England 2 Croatia 3: England failed to get the point they needed to qualify for Euro 2008 despite a second-half fightback as they lost 3-2 to Croatia on a dramatic night at Wembley. Manager Steve McClaren, under pressure even before this game, is now likely to lose his job but he insists he won't quit.
But ominously for the manager, his employers, the Football Association, are to hold an 8.30am board meeting to discuss his future.
Croatia were gifted an early lead when Scott Carson, on his competitive debut, allowed Niko Kranjcar's long-range effort to slip through his fingers, and the goalkeeper's howler set the tone for a disastrous first half.
Ivica Olic rounded Carson after 14 minutes to make it 2-0 after Eduardo da Silva slipped through a ball that left England's entire backline rooted to the spot in anticipation of an offside flag, although replays showed the assistant referee was right to let the goal stand.
England did not recover until after half-time, when Steve McClaren brought on David Beckham and Jermain Defoe.
Both substitutes made an impact, with Defoe winning a penalty in the 56th minute that was converted by Frank Lampard, and Beckham crossing for Crouch to lash the ball home for the all-important equaliser after 65 minutes.
But Mladen Petric shot past Carson from distance in the 77th minute and after the final whistle sounded England's hearts were broken by news that Russia had beaten Andorra 1-0.
McClaren insists he will not resign but he expressed his regret and offered an apology to the fans. But the former Middlesbrough manager firmly insisted he would not stand down as national team boss.
He told BBC News: "I'm not stepping down. Ultimately I take responsibility and I accept that. It was my job to get us qualified and I failed to do that.
"I don't want to discuss my future at the present moment. I am trying to get over that result.
"We feel exactly the same (as the fans), believe you me, we know how they are feeling. You should see the dressing room, they are so disappointed to have let so many people down."
He added on Sky News: "I pick the team and said over the 12 games I would be judged and I will be."
Asked if he would resign, McClaren said: "No. I have no intention of doing that. Obviously it's not for me to decide, I'm not discussing anything at this present moment.
"I am not looking to the future, I am thinking about this game, what could have been, what wasn't, and really how we get over this."
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