The build-up to the game had been as much about avenging the infamous defeat to Slaven Bilic's side on home soil which shattered hopes of qualifying for Euro 2008 as it had been about securing a spot in South Africa next summer.With that in mind, England started like a team intent on revenge and their visitors could not cope with the pace and purpose as Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard scored two goals apiece, while Eduardo replied before Wayne Rooney hit a fifth.
The Three Lions came roaring out of the traps and in the eighth minute Josip Simunic hopelessly clobbered Aaron Lennon, starting in place of Shaun Wright-Phillips, inside the penalty area and Lampard made no mistake from the spot.
Gerrard then doubled Fabio Capello's side's lead 10 minutes later when the Liverpool captain meet an inch-perfect cross from the excellent Lennon to give Croatia goalkeeper Vedran Runje no chance.
Lampard added a third in the 59th minute when nodding in a Glen Johnson cross and Gerrard also grabbed a brace when getting his head to a looping pass from Rooney in the 66th minute.
Eduardo replied for Croatia in the 73rd minute after a bit of a scramble, but Rooney restored England's four-goal cushion when grabbing a simple goal in the wake of a mistake from Runje with 13 minutes remaining.
Capello, the master tactician, selected and was rewarded with a blistering man-of-the-match performance from fleet-footed Tottenham star Lennon, who created two goals, plus a chance for Emile Heskey and one he wasted himself.
And that was before half-time. To say Lennon ran Croatia ragged in front of the world's fastest man would be a supreme understatement.
Even Usain Bolt must have been impressed at Lennon's electric turn of pace. If he had still been careering round Wembley in front of England's delirious fans when his team-mates had disappeared for their break, it would have been no surprise.
0 comments:
Post a Comment