By RONALD BLUM

The Associated Press

STUTTGART, Germany – David Beckham was feeling nauseous. England’s offense was just as sickly, with nothing to show for an hour of aimless passing against Ecuador in the 90-degree heat.

Then Beckham’s right foot lived up to its fame, squeezing England into the World Cup quarterfinals.

Beckham curled a trademark 25-yard free kick just inside the post in the 60th minute Sunday, his first goal for England in nearly 15 months – and the lone highlight in an otherwise ugly 1-0 victory against Ecuador.

A few minutes later, he vomited on the field because of dehydration, and left the match in the 87th minute.

“The last two days I’ve been struggling, even in training,” Beckham said.

Then he recounted what teammate Wayne Rooney had told him to give him a lift: “Wazza said to me before the game, ‘You’ve been terrible the last two days, so you’re going to get one tonight.'”

Seeking its first World Cup title since 1966, England next plays Saturday against Portugal, which beat the Netherlands 1-0, but will have two starters – Deco and Costinha – suspended for the match.

While Beckham is soccer’s best-known player, he is far from the best, a 31-year-old midfielder criticized for his lack of defense and inability to score from the run of play.

But his status as a cultural icon has grown in his decade with England, especially since his marriage to pop star Victoria Adams, formerly known as Posh Spice. He has opened a soccer academy in California, and he is considering ending his career in the U.S. with Major League Soccer.

His goal ended a 13-match scoreless streak dating to a World Cup qualifier against Azerbaijan on March 30, 2005.

For England, the wait was worth it.

“Obviously, Becks is crucial,” teammate Owen Hargreaves said.

Before Beckham’s goal, the English surrendered chances to Ecuador and missed a few of their own. The game finally turned when Edwin Tenorio fouled Frank Lampard outside the penalty area, giving England the free kick.

The English captain, whose darting shots inspired the 2003 movie titled “Bend it Like Beckham,” snatched the ball from the referee, lined up his planned trajectory and sent the ball spinning and twisting toward the goal.

It hooked ever so carefully over a defensive wall of four Ecuadoreans in bright yellow shirts and dipped toward the corner. Goalkeeper Cristian Mora dived to his right and caught a piece of it with his fingertips, but couldn’t stop it from grazing the post and squirting into the net.

“He proved his worth today,” teammate Rio Ferdinand said.

Becoming the first Englishman to score in three World Cups, Beckham ran wildly toward the center of the field, hooking an arm around Ashley Cole.

“I have stopped saying anything to the critics about David Beckham,” England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson said. “He’s maybe the best player on set pieces in the world, and he’s still criticized.”

Ecuador coach Luis Fernando Suarez, whose team had advanced beyond the opening round for the first time, said he was proud of his team’s accomplishment in the face of an overwhelming favorite.

“An extremely complicated match,” Suarez said. “It was decided as I expected, either on a dead ball or a genius move. All the credit is for the person who kicked it. My men did not fail.”

“We will take this, although I don’t think it was good football at times,” Beckham said. “Tonight we can go home very happy.”