Fabio Capello defended his decision not to name his goalkeeper until a couple of hours before kick-off after seeing Robert Green make a howler in the 1-1 draw against the United States in England's opening World Cup encounter.

Green fumbled a 25-yard shot from Clint Dempsey and watched the ball spin behind him and trickle agonisingly over the line.

Capello, however, insisted his decision to keep his goalkeepers guessing until two hours before kick off was not a mistake, and said: "I decided Green would be the goalkeeper because he played the last game very well and at Wembley (against Mexico) the performance was very good too."