England player ratings

Captain fantastic: Beckham bailed out England

BBC Sport Online's Howard Nurse rates England's players during the dramatic 2-2 draw against Greece.

Nigel Martyn

Not to blame for Greece's opening goal and made a fine save to keep out Karagounis after half time. Looked a little nervous.

Gary Neville

Nowhere near as good as he was in his last two England outings. Unconvincing, he will have been disappointed with his showing.

Ashley Cole

Indecisive defending and suffocated when attempting to go forward. Beaten too easily on the left by Patsatzoglou before Charisteas opened the scoring.

Rio Ferdinand

Partly at fault for both Greek goals, though did deny Nikolaidis with a fine tackle in the first half. Poor defensive showing overall.

Martin Keown

Brought in for injured team-mate Sol Campbell, Keown tried in vain to steady England's shaky defence.

David Beckham

What a hero! Terrific injury-time free-kick sent England through to the finals. He also set up Sheringham's goal. England's best player by far.

Steven Gerrard

Unable to stamp any authority on the midfield where England gave away possession too often. Disappointing show from the midfield maestro.

Paul Scholes

Booked for a clumsy early tackle but almost equalised with an outstretched leg from Gerrard's cross. Lacked his normal shine as England struggled in midfield.

Nick Barmby

Barely got involved as the Greeks controlled the first half. Not surprisingly taken out of the equation at the interval.

Emile Heskey

Poor first half but benefited for a time from the introduction of Andy Cole. Still well below par for an international striker.

Robbie Fowler

Failed to live up to expectations after being given a starting chance. Received poor service though still an awful display.

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Substitutes:

Andy Cole (46 mins)

Replaced the ineffective Barmby and immediately looked sharp. Looked comfortable on his home ground and played a part in helping England to the finals.

Teddy Sheringham (67 mins)

Amazingly scored with his first touch just seconds after coming on. In the end, his contribution proved absolutely vital.

Steve McManaman (78 mins) Replaced the disappointing Ashley Cole. Little chance to impress.