Owen: 'I was far from fit'

Michael Owen has admitted that he took a big gamble in declaring himself fit to face Brazil in England's World Cup quarter-final defeat on Friday in Shizuoka.

The Liverpool and England striker has revealed that he was far from match-fit in a game in which he scored the first goal but his side went on to lose 2-1. In an interview in today's News of the World, Owen detailed the after-effects of the groin injury he sustained in the opening minutes of the 3-0 second-round win over Denmark.

"I didn't train all week, except for the day before the Brazil game," he said. "I had treatment every day – for 11 hours a day. When it first happened it didn't feel like a bad injury. But then the next day it just went tight. There was nothing torn. It was just a niggle but I could feel it as I went out to play against Brazil.

"I could run but I couldn't go flat-out. But it was a game I didn't want to miss. It's not every day you are able to face Brazil in the quarter-finals of the World Cup. I know that when I am 100 per cent fit I can play well – but it's a nightmare for me in these circumstances."

Owen, who scored two goals at the tournament, lasted 78 minutes against the Brazilians before he was replaced by Darius Vassell.