- The Observer, Sunday June 16 2002
Sven-Göran Eriksson, the England coach, allowed his players a rare opportunity to enjoy one or two alcoholic drinks after their 3-0 demolition of Denmark.
Unlike post-match celebrations by England teams in the past, last night's revelry involved nothing more raucous than cutting a football-shaped cake at a local hotel.
Eriksson is keen that the players enjoy a well-earned 24-hour rest after yesterday's game before resuming training tomorrow ahead of Friday's quarter-final in Shizuoka against Brazil, the favourites to win the World Cup, or Belgium.
But the players' real reward will come this week when most of the squad's partners fly in to Japan as a thank you from the Football Association for England reaching the last eight of the tournament.
It is four weeks since the 23-man squad last saw their partners.
However, David Beckham's wife Victoria, the former Spice Girl, will not be making the trip.
'My wife won't be coming because she is seven and a half months pregnant and it might be dangerous for her,' he said.
Beckham saluted his teammates, saying: 'The whole team are heroes.'
The side do not care who they play next.
'We are three games away from the World Cup Final and that is what we have to think about,' he said.
