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Blame Canada, say Brit tabloids

If the British tabs are to be believed, a Canadian girlfriend is the reason England’s goalie dropped the ball at the World Cup.
Robert Green
FILE - England's Robert Green fails to save a goal during the World Cup group C soccer match between England and the United States at Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg

TORONTO — If the British tabs are to be believed, a Canadian girlfriend is the reason England’s goalie dropped the ball at the World Cup.

They are pointing to Elizabeth Minett, a leggy Toronto-area model as a reason for goalie Robert Green fumbling a routine catch that allowed the U.S. to tie the match on Saturday.

Minett is a 23-year-old lingerie model who was involved with Green, but split with the goalie before the World Cup.

U.K. tabloid The Daily Mirror says Green is “apparently devastated” after parting ways with Minett. The paper does, however, quote Green’s agent saying the split has not affected the goalie’s focus on the game.

According to the Daily Mail, the pair met two years ago when Green’s English Premier League team, West Ham United, was in Toronto playing in the 2008 Major League Soccer all-star game.

The paper says the couple lived together in a London apartment until about a month ago, when the relationship ended, leaving Green apparently down in the dumps.