STUTTGART, June 25: England captain and match-winner David Beckham said he was physically sick in the second half of their World Cup second-round 1-0 victory over Ecuador.

Beckham's trademark lon-range free kick on the hour proved the difference between the sides as he became the first England player to score in three World Cup finals in a row.

“I didn't feel well before the game but I thought I would be fine and in the first half I felt fine,” he told BBC television.

“But it (the sickness) continued in the second half and it just came out.”

He continued: “I haven't scored many free kicks this season, and in the last two games I’ve been struggling (with free kicks).

“Roberto Carlos (his Real Madrid team mate) sent me a text saying 'score me a free kick'.

“We're happy. We've done our job. It was ugly at times and we haven't played to our full potential but we're happy tonight. We're through to the quarter-finals.”—Reuters