England sealed qualification for the 2012 European Championship on Friday despite letting slip a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with Montenegro and having striker Wayne Rooney sent off for kicking an opponent.
Rooney was given a straight red card in the 74th minute of the Group G game when he petulantly aimed a kick at Miodrag Dzudovic. His suspension, which will be a minimum of one match, will carry over into the Euro 2012 tournament.
Ashley Young opened the scoring in the 11th minute, heading in Theo Walcott's pinpoint cross from close range. Darren Bent made it 2-0 in the 31st when he tapped in Rooney's pass.
Montenegro pulled a goal back through Elsad Zverotic seconds before the break and after Rooney's sending off, substitute Andrija Delibasic snatched the equalizer in the dying seconds to clinch a place in the playoffs for the hosts.
England coach Fabio Capello said Rooney had apologized to him after the game.
''He made a silly mistake when he kicked the opponent ... I'm not happy, absolutely,'' he said. ''We will find a solution to play without him (at the start of Euro 2012). We'll try some things out in the friendlies.''
England finished top of the group with 18 points from eight matches, with Montenegro second on 12 and Switzerland third on eight points.
The goals started coming after some early pressure from England, that saw a shot from Walcott in the sixth minute just cleared by Mladen Bozovic.
As promised, Capello fielded an attacking lineup, with Bent partnering Rooney in attack, dismissing concerns over the news a day earlier that the England star's father and uncle had been arrested in an alleged betting scam.
The Montenegrins were given space to counterattack as England refused to sit back despite only needing a draw to qualify at the rain-soaked City Stadium in Podgorica.
Simon Vukcevic almost caught out goalkeeper Joe Hart in the 62nd minute as they raced to the ball, with England defenders scrambling back.
Dejan Damjanovic threatened again in the 84th minute, but his acrobatic shot skimmed over Hart's crossbar.
Capello said he was ''really happy'' with Friday's result, though disappointed his players lost concentration in the second half.
''We owned the pitch for the first 35 minutes,'' Capello said. ''This is a good lesson for us because the players have to focus for 90 minutes, not just the first 35.''
Capello handed 19-year-old Phil Jones his first cap, using the Manchester United player to fill in at right back. He also kept Frank Lampard on the bench for 65 minutes, opting for Scott Parker and Gareth Barry in central midfield.
England captain John Terry echoed Capello's concern that his teammates' form suffered late in the match.
''We let them back in the game and unfortunately they got the goal at the end but we are through,'' he said.
Montenegro, a country of 625,000 people, only started playing football as an independent nation in 2007, and the players described the fixture against England as the biggest game in the country's history.
New coach Branko Brnovic said he was relieved Switzerland had suffered a 2-0 loss to Wales, handing his team second place in the group.
''I'm the happiest person the world tonight ... I've given the players the day off tomorrow,'' he said.
''Everyone though I was mad to say we were strong enough to take on England ... We had a very good game, especially in the second half. It's a big achievement to come back against a team like England.''
Brnovic had planned to rest three key players, worried about potential suspensions facing eight of his men on Friday, ahead of the country's final qualifier in Switzerland. But he brought on defender Milan Jovanovic at halftime to help repel England's attacks.
Jovanovic picked up a yellow card and will miss the now-academic Switzerland game on Oct. 11.
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Lineups:
Montenegro: Mladen Bozovic, Mladen Kascelan (Milan Jovanovic, 46), Simon Vukcevic, Stevan Jovetic, Mirko Vucinic, Fatos Beqiraj (Dejan Damjanovic, 64), Milorad Pekovic, Elsad Zverotic, Vladimir Bozovic (Andrija Delibasic, 80), Miodrag Dzudovic.
England: Joe Hart, Phil Jones, John Terry, Gary Cahill, Ashley Cole, Scott Parker, Gareth Barry, Theo Walcott (Danny Welbeck,76), Ashley Young (Stewart Downing, 60), Wayne Rooney, Darren Bent (Frank Lampard, 65).
