Owen puts England back on track

AFTER scoring against Israel at the weekend, Michael Owen claimed he was the "luckiest man in the world" given the extent of his injury problems.

After the Newcastle striker grabbed a first-half brace in last night's 3-0 win over Russia, however, it was clear where most of the fortune lay.

England are lucky to possess a striker as clinical and accomplished as Owen, whose timely return from knee and thigh problems could hardly have been more propitious for the job prospects of Steve McClaren.

And just as the England manager can count himself fortunate to have been blessed with a striker of Owen's skills, so there has been an element of serendipity to the discovery of the most cohesive England side of his year-long reign. In the face of a mounting injury crisis, McClaren has stumbled across a formula that could yet prove his making.

In the space of five days, back-to-back victories over two of their leading rivals have transformed England's chances of appearing in next summer's European Championships from faint to favourable. Win their remaining three matches, and McClaren's side are guaranteed a place at Austria and Switzerland.

For that situation, they have much to thank Owen. Restored to his preferred position on the shoulder of Emile Heskey - the pair have now scored 17 goals in their 14 international games together - the Magpies marksman has spearheaded a revival that has seen England leapfrog both Israel and Russia to claim second spot in Group E.

He now boasts 40 international goals, just nine short of England's all-time record goalscorer, Bobby Charlton, and has reclaimed his status as his country's talisman. While Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard flatter to deceive on the international stage, Owen's value can be measured in the hard currency of goals.

His name is surely the first on McClaren's team sheet, a document that was unchanged last night for the first time since the former Middlesbrough manager replaced Sven-Goran Eriksson.

Whether he would have resisted the temptation to tinker had either Lampard or Owen Hargreaves been available is open to debate, but in retaining the services of Heskey ahead of the suspension-free Peter Crouch, the England boss at least ensured that Saturday's success over Israel remained at the forefront of everybody's mind. By the full-time whistle, however, it had been usurped by an even more valuable victory, with Rio Ferdinand's 84th-minute strike proving the icing on the cake.

Russia's line-up suggested that Saturday's demolition had also been in Guus Hiddink's thoughts, with the Dutchman's decision to dispense with his side's usual two-man attack confirming that containment would be the visitors' primary aim.

As a game plan, it lasted precisely seven minutes. If Shaun Wright-Phillips' 20th-minute opener had altered England's mood on Saturday, then Owen's early strike yesterday evening was an even more welcome settler of nerves.

The impressive Gareth Barry was the instigator, picking out Owen in a crowded penalty area after his initial cross had been charged down, but while Russia's man marking left a lot to be desired, the quality of the subsequent finish was nigh-on perfect.

Trapping the ball eight yards from goal, Owen steadied himself before dispatching a precise side-footed strike that cannoned into the net off the inside of the right-hand post.

It was the Newcastle striker's fourth goal in his last four games for club and country, a tally that would be bettered just 24 minutes later. Perhaps those interminable debates over the state of his match fitness can now be silenced once and for all.

Russia's hopes might have been similarly extinguished had Owen added his second just three minutes after scoring his first, but while the ball broke in his direction after goalkeeper Viacheslav Malafeev saved Heskey's low shot with his legs, he was unable to stretch far enough to make contact.

Such fast-flowing excitement had seemed unlikely against a Russian defence that had conceded just one goal in its previous eight European Championships qualifiers, but just as England's early attacking was surprisingly effective, so the visitors' forward forays proved equally threatening.

With Andrey Arshavin causing repeated problems in the gap between England's defence and midfield, the hosts were twice indebted to the quality of Barry's tracking runs.

Yet they would still have been level midway through the first half had it not been for the eagle-eyed observation of Swedish referee Martin Hansson.

Konstantin Zyryanov's use of the arm was slight but significant as he bundled home Arshavin's left-wing cross after a desperate John Terry had prevented Dmitry Sychev shooting from the edge of the six-yard box.

Nevertheless, with Paul Robinson being forced into a full-stretch save to deny the lively Diniyar Bilyaletdinov shortly after, the home side's dominance remained fragile. Or at least it did until Owen wrote yet another chapter in his catalogue of memorable England moments in the 31st minute.

Picking up Heskey's knock-down on the edge of the area, the Newcastle striker lashed a ferocious half-volley that arced over a helpless Malafeev's head. As an example of a strike partnership working in unison, it was as accomplished an attacking move as you could possibly wish to see. As an illustration of the goalscorer's art, it underlined Owen's status as England's foremost striker of the post-Gary Lineker era.

Secure in their two-goal advantage, the hosts tended to err on the side of caution after the break, with Barry rarely straying from in front of his back four and both Wright-Phillips and Joe Cole dropping deep to support their full-backs.

Sychev caused a brief scare as he flashed a cross-shot past the post within two minutes of the re-start, and Ferdinand was responsible for some self-induced palpitations as he twice made a hash of clearing his lines. On the whole, though, Russia's bright midfield interplay faltered in the face of some committed English defending.

Much of the hosts' attacking was similarly robust, although they were unable to extend their lead until Ferdinand added a third six minutes from time. Picking up the ball from Owen on the right-hand side of the box, the Manchester United centre-half turned adroitly before drilling a fierce shot past Malafeev.