"We said all week that we would stick together and that's what we did. Our reward was (the result) tonight," he told Sky TV.

The England build-up could hardly have been worse after losing striker Michael Owen through injury and then defender Rio Ferdinand who was dropped from the squad for failing to attend a drugs test.

Ferdinand's absence led to a threatened player strike but Beckham said there could be no questioning England's determination to gain the draw in front a partisan Turkish crowd to finish top of Group Seven.

"A 0-0 draw showed our character more than maybe a 1-0 win would have done because that proved we stuck together, got everyone behind the ball and worked hard.

"Every one of

Beckham missed a 37th-minute penalty which he skied over the bar after slipping just as he was about to strike the ball.

"The ground just gave way from behind me right under my foot," he said.

He said a clash with Turkish defender Alpay Ozalan at halftime had been swiftly dealt with during the interval by Italian referee Pierluigi Collina.

"As we were walking off he went past me and clipped me around the ear," he said. "He then said something about my mother but these things happen.

"Collina told us this game was too big and too important to be ruined by a bit of silliness."

England had no fans at the match after a Football Association ruling, backed by European body UEFA, to ban them for fear of crowd trouble which has marred matches between the countries in the past.