Multi million dollar England team went up against Kazakhstan in their world cup qualifier and in paper it was a no match. Kazakhstan is the world 131(higher than Malaysia) used to play their trade in AFC but later opted for UEFA as their football registration. It was a obvious choice to improve the quality of football and play against the worlds best.
The match was a boring game with England controling but nothing close to world class. To the credit of the Kazakhstan it was a well deserved 0-0 first half and with the introduction of Shaun Wright Phillips ,England raced to a 2-0 lead via Rio Ferdinand and a own goal before Kazakhstan pulled a goal back form a Ashley Cole blunder.
Rooney then pulled back another goal to make it 3-1 and got his second goal later from a pass from David Beckham who came on to replace Theo Wallcott and Jermain Defoe who came on got the last goal to make it 5-1 moments later.
It may look like a good win for England but in my view England were still not impressive and with the pool they really have access too, it makes one wonder why so many players were not in the team. The likes of Peter Crouch,Ashley Young,Stuart Downing,David Bentley,Jimmy Bullard,Glen Johnson,Ryan Taylor to name a few players that have been doing well lately with their club teams who should have been in the team.
Hopefully Fabio Capello does not follow the trend that was set by the previous managers who tend to stick to the same crop of players who perform horribly for the nation.
From the Shelves of Delirium
Digging up the files…
I watched this match. The minnows played some really awesome football, and the final score eased some blushes for a lot of the players on the pitch. For over 70 minutes England had their tails between their legs, especially when Ashley Cole made the back pass of the year. When the score was still nil-nil, Kazakhstan had a few chances [1 sitter] to go ahead. The English played some really horrible and boring soccer, and I think the midfield paring of Stevie G and Frank Lampard needs to end… they both disappeared in the second half. England’s best player was David Beckham. Seriously.