Owen is now fourth on the list of England’s leading goalscorers, having clambered above Tom Finney, Nat Lofthouse and Alan Shearer with his 32nd goal in 70 appearances. “I’m delighted I’ve finally done it,” he said. At the relatively tender age of 25, he has enough time to reach the pinnacle. His previous treble came in the famous 5-1 victory over Germany in a World Cup qualifying tie in Munich.
New Jersey is Sopranos territory and this was an appropriate setting for Owen to demonstrate that his finishing can still be lethal. There have been some awkward moments in his first season with Real Madrid, but his involvement had been heightened in recent weeks and England felt the benefit last night. He buried any notion, however vague, that his position might be vulnerable. Class such as this is permanent.
The striker has been prolific for Sven-Göran Eriksson, scoring 24 times in return for his 47 caps under the Swede. His latest achievement was not secured in the most dramatic circumstances — although some sporadic scuffling in the crowd added an unwelcome sideshow — but it served as a useful reminder that few players rival him in terms of impact when the net is gaping.
“He’s one of the best finishers in the world,” Eriksson said. “I can’t think of anyone I’ve ever worked with who is any better. He showed that again here by scoring three fantastic goals.”
Owen will not have viewed this game as an irrelevance, not when it confirmed his place in the pantheon of England forwards and, all in all, England have performed admirably this season. Their defeat in Spain last year was their only reverse in 11 matches and if some have doubted the worth of extending a lengthy campaign, Owen’s blissful return to form was justification of a sort. A squad weakened by withdrawals and a team afflicted by injuries have done their jobs with a minimum of fuss.
This game could only be regarded as a scouting exercise and even that would be a charitable interpretation. Zat Knight made his full debut, but given that he stands tenth in the head coach’s pecking order for centre halves, his presence hardly amounted to a revolution. His partnership with Chelsea’s brittle Glen Johnson is not one that is destined to stick.
There has been a consistently surreal tone to this trip, from the anonymity of the opening five days and the bemusement of many Americans to the media scrum that accompanies Beckham regardless of location. The theme continued to the end, with fans hurling bottles at each other and Phil Neville concluding the fixture sporting the captain’s armband. Nothing will ever be a surprise again.
At times, England defended like unwary tourists who had inadvertently stepped into the heart of the Bronx, but Joe Cole, who was never less than impressive, might have been strolling down the Kings Road. His fine through-ball in the 36th minute was manna for Owen, whose contribution had been limited until he lifted a shot above Farid Mondragón.
When, six minutes later, John Javier Restrepo clattered into Beckham, leading with his elbow, Peter Crouch took a quick free kick when the ball was clearly moving. Owen’s unerring finish was a replica of his earlier one. Yet England were not always so clinical and there was a distinct dearth of marking when Mario Alberto Yepes was allowed to meet Elkin Soto’s corner and send in a header that eluded Ashley Cole’s attempt to clear and then crept between David James and Johnson on the line.
The interval brought the introduction of Robert Green, the Norwich City goalkeeper, who almost suffered severe embarrassment when a rasping shot from Luís Gabriel Rey cannoned off the crossbar, struck his back and rolled towards the line. His unease was masked by Owen’s glory. In the 58th minute, the striker dashed in to meet a wonderful right-wing cross from Beckham at the near post and complete his hat-trick.
On a pitch which boasted the life of Monty Python’s parrot, Crouch was quiet without being disappointing. He is probably worthy of another chance in August’s friendly in Denmark, but at the back, reactions were less assured, as illustrated when Alan Smith mistimed a headed clearance and Aldo Leao Ramírez scored Colombia’s second goal. England have been staying in the city that never sleeps, but a few players were guilty of nodding off.
SHARPSHOOTERS
Michael Owen is now fourth in England’s list of leading goalscorers:
Sir Bobby Charlton 49
Gary Lineker 48
Jimmy Greaves 44
Michael Owen 32
ENGLAND (4-4-2): D James (Manchester City; sub: R Green, Norwich City, 46min) — P Neville (Manchester United), Z Knight (Fulham), G Johnson (Chelsea), A Cole (Arsenal) — D Beckham (Real Madrid; sub: K Richardson, Manchester United, 73), J Jenas (Newcastle United), M Carrick (Tottenham Hotspur), J Cole (Chelsea; sub: L Young, Charlton Athletic, 86) — P Crouch (Southampton; sub: A Smith, Manchester United, 73), M Owen (Real Madrid; sub: J Defoe, Tottenham Hotspur, 73).
Substitutes not used: S Carson (Liverpool), S Campbell (Arsenal), W Brown (Manchester United), A Johnson (Crystal Palace).
COLOMBIA (4-4-2): F Mondragón (Galatasaray) — H Palacio (Junior; sub: A L Ramírez, Santa Fe, 72), L A Perea (Atlético Madrid), M A Yepes (Paris Saint-Germain; sub: H Mendoza, Atlético Nacional, 79), J Benítez (Independiente Medellín) — J E Viáfara (Once Caldas; sub: Y Anchico, Tolima, 60), E Soto (Once Caldas), J J Restrepo (Cruz Azul; sub: Ó Díaz, Deportivo Quito, 72), H H Hurtado (Atlético Nacional; sub: F Vargas, Boca Juniors, 46) — J P Ángel (Aston Villa; sub: E Perea, Atlético Nacional, 60), L Gabriel Rey (Morelia).
Substitutes not used: M A Calero (Pachuca), I R Córdoba (Inter Milan), J C Ramírez (Sante Fe).
Booked: Yepes, Restrepo.
Referee: B Hall (United States).
