Euro 2000 Group A - England 2 Romania 3

Romania qualified for the quarter finals of Euro 2000 with an 87th minute penalty from Ioan Ganea sealing a great performance against England.

The Romanian technique and passing dominated this exciting encounter in Group A as Emerich Jenei's team came from 2-1 behind to get the goals they needed to book a last eight place against Italy in Brussels on Saturday evening.

If the England team was outclassed then defender Philip Neville did little to help his team by lunging into striker Viorel Moldovan as the Romanian carried the ball into the penalty area. Neville caught Moldovan and did not get neat the ball so Swiss referee Urs Meier had little choice but to award a penalty kick.

Substitute Ganea stepped up needing to score to put Romania through and made no mistake as he sent Martyn the wrong way with a low side foot shot

The Leeds United goalkeeper had handed Romania a route back into a match they dominated but were losing at half time.

Martyn came to collect a long ball in the 48th minute into the area but palmed the ball to Munteanu who controlled with his chest and sent a left foot volley into the net and the game had turned against England for good.

The first half was controlled by Romania and they took the lead in the 21st minute when Chivu collected a ball on the left hand side of the penalty area and was allowed to turn and hit a cross to the far post towards an unmarked Moldovan.

Chivu's ball went over Martyn and hit the far post before resting behind the goal line and it was no more than Romania deserved for a powerful opening spell in which their passing patterns set the tempo for long stretches of domination over an England team that has now conceded 6 goals three qualifying matches.

Romania tested Martyn who was in goal for the injured David Seaman with an Ilie free kick from the edge of the penalty area in the second minute.

England gave the ball away constantly and could not get David Beckham's crosses into the game. Michael Owen hit a half chance over the cross bar when he turned Gheorghe Popescu in the 15th minute but could not keep his balance and England's fortunes only changed when Popescu was carried off with an injury in the 28th minute. Just seconds before that Dennis Wise had failed to control a weak punch from goalkeeper Bogdan Stelea and slashed the ball wide of the target from outside the penalty area.

Adrian Ilie was unmarked to head a Dan Petrescu cross at Martyn in the 33rd minute but Paul Ince attacked the middle of the Romanian defence in the 39th minute and goal scorer Chivu fouled him to concede a penalty. Alan Shearer fired it into the net wide of Stelea and England were ahead in injury time.

Paul Scholes clipped a ball over the top of the Romanian defence and Michael owen was fast enough to tip it wide of Stelea as he ran out of goal and stick the ball into the net from a wide angle.

It provided false hope for England as Romania dominated the second half with simple pass and move routines that took the past and through the England ranks time and again. Romania's vital winning goal - though it came from a penalty - was always coming.

Now the English media can spend the weeks of summer questioning the poor technique of its team, the foreign domination of the Premiership and the future of Kevin Keegan's leadership of the national team.

England look in no shape at all for the rigours of a World Cup qualifying campaign which is now less than three months away.