England 5-1 Kazakhstan
England beat Kazakhstan in the 2010 World Cup Qualifier at Wembley
Oct 11, 2008
Attacking Formation
With England playing in a 4-3-3 formation, Aston Villa midfielder Gareth Barry was picked alongside Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard in the central midfield. Up front, Wigan forward Emile Heskey, so often maligned for his infrequent scoring record, was supported by Manchester United's Wayne Rooney and Arsenal's teenage prodigy Theo Walcott, who entered the game with the nation's hopes on his slight shoulders following his stunning hat-trick in Zagreb, when England humbled Croatia 4-1. In defence, John Terry was the only absentee from England's first-choice defenders, due to injury. Rio Ferdinand captained England for the first time in a competitive match.
First Half Frustration
With Gerrard and Lampard again struggling to combine effectively in the engine-room of England's midfield, the first forty-five minutes were without a single shot on target for England, with Heskey looking worryingly isolated at the top of the pitch. Walcott, nervous at first, grew into the game well, and twice managed to skip clear down the right flank. But the supply line to Wayne Rooney was consistently interrupted, and England looked toothless in attack. At half-time, the ineffective Barry was sacrificed as a holding midfielder for Manchester City winger Shaun Wright-Phillips pushed into the left-wing position. England were reverting to a more traditional 4-4-2 formation, but would it garner a positive result?
Second Half Success
Within minutes of the restart, England's worries were settled. Frank Lampard swung in a hopeful corner, and with the Kazakhstan goalkeeper flapping hopelessly at the ball, England captain Rio Ferdinand nodded the ball into an unguarded net. Five minutes later, the points looked sealed when another good Lampard delivery, this time from a free-kick, glanced off the forehead of Kazakhstan's central defender Kuchma, and past his helpless goalkeeper. However, moments later, Ashley Cole made a spectacular howler when he inadvertently lofted a disastrous ball across his own penalty area, perfectly supplying Kazakhstan with an unmissable opportunity, which Zhambyl Kukeyev happily smashed past a static David James.
Sealing the Victory
With England's own fans now booing Ashley Cole, the nation was crying out for a player to step up and seal the vital three points. And they needed not fear. Wayne Rooney, in such fine form for his club Manchester United, nodded in an exquisite header from a cross by his club colleague Wes Brown, again impressive at right-back. Following a tumultuous reception for his introduction, David Beckham, winning his 106th England cap, crossed again for Rooney to score his second and England's fourth. With late substitute Jermain Defoe adding a fifth goal in the dying moments, England had guaranteed maximum points from their first three games in the group, and travel to Belarus on Wednesday in confident mood, looking to push further ahead in the race for qualification for the 2010 World Cup to be held in South Africa.
