DAILY MAIL: Argentina striker Hernan Crespo yesterday tried to take the heat out of the World Cup showdown with England by denouncing attempts to portray the match as a revenge mission for the Falklands War.

THE SUN: David Beckham and his World Cup troops have been told: Don't mention the war.

DAILY MIRROR: Sven-Goran Eriksson last night pleaded for peace as England prepared for their must-win World Cup showdown with Argentina.

DAILY EXPRESS: Sven-Goran Eriksson fears that captain David Beckham only has one hour to give for England in their Group of Death game against Argentina on Friday.

DAILY STAR: David Beckham last night insisted that if Argentina try to wind him up during Friday's crunch match, he'll walk away.

THE GUARDIAN: The journey has been long and fraught but if the old saying about a team reflecting the manager's personality is true, the Republic of Ireland should approach their pivotal encounter with Germany today without a hint of trepidation.

THE INDEPENDENT: Two and a half eventful weeks after the leaving of Dublin, the Republic of Ireland's Mick McCarthy knows what it means to be a manager at the World Cup, and why half the coaches at the last one lost their job.

DAILY TELEGRAPH: World Cup fever gripped the tournament's two Asian co-hosts yesterday as South Korea celebrated their first finals win in front of an enraptured crowd in Busan while Japan had to settle for a 2-2 draw with Belgium.