Beckham received two yellow cards in quick succession at Old Trafford, and after he was judged to foul Andreas Ibertsberger on 59 minutes referee Luis Medina Cantalejo gave him his marching orders.

He will now miss the match with Poland on Wednesday evening. Beckham said: "I thought it was harsh, but in Spain you have to keep your arms down and you’re not allowed to tackle above the knee. All three officials were Spanish today so that’s the way it goes.

"I’d like to think there will be an appeal because everyone who sees it says it was harsh. I saw the referee’s reaction and he looked straight at linesman - but I just can’t understand it."

But Beckham took time to praise the rest of the England team for sticking to their game plan when down to ten-men and holding on for three vital points.

Beckham added: "This team has character and showed that when we went down to ten men. The players are good when up against it, no matter what people say. It’s one thing this team has. There is a will to win and we showed that today.

"At the end of the day we would have taken a 1-0 win. We’ve got the result and the three points. We can play better, we know that, but three points is the most important thing."