ENGLAND INTO 6/1 TO RULE THE WORLD

England have been trimmed to 6/1 to win the World Cup after reaching the quarter-finals.

Sven-Goran Eriksson's men again failed to convince as they laboured to a 1-0 victory over Ecuador in Stuttgart.

The win means they will now face Portugal in the last eight, and both William Hill and Bet365 have trimmed them from 13/2 to 6s as a result.

David Beckham's goal on the hour was all that separated the teams as England toiled in the Stuttgart sunshine while playing an unfamiliar 4-1-4-1 formation.

Yet for once the layers were happy with an England win after a series of hefty bets on the South American side prior to kick-off

William Hill spokesman Graham Sharpe said: "England fans were reluctant to place big bets on the team after their uninspiring start to the tournament and professional - and also many Scottish gamblers seemed to think they could cash in by backing Ecuador.

"So for the first time ever an England victory was a profitable for the bookies - except for David Beckham scoring the goal (a 14/1 chance) which left us as sick as Beckham himself when he was ill on the turf."

Bet365 make Brazil 100/30 favourites, with Argentina 4/1 and Germany now into 9/2 following their impressive win over Sweden on Saturday.

England are next at 6/1 with Italy still available at 8s.

William Hill admit they face a mega-payout if Eriksson's men go all the way.

"'We will be facing massive payouts on England in all of their remaining games and the industry will pay out an eight-figure sum if they go all the way," predicted Sharpe.

Bet365 make Beckham a 13/2 poke to score another free-kick in the quarter-final after his success against Ecuador, but are not so sure that Frank Lampard will find the net at all in Germany.

The Chelsea man wasted several good chances in front of goal, and after drawing a blank so far you can get 11/8 about him scoring at any stage.

Spokesman Steve Freeth "The normally reliable Lampard must have swapped his boots with Stamford the Lion before he left London; he's having a miserable time in front of goal.

"Yet again he sent countless efforts into the stands instead of on target against Ecuador, but you can bet he'll be on the training ground soon practising his shooting; either that or on the phone to the Chelsea mascot to find out where his boots are!"

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By Bettingzone.co.uk
Used with permission.