He became the first foreigner to manage England and, although he did not win a major title with the so called 'Golden Generation', he did enjoy one of the most successful reigns in history. During his time in charge, England made three quarter-finals in a row. The team's performance in South Korea and Japan in 2002 was a particular highlight of Eriksson's tenure. Having narrowly qualified in the final minutes against Greece, England had arrived at the World Cup merely thankful to be there. They reached the quarter-finals, where they would face Brazil one of the favourites for the trophy. Despite taking an early lead through Michael Owen, England lost 2-1. Brazil would go on to win the tournament. While some may argue Eriksson should have achieved more than three quarter-finals, people cannot argue that the team played attractive football under the Swede. The 5-1 triumph over Germany in 2001 summed up how, on their day, Eriksson's men were unstoppable.