Saving an Alan Shearer penalty bestowed instant deification upon Thomas Sorensen in Sunderland.

Today he stands a possible 90 minutes away from being denounced as the devil incarnate throughout the whole of England - Wearside included.

With the eyes of the football world on him, Sorensen has the perfect opportunity to justify the apparent interest of Arsenal, Manchester United and Barcelona.

There is little more daunting in football than having to replace a legend - but the seamless transfer of power from Peter Schmeichel to Sorensen underlines the player's ability.

Having impressed in Denmark's three group games, conceding two goals through no fault of his own, he now has the chance to deny the players he faces on a weekly basis.

If he defies England, he wouldn't be the first Premiership star to turn fifth columnist.

Viorel Moldovan and Dan Petrescu, then at Coventry and Chelsea respectively, scored for Romania in their 2-1 win over England at the last World Cup.

But do Sunderland fans, shorn of a red-and-white representative to cheer in the England team, put club before country?

The answer, according to fanzine editor Martyn McFadden, is they pray Sorensen has a stinker!

McFadden, of A Love Supreme, said: "I think everyone's hoping Thomas has an off-day against England. He was really good all season but we could do with him being rubbish just this once.

"I'm happy for Thomas to make all the mistakes that he was going to make next season in this game, and I think most Sunderland fans would agree.

"If he keeps a clean sheet, it could set him up for a big move, which we don't want.

"If Kieron Dyer plays well and scores, I'll be happy. It was difficult when Alan Shearer was involved but it's not so bad now, and most Sunderland fans support England."