England has won an important Euro 2008 qualifier against Estonia, with 3-0. We covered the game live. Find the complete live coverage after the jump.
3-0 for England after a great performance in the first half, perfectly scoring three points from the territorial advantage in the first 45 minutes, with goals from Shaun Wright-Philips, Wayne Rooney and a fantastic header from Rahn, who maybe scored the most brilliant own goal ever. A header from outside of the box. Brilliant!
The second half was rather boring, but none of England’s booked players got a new booking and all three are available for the Wednesday game in Russia.
Ashley Cole went off injured in the first half and is getting a scan (X-Ray) at Wembley.
Owen was replaced by Lampard and the versatility up front almost immediately disappeared, the Chelsea player not being able to impose his style next to Rooney.
Great performance from both Gerrard and Barry.
England has everything in own hands now and can qualify on Wednesday against Russia.
FT.
90′ + 1′ Joe Cole gets the ball from Lescott, just outside of the box at the left, and penetrates, moving in. His shot with the outside of the right foot goes wide. Weird choice for outside of the foot, one would rather expect in inside of the foot curler around the keeper from that spot.
90′ 3 Minutes added.
89′ Wide pass from Rooney to Gerrard, who cut inside and then could have a shot at goal, but he passes the ball to Joe Cole who challenged the ball too late and loses the chance for 4-0.
88′ Gareth Barry deservingly announced as winner of the Man of the Match award.
Lampard again is disappointing in a England shirt. Having the possibility to play next to or behind Rooney and claiming the ball, he fails to impose himself in this free role, backed by Barry and Gerrard.
85′ Deep pass from Neville to Rooney, who’s offside.
83′ Rooney lets the ball roll out after a deflected pass from Joe Cole. He takes the corner himself, before the defenders can come in and Gerrard dives to the ball but doesn’t get his head behind the ball.
No danger from Barry’s ball or on the rebound. Estonia manages to clear and leave their own half, winning a throw in.
81′ England reorganizing in the midfield. Gerrard looking for SWP who goes deep and wins a corner.
Barry behind the ball.
79′ Dimitrijev shot from right side, 24 yard, blocked by Campbell and Klaven who gets the rebound at the left shoots over.
The game now rather has turned in to an unattractive kick & rush game, with little organization from any of the teams.
76′ Joe Cole penetrates in the box, but doesn’t find anyone to flick the ball on, nice action from Cole tho.
SWP wins a throw in.
Estonia coming more in the game now, but rather because England doesn’t provide defensive midfield cover and our defense the influence and organization of a Terry or Rio misses. But the score still is 3-0.
72′ Booking for Dimitrijev after a stupid obstruction foul on Rooney.
71′ Campbell clears for a fourth corner, which Robinson easily catches. All four corners went in to the 8 yards box, but none was really dangerous.
70′ 3 Consecutive corners for Estonia now.
69′ Deep pass from Rooney to Owen who runs in the box and AGAIN is flagged for offside. And again it was close.
Replacement for England: Lamps come on for Michael Owen who can rest for Wednesday only some days after his surgery.
Lamps and Wembley, that means boo-ing.
Foul from Dimitrijev on Gerrard. 25 yards from goal, in the middle. Gerrard’s curler goes straight on Proom.
67′ Joe Cole shot from more than 25 yards, but wide.
66′ Rooney wins a free kick after he got pushed several times in the back.
England pushing again and every ball up front now goes to Owen. It is clear that the lads want Michael Owen to score his goal today.
62′ Estonia’s best action of the match ends with another Lindpere shot from almost 20 years. Robinson easily in two times.
61′ Another great Gerrard pass, deep in the box to the left for Owen, who again is flagged for offside.
Estonia replacement: Kink goes off, Vikmane comes in.
Rooney brilliantly keeps a cross from Barry in and wins a corner. But nothing comes out of Barry’s corner.
59′ Campbell moves in, pass to Barry but he just didn’t find Michael Owen who claimed the ball in the middle, on the line of the box. Gareth Barry clearly one of our best players today.
57′ Joe Cole cutting in to the middle, short pass to Owen who prolongates to Rooney but Estonia clears.
55′ Joe Cole cross goes wide over.
54′ Kink goes down after a clash with Gerrard, but no harm done and the game continues.
52′ Low shot from Lindpere from just outside of the box, but wide. England now needs to regain control of the midfield before Estonia scores.
50′ Header from Lescott to Robinson on a deep high ball. Looked more like a panic header, because Robinson first moved and then stayed on his spot. No danger tho.
Cole now finally carrried off on a stretcher.
49′ Klaven shot, bounces before Robinson, who again doesn’t look really sure and can be lucky no Estonian player followed.
Cole, who needed to be helped up and after only some steps goes down again, is replaced by Phill Neville.
Looks like another injury for England.
47′ Cole goes down after Lescott wrongly evaluated a deep pass. Saag goes for the ball and Ashley Cole down for the second time in this game. I think we better replace Ashley now, we need him on Wednesday.
Owen challenged by Rahn, who was booked in the 11th minute. Free kick for Barry, but his cross is too high for Campbell and Proom must be happy to have caught this ball easily.
46′ England kick off for the second half. Lescott replaces Rio as was to be expected. I wonder if we can make it 7-0 today. I surely expect a goal from both Owen and Gerrard today.
The HT analysis again shows how brilliant the duo Barry – Gerrard is: perfect homogeneity, both playing forwardly but notice immediately when one goes forward so the second stays in the midfield and provides cover. It will be very hard for Lampard to come back in the midfield after another Barry – Gerrard display.
HT. England clearly in control of the game. 3-0, after goals from SWP, Rooney and an own goal from Rahn. Estonia participated rather well in the first twenty minutes of the game, but then Barry and Gerrard always got more control over the midfield and Estonia had problems getting out of their own half.
McLaren now has the option to rest Rio and both Coles for Wednesday and avoid that one might catch a second yellow.
The first half was rather entertaining to watch, not a typical Arsenal or ManUtd display, but England perfectly used their territorial advantage.
45′ 2 Minutes added time.
44′ Joe Cole free kick from the left after a foul on Ashley Cole, but Piiroja heads the ball away in front of Campbell, Rio and Richards.
42′ SWP goes down in the box, but that one was ripe for the worst diver thread in our forums.
40′ Estonia tries to recover and for the first time in minutes manages it to come out of their own half.
Shot by Dimitrijev from 24 yards. Easily caught by Robinson who launches Barry. Throw in for Ashley Cole at the other side now.
38′ SWP at the corner flag gets a foul against after an unlucky contact in a challenge.
33′ Ashley Cole looking for Owen or Rooney with a deep and high ball from the midfield, Ragnar wants to head the ball away, avoiding that Rooney might get to it. But his header, from outside of the box (!), goes in his own goal, down the left post. No chance for Proom and England leads 3-0.
32′ 2-0. Joe Cole down the line, low center and Owen lets the ball go to Rooney who doesn’t hesitate and scores from 12 yards.
England clearly n control of the game now, with Gerrard and Barry as the main motors of the English squad. Rooney and Owen very versatile upfront.
I would love to see more action wide tho, over Joe Cole and SWP.
28′ Free kick for England from 22 yards. Rooney who had been fouled twice by Piiroja, takes the free kick himself, but no real danger for Poom.
26′ Rooney’s arm hits Piiroja in an aerial challenge. The Estonian goes down, but doesn’t claim a foul or card.
24′ England doesn’t manage to clear a Kruglov throw in and Estonia manages too create some danger, but Rio is positioned perfectly again and clears.
22′ First corner of the game. For Estonia.
Everyone going deep in the 6 yards box, but the corner is too low and no danger. Robinson not tested either.
21′ Throw in for Richards, ball comes to Joe Cole who stifts the ball over the defense to Rooney, but Wayne was wide offside.
20′ Michael Owen caught offside on a brilliant, splicing pass from Gerrard, in the 18. Replay shows that Owen was level, and if offside maybe only some inches.
18′ Ashley Cole wins a free kick on the right, but Joe Cole’s touch is too deep and Poom punches the ball away.
17′ Barry to Rooney who stops the ball with his right, outside of the 18 yards, quickly turns around and then tries to stift Poom who’s standing 3 yards out of his goal, but the ball goes over. Lots of class Rooney showed there, almost Zidane alike.
Although England has the early lead, it needs to be said that the Estonian squad very organised and compactly plays.
15′ Bad pass from Rooney, Estonia wins the ball in the midfield and only knows one way: the way to England’s box, but Rio tackles correctly.
13′ Estonia didn’t wait long and is playing offensively again, but the English defense is very well placed, with Rio in control.
11′ Gerrrard launches a counter attack to Owen, who tries to find Rooney but Gerrard in the end gets the ball. Passes to Cole, who centers. Estonia doesn’t clear properly and after a 1-2 with Campbell SWP scores, from a narrow angle at the right through the legs of Poom.
England 1 – Estonia 0. England a their so desired early goal.
8′ Gerrard intercepts the ball close to the Estonian box and launches Rooney with a deep pass in the box, but too hard and the free kick for Estonia.
6′ Cole centers again, looking for Owen but Estonia can clear and immediately attacks.
3′ Nice and fast midfield combination Owen – Barry – Joe Cole who centers.
Micah Richards who came in at the far post, goes down after an aerial challenge and the physios come on the pitch.
Phil Neville warming up in case Richards must be replaced, but the City player finally gets up again after almost 3 minutes on the ground.
Estonian midfield covering England’s midfield very closely in the first minutes.
2′ Barry looking for Owen, good position play from Estonia who immediately attack and even get a shot from out of the box. But it went wide.
Promising start
1′ Estonia kick off and Rooney immediately wins the ball, but Owen is flagged offside.
Gerrard leads the team when walking on the Wembley pitch.
Any predictions for today’s game?
Leave your prediction in the comments. I think England should easily win 4-0.
England’s squad: Robinson, Richards, Ferdinand, Campbell, Cole, Wright-Phillips, Gerrard, Barry, Cole, Rooney, Owen.
Substitutes: Lescott, James, Neville, Lampard, Bentley, Crouch, Defoe.
Against first fears, McLaren did decide NOT to rest our defense and Rio will play. John Terry obviously is out, but hopefully he can restart training on Monday.
Up front we see the expected partnership Rooney-Owen.
Today is another must win game for Macca, who can look back on two good performances last month and now England again has everything in own hand.
Normally this should be an easy game for England, but we have said that before and with Macca one never really knows.
Welcome to our live coverage of what might be the most important game in Steve McLaren’s career so far: the Euro 2008 qualifier England – Estonia
Match Details
England vs Estonia
Saturday 13 October 2007
Wembley, England
Euro 2008 Qualifier
Kickoff – 15:00 (UK time)
England vs Estonia Preview
An easy as hell game – in the reverse fixture England struggled in the first half but were clearly superior at the end of the day, and with the injuries, returning players and yello cards, you’d hope that Steve Macca (the man with the supremely annoying fake grin) will rest his key players – you know, like Terry and Owen, and Gerrard.
Ideally, the lineup for the Estonia game would look like this:
Carson
Phil Neville, Campbell, Lescott, Nickey Shorey
Lennon, Barry, Bentley, Downing
Rooney, Crouch
with Owen, Lampard and Joe Cole getting some sub action.
Hardly anything with Macca is ideal, so expect to see a first XI. Rio, Terry, A Cole are all one booking away from a suspension and this is as easy a game as England will ever get to blood the youngsters – not sure about Neville playing at right-back though, hopefully Macca can draft in someone else from England to fill in.
Owen and Lampard are returning from injury, so they should be kept fresh for the Russia game, and Gerrard deserves the rest anyway.
Predictions? A couple of yellows for England’s finest and a glut of goals that will hype us to the hilt before the crunch game against Russia.
Also Read: England October 07 Euro 2008 Qualifiers Preview.
Add Sportslens to your Google News Feed!
