- 77'
Croatia get their just desserts.....a cross from the left. Ball squirms to Mornar who pokes home. Terrible defending and England have paid for it at last. 2-1.
- 75'
Heskey has had enough. Beattie comes on for him.
- 74'
Cole again shows his class in beating two men and making space. Gerrard's dummy is sold. To no-one and Croatia attack again.
- 72'
Heskey hurt now. A heavy challenge came in. He's run all night, the big man. Ineffective as ever but he can run, the boy. 110% every time.
- 72'
Zivkovic off for Seric. Niko Kovac is replaced by Agic.
- 70'
England sloppy as Mornar gets the ball. Terry clears but he got his colleagues out of jail.
- 70'
A Cole run is stopped. But Dyer again finds space. Heskey the lone gunman but blanks fired again as he fails to reach the cross.
- 68'
Off come keeper Pletikosa for Butina. Can England warm his hands early?
- 67'
Dyer does well in turning into space. He plays it back but with Heskey a lone striker, there's a lack of numbers to find. Croatia clear. The campanologist in the crowd does their stuff.
- 66'
Croatia again busy in attack. Terry chests down. Bridge nearly put them in but the shot from Mornar is poor.
- 64'
Cole doing what Scholes failed to do in an hour.
- 64'
Joe Cole cuts in and shoots. Keeper Pletikosa palms it round the post.
- 64'
Mornar on the chase and makes Upson blow hard in chasing him. Good cross but no reinforcements.
- 63'
Nice interchange of play as Sinclair charges. But Croatia show calm in clearing the ball.
- 62'
Robert Kovac booked for a foul. Gerrard's free-kick is knocked away.
- 61'
Almost instantly Lampard attacks and rifles in a shot. More impetus already.
- 59'
Mass substitution...Joe Cole replaces Scholes, Owen off for Dyer, Upson on for Rio, Bridge on for Ashley Cole. Sinclair replaces that bloke with two ponytails.
- 59'
Better football from England, Cole gallops down the left and plays in Owen...ball back to Beckham but it's his left foot. Blocked and cleared.
- 57'
Babic in space. Robinson gets the ball with ease.
- 57'
Another chance for a Croatian cross. Niko Kovac nods back and Scholes reappears to clear.
- 54'
Heskey gets in a cross. It doesn't beat the first man. Heskey falls to the ground.
- 54'
Beckham in space but Kovac puts it behind for a corner...
- 53'
Croatia get another chance and miss it. Robinson untroubled but Sven might not be.
- 52'
Paul Scholes again invisible, on the beach, at home in Manchester, anywhere other than where the action is.
- 51'
The better finishing has told here. Owen and Beckham awake from their languor and are two in front.
- 50'
Scholes' fancy dan fails but then Beckham gets in a cross and Michael Owen heads home. 2-0! Croatia, it has to be said, wuz robbed.
- 49'
Good Croatian cross again from the right. The ball is headed away this time. They're gonna score from one of these - you mark my words.
- 49'
Gerrard shows some class in beating his man and getting in a cross. Headed clear. At the other end Real's No23 does well in helping out at the back.
- 48'
Owen fouled. Beckham tries from a mile out...no he doesn't. Plays it short.
- 47'
Olic in space.....Terry all at sea..he's let off by an Olic shank into the crowd.
- 46'
England stick with their outfield line-up. That Scottish fella might be a bit miffed still.
- 45'
Back on they come - Paul Robinson is on. Mr Udigawa, in the crowd tonight, will be happy. On come a couple of Croat subs.
- 45'
A half of more questions and answers. Gifted a penalty but abject for the most part, England are very lucky to not be behind. Sven Goran Eriksson may not be 'ready for love' in the dressing room.
- 45'
At the other end Lampard wants too much time on the ball. There is not time. In fact, it's half-time.
- 45'
Olic in space and smashes a left-foot sidewinder missile. James saves well - he's been England's best player. A tribute to Division One in fact.
- 45'
England fail to clear at the first attempt. Ferdinand flails and Heskey hacks. 6s and 7s in the box almost every time.
- 44'
Croatia playing the more measured football before the kiss of death results in an aimless hoof. It wins a corner though.
- 43'
Now Heskey gets a chance...hits it early - keeper Pletikosa parries. A lack of confidence in that shot.....he should have gone on. Corner sees a John Terry overhead fly over the bar.
- 41'
England can break.....Beckham sprays it out wide to Owen - he fails to make much of it.
- 41'
Terry fouls Leko - another chance for Croatia to get at that wobbly defence. Heskey has to clear.
- 40'
Lampard lunges at Kovac - free-kick given. Rapaic finds Maric but he can't direct the ball at goal. England defenders doing nothing again.
- 39'
Bad ball from Gerrard - sloppy is the key word here.
- 37'
England are struggling at the back. Ashley Cole the weak link.
- 37'
Two Croatian chances, as first James makes a great save from Leko. Then Beckham plays James into trouble and James again saves. Croatia have had far more chances in this game.
- 36'
Heskey - with not a man within twenty yards - falls over. Hilarity ensues.
- 35'
Olic gets a chance. Ball chipped through - David James out quick. He palms away and Terry completes the job.
- 33'
Lampard's through ball is miscontrolled by Heskey.
- 32'
Niko Kovac weaves and turns. The ball squirms away and England clear. Back with keeper Pletikosa.
- 31'
Gerrard's turn for the Hollywood ball. Owen nowhere near - the keeper is. Owen yet to touch the ball in actual fact. Maybe if he grew his hair back he'd be seen by his team-mates.
- 28'
Phil Neville concedes a corner as Rapaic threatens...free header for Niko Kovac - he misses the target. Terry let him go.
- 27'
Beckham harries and hustles. And is brought down. He falls rather theatrically. But is up to ward off danger at the other end.
- 26'
Lampard gets his chance again - not bad for a man whose dad looks like a bird of prey.
- 26'
Lampard will come on for him. And does. A nasty tackle has done for him - not for the first time.
- 25'
Butt is very heavy-legged. He's not got long for this game.
- 24'
Butt is Ok though. He limps on. Off at half-time one thinks.
- 23'
A golden chance for Rapaic. Cole is being made to look foolish by Olic. Good cross and Rapaic knocks it away. Nicky Butt is injured - in Wilmslow a certain Scot's face turns increasingly peuce.
- 21'
It hits the wall and squirts behind for a corner. He'll take this too. Robert Kovac clears. Olic breaks and, not for the first time, Cole is beaten. Neville comes across well.
- 19'
Foul on Heskey - he's been busy at least. Free-kick - guess who takes.
- 18'
Beckham's Hollywood ball misses its target. Simic clears. A tuneless klaxon rings out playing some dirge or other. That's the last klaxon mention of the night.
- 16'
Heskey does well, turns and crosses. Owen is nowhere near - this time he can take the blame.
- 16'
Ball sprayed wide for Cole.....Heskey again messes up a pass. Cole is skinned out left but England clear.
- 15'
Handball claim from Croatia as Terry clears. Heskey on the break but Scholes would have needed a stepladder to get to his cross. Maric had a cas with the penalty.
- 14'
More jangling as Beckham gets a cross in. Ball is cleared though. Nicky Butt charges in but loses the ball.
- 12'
A bell rings out - break time? No, possibly that old woman from Manchester City if she's still with us.
- 12'
Heskey goes down shocker - looks to have taken a knock. But, and Liverpool's next opponents may be happy about this, he's OK.
- 11'
Croatian craziness costs them. And then Nicky Butt is clattered by Niko Kovac. Up gets Butt - and Beckham's free-kick from 45 yards doesn't beat the wall.
- 9'
And Beckham smashes it to the keeper's right, off the post and in....1-0 In-ger-lund. His third touch is a goal.
- 8'
Beckham gets a cross, nine-iron style chip. Target is Owen but a Croatian defender - Simic - handles it...penalty....
- 8'
Cole overlaps - but doesn't get the ball.
- 7'
Croatia do well in keeping the ball until Terry intervenes. Beckham's first touch finds its target.
- 6'
Terry is cool under pressure and clears his lines. Gerrard's long ball is off key.
- 6'
No23 (7 tonight) yet to get a touch. Only 40 minutes left to do something.
- 5'
High challenge from Nicky Butt. He's penalised. Maric gets a chance to shoot but fires well wide.
- 5'
Tomas deliberates and it's an England throw. The ball ends up back with Rio.
- 3'
Heskey loses out in a 50-50 situation.
- 3'
Owen muscled off the ball - fairly says the ref. Ashley Cole brought down. Free-kick chance. Taken short.
- 2'
Croatia exploit a gap and Rapaic gets in a shot. Terry clears but danger signs already.
- 1'
Gerrard gets an early touch - it doesn't reach Heskey. Phil Neville on the burst - he's tackled well.
The twin ponytails of Real Madrid's No23 take to an English field for the first time since May.
A polite rendition of the English anthem - not a Burberry cap in sight - yet.
These Suffolk folk showing the rest of the country how it should be done - no boos for the Croatian national anthem. Although it's such a dirge that it probably deserves at least a hiss. Thankfully, it's mercifully short.
Sir Bobby Robson, the former Ipswich manager, meets the teams at Portman Road. Cheerful as ever, he is. He's been here before - he thinks.
Here's the Croats - Croatia: 1-Stipe Pletikosa; 2-Dario Simic, 5-Robert Kovac,
3-Josip Simunic, 6-Boris Zivkovic; 4-Stjepan Tomas, 8-Jerko
Leko, 10-Niko Kovac, 7-Milan Rapaic; 11-Ivica Olic, 9-Marijo
Maric. And the ref is Claus Bo Larsen of Denmark.
Sven picks a first eleven with Beckham on the right, Gerrard on the left. John Terry gets his first start and plays alongside Rio Ferdinand. Phil Neville stands in for his brother, while Nicky Butt is the midfield anchorman.
Find out if England play a conventional friendly or opt to make a substitution every five minutes by joining us for live commentary from 20.00 BST
FranceFrance
ItalyItaly
