ENGLAND FOUND THE EASIER ROUTE through this World Cup finals, although it is probably not easy enough. Michael Owen has kicked his last ball in Germany and, while nothing could match his personal disaster, there was collective desperation at times in Sven- Göran Eriksson’s ranks.
Celebrations at finishing top of group B were bound to be muted in light of Owen’s terrible misfortune and, while there was a glimpse at the way forward for England involving an energetic five-man midfield led by the colossal Steven Gerrard, Eriksson will not just be acclaimed as a knight but a miracle worker if he is holding the World Cup on July 9.
After an uplifting opening 45 minutes capped by Joe Cole’s stunning volley, England paraded familiar vices — and a few new ones besides.
The least we hoped to rely on was that they would be hard to beat, but they could have conceded four or five goals just from set-pieces. And before anyone points the finger at the erratic Sol Campbell, they were wobbling before the hulking defender came on for Rio Ferdinand.
On top of that, an already imbalanced squad now lacks its No 1 goalscorer. The loss of Owen with a knee injury after less than a minute was the cruellest of blows, particularly on a night when he was so determined to answer doubts.
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Wayne Rooney lasted 69 minutes and could barely run by then, although he still had the energy to furiously kick a water bottle and thump the top of a dugout. And then there is Theo Walcott, untried at Premiership level, never mind the World Cup.
There was good news in Rooney’s return, a fine first-half performance, a satisfactory result and the fact that Peter Crouch and Gerrard did not pick up bookings.
There was also a tireless, tackling performance from Owen Hargreaves and, as the smoke cleared at the end of a frenetic evening, it was possible to detect how England could progress beyond the last 16. The Bayern Munich player will surely retain his place, allowing Gerrard to support Rooney in a five-man midfield — at least until the Manchester United striker runs out of gas and has to be replaced by Crouch.
It had been seven months since Rooney and Owen had lined up together and the brutally early ending of their partnership last night was bound to rock England back on their heels.
The opening ten minutes was perhaps understandably frenetic in the circumstances, but they began to find their shape and it was Rooney who led them out of that brief, early chaos. The striker was bound to tire on his return, but in those early moments, when the adrenalin could mask the lack of match practice, he could not get enough of the ball. And there might have been a Roy of the Rovers return when David Beckham, otherwise quiet, picked him out with the pass of the evening. It took a player with Rooney’s ability to pull the ball from the sky, but Teddy Lucic recovered to block.
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At this stage, England were threatening almost every time they broke forward. Their most productive channel was down the left flank, where Ashley Cole’s improving fitness has enabled him to form a productive combination with the right-footed Joe. And the Chelsea player’s spectacular volley to put England ahead in the 34th minute was reward for his and the team’s initial, bolder style.
An engaging character who has been glued to matches at this tournament, Cole will have been thrilled to have placed himself on the list of must-see highlights with his astonishing parabola of a shot from 25 yards.
England’s improvement on the first two performances had been marked in the first 45 minutes, but that made the second-half relapse all the more troubling. They had been approaching mastery of Sweden before the interval but were not only back on level terms soon after the break but clinging to parity.
The defence has shown a troubling vulnerability at set-pieces for a long time and it was from a corner that Sweden equalised in the 51st minute. Tobias Linderoth picked out Marcus Allbäck at the near post and his flick sailed in.
Suddenly overcome with the jitters, England might have conceded from the next two corners. Paul Robinson has barely had a shot to save in Germany, but he has lacked authority in dealing with crosses.
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All the early composure had evaporated and possession was being squandered with familiar and troubling ease. It was a measure of Eriksson’s concern that he had to introduce Gerrard for the wilting Rooney in the 69th minute to try to shore things up.
It was no surprise that Gerrard’s first contribution should, after another Sweden corner, be to clear off the line, but he then rose majestically to head home Joe Cole’s cross. It should have been an upbeat end but then England scandalously allowed a long throw to bounce across the goalmouth to Henrik Larsson. Having lost their leading scorer, England can scarcely afford to wobble at the back.
ROUTE TO THE FINAL
England’s success in Cologne means that Sven-Göran Eriksson’s side avoid Germany and stay in the easier half of the draw
Second round: Sunday, June 25, Stuttgart, 4pm: England v Ecuador Quarter-finals: Saturday, July 1, Gelsenkirchen, 4pm: Portugal or Holland Semi-finals: Wednesday, July 5, Munich, 8pm: Brazil or Spain Final: Sunday, July 9, Berlin, 7pm: Argentina
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GAME OVER FOR INJURED STRIKER
WE WILL HAVE TO WAIT until tomorrow for Michael Owen to undergo a scan on his right knee, but I fear we know already that his tournament is over. Whether he has injured either of his two cruciate ligaments — which connect the upper and lower leg — or the less critical ligaments, any substantial damage will take weeks to heal. Torn cruciate ligaments will probably require surgery, followed by months of treatment. In many cases, the athlete is never the same again. Even if this is not a worst-case scenario and Owen has injured the less critical ligaments, I fear that he will still be packing his bags early.
DR THOMAS STUTTAFORD