As expected, the British papers are apoplectic this morning over Michael Owen’s knee injury that will keep the striker out for the remainder of the World Cup. The Sun says Owen’s done for five months; the Mirror says nine.

Unless, of course, there’s another metatarsal miracle.

The Brits had been waiting for the pairing of the tireless Owen and fiery Wayne Rooney up front for quite some time, and they got a look at the potential last night in Cologne … for 55 seconds. Then Owen ripped his knee to shreds, crawled off the field, and punctured the hearts of futbol fans in London.

So can we pencil in another in a long line of disappointments at the Cup for England? Surely this can’t – not yet, at least – match the “Hand of God” semifinal loss to Argentina in 1986, or the 1998 quarterfinal elimination after David Beckham drew a foolish red card and England lost on PKs to Argentina.

Here’s what’s left up front: A praying mantis-like striker who has awful touch (Peter Crouch), and a feisty forward fresh off an injury who hasn’t scored a goal in months (Rooney). The bench consists of an untested 18-year-old that nobody wanted on the team in the first place.

Right now, this team will go as far as Steven Gerrard can carry them. He’s the ideal midfielder who excels at both ends, and they’ll need that, because David Beckham is underperforming through three games, and the defense looked horrific on set plays against Sweden. A rested Ecuador team is up next, and a nation collectively quivers about the prospect of a quarterfinal match against … you guessed it, suddenly-feared Argentina.

England/Sweden liveblog (World Cup Blog)
Woe De Cologne (The Sun)
Owen Out For 9 Months (Mirror)
Bring Me the Head of Sven Goran Eriksson (Red Card)