Football: These young lions can get ready to roar in the Far East

SVEN Goran Eriksson and England can book their tickets for next summer's World Cup in Japan and Korea after last night's awesome 5-1 slaughter of Germany.

Make no mistake about it, England are travelling by the automatic route after routing the Germans in Munich.

There is just no way I can see England slipping up now against Albania and Greece at home.

But what us absolutely crucial is that England have overtaken the Germans on goal difference.

And with two home matches coming up, as opposed to the Germans' one, I feel Eriksson's men have automatic qualification in the bag.

I forecast last week that Eriksson's England had the quality and confidence to pull off one of the great World Cup victories in Munich's Olympic Stadium.

Little did I think England's victory would be so sensational or decisive.

Simply to win against Germany on their own patch would have been an enormous achievement, but to do it by four goals is just unbelievable.

I had to keep looking at the scoreboard reading Germany 1, England 5 to confirm the incredible events I had witnessed.

I've been in England for 25 years but this was far and away the most impressive display I have ever seen from a side wearing the Three Lions.

They didn't just beat the Germans. They absolutely annihilated them.

The Germans' proud record of just one defeat in 60 World Cup qualifiers was shot to pieces by an irresistible England display.

England took about 10 minutes to settle down. I think they were caught out a little by the German shape in midfield.

They paid the penalty for that slackness by conceding the early goal to Carsten Jancker.

Some people thought keeper David Seaman was slow coming off his line, but I didn't feel there was much he could do about the goal. It was just a very good finish.

But once England got themselves sorted out they tore the Germans apart. Owen's quick equaliser was crucial in building confidence and you could almost see the self-belief coursing through English veins after that.

Before the game I advised England fans not read too much into that Holland defeat as England had only half their Munich starting line- up playing.

I was also confident that Holland were a technically superior side to the Germans and I think that was proved on the night.

The Germans, quite frankly, were awful and that is taking nothing away from a magnificent England performance.

But every time England attacked the German defence seemed to have a panic attack.

They were terrified of the pace and power of Owen and his Liverpool colleague Emile Heskey.

There were three huge stars for England on the night - the superb Owen, skipper David Beckham and young Steven Gerrard.

I don't like to bandy about the term "world class" but on the night that was the only description for those three heroes.

Owen's finishing was top-drawer. On that showing he is right up with the best in the world. That was Owen back to the brilliant best we saw against Argentina three years ago.

The bewildered Germans simply had no answer to his speed, balance and shooting. But his Anfield colleague Gerrard (below) was also outstanding. He was perpetual motion and took his goal superbly.

That goal coming right on half-time tilted the balance of power decisively towards England.

Sometimes you forget the lad is just 21 and has played just half- a-dozen times for England. His emergence is another huge bonus for Eriksson.

Beckham quickly proved his hamstring scare wasn't going to inhibit him and he had one of his best games for England.

His energy levels were incredible and he never stopped working. His persistence down the right set up Owen's second strike - and make no mistake about it, that was the killer goal.

There was no way I could see England losing once they had taken that 3-1 lead. Germany simply didn't have the firepower to claw back a two-goal deficit. England perhaps sat back a little too deep once they had gone 3-1 up, but hit brilliantly on the counter-attack.

It was fabulous to see Owen grab a hat-trick on German soil and the quickness of his strike took German keeper Oliver Kahn by surprise.

The fifth goal from Heskey rubbed it in in a way the Germans have never encountered before.

All in all, it was a great team performance highlighted by the scoring from the Liverpool trio.

Eriksson has done a superb job in turning England around in just 11 months. His organisational ability and planning were evident throughout.

But the Swede will be the first to admit he has inherited the most exciting crop of young players in European football.

These players will get better with age and in 12 months' time England will have a formidable side.

When it matures this side will make a major impact on world football and I'm tipping them to make at least the semi-finals in Japan and Korea.

Interview: BRIAN McNALLY

Copyright 2001 MGN LTD
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.