Match Report Lethargic England Beats Harmless Ecuador
Beckham curled in a trademark free-kick on 60 minutes to become the first Englishman to score goals in three World Cups and set up a last eight showdown with either Portugal or Holland next Saturday.
But the Real Madrid star's first international goal for 13 matches could not mask another lackluster display from England, who again looked vulnerable at set-pieces and struggled to click in hot, humid conditions at the Gottlieb-Daimler Stadion.
"We've got to overcome this because there will be other days like this," Beckham said. "We make things hard for ourselves. We don't keep the ball as well as we can do."
Manager Sven-Goran Eriksson's decision to unveil yet another new-look line-up fell some way short of being a resounding success, with Tottenham midfielder Michael Carrick unconvincing in the midfield holding role. England also looked desperately bereft of penetration in attack, where too often Wayne Rooney was forced to chase lost causes in his unfamiliar role as the lone striker in a 4-1-4-1 formation.
"I think we should have scored more goals today," Eriksson said.
On the odd occasions where England did threaten, poor finishing let them down, with out-of-form Frank Lampard missing a golden opportunity to kill the game in the 73rf minute when he blazed over after a superb cut-back from Rooney.
A lifeless opening 45 minutes saw England fail to create a single meaningful attempt on goal, two tame shots by Lampard and Rooney both easily saved by Ecuador goalkeeper Cristian Mora.
Better finishing from Ecuador striker Carlos Tenorio should have seen the South Americans take the lead in the 11th minute after a dreadful defensive blunder by England center-half John Terry. The Chelsea man slipped and mis-hit a back-header to Tenorio, who raced clear with only Paul Robinson to beat.
But with the England keeper at his mercy Tenorio took just a fraction too long and his shot was deflected onto the bar courtesy of a superb sliding cover tackle from left back Ashley Cole. That was symptomatic of an error-strewn start by England, and their defense looked muddled only moments later when an Ecuador free-kick created panic in the six-yard box.
Neither Terry nor Rio Ferdinand looked comfortable at set-pieces, and Robinson also failed to convince whenever the ball was crossed into the box, most notably when he flapped at a cross just before the half.
Despite several renditions of 'God Save The Queen' from England's fans during the half, nothing could stir Eriksson's men from their torpor and they looked grateful for the whistle.
afp/ap
