THROWING on Peter Crouch against Brazil in a World Cup semi-final might seem like a tactic from football’s dark ages — they do not get many of his type on the Copacabana — but it has now helped to save England from defeat by South American opponents in their past two matches.

There are plenty of people who do not embrace the idea of the Liverpool striker as Sven- Göran Eriksson’s plan B but the head coach will only have been more convinced of his usefulness after he came off the bench to score his first international goal. He is an unsettling presence for any defence, and perhaps Uruguay’s back line was confused by the fact that his shirt bore 21 on the front and 12 on the back.

Jeered by some England supporters not so long ago, Crouch’s height proved instrumental as he headed in the cross from Joe Cole, England’s busiest player and their match-winner as he tucked home the cross from Shaun Wright-Phillips, another substitute, in injury time.

The case for Crouch was furthered not only by his goal but by every minute that Darren Bent suffered on his international debut. The Charlton Athletic striker did not touch the ball for almost 20 minutes in a first half of such anonymity that it appeared England were playing with only one forward.

Fortunately for him, Eriksson is leaning towards a World Cup squad with five strikers and so Bent could yet travel to Germany. The Swede is no great fan of Jermain Defoe but he, surely, will also travel as Michael Owen’s understudy.

Asked to discuss his forwards, Eriksson was sympathetic towards Bent and unstinting in his praise for Crouch. “He showed again that he is important,” Eriksson said. “He is different and we could have used him more than we did. It is almost impossible to defend against him when the ball to him is right.”

Crouch’s towering header and Cole’s late, poached winner gave Eriksson another victory after England’s dramatic comeback against Argentina but, compared with the drama of Geneva, this occasion lacked fireworks.

Wayne Bridge’s departure on a stretcher was troubling but, mostly, the coaches saw nothing unexpected on a night when Michael Carrick, the other triallist, was proficient but unspectacular.

England laboured in the first half against opponents copying Chelsea’s 4-3-3 system, and their doggedness. Their best chance had come when Cole cut inside — he struggles to do otherwise when deployed on the left — and picked out David Beckham’s run. The captain would surely have scored had Fabian Carini not been so quick off his line but, closed down by the goalkeeper, he chipped over the crossbar.

Four minutes later, the ball was making another arc and, this time, with directional perfection. A holding midfield player for Penarol, Omar Pouso is hardly one of South American’s celebrated names but his superb, dipping volley would have made Ronaldinho proud.

England must have thought they had cleared the danger when John Terry headed a corner powerfully away from goal and the Chelsea defender certainly had no reason to believe that he had just made an unwitting assist. Pouso, though, met the ball with a mighty swing of his right boot and the ball sailed over a crowded penalty area and beyond Paul Robinson’s dive.

Uruguay were providing a decent test and Rio Ferdinand was not enjoying the experience. One of several careless slips could easily have been punished with a goal by Diego Forlán, his old Manchester United team-mate.

Terry threatened to score with a charge from defence before Bent even had a sniff of goal. Three minutes before half-time, the Charlton striker pulled his shot across the six-yard box. And, as far as goal threat went, that was that.

England’s frustration was evident in a bad foul by Beckham on Mario Regueiro that earned him a booking. It was not clear whether the Spanish lessons had paid off as the Real Madrid man attempted to explain, to a bemused Uruguayan, that his studs had slipped in the mud.

Ledley King and Jermaine Jenas came on as half-time substitutes, but still England could not find a way through. The removal of Wayne Rooney was not likely to raise spirits but it was his replacement, Crouch, who was to make the difference as he scored the equaliser. The supporting actor to Michael Owen’s starring role against Argentina, Crouch grabbed the limelight when he met Cole’s cross at the far post.

Then Cole himself added the winning touch at the near post to complete another comeback although, when it comes to Brazil this summer, England would not be advised to give them a head start.

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