Wembley will consider replacing its substandard turf pitch with a harder-wearing composite surface after Wednesday night's decisive Euro 2008 qualifier left the national stadium's playing area resembling a park pitch.

Wembley is one of the few new stadiums in the world that uses a 100% turf surface, but with the grass plainly compromised by a lack of light in the 90,000-seat arena alternatives will now be considered.

The option being investigated is to install a pitch that incorporates synthetic fibres interwoven with the roots of natural grass, anchoring the turf and helping to stabilise the surface.

The sight of the Wembley surface cutting up during the warm-up on Wednesday was acutely embarrassing for Wembley and the FA, which has invested £757m in the arena without apparently ensuring a surface fit for international football.

The decision to host an NFL game at the stadium 24 days before the most important match of the international season has been blamed for the damage.

Despite round-the-clock work the pitch did not have sufficient time to recover.