Liverpool and Poland keeper Jerzy Dudek has backed the decision that gave England the 3 points against Argentina.

Dudek preparing for Polands make or break World Cup clash with Portugal on Monday told Icons.com "I said before the World Cup that Portugal were the favourites to get first place in our group. But, now that we both lost our opening game, we are both fighting to stay in the competition when we play each other on Monday.

''We have no choice but to play better against the Portuguese than we did against the Korean Republic. In fact, we have to win, because I believe a draw would be a very bad result for us both.''

The Liverpool keeper added: ''I suppose it was inevitable that this Polish team would be compared to the two Polish teams which finished third in World Cups of the 1970s and 1980s. For me personally this is not a problem, but I think it is for the squad as a whole. People are expecting us to do the same.

''I believe it's a bit too early to say whether we are better or worse than them because this is the first World Cup experience for all of us.''

Dudek was impressed with England's 1-0 vitory over Argentina.

''I thought Michael Owen did really well in the box to win the penalty. From one camera angle it seemed it was a clear penalty, but from another angle it didn't look as if he had been fouled. For me it was a definite penalty.

''I thought the defending from the English team was perfect. They made no mistakes and everyone worked hard for each other. I was very happy with the result because I am the only Polish player here who is supporting England when they play!

''During the game I was sitting with one of Poland's most famous players, (Wlodzimierz) Lubanski. He was telling me that he thought that either Argentina or England would end up as world champions.

''I also think England have a chance of winning the tournament, but they will need to get the kind of breaks they got against Argentina.''