北京时间11月13日，英格兰队和阿根廷队在日内瓦进行了一场友谊赛，结果英格兰队凭借着欧文终场前的两粒进球，以3：2反败为胜。本场比赛堪称是英格兰队自04年葡萄牙欧锦赛后表现最好的一次。

    据英国《卫报》11月13日报道，赛后英格兰队主教练埃里克森欣喜若狂地将本场比赛的英雄欧文称为“世界最棒的锋线杀手”。而阿根廷队主教练佩克曼则对英格兰队另一前锋小将鲁尼赞赏有加，他说：“鲁尼极具危险和进攻性，他是场上的‘关键先生’。我知道英格兰队有很多优秀的球员，是一支很难对付的球队。他们在明年世界杯上将扮演重要角色。”

    欧文赛后对英格兰队能取得本场比赛的最后胜利也表现得很兴奋。他说：“这就是举办这些世界杯热身赛的目的。不难看出，这场比赛对我们双方都有很多意义。当阿根廷队得分的时候，他们的球员和球迷都高兴得跟疯了一样。”

    谈到明年德国世界杯，欧文表示，“我们知道在德国世界杯上我们有取得好成绩的机会，但仅此而已，其他球队同样有机会。今天的比赛结果对我们很有帮助，它增添了我们的信心。今天的比赛本来也可能是另外一个结果的。它表明在世界强队之间，优劣只在伯仲之间”。

    英格兰队中场球员兰帕德在谈到比赛的意义时表现得很冷静，他认为这样的结果并不意味着英格兰队在明年德国世界杯上就一定能取得好成绩。他说：“我们的路还很长。这场比赛的结果相对于世界杯来说什么都不是，但从中我们可以汲取很多有益的东西。”

    谈到对手，兰帕德表示：“阿根廷队是目前世界第2强的队伍。所以，能否在世界杯上击败他们是另外一回事。如果我们能一如既往地像今天这样去比赛，那我们就永远都有机会。”

    The latest instalment of Anglo-Argentine rivalry contained none of the rancour that has attended these meetings over the years, and was bigger on incident and excitement than the whole of England's qualifying campaign.

    If all England friendlies were this good Sven-Goran Eriksson would have been made Mayor of London by now. And if Wayne Rooney can play this well against the big names in Germany next year we can all start looking forward to an entertaining World Cup.

    It might be too early to predict a successful tournament, since the game was 87 minutes old by the time Michael Owen rescued a draw and at least three minutes older by the time he turned it into an unlikely win, but if confidence is important this result will do England no harm at all.

    'That is what these World Cup warm-up games are for,' Owen said afterwards. 'It meant a lot to both sides. You could see that. When they scored their players and fans were going mad as well.' 　

    Even at 2-1 down England had put in a hugely impressive performance in what was easily their best display since returning from Portugal last summer. Argentina thought they had done enough to win. England, and Owen in particular, proved them quite wrong.

    Eriksson described his match-winning hero as 'maybe the best goalscorer in the world', while his counterpart Jose Pekerman was more impressed by Rooney. 'He's very dangerous and aggressive - a key player. I always knew that England was a tough team with very good players. They will play a key role at the World Cup.'

    Whether they will play that role with the formation that started this game remains open to question. Ledley King recovered from his knee injury in time to stake a claim for the holding midfield position in a safety-first line-up, and a bigger surprise was Wayne Bridge's inclusion at left-back in prefernce to Phil Neville. Bridge soon discovered he would need to be up to speed when Juan Roman Riquelme went past him in the fifth minute to bring the first save of the match from Paul Robinson, who made many more in a game that featured 30 attempts at goal. England countered through Steven Gerrard and Rooney, the latter finding Owen with a delicately chipped cross, only for the striker's accurate header to be ruled out by the offside flag.

    Argentina upped the tempo and the early part of the game resembled the torrid last moments of England's rearguard action in Sapporo three years ago, with Robinson making saves from Carlos Tevez and Maximiliano Rodriguez in quick succession and John Terry standing firm to block a shot from Rodriguez when the goalkeeper was stranded off his line. Hernan Crespo had the ball in the net from a free-kick in the 12th minute, but the Swiss referee upheld English complaints that he had used his arm.

    When the game settled down after a breathless 20 minutes, England found themselves playing deeper than they would have liked, with Gerrard and Frank Lampard operating almost level with King, and Rooney having to drop back well into his own half to pick up the ball.

    England grew in confidence and on the half-hour were unlucky not to open the scoring.

    Gerrard halted an Argentine advance with a timely interception, and played Rooney into the space behind the defence. Rooney controlled the ball and beat Roberto Abbondanzieri almost without breaking his stride, but what appeared to be a goalbound shot rebounded off the post.

    Just as England appeared to be gaining control Argentina struck, with Rooney guilty of losing the ball to Esteban Cambiasso just across the halfway line. Riquelme and Tevez swiftly transferred it to the right, where England were weakest. Rodriguez beat Bridge to cross, Rio Ferdinand fluffed his attempted clearance and Crespo scored from close range.

    Three minutes later England were level. Argentina failed to clear their lines, David Beckham jumped to contest a loose ball and won, and Rooney did the rest. Facing goal from 10 yards out, Rooney advanced to bang the ball past Abbondanzieri, looking as if he, too, wanted to announce his arrival on the world stage with a goal against Argentina.

    Paul Konchesky came on for the labouring Bridge at half-time and was soon feeling the pressure. When Riquelme drifted over a 53rd-minute free-kick for Ayala at the far post, it fell to England's substitute to contest the ball with the Argentine defender. He failed, and Roberto Ayala's header back across goal was forced over the line by Samuel. Perhaps with three centre-halfs in the side, England ought to be better at defending aerial set pieces, but once Argentina were in the lead again the holding midfielder was deemed surplus to requirements and King made way for Joe Cole. Argentina withdrew into their own half to protect their lead and took off Crespo.

    Lampard shot wide, not for the first time, when he might have scored, and with Rooney less menacing and Owen almost invisible England rarely looked like finding a way through again until the frantic closing minutes. Even when Ayala had to come off, Argentina held firm, and it seemed the closest Owen and England would get was in forcing a sharp save from Abbondanzieri when the striker tried to reach a rebound from a long-range Beckham free-kick.

    Then Rooney came again, producing a superb chip four minutes from time that the keeper only just managed to keep out, and a cross from which Beckham could only head straight at the same pair of gloves. With three minutes remaining Gerrard hoisted a high ball from the right and found Owen at the far post. England were already celebrating - a draw was enough - but Owen saved the best till the very last, jumping across Peter Crouch in stoppage time to thump Cole's cross past Abbondanzieri's outstretched hand to secure a victory that will inevitably lead to the talking-up of England's prospects next summer.

    'We know we've got a chance [in Germany]. No more than that and no less than that,' Owen said. 'Other teams have got a chance, too, but these results help us, they give us confidence. Tonight it could have gone either way. It showed that there is not much between the top teams in the world.'