STUTTGART, Germany (AP) - David Beckham bent the ball over the wall and squeezed England into the World Cup quarterfinals.
Beckham curled a trademark 25-yard free kick just inside the post in the 60th minute, giving England an ugly 1-0 victory over Ecuador on Sunday and a berth against the Netherlands or Portugal.
For an hour, the English aimlessly passed the ball around the field in the 90-degree heat of Baden-Wuerttemberg. The game turned when Edwin Tenorio fouled Frank Lampard outside the penalty area.
Beckham, whose free kicks inspired the 2003 movie title "Bend it Like Beckham," hooked the ball ever so carefully over a defensive wall of four Ecuadoreans in bright yellow shirts.
Struck with expert touch, the ball dipped toward the corner, where goalkeeper Cristian Mora dived to his right and caught a piece of it with his fingertips. But he couldn't stop it as it shaved the post and squirted into the net.
Beckham ran wildly toward the center of the field, hooking an arm around Ashley Cole. Victoria Adams, his pop star wife formerly known as Posh Spice, jumped up in the stands.
Beckham, who had worn short sleeves in the first half, switched to long sleeves after the break. Shortly after the goal, he vomited on the field.
While Beckham is England's captain and the driving force of its offense, his goals have been sparse of late. It was just his 17th in 93 international appearances, and he ended a 13-match scoreless streak since he scored against Azerbaijan on March 30, 2005.
He also became the first Englishman to score in three World Cups _ he converted a penalty kick against Argentina in Japan four years ago and curled in a free kick against Colombia in France in 1998.
Feeling better after the game, Beckham walked out to wave at the England supporters who sang "Football's Coming Home," the theme of the 1996 Euro Championship it hoped to win but never did.
As often is the case when England plays, police had to deal with fan trouble in the city center. There were about 300 arrests Saturday in Stuttgart, and approximately 1,800 police patrolled the streets, including British law enforcement.
The crowd in Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion was about 90 percent English supporters in white and red, many waving the Cross of St. George flag. The familiar tune of "Rule, Britannia!" was repeatedly sung.
At one end, a few thousand Ecuador fans in bright yellow cheered their team, which had made the second round for the first time in its second World Cup appearance.
Ecuador's Carlos Tenorio had the first good scoring chance in the 12th minute when defender John Terry's attempt at a clearing header popped up in the air behind him. Tenorio, one-on-one against Robinson, settled the ball, and his right-footed shot deflected off a sliding Ashley Cole and off the crossbar.
With Michael Owen out for the rest of the World Cup, England started Wayne Rooney as its lone striker.
England was eliminated by South American teams in the previous two World Cups, losing to Brazil in the 2002 quarterfinals and getting knocked out by Argentina on penalty kicks in the second round in 1998 _ when Beckham was ejected for a foul one minute into the second half.
The Netherlands and Portugal play Sunday to determine who will face England in the quarterfinals