June 05, 2006	Monday	Jumadi-ul-Awwal 8, 1427

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MANCHESTER (England), June 4: Coach Sven-Goran Eriksson could ask for little more from England than their 6-0 rout of Jamaica as they prepare to start the World Cup without Wayne Rooney.

Their often-criticised striker Peter Crouch got a hat trick, Michael Owen scored his first goal of the year and the midfield tandem of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard looked impressive.

The only blot on the copybook was Crouch's lackadaisical penalty miss in the closing minutes at Old Trafford.

Eriksson was infuriated that a chance to simulate the deadly serious task of spot-kicks — which have caused England such agony in past tournaments — had been treated as a joke.

However, his hat trick and Rooney's broken foot meant Eriksson had little choice but to confirm Crouch as Owen's partner in Saturday's Group ‘B’ opener against Paraguay.

It will mark an extraordinary transformation for a player who failed to score in his first four months with Liverpool last season, was booed by England fans against Poland last October and is the butt of jokes for his spindly 6ft 7in frame.

But Crouch has now scored five goals in his last three full internationals and a somewhat ridiculous 'robot dance' goal celebration has suddenly endeared him to the English public.

The fact that all three of his goals on Saturday came from his out-sized feet and not from his head will also answer some critics of his footballing ability.

It was also an important game for Owen, whose fitness for the finals had been a cause of concern given his lengthy recovery from breaking a bone in his foot in December.

He had played only an hour of a 2-1 defeat by Belarus on May 25 in a ‘B’ international and just 65 minutes of Tuesday's 3-1 friendly win over Hungary.

With Rooney waiting for a scan on Wednesday to discover if he can play any part in the finals, Owen's 36th goal in 77 England appearances was a welcome reminder of a proven track record.

In midfield, Lampard and Gerrard looked more settled than in previous performances and gave Eriksson an opportunity to round on his critics of the pairing.

SPAIN REMAIN UNBEATEN

ELCHE (Spain): An opportunist strike from Raul and a superbly struck free kick from substitute Jose Antonio Reyes earned Spain a 2-0 win over African champions Egypt in a World Cup warm-up match on Saturday.

Raul, who has been the subject of an intense debate in the Spanish media as to whether or not he merits a place in the side, put his side in front when he guided home from close range after 14 minutes.

Spain struggled to press home their advantage against their hard-working opponents, but managed to extend their lead when Reyes sent a dipping free kick into the top corner early in the second half.

Luis Aragones's side, who are now unbeaten in 21 games, drew 0-0 against Russia last weekend and complete their World Cup preparations against fellow qualifiers Croatia in Geneva on Wednesday.

They begin their World Cup campaign against Ukraine in Leipzig on June 14 and then face Tunisia and Saudi Arabia in their remaining games in Group ‘H’.—Reuters