Witless England dig their way out

England 2 - 0 Trinidad & Tobago
Crouch 83, Gerrard 90

England went into the last 16 of the World Cup with a display that will have put them out of the reckoning so far as most observers are concerned. There is rehabilitation to be undergone after a protracted stalemate with Trinidad & Tobago that did not seem particularly likely to be broken until Peter Crouch's header opened the scoring in the 83rd minute. At the close England's players departed to cheers, but the scorn at the interval is the sound they should replay in their minds.

It was the reliable gauge of their efforts. The side is capable of much more and confirmed that in stoppage-time, when Steven Gerrard sweetly cut inside Aurtis Whitley and fired home an authoritative left-footer from outside the area. Only the most credulous of fans would treat that as characteristic of England's work at this tournament.

It was the flamboyance of a footballer who knew the pressure had been released. England were so witless for most of the evening that there was more at stake than the loss of a couple of points. The players, for all their inevitable protestations later, would have despaired of putting themselves among the World Cup's senior nations. The passing was merely dogged and too often the ball was hit long, allowing T&T to adjust before showing off their physical strength.

While Sven-Goran Eriksson had better not brag, there was one small, specialised satisfaction for him. This was the key game where his substitutions finally came to England's aid. The introduction of Wayne Rooney for Michael Owen was the least relevant of them. Talisman he may be, but after the metatarsal injury that has educated the nation in one tiny area of orthopaedics, Rooney is also a forward dulled by seven weeks on the sidelines.

England benefited most from sending Aaron Lennon out to play on the right. As he pulled defenders away, David Beckham had more scope to deliver from that flank as an attacking full-back. With 83 minutes gone the captain's beautiful cross caught Brent Sancho flat-footed, a failing that is disastrous when Crouch is immediately behind you. The Liverpool striker's header had all the power necessary to beat Shaka Hislop at his near post.

For all the euphoria, there has to be an undercurrent of ruefulness when the side scores like that. There is nothing shameful in it and the skill is not to be gainsaid, but England have been downed by too many sides who are prepared for it. Several are present at the World Cup. With apologies to Gerrard, England have won against fundamentally weak opponents in Group B only because of the whip and menace with which Beckham strikes the ball.

Yesterday's match was a long inventory of England faults. Though some good signs were present, as in the link between the two Coles on the left, the side usually contrived to plod while using a lot of energy in the drab process. The early, untaken opportunities were more important than they appeared.

Crouch crossed from the left in the sixth minute but Frank Lampard's drive was so strong that Owen could not control the rebound when Hislop beat the effort away. Eleven minutes later Ashley Cole sent the sweetest of passes down the line to Joe Cole and a shot by Crouch from the cut-back was put behind by the goalkeeper.

Yet there was no deluge to wash away Leo Beenhakker's side. Indeed they were refreshed by the discovery that they could cope. There were several times, too, when their thoughts ran far beyond self-protection. A capacity to harm England was never quelled. After a short corner in the 34th minute Dwight Yorke flighted a cross that Paul Robinson failed to touch and a straining Stern John put it behind.

T&T came closer to an opener than England in that period. On the brink of half-time John challenged Rio Ferdinand for a Dennis Lawrence knock-down and John Terry had to hook clear from close to the goal-line. Beenhakker had good cause to field a second forward in this game.

A comparison of the coaches was highly unflattering for Eriksson. There was too litle quickness of foot or mind from an England team that had known for months that it would meet this kind of enthusiastic stubbornness. Beehakker's players, schooled in the grind of Scottish football and England's lower divisions, do not get discouraged.

Eriksson's side did no harm to that spirit until very late in the day. Exasperation whittled England to puny size. When Rooney and Crouch linked smartly after 77 minutes, Lampard took the pass from the latter and untypically drilled a finish wide from 12 yards.

Crouch had been even more extravagant when England were not riddled with fear. In the 43rd minute Gerrard stroked a handsome pass down the right and the ensuing cross by Beckham was nearly as refined, but the striker misconnected and put his right-footed finish well wide.

Then, he appeared to be offering himself as the one to stand down when Rooney reclaims his place, but Crouch would eventually rescue England. He had still toiled and Owen, while improving, is not yet at his sharpest. Barring a fast transformation, England will not avoid calamity in the World Cup as they did here.