Disaster: Green watches as the ball rolls over the England goal line

Robert Green will not have wanted to wake up this morning. Of all the scenarios he must have envisaged in the dark night of his hotel room, the worst came to pass.

With England cruising at 1-0 thanks to captain Steven Gerrard’s early goal, and the eyes of the nation upon him, Green made a mistake that will be replayed into posterity. Clint Dempsey’s tame shot should have been met with a routine gather but the England goalkeeper somehow contrived to spill it into the net.

A draw was far from a disaster for England but whether Green retains the shirt for the game with Algeria on Friday is another matter. Joe Hart has been pushing him hard and Fabio Capello may now opt to give the younger man his chance.

It all started as planned. England were intensely prepped before the game by England’s fitness coach Massimo Neri as Capello sought to get his players playing with a high tempo from the whistle. It worked.

With just four minutes gone England had the lead. Glen Johnson took a throw-in from the right, finding Frank Lampard who prodded the ball towards Wayne Rooney. It was just ahead of England’s No10 but rolled on to Emile Heskey.

Gerrard had meanwhile begun homing in on the box, getting ahead of Ricardo Clark, and when Heskey played a cute pass inside, the England captain was there to push it beyond an exposed Tim Howard with the outside of his boot.

Capello celebrated with extraordinary manic violence on the touchline. There was no question England were pumped up for his. Gerrard was full of adrenaline, loping round the pitch and cutting off American attacks.

Twice he slid in with perfectly timed slide tackles, the first on Robbie Findley after he had sprinted in behind John Terry and the second, brutally, on Dempsey.

Still, it was not all going smoothly. There was confusion when the US had an early barrage of three corners, with nobody going short.

Ashley Cole did not seems sure whether he should be on the line or out closing. With 18 minutes gone Jozy Altidore got above Ledley King but was struck by Landon Donovan’s excellent cross, rather than heading it.

James Milner was struggling, looking sluggish as he tried to contend with the pace of Steve Cherundolo. Three times he was late into the tackle and the tird brought the first booking of the game from the slick-haired Brazilian referee Carlos Simon.

Capello decided to act. Milner was obviously not right after the stomach virus that had kept him out of training last week. With half an hour gone, off came Milner on came Shaun Wright-Phillips.

The substitution changed the dynamic on the England left. Cherundolo was now on the back foot, as Wright-Phillips sent a shot flashing across the goalmouth. Moments later Cherundolo was booked for a late tackle on the Manchester City winger.

England’s final ball was not quite good enough. Aaron Lennon had already wasted a great chance when Rooney had played him clear down the right. Gerrard then turned Michael Bradley on the by-line only for Carlos

Bocanegra to clear his mis-hit cross while Glen Johnson played a teasing ball across the face that was just ahead of Heskey. The big Villa striker

went crashing into Howard, studs into chest, and the American goalkeeper needed extensive treatment. What treatment Green now needs is another matter. He will find himself re-enacting this moment over and over again in helpless bafflement.

He had been selected ahead of the promising Joe Hart because of his experience but with five minutes to go before half-time he made a desperate, humiliating mistake to gift the United States the equaliser.

Dempsey turned back in on himself as he tried to make room for shot and Gerrard steered him onto his weaker left. The Fulham forward took a swing it at the ball but what looked harmless shot went straight to Green.

The West Ham keeper did not get down quick enough to gather and spilled it into his own net, scrambling after the ball as it got away from him.

There was more bad news at half-time as Capello was forced to make his second change, Jamie Carragher coming on for King.

England need to reassert themselves quickly and Lennon answered the call. He scurried past Bocanegra disdainfully on the nright but could not find a team-mate with his pull-back and, minutes later, sent Heskey sprinting clear with just Howard to beat.

Finishing has never been Heskey’s strength and, low on confidence, he hit the ball straight at the goalkeeper.

Having been picked ahead of Peter Crouch, Heskey was desperate to impress and while his link play and aerial combat was impressive as usual (he was undeterred after taking a nasty kick to the mouth from Demerit), he repeatedly strayed offside to his team-mates’ frustration.

England needed Rooney to get the game by the scruff of the neck but it was not coming off for the Manchester United striker.

With an hour gone England began to let their discipline slip. First Carragher was booked for a lunge on Findley and then Gerrard after going in with a high foot on Dempsey.

Lampard, previously quiet, came to life on 65 minutes, cutting cleverly inside Bradley and shooting left-footed, forcing Howard to push the dipping ball over the bar. From the ensuing Lampard corner, Johnson missed a decent chance at the far post, slicing wide after bringing the ball under control. There was little control about what happened at the other end.

Jozy Altidore rolled Carragher too easily and went sprinting away from him and into the box. He shot at the near with full power at the near post but Green got a glove to the ball and deflected it onto the woodwork and away.

A lucky escape for an increasingly scrappy England defence.

The US rearguard was hardly looking more solid as England pushed for the winner. With 20 minutes to go Rooney was left completely unmarked at the far post but Gerrard’s angled, whipped cross was just above him.

Rooney then watched his long-range strike swerve wide before setting up Wright-Phillips, whose shot was saved by Howard. It was breathless, end-to-end stuff.

Capello tried one last change to get the winner, sending on Peter Crouch for Heskey to loud cheers from the England fans in the stadium.

The chances kept coming but England just could not put them away. With eight minutes to go Rooney sprinted forward on the counter, found Lampard, who found Lennon.

Lampard slipped as he tried to convert Lennon’s pull-back. It summed up England’s display: plenty of promise, short on delivery.