Portugal 0-1 England

The Algarve Tournament
17 February 2007
Guia, Portugal

England Head Coach John Peacock hailed Victor Moses' stunning winner by comparing it to Gianfranco Zola's wonderful backheel against Norwich.

The Italian maestro scored one of the best goals ever seen at Stamford Bridge when he leapt and clipped in a backheel straight from a corner.

Moses might have a long way to go before he matches Zola, but he scored a goal on par with the former Chelsea star - a strike good enough to win any game.

"It was special," said Peacock. "We actually watched Zola's goal when the BBC were previewing Chelsea's game with Norwich. That was from five yards - Victor's was from 12 yards. It was one hell of a finish."

In difficult conditions, England had to dig deep to secure a win which according to Peacock was much deserved.

"The pitch was really bobbly, so it was a case of risk and safety," Peacock added. "It was going to be difficult to play one-touch passes and move the ball quickly. We had to play the conditions - we would have preferred to play more through midfield.

"It's one of the things about playing abroad. We are spoilt with the academy pitches and venues we play at."

The Head Coach was also pleased with his side's mental strength too.

"It was a difficult game," he explained. "It was very even, we were pleased to get to half-time at 0-0. We thought that one goal would be enough to win it, so we told the players to keep their concentration, and they did that very well."

In Saturday's other game, Germany scored twice in the first half to secure a win over France, who England play on Sunday.

England: Steele, Darville, Mattock (Harvey 40), Spence, Smith, Taiwo (Barnett 40), Franks, Reid (Rose), Medyelito (Plummer 65), Moses, Murphy (Elliott 75).

Goals: Moses 49