FOOTBALL Live

Wednesday September 9, 2009 Finished New Wembley

5 - 1

England

  • Lampard 7’ (pen.), 59’
  • Gerrard 18’, 66’
  • Rooney 77’

Croatia

  • da Silva 72’

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  1. World Cup qual. - Five-star England qualify

    World Cup qual. - Five-star England qualify

    England booked their place at next summer's World Cup with an impressive 5-1 win over Croatia at Wembley. More

  • Live Commentary

    Time:90'
    • England
    • Croatia
    • - Thanks for joining us this evening!
    • - Croatia may have been poor but England were deserving of their win. 5-1 is a hefty scoreline, but Fabio Capello won't be letting them get carried away.
    • 90'+2 FT. England qualify in emphatic style for the World Cup!
    • 90' The ball just skips away from Defoe as he sniffs an opening...
    • 89' England holding onto the ball, and Cole advances into the Croatian half...
    • 87' Croatia going nowhere as they try and come forward, rather dejectedly.
    • 85' Terry's booked as he flies in on Klasnic...
    • 83' Kranjcar fires well over from 25 yards as he is rushed into shooting.
    • 82' England still pressing Croatia when in possession.
    • 80' Beckham comes on for Lennon and Gerrard makes way for Milner.
    • 79' A real shocker from Runje there, who'd been very impressive until that stage.
    • 77' GOAL FOR ENGLAND! Rooney gobbles up a howler from Runje! A terrible, mis-hit clearance falls to the England forward and it's an easy finish from the penalty spot.
    • 76' Petric tries to test Green but his shot doesn't have enough direction. Capello is a little irritated with how his side are allowing Croatia back into the game, even at 4-1.
    • 75' Cole shepherds the ball back to Green as the game enters the final 15 minutes.
    • 73' Klasnic replaces goalscorer Eduardo.
    • 71' GOAL FOR CROATIA! No clean sheet for Rob Green. Eduardo slams the ball in from close range after Green makes a good double save to deny the Arsenal forward and Mandzukic.
    • 69' Croatia have the ball in midfield, and Kranjcar tries his luck from 25 yards. Green sees it all the way though and it's an easy catch.
    • 67' A thoroughly miserable evening for Croatia. But England have looked unforgiving, and they're still seeking more...
    • 66' GOAL FOR ENGLAND! Gerrard with his second of the evening! A looping header as Rooney lofts the ball into the danger zone from the by-line.
    • 64' Croatia look completely devoid of inspiration now...
    • 63' England stream forward and they're hungry for more. Gerrard tries to find Defoe, who's chomping at the bit.
    • 61' And on comes Defoe for Heskey...
    • 60' Well that's England on the way to South Africa then...
    • 59' GOAL FOR ENGLAND! Lampard heads past Runje as Johnson cuts a good cross back from the right by-line. Lampard nods the ball across the face of goal and into the bottom-left corner. That's 3-0!
    • 57' Jermain Defoe warms up on the sidelines. He's stripped and ready to come on...
    • 55' Johnson wins a header over Eduardo at the far post, and the referee took a long look at what was a penalty appeal from the visitors. Johnson was climbing, and that could've been given...
    • 53' Pranjic brings down Lennon on the right, as they continue to struggle to deal with the Spurs man. The free-kick is drifted in, and Terry is penalised for a foul on Srna.
    • 50' England switch off and Srns takes a quick corner, meeting Mandzukic at the near post. He sends an awkward bouncing ball over the bar from close range, but that was a warning...
    • 49' Bilic will have sent a rocket up Croatia's a... Let's just say they're playing with more purpose!
    • 47' Petric makes an instant impact as he wins a corner for Croatia. Green gets a fist on the delivery though.
    • 46' And the second half gets going...
    • - A couple of half-time changes from Croatia as Rakitic and Petric replace Olic and Pokrivac...
    • - A good first half from England, but where have Croatia been? England's defence haven't been fully tested, while Defoe will have been curling his toes at some of the scoring opportunities passed up by his international team-mates...
    • 45'+1 HT. England go in 2-0 up at the break thanks to Lampard's penalty and Gerrard's header. Could it have been more? Let's not pick holes...
    • 45' ANOTHER ONE-ON-ONE GOES BEGGING! Runje comes out on top again as Heskey has acres of space after Lampard feeds him. A poor first touch gives Runje time to rush though and the keeper smothers...
    • 43' Lampard fires over when he gets a sight of goal. Meanwhile, Simunic is booked for a kick at Heskey.
    • 43' SAVE FROM RUNJE! He denies Heskey when one-on-one after a superb slide pass through the middle from Lennon. The Villa man beat the offside trap but not the keeper...
    • 41' Heskey's caught offside as he tries to flick the ball on to Lennon.
    • 39' Poor attempted cut-back from Gerrard as England stream forward down the left. He had time to pick out any number of team-mates in the middle there...
    • 38' Vukojevic goes down far too easily under the lightest of pressure from Barry, but wins a free-kick nevertheless.
    • 36' Croatia gift England possession inside the hosts' half as a poor cross-field pass from Mandzukic flies out.
    • 35' RUNJE FOILS LENNON IN A ONE-ON-ONE! Rooney slips his team-mate in and the Spurs man tries to dink it past the keeper, but Runje gets a hand to it. It wasn't the best of finishes to be fair, but the build-up was superb.
    • 34' Croatia win a free-kick inside their half as Lampard is adjudged to go in slightly too heavily with a tackle.
    • 32' But Croatia break as they manage to fend England off. Eduardo races forward after being fed a neat pass in the middle, but is crowded out with just Olic in support.
    • 31' Well cut out by Johnson as he reads Pranjic's pass. England hit Croatia on the counter and Heskey wins a throw deep in the visitors' half.
    • 30' From brilliant to bad from Eduardo! He does well to find space 30 yards out with a nice turn, but then skews a poor shot well wide from distance. He could've run that in closer to goal.
    • 28' NO HE DOESN'T! A well-hit drive forces Runje to turn the ball behind for a corner! From that, Terry just missess connecting with Gerrard's delivery...
    • 27' Heskey wins a free-kick 40 yards out and Lampard will float one into the Croatia penalty area.
    • 26' Pokrivac tries a long ball over the top but there's too much on it. Eduardo and Olic are doing plenty of running, but Croatia just can't seem to find a real way through.
    • 25' Croatia, having seen a few brief openings, are now passing the ball around halfway as they try and spot an in.
    • 23' Pranjic gets forward down the left for Croatia but pings a cross into the side netting. Rooney's then flagged offside as he tries to latch onto a long ball.
    • 22' England step off a tad in midfield, allowing the ball to bounce a couple of times. Croatia come forward, but a couple of long-range shots are blocked.
    • 21' Where do Croatia go from here? They haven't even tested England yet...
    • 19' What a start for England! Two goals up inside the opening 20 minutes, and that was a great assist from Lennon. He's enjoying himself on the right wing...
    • 18' GOAL FOR ENGLAND! It's 2-0! Gerrard nods the ball past Runje as he meets Lennon's pin-pointed cross at the far post!
    • 17' And Mandzukic almost punishes them with a turn-and-volley over the bar inside the England area.
    • 16' Johnson and Terry appear to have combined well to see off Olic, but over-elaboration sees a throw conceded in the corner.
    • 14' Cole is flagged offside as he takes the ball down with a great touch when streaming forward down the left. England are stroking the ball around confidently, and with good reason so far...
    • 13' GREAT SAVE FROM RUNJE! England surge forward again and Lennon mis-hits a cut-back from the by-line. No matter though, as Barry races onto the ball on the edge of the area and hammers it goalwards. Runje is unsighted due to a forest of bodies but parries well as he dives to his right!
    • 11' Lennon's enjoying seeing some action down the right, and again he cuts in off the right. An over-hit cross is easily dealt with by the Croatian defence though.
    • 10' Heskey closes down Vukojevic and wins the ball in midfield, feeding Rooney. The Man Utd man races wide on the right and finds Barry in the middle, but the header from the midfielder is well over. A hard one to control in the air.
    • 8' What a start for Fabio Capello's side! An early lead, and if they keep the ball and press when not in possession as they have done so far then things are looking good...
    • 7' GOAL FOR ENGLAND! Lampard beats Runje to the keeper's right side with a well-taken spot-kick, right into the side netting. 1-0 to England!
    • 6' PENALTY FOR ENGLAND! Lennon skips in off the right wing and Simunic trips the Tottenham man!
    • 4' It would've been harsh, as it was definitely ball to hand. Meanwhile, Croatia come forward for the first time and Eduardo finds Olic wide on the left, but Johnson stands up well.
    • 3' PENALTY APPEAL FOR ENGLAND! Nothing doing from the referee though as Gerrard tries to skip past Krizanac and the ball hops up onto the defender's arm.
    • 2' A bright start from England who retain possession. Ashley Cole and Aaron Lennon have seen the ball early on, while Emile Heskey's been employed immediately, though not with the most accurate of passes in to the front man.
    • 1' And we're off! England get the first half underway...
    • - Moments to kick-off now...
    • - It's finished 0-0 in Minsk between Belarus and Ukraine, so a draw here will see England qualify for the World Cup in South Africa next summer...
    • - The teams are out on the pitch for the national anthems...
    • - The teams are lined up in the tunnel. I wonder if they're just hanging to find out who wins the Belarus-Ukraine game...
    • - Belarus and Ukraine are still goalless as they enter the final five minutes in Minsk...
    • - And for Croatia, there is no Leko. Instead, Nikola Pokrivac and Mario Mandzukic are in, with no Ivan Rakitic either. Croatia: Runje; Srna, Krizanac, Simunic, Pranjic; Mandzukic, Vukojevic, Pokrivac, Kranjcar; Eduardo, Olic. SUBS: Subasic, Drpic, Cale, Rakitic, Petric, Leko, Klasnic...
    • - So Heskey starts up front alongside Rooney. It's a simple enough game plan. I expect to see Defoe on for the last 20 minutes at least, and provided he gets that I think a goal wouldn't be too big an ask given the form he's in...
    • - CONFIRMED TEAM NEWS! England will start with Emile Heskey up front instead of Jermain Defoe, as widely expected, while Aaron Lennon returns to the starting XI at the expense of Shaun Wright-Phillips, who doesn't even make the bench! England: Green; Johnson, Upson, Terry, Cole; Lennon, Barry, Lampard, Gerrard; Rooney, Heskey. SUBS: Foster, Brown, Bridge, Milner, Defoe, Beckham, Crouch...
    • - There's a little over half an hour left to play in Minsk, where Belarus and Ukraine are drawing 0-0. If it stays like that, all England will need against Croatia is that draw. But we won't settle for that, will we? Because we want that 100% qualifying record.
    • - England have won three of the six, Croatia two, and one has been a draw. A draw! Pah, as if.
    • - STAT ATTACK! This match will bring goals, if history has a say in the evening's play. In six meetings between the sides since Croatia gained independence, there have been a whopping 21 goals - 3.5 per match.
    • - You can read what Mr Capello had to say right here.
    • - Jim White saw Fabio Capello in action over the last few days and was impressed by a man who says what he means and means what he says. Read Jim's blog below!
    • - CROATIA TEAM NEWS: Stipe Pletikosa and Luka Modric were always out, but Ivan Juric is a late casualty with a twisted knee and Vedran Corluka is suspended. That means Darijo Srna drops from midfield to right-back, while Jarko Leko gets a start on the right.
    • - ENGLAND TEAM NEWS: The widely-held view is that Emile Heskey will start despite Jermain Defoe's super form, while Aaron Lennon is tipped to get the nod over Shaun Wright-Phillips and David Beckham on the right. Matthew Upson continues at centre-half in the absence of the injured Rio Ferdinand and after Joleon Lescott looked shaky in the friendly win over Slovenia.
    • - The ramifications are thus: England win, they go to the World Cup as Group 6 winners. England lose, Croatia have a chance to win the group and relegate England to a play-off, of which they are assured. But if England draw and Ukraine fail to beat Belarus in Minsk, England are through anyway. And if England lose, or draw, and other results do not go their way, a win in Ukraine or at home to Belarus puts Fabio Capello's men through. Note - England are Quite Good these days.
    • - Hello and welcome to Eurosport-Yahoo!'s LIVE coverage of England's World Cup qualifying Group 6 clash with Croatia at Wembley, starting at 8pm UK time!

  • Summary

    • - Thanks for joining us this evening!
    • 77' GOAL FOR ENGLAND! Rooney gobbles up a howler from Runje! A terrible, mis-hit clearance falls to the England forward and it's an easy finish from the penalty spot.
    • 71' GOAL FOR CROATIA! No clean sheet for Rob Green. Eduardo slams the ball in from close range after Green makes a good double save to deny the Arsenal forward and Mandzukic.
    • 66' GOAL FOR ENGLAND! Gerrard with his second of the evening! A looping header as Rooney lofts the ball into the danger zone from the by-line.
    • 59' GOAL FOR ENGLAND! Lampard heads past Runje as Johnson cuts a good cross back from the right by-line. Lampard nods the ball across the face of goal and into the bottom-left corner. That's 3-0!
    • 55' Johnson wins a header over Eduardo at the far post, and the referee took a long look at what was a penalty appeal from the visitors. Johnson was climbing, and that could've been given...
    • 50' England switch off and Srns takes a quick corner, meeting Mandzukic at the near post. He sends an awkward bouncing ball over the bar from close range, but that was a warning...
    • 45' ANOTHER ONE-ON-ONE GOES BEGGING! Runje comes out on top again as Heskey has acres of space after Lampard feeds him. A poor first touch gives Runje time to rush though and the keeper smothers...
    • 43' SAVE FROM RUNJE! He denies Heskey when one-on-one after a superb slide pass through the middle from Lennon. The Villa man beat the offside trap but not the keeper...
    • 35' RUNJE FOILS LENNON IN A ONE-ON-ONE! Rooney slips his team-mate in and the Spurs man tries to dink it past the keeper, but Runje gets a hand to it. It wasn't the best of finishes to be fair, but the build-up was superb.
    • 28' NO HE DOESN'T! A well-hit drive forces Runje to turn the ball behind for a corner! From that, Terry just missess connecting with Gerrard's delivery...
    • 18' GOAL FOR ENGLAND! It's 2-0! Gerrard nods the ball past Runje as he meets Lennon's pin-pointed cross at the far post!
    • 17' And Mandzukic almost punishes them with a turn-and-volley over the bar inside the England area.
    • 13' GREAT SAVE FROM RUNJE! England surge forward again and Lennon mis-hits a cut-back from the by-line. No matter though, as Barry races onto the ball on the edge of the area and hammers it goalwards. Runje is unsighted due to a forest of bodies but parries well as he dives to his right!
    • 7' GOAL FOR ENGLAND! Lampard beats Runje to the keeper's right side with a well-taken spot-kick, right into the side netting. 1-0 to England!
    • 6' PENALTY FOR ENGLAND! Lennon skips in off the right wing and Simunic trips the Tottenham man!
    • 3' PENALTY APPEAL FOR ENGLAND! Nothing doing from the referee though as Gerrard tries to skip past Krizanac and the ball hops up onto the defender's arm.
    • - And for Croatia, there is no Leko. Instead, Nikola Pokrivac and Mario Mandzukic are in, with no Ivan Rakitic either. Croatia: Runje; Srna, Krizanac, Simunic, Pranjic; Mandzukic, Vukojevic, Pokrivac, Kranjcar; Eduardo, Olic. SUBS: Subasic, Drpic, Cale, Rakitic, Petric, Leko, Klasnic...
    • - Hello and welcome to Eurosport-Yahoo!'s LIVE coverage of England's World Cup qualifying Group 6 clash with Croatia at Wembley, starting at 8pm UK time!

Live Team Line-Up

  • England

    Manager: Fabio Capello

    Captain: John Terry

    Starting line-up

    • R. Green
    • G. Johnson
    • M. Upson
    • J. Terry Yellow Card
    • A. Cole
    • G. Barry
    • F. Lampard Goal
    • A. Lennon Substitution Out (81′)
    • S. Gerrard Goals×2 Substitution Out (81′)
    • W. Rooney Goal
    • E. Heskey Substitution Out (60′)

    Subs

    • D. Beckham Substitution In81′
    • W. Brown
    • W. Bridge
    • P. Crouch
    • J. Defoe Substitution In60′
    • J. Milner Substitution In81′
    • B. Foster

    Injured

    None

    Suspended

    None

  • Croatia

    Manager: Slaven Bilic

    Captain: Darijo Srna

    Starting line-up

    • V. Runje
    • D. Srna
    • I. Križanac
    • J. Šimunic Yellow Card
    • D. Pranjic
    • O. Vukojevic
    • N. Pokrivac Substitution Out (45′)
    • M. Mandžukic
    • N. Kranjcar
    • E. da Silva Goal Substitution Out (73′)
    • I. Olic Substitution Out (45′)

    Subs

    • I. Klasnic Substitution In73′
    • M. Petric Substitution In45′
    • J. Leko
    • I. Rakitic Substitution In45′
    • H. Cale
    • D. Subasic
    • D. Drpic

    Injured

    None

    Suspended

    None

Comment 1 - 3 of 3

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  1. cmon england

    From soniapotter888, on Wed 14 Oct 6:44PM

  2. come on england

    From goldsmith688, on Sat 10 Oct 3:38PM

  3. goal

    From goldsmith688, on Sat 10 Oct 3:37PM
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