England (4-4-2)

Paul Robinson The Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper has kept clean sheets in nine of England’s 11 group E matches, but the four goals conceded in the other two could cost them qualification. Robinson could not be faulted for Roman Pavlyuchenko’s penalty but was culpable for the second, palming Konstantin Zyrianov’s long-range shot back into the Russia striker’s path. The goalkeeper’s lapse proved costly. 5

Micah Richards The Manchester City defender’s reputation continues to grow despite the chaos. Prone to wandering too far up the field, but athleticism invariably enables him to recover. Succeeded in keeping the quick-witted Yuri Zhirkov quiet to such an extent that one of Russia’s key men was substituted. Without his crucial tackles on Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, the final scoreline could have been even worse. 6

Rio Ferdinand Did not deserve to be on the losing side after an outstanding first-half performance that only dipped slightly as England came under sustained pressure after half-time. Responded to John Terry’s absence in an authoritative manner, making four crucial blocks in the first half, with his exquisite timing and positional sense keeping England in the game. Looked shell-shocked at the end. 7

Expert View

Like most bullies, England are not so brave when the battle is beyond home turf

Martin Samuel

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BACKGROUND

• England's hopes take a dive

• Four minutes of madness cost England dear

• Vultures circle over McClaren’s regime

• Failure to learn from mistakes of Euro 2004

BACKGROUND

• How England rated

• Praying for good news from Holy Land

• Rolling out green carpet proves immaterial

• Russia reaps rewards of Abramovich’s affections

Sol Campbell Held things together for as long as he could with Ferdinand as England’s midfield was overrun in the second half. The Portsmouth player remains commanding in the air and demonstrated his tenacity as England’s centre backs defended their penalty area with gusto. Crucial tackle on Bilyaletdinov in the second half delayed Russia’s fightback, though not for long. 6

Joleon Lescott Showed initial nerves to be turned by Alexander Kerzhakov in the first minute and endured a torrid time in the second half. The introduction of Dmitri Torbinskiy and Andrei Arshavin’s switch to the right flank cruelly exposed Lescott as out of his depth. Was caught out of position as Wayne Rooney conceded the penalty and slow to react when Pavlyuchenko scored the second. 4

Shaun Wright-Phillips The Chelsea winger is enjoying his best run of form for several seasons but has yet to grasp one of the game’s most basic truths: possession must not be taken for granted. Unfortunately for his teammates, Wright-Phillips gave away the ball with the largesse of a dying philanthropist. Even when he occupied a good position, he invariably took the wrong option. 5

Steven Gerrard Having craved centre stage for so long, he must now cope with the rare experience of being made a scapegoat. The Liverpool captain’s miss from close range at the start of the second half was not only horrendous but hugely significant because a goal then would have crushed Russia’s spirit. Partnership with Gareth Barry did not deliver as England were overrun in the second half. 5

Gareth Barry The Aston Villa midfield player may not have to wait four years for another cap as he has in the past, although his future does not look as promising as it did yesterday morning. Began well with some important tackles in the first half, but faded in the second as Russia swept forward unchallenged. Owen Hargreaves’s defensive qualities were badly missed. 5

Joe Cole Not as spectacular as his virtuoso performance against Estonia. Demonstrated stomach for the fight by dropping deep to help out Lescott, which allowed the Everton defender to move inside to support Campbell, but also contributed going forward by running at Russia and winning several free kicks. Beneath the desire to showboat lies a player of real substance. 6

Wayne Rooney As is often his way, the Manchester United striker veered from the sublime to the ridiculous. Possibly the best of his international goals, a dipping volley from the edge of the area, was rendered irrelevant by the rash challenge that enabled Russia to equalise from the penalty spot. His raw aggression also contributes to his downfall, as in last year’s World Cup finals against Portugal. 5

Michael Owen Appeared to be pining for Emile Heskey at times. After leaping acrobatically in the manner of the Wigan Athletic striker to create Rooney’s goal, he lost heart in the second half. Was forced to adopt a different role without a big target man alongside him, dropping deeper than usual to make space for Rooney, but to little effect. The little-and-little strike partnership continues to frustrate. 5

Substitutions Frank Lampard (for Lescott, 79min) Peter Crouch (for Cole, 80) Stewart Downing (for Wright-Phillips, 80) Not used David James, Nicky Shorey, Luke Young, Phil Neville Booked Ferdinand, Rooney

How Russia lined up (4-1-3-2): Vladimir Gabulov Alexei Berezutsky Sergei Ignashevich Vasili Berezutsky (sub: Dmitri Torbinskiy, 46min) Alexander Anyukov Konstantin Zyrianov Igor Semshov Diniyar Bilyaletdinov Yuri Zhirkov Andrei Arshavin (sub: Denis Kolodin, 90) Alexander Kerzhakov (sub: Roman Pavlyuchenko, 58) Substitutes not used Vyacheslav Malafeev, Pavel Pogrebnyak, Roman Shirokov, Dmitri Sychev Booked V Berezutsky, Pavlyuchenko

Referee: L Medina Cantalejo (Spain).

Goals Russia 2, England 1
First-half goals 0, 1
Shots on target 4, 3
Shots off target 5, 5
Blocked shots 14, 5
Corners 9, 8
Fouls 16, 18
Offsides 1, 0
Yellow cards 2, 2
Red cards 0, 0
Passing success 80.9%, 66.2%
Tackles 24, 27
Tackles success 79.2 %, 66.7%
Possession 66.8%, 33.2 %
Territorial advantage 57.3%, 42.7%