Another chance went begging -- Crouch failing to connect cleanly with a low cutback from the overlapping Richards at the near post -- before Croatia produced a clinical counter-attack to claim a two goal lead inside quarter of an hour.

Eduardo Da Silva was the architect. An aerial one-two with Olic on the half-way line allowed the Arsenal forward to advance to the edge of the area before slipping a pass between Sol Campbell and Joleon Lescott.

Olic had continued his run and the quality of Eduardo's pass ensured he barely had to break his stride as he went round Carson and tapped the ball into the empty net.

The extent of the goalkeeper's stage fright was underlined three minutes before the break, when he spilled a shot from Luka Modric.

By that stage, McClaren had no option but to try something different and it was no surprise that Wright-Phillips and Gareth Barry made way for Beckham and Jermain Defoe at the interval.

Beckham's entry in particular appeared to rally the home supporters back behind their team and England got the break they needed 11 minutes into the second half, when Josip Simunic needlessly tugged at Defoe's shirt as he chased a Joe Cole cross, handing Lampard the chance to send Pletikosa the wrong way from the spot.

The tide was turning England's way but they still required Carson to partially redeem himself for his first-half error with a superb reflex save to keep out Olic's powerful header from a corner that had been conceded by a Wayne Bridge clearance that shaved the top of his own crossbar.

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