Defeat in Russia Leaves England on the Brink

England allowed Russia no shots on goal in last night's Euro 2008 qualifying match, but "five minutes of madness" gave Russia a 2-1win that could keep England from advancing to next summer's finals. Wayne Rooney's penalty on Roman Pavlyuchenko turned the tide of a game that England was supposed to take handily, reports the London Times.

Rooney, who scored England's only goal, seemed to be outside the box when the "disgraceful" penalty was called on him. Pavlyuchenko scored on the penalty, then converted on a rebound to take the game for Russia. To avoid elimination and prevent the sacking of coach Steve McClaren, England must defeat Croatia, and hope Russia doesn't win both of its remaining games. (More Euro 2008 stories.)