Ledley King headed in England's opener as the injury-prone defender returned from a three-year international exile to help his team beat Mexico 3-1 in a World Cup warmup Monday. Chronic knee problems have restricted the 29-year-old King's England career, but the Tottenham captain survived the full 90 minutes unscathed, boosting his hopes of making the final cut for South Africa. Peter Crouch managed to net a second – with the help of his arm – in the 34th despite England being outplayed in the first half. The visitors' Guillermo Franco claimed a deserved goal for the visitors on the stroke of halftime. Glen Johnson restored England's two-goal cushion at the start of the second half with a curling shot from 20 meters. In Buenos Aires, Maxi Rodriguez scored two goals and Argentina defeated Canada 5-0 Monday in the Gauchos' final tuneup before their World Cup opener on June 12 against Nigeria. Lionel Messi was rested by coach Diego Maradona after a grueling European season. Rodriguez scored in the 16th and 32nd minutes and Angel Di Maria added another in the 37th. Tevez scored in the 63rd and Sergio Aguero added his in 71st, seconds after coming on as a substitute. In Saitama, Japan, Park Ji-sung and Park Chu-young scored either side of halftime Monday to lead South Korea to a 2-0 win over Japan in a World Cup warmup. Japan's best chance came in the 76th minute when Catania forward Takayuki Morimoto rifled in a shot from the edge of the area that was saved by South Korea goalkeeper Jung Sung-ryeong. Both teams depart for pre-World Cup training camps in Europe this week. In Melbourne, Brett Holman struck four minutes into injury-time to spare Australian blushes and give the Socceroos a 2-1 victory over trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand in a World Cup warmup Monday.
