England star Graham Le Saux and Soccer Aid co-founder Jonathan Wilkes.
Blackpool striker Kevin Philips scored a third goal on 88 minutes to make the victory safe for the home side, though some unconventional goal keeping antics by Jamie Theakston at the other end made for a nail-biting finish.
There was also drama when celebrity chef Gordan Ramsay was stretchered off after a collision with England legend Teddy Sheringham. A leg injury late in the game also put Will Ferrell on the sidelines.
“Soccer Aid 2012 has been the most amazing yet!” said UNICEF UK Executive Director David Bull, who presented the winners’ medals." There was an incredible atmosphere, it was a great match, and over £4 million was raised to help save children’s lives."
Robbie Williams recently travelled with Jonathan Wilkes to some of the poorest parts of Mexico City, and recorded a video for UNICEF explaining the importance of the work Soccer Aid helps support.
Williams said: "Meeting children in Mexico City really showed me how dangerous the world can be for a child and how hard it can be for them to even survive. Right now, children are suffering and it shouldn’t be like this.
It’s not too late to donate to Soccer Aid: click here to find out how easily you can help.
