I made naysayers eat crow, say Beckham

Berlin, June 26 (UNI) Knives were out baying for his blood but after his curling shot found the Ecuador net and powered England to World Cup quarterfinals, David Beckham believes he has muzzled his detractors.

''It was nice to silence a few people who have been critical. I can handle my criticism and I'll prove them wrong,'' thundered the under-pressure England captain while talking to BBC Radio Five Live.

''It was a great feeling to get a goal and put us into the quarter-final,'' he added.

Beckham, however, is not really ecstatic after his side scraped past Ecuador but then a win is always a win, he argued.

''It was an ugly performance but it was what we wanted and we'll take ugly performances,'' he said.

Towards the end, Beckham looked sick and he revealed he was taken off because of that.

''I didn't feel well before the game but I thought I would be fine and in the first half I felt fine,'' he told BBC Sport.

''But the sickness continued in the second half and it just came out,'' he said.

Meanwhile, England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson feels the outcome vindicated the 4-5-1 formation, even though England should have won by a bigger margin.

''I think it worked - the formation. We should have scored more goals but I am rather happy that we are in the quarter-finals again.

''We have not performed as well as we can do but it will come later,'' he said.

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