England qualified for Euro 2000 via the back door - and now they will have to do the same from Group A.

Kevin Keegan did not expect defeat against Portugal in Eindhoven last night (Monday) but now he must turn around a side beaten long before the final whistle.

Nothing less than victory will do against Germany on Saturday if England are to avoid catching the first flight home.

Keegan's tactical deficiencies were ruthlessly exposed after storming into a two-goal lead inside the first 20 minutes.

As a former Newcastle United boss he's known about Portugal's danger men for years, but he made no provision for them at the Philips Stadium.

Rui Costa, Joao Pinto and Luis Figo had a field day carving up England's rickety defence.

The last time England chucked away such a commanding scoreline was against Germany in the quarter-final of the 1970 World Cup in Mexico.

That day it was a substitution which led to England's downfall and it may well lead to Keegan's.

Emile Heskey - who former Liverpool striker David Fairclough described as an "£11m signing without a brain" - is well short of the class required at this level.

Embarrassingly, he twice shied away from controlling high balls in the opposition half and instead opted to try and let the ball run out for a throw-in.

David Beckham, England's one world class performer on the night, opened the door to the quarter-finals with his precise crossing.

But after Nuno Gomes's winner, the other teams in the group are holding the keys.

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