Beckham, who was making his 80th cap, put in an inspired display and ran onto Frank Lampard’s pass on 62 minutes to sweep the ball into the net.

The Real Madrid star was under pressure from some quarters to perform and he is confident he did just that.

He said: "I was pleased with my performance and the team’s. People expected us to win 10-0 or 12-0 but that rarely happens.

"We just wanted to get the three points and six from our two games and that is what we have done.

"It was not difficult to play with the pressure. I choose not to listen to what people say and carry on enjoying playing.

"It was a nice satisfaction for me after hearing some of the comments but that’s football. You have to take the rough with smooth. I will keep playing football with a smile on my face."

Beckham’s goal came 11 minutes after Steven Gerrard had opened the scoring with a specacular volley.

England are still one point clear of Poland at the top of Group Six and Gerrard is confident Sven-Goran Eriksson’s side won’t be caught.

He added: "We are not worried about Poland. We are top of the group and are in the driving seat.

"They still have to play us at home and I am more than confident that we will top this group."