England secured a straightforward 1-0 friendly win over Euro 2008 co-hosts Austria on Friday but suffered the more significant loss of Michael Owen to injury.

Already without Wayne Rooney for Wednesday's potentially decisive Euro 2008 Group E qualifier against Croatia, England saw striker Owen leave the pitch in Vienna after 34 minutes.

Manager Steve McClaren later confirmed that Owen had been ruled out of the match at Wembley. "He won't be fit for Wednesday," McClaren told a post-match news conference. "It was a strange one, it was his standing foot. He's pulled his thigh and unfortunately he's out.

England's problems at the back revolve around injured captain John Terry and the suspended Rio Ferdinand.
Owen indicated to the England bench that he wanted to come off after suffering the injury following a shot at goal. "It's a huge blow because we all know what Michael can do in big games," England midfielder Frank Lampard said of Owen's injury. "It's frustrating," he added on ‘Sky Sports’.

Jermaine Defoe replaced Owen whose strike partner Peter Crouch scored the only goal a minute before halftime when he headed in a David Beckham corner.