Owen scores but was clearly not 100 per cent (Allsport)

By Simon Stone, PA Sport

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England's World Cup dream started to unravel they day they played out a goalless draw with Nigeria in Osaka on June 12.

At the time it was argued that a night-time second round clash with Denmark was preferable to an afternoon outing with Senegal.

Either way Brazil would probably stand as an imposing obstacle to the World Cup final.

The prophecy proved correct, and there is no way of knowing if Sven's men would have done what Sweden failed to achieve and beat the Africans in the Japanese heat.

But there is no doubt that the searing sun of Shizuoka proved to a step too far for England today as they tried vainly to find a way back into their quarter-final with 10-man Brazil.

Had England been able to steer down the other route and beaten Senegal, they would be preparing for a potentially explosive quarter-final meeting with Turkey, and then an evening outing with Brazil in the semi-final.

It is all irrelevant now of course. England are on their way home, beaten quarter-finalists for the fourth time.

Maybe it is their rightful position, certainly today they never looked like breaking into the final four once Ronaldinho had put the South Americans in front.

But, the potential is definitely there. Of the current squad, only David Seaman, Teddy Sheringham and Martin Keown are likely to be absent on age grounds when the greatest soccer party on earth reconvenes in Germany four years from now.

Conditions then will be more suitable for the kind of pressing game which comes naturally to English players, two years' time in Portugal will present a more searching examination of the lessons learned from today's departure.

Summers in Iberia are usually pretty hot, so the kind of holding performances demanded of Paul Scholes and Trevor Sinclair will have to be worked on.

Solidity at the back has been a constant theme of Eriksson's teams during this World Cup.

After a shaky start against Sweden, England successfully repelled the pressure they brought on themselves in the win over Argentina, then dealt easily with the Nigerian threat in the final group game.

It was a similar story when Denmark were beaten in the second round, and, for a time, against Brazil.

But only when facing the Danes did the need for defensive excellence allow England's attack room for manoeuvre, and then they had the benefit of Thomas Sorensen generously gifting them the opener inside five minutes.

Today, when England needed inspiration and neither David Beckham nor Michael Owen were fit enough to deliver, they looked to Paul Scholes. Yet the Manchester United sharpshooter was an impotent figure sat in front of his own back four, presumably at Eriksson's behest.

It would be churlish to criticise the Swede. After all, when he took the job England were rudderless, bottom of their qualifying group and with little chance of making the Finals at all.

Not only did they achieve that feat, crushing Germany along way, they also advanced out of what was universally recognised as the hardest World Cup group of all.

Eriksson is an astute and intelligent man. But he must be aware of bringing too much Serie A influence to his team. Italy, it is all too easy to remember, were the ones who twice took leads, sat back and watched their world fall apart.

Losing to Brazil is no disgrace, it happens nearly every time they meet the South Americans.

What will worry English supporters more is that their team went down without a discernible fight. There is a time for defending, a time for measured attacking and a time for a desperate search for goals. The latter never seemed to materialise today but it is that bulldog spirit, the defiance in the face of adversity on which the country has based much of its history.

If Eriksson can strike the right balance, a major international trophy would not be beyond England in two years' time. The form guide suggest Eriksson can do it.

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