Football: Murphy hat-trick inspires England

England 5 United Arab Emirates 0

The United Arab Emirates' Football Association must have known what they were doing when they promised their players a house and a car each if they won the World Youth Cup.

The prospects of parting with such expensive rewards receded to next to nothing yesterday when England matched Mexico's earlier 5-0 win over the UAE in Group F to qualify for the next stage, no matter how they fare against Mexico on Monday.

Helped by the first hat-trick in the competition from Danny Murphy, England completed their win at a canter. Murphy's opening goal came in the seventh minute - a speculative shot from 30 yards which went in off an upright.

David Lucas then spilled a free-kick to Kasim Mohamed, whose subsequent cross-shot was parried at full stretch. After that, England took control. Jody Morris could have scored twice before Murphy headed his second from Clint Easton's 34th-minute corner.

Murphy's hat-trick came from a 49th-minute penalty after Liverpool's Michael Owen, the regular spot-kick taker, had generously stood aside.

Morris sent Owen through to lob an arrogant fourth goal after 51 minutes and the rout was completed in ludicrous fashion eight minutes later when the keeper let a back-pass from fully 40 yards bounce over his foot.

ENGLAND (4-4-2): Lucas (Preston); Crowe (Arsenal), Wallwork (Man Utd), Curtis (Man Utd), Dyer (Ipswich); Shepherd (Leeds), Morris (Chelsea), Carragher (Liverpool), Easton (Watford); Murphy (Crewe), Owen (Liverpool).

Substitutes: Jackson (Leeds) for Easton, 46; Euell (Wimbledon) for Murphy, 64; Macken (Liverpool) for Owen, 64.

UAE: Al Hammadi (Al Yarees, 46); A Abdulla (Al Shaamsi, 55), Al Kuwaiti, A A Abdulla, Al Zaabi, Al Baloushi, Al Arami, Al Sharhan, Ali, Mohamed, Ahmed.

Referee: F Ndoye (Senegal).