Wednesday, June 21 2006 16:33 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Cologne: Joe Cole, England's man of the match against Sweden in their Group B encounter Tuesday in Cologne, described the injury of striker Michael Owen as a big loss.

"It's a big blow for us as a team," said the Chelsea midfielder after the 2-2 draw.

Owen fell awkwardly in the first minute and had to be taken off in a stretcher, grimacing from a twisted right knee. England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson admitted that the injury 'doesn't look good at all'.

The Newcastle United striker had just come back from a broken foot, which kept him out for much of the season.

"He has another battle on his hands with another injury," admitted Cole. "No doubt, he'll be back sooner rather than later," he said.

Cole, who scored England's opener with a strike from 30 metres, admitted that England dropped the pace in the second half, allowing Sweden back into the match.

"I think we played very well in the first half and should have killed the game. They played a lot better in the second half, but still they weren't creating chances from open play," he said.

"Again, I think it was another good performance by us, but there's also a lot for us to work on," he said.