England’s final preparations for Euro 2004 were left in disarray on Tuesday after Sven-Goran Eriksson’s side were held to a 1-1 draw by a Japan side that could so easily have left Manchester with a historic victory.
Shinji Ono’s 53rd-minute strike deservedly earned the visitors a share of the honours after Michael Owen had given England a first-half lead.
Japan, who were denied what looked like a certain penalty just before half-time, could reasonably claim to have shaded the contest on points, having created by far the greater number of chances.
The result may ultimately count for little but England’s lacklustre performance will have given their manager, Sven-Goran Eriksson, plenty to mull over between now and the Euro 2004 opener against France in Lisbon on June 13.
Chief among them will be the way that his decision to experiment with Frank Lampard in the holding role in midfield — in place of Nicky Butt — repeatedly left England’s back four exposed to Japanese attacks intelligently orchestrated by the talented playmaker Shumsuke Nakamura.
But Eriksson was also given cause for concern by hesitant performances from both centre-back John Terry and his first-choice goalkeeper David James as well as another below-par display from Paul Scholes.
Japan had lived dangerously in the opening minutes. Captain Tsuneyasu Miyamoto was forced to clear a Michael Owen header over his own bar and from the resulting David Beckham corner Terry thought he had scored his first England goal.
The Chelsea defender’s header beat goalkeeper Seigo Narazaki but was cleared off the line by Miyamoto.
England’s early pressure paid off in the 22nd minute. The energetic Steven Gerrard unleashed a low drive from 31m that Narazaki spilled straight into the path of Owen, who duly tucked away his 25th England goal.
At that stage England seemed firmly on course for the comfortable, morale-boosting victory that must have been the objective when this fixture was organised.
But the goal appeared to galvanise a Japan side who began to give England’s back line, deprived of the defensive shield normally afforded by Butt, serious problems.
Keiji Tamada and Nakamura both hit the target with shots from just outside the area, neither of which James managed to hold.
And Japan should have equalised in the 33rd minute when Nakamura’s inswinging corner found Miyamoto unmarked on the edge of the 5m box only for the central defender to steer his effort wide of the upright.
The sense that Scholes’s three-year goal drought for England has given the Manchester United midfielder something of a complex was underlined when he blasted wide from 22m, the kind of range he is normally so accurate from for his club.
Minutes later a distinctly lacklustre challenge from Scholes allowed Nakamura to break clear on the left.
The Japan playmaker released Tamada into the box, where only Ashley Cole’s last-ditch tackle prevented the striker from inflicting even more serious damage to England’s rapidly disintegrating confidence.
Japan had a good penalty claim turned down just before the break after the Brazilian-born midfielder Alex waltzed past Terry on the left of the England area and appeared to be brought down by Scholes’s tackle from behind.
The equaliser finally came eight minutes after the interval.
Nakamura’s neat pass released Alex into space on the left of the England box from where he picked out Ono, whose side-footed shot slid through Terry’s legs and past an unsighted James.
England’s efforts on goal were restricted to a couple of unthreatening Beckham free-kicks and another Owen dribble that resulted in Narazaki producing a good block at close range.
Japan in contrast repeatedly went close to snatching a winner.
Nakamura had the ball taken off his toes on the 16m line by Gary Neville’s well-judged tackle and then saw a crisp drive deflected narrowly wide by Terry.
The final scare for England came when James spilled a shot from Alex but, as in the first half, Japan’s forwards failed to follow-up. Thierry Henry and company are unlikely to be so generous. — Sapa-AFP