World Cup: Vassell stakes his claim

Darius Vassell admitted he was "over the moon" after firing himself into the World Cup reckoning.

Sven-Goran Eriksson said Vassell's superb equaliser and his accomplished all-round display had made him a genuine contender for this summer's finals.

The England coach also gave debuts to Wayne Bridge and Michael Ricketts in the 1-1 draw, asked Vassell to play on the right of a three-pronged attack in a new-look 4-3-3 formation.

"It was an excellent debut. He did very well, scored a very nice goal and, maybe even more importantly, he did what we asked him to do," said the Swede. "He was not shy or nervous at all.