Owen to the rescue...

GENEVA - Michael Owen scored twice from headers in the last three minutes as England came from behind to beat Argentina 3-2 in an extraordinary friendly here on Saturday.

If this marvellously open game was a taster of what can be expected in the World Cup finals next summer, Germany 2006 will be a rare treat.

England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson had made it clear that his World Cup preparations began here, and if he was disappointed that the deployment of Ledley King in front of the back four did not transform their defence into an impregnable barrier, there was great encouragement from his own forward line.

King struggled to deal with the lively Argentinian playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme, but, in fairness to the Tottenham defender, the far greater deficiency was Wayne Bridge's.

Eriksson had expressed concern about his fitness as he returns following a double-fracture of his ankle, and he looked lost not just physically but positionally before being taken off for Paul Konchesky at half-time.

Argentina's opening goal, after 34 minutes, may not have been entirely Bridge's fault - Wayne Rooney lost possession to Estaban Cambiasso and Steven Gerrard missed a challenge on Carlos Tevez in the build-up - but he was beaten far too easily by the left-winger Maximiliano Rodriguez, who crossed for Hernan Crespo to bundle home.

Bridge had repeatedly been found wanting in an extraordinary opening 20 minutes in which Paul Robinson made fine saves from Riquelme and Tevez, and Crespo had a goal ruled out for a far from obvious push on Luke Young.

Yet England also had a goal chalked off in that opening period, Owen straying fractionally offside before glancing a delightfully disguised Rooney cross past Roberto Abbandanzieri. Rooney, running onto a Gerrard ball, struck a post on the half-hour, and it was the ever-threatening Manchester United forward who equalised seven minutes before half-time, sidefooting a first-time finish after Beckham had touched on a half-blocked Frank Lampard cross.

The half-time substitution did little to ease England's problems at left-back. Only a sprawling save from Robinson prevented Juan Pablo Sorin heading his side back in front after Crespo had flicked on a Zanetti cross, but Argentina's second did arrive nine minutes into the second half.

Konchesky failed to pick up Walter Samuel at the back of the box, and he bundled Riquelme's free-kick back across Robinson and inside the far post. England, though, remained a threat. Lampard hit a drive just wide from the edge of the box, before, with 17 minutes remaining, Abbandanzieri made a superb double save to keep out both England captain David Beckham's free-kick and Owen's sliding follow-up.

Peter Crouch, whose introduction in England last game brought boos, was cheered onto the field with nine minutes remaining, and his arrival seemed to lift England for one final effort. Rooney had a magnificent chip pushed wide by Abbandanzieri, before Owen ghosted in unmarked at the back post to head Gerrard's cross low past the Argentine goalie.

That seemed to have earned a draw that would have been the least that England deserved, but Beckham then had a header brilliantly blocked by Abbandanzieri before Owen stole it in injury-time, meeting Cole's left-wing cross with another fine header.

Eriksson will see work to be done with the defence, but at the final whistle those concerns seemed academic after an exhilarating game.