Michael Owen left England coach Steve McClaren nursing a major injury headache after he limped out of the friendly win over Austria with a thigh strain.
Owen signalled his discomfort almost immediately after suffering the problem just 32 minutes into the victory and early reports suggest a month on the sidelines for England's fourth-highest scorer, which would rule him out of Wednesday's potentially crucial European Championship showdown with Croatia at Wembley.
The injury cast a shadow over England's success, only their second in six friendly games under McClaren, achieved by Peter Crouch's first-half header.
But McClaren knows the victory will be one of the most hollow imaginable anyway if Israel or, far less likely, Macedonia, cannot do him one huge favour on Saturday evening.
Owen had just been responsible for England's first shot on target before he had to go off, a slick effort which involved Steven Gerrard and Crouch before the Newcastle forward saw his first-time shot superbly tipped over by Alex Manninger.
The former Arsenal keeper was only on the pitch due to a nasty, but accidental, collision involving Crouch that left Austria's first-choice Jurgen Macho flat out.
Macho was unconscious as he hit the deck after connecting with Crouch's shoulder as the pair tried to intercept David Beckham's angled ball into the box.
There were also reports Macho had swallowed his tongue, although happily the former Sunderland man appeared to be okay as he was stretchered off.
Owen's exit heralded the introduction of Jermain Defoe for one of his rare appearances and the Tottenham man must now have a good chance of starting next week.
Defoe's arrival worked to the extent that he was heavily involved in England's opener, albeit in a somewhat passive capacity as he stood directly in front of Manninger then moved out of the way at the last moment to allow Crouch's downward header to bounce in.
It was an unexpected breakthrough in the sense England had created hardly anything previously, Owen apart, despite being the better of two average teams.
Austria did little to counter their present lowly FIFA ranking of 88, just behind Zimbabwe, but England's struggles also undermined McClaren's argument that after eight difficult months at the start of his reign, the last six have seen a major improvement.
Joleon Lescott was assured enough at the heart of England's defence to suggest he will not let anyone down against Croatia and his stout work ensured young goalkeeper Scott Carson was not provided with too stiff a test on his debut.
Gerrard and Frank Lampard were okay in midfield, but no better than that. Lampard was one of the more impressive England performers, although there was enough slackness within the midfield partnership to suggest Gareth Barry, who replaced Gerrard at the break, will be required against somewhat more powerful opposition on England's next outing, which McClaren remains convinced will mean so much.
On his familiar right-wing station, Beckham used his energy economically. There were occasional bursts of speed but no-one could seriously expect the former captain to be at full tilt after a month of nothing more than exhibition matches.
Those doubts over the compatibility of life in Los Angeles with the career of an England international will not be quelled by what Beckham produced here.
It is a side issue of the uncertainty surrounding England's short-term future that Beckham might reach 99 caps and no more.
In contrast, Ashley Young is at the very start of his international career and it was the half-time debutant's cross Crouch should have buried for England's second, not long after another substitute, Wes Brown, had been lucky not to concede a penalty when he dragged down Andreas Ivanschitz.
Beckham departed after an hour and his replacement David Bentley was spared the incessant booing which accompanied his first cap against Israel a couple of months ago.
But Bentley knows, as does McClaren, all his players and everyone at the Football Association, the boo boys will be out in force at Wembley should it all go wrong for England this weekend.
Now, they can only cross their fingers and hope.
