After a tumultuous week, England overcame a missed penalty kick by David Beckham and qualified for next summer's European Championship.
England scraped out a 0-0 draw against Turkey in Istanbul on Saturday night to win Group 7 and secure an automatic qualifying berth for the 16-team championship in Portugal.
Turkish players taunted Beckham after his wild penalty miss, triggering a brawl in the stadium tunnel at halftime.
Two other European powers, Italy and Germany, also qualified Saturday, along with Denmark, Switzerland and Greece.
But Spain was left to contest a playoff, along with other second-place finishers Turkey, Scotland, Norway, Russia, Latvia, Croatia and Wales.
A total of six automatic qualifying spots and eight playoff berths were decided in 20 games across Europe.
Five nations had already secured places in next summer's tournament: host Portugal and group winners France, Czech Republic, Sweden and Bulgaria.
Two countries -- the Netherlands and Slovenia -- had been assured of playoff spots as group runners-up.
The unseeded draw for the 10-nation playoff will be held Monday in Frankfurt. The games will be contested over two legs on Nov. 15 and 19.
The English needed only a point to advance ahead of Turkey -- and that's just what they got. England finished with 20 points, two ahead of the Turks.
England went into the game after a week marred by a drug scandal, rape allegations, a player revolt and doubts over coach Sven-Goran Eriksson's future. But the team managed to restore some pride.
"The nil-nil showed our character even more than winning 1-nil or 2-nil," Beckham said.
England defender Rio Ferdinand was excluded from the team after missing a drug test, triggering a short-lived player threat to boycott the game. Newspapers reported that Eriksson could quit after Saturday's match to become manager of Chelsea, and police are investigating rape allegations involving several Premier League players.
"I'm very, very proud," Eriksson said. "To do a job like that today after a week like we had is very professional."
Pressed on whether he planned to stay as England coach, Eriksson said, "I really hope so. Yes, of course."
After Steven Gerrard was tripped in the penalty area, Beckham lined up for a penalty kick in the 36th minute. He slipped, his left foot giving way under him, and shanked the ball some 6m over the crossbar. It's the first time Beckham has failed to convert a penalty in his England career.
Turkish defender Alpay Ozalan got in Beckham's face to taunt him. Later as the players walked off at halftime, Alpay jabbed his hand in Beckham's face, and the England captain tried to reach out after him.
"He just went past me and clipped me around the ear, and said something about my mother," Beckham said. "Obviously it upset me a little bit."
At least 50 people scuffled in the tunnel outside the teams' dressing rooms in a "mini riot," Sky Sports News reported. After the clashes were broken up, Italian referee Pierluigi Collina called in Beckham and Alpay and told them to cool down.
English fans were barred from the game to prevent crowd violence. Turkish fans booed the British national anthem and set off flares in the stadium, but no major incidents were reported.
Filippo Inzaghi scored two goals and Christian Vieri and Marco Di Vaio had one each as Italy beat Azerbaijan 4-0 in Reggio Calabria to win Group 9. Wales, which could have topped the group had Italy slipped up, lost 3-2 in Cardiff to Serbia-Montenegro.
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