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Wednesday June 10, 2009; World Cup Qualifier. England 6 Andorra 0 England: R.Green, G.Johnson, A.Cole (W.Bridge 65), S.Gerrard (A.Young 45), J.Lescott, J.Terry, D.Beckham, F.Lampard, P.Crouch, W.Rooney (J.Defoe 45), T.Walcott. Andorra: Alvarez (Gomez 88), Ayala, I.Lima, Sonejee, A.Lima (Vales 48), T.Garcia, Jimenez, Andorra, Vieira, Moreno, Silva (Fernandez 79). There were a couple of surprising selections from Fabio Capello for this probable World Cup qualifying walkover against the minnows of Andorra. It had been suggested that Glen Johnson, one booking away from a suspension, would be rested in favour of Gary Neville at right back but Johnson retained his place after an uncomfortable performance in Kazakhstan. Instead Emile Heskey, also one yellow away from a ban, was left out and Peter Crouch came in to lead the attack. Capello perhaps felt this was a game in which a forward might be more likely to pick up a booking than a defender and this was how it worked out as England's defence was virtually redundant throughout. Previous meetings with Andorra had been marked by a frustrating inability to register an early goal and England came out apparently determined to put that record straight on this occasion. Their positive start was rewarded with a goal on four minutes after a series of attacks. Wayne Rooney provided the spark with a wonderful piece of footwork just inside the box and a clever chip which was well saved by Alvarez and the Andorra keeper was quickly in action again as he managed to parry a fierce close range effort from Theo Walcott. The ball flew out towards Rooney who dramatically flung himself sideways but could only direct his header against the angle of post and bar with the goal gaping. England's in form striker was not to be denied, however, and duly broke the deadlock with a header back across goal after Glen Johnson curled a good ball to the far post from the right hand side. England continued to pour forward with Johnson particularly keen to support the attack and inventive when he did so. Crouch sent a poor header over the bar from a David Beckham free kick and Steven Gerrard failed with several attempts of varying difficulty, his best effort being tipped behind as he cut in off the left wing. After fifteen minutes or so England began to lose some of their impetus although they remained completely in control. A sure measure of their dominance came in the raucous cheering that accompanied the sporadic touches of goalkeeper Robert Green as he occasionally took the opportunity of coming outside his area to mop up a punt out of defence from the Andorrans. It was important that England got a second goal to keep their attacking momentum going and this arrived just before the half hour. Johnson again did well down the right and released Walcott clear to the byeline. The winger cut back an intelligent ball towards the penalty spot and there was Frank Lampard, in his best Chelsea manner, arriving right on cue to score with a low shot. England's biggest failing in their half hour of complete domination had been their inability to get to the dead ball line and this goal emphasised the point, coming as it did from their first venture into such territory. Andorra then sent in their first, and just about only, attempt on goal. Moreno's shot from thirty yards was certainly ambitious but it had Green worried for a moment as it drifted past the angle. There was only one team going to score, however, and England did so again on thirty nine minutes when Johnson clipped in another decent centre from the right and Rooney cushioned a sweet volley high into the net from ten yards out. Beckham then had the chance to claim his first ever England goal at Wembley with a free kick in prime territory but the effort was not his best and Alvarez collected well low down. Half Time: England 3 Andorra 0 England made two changes at the break with Jermain Defoe and Ashley Young replacing Rooney and Gerrard and the substitutes quickly combined as England came out on the attack. Defoe did well to centre from the right but Young's attempted curler from beyond the far post did not threaten goal. Despite the efforts of England's substitutes to make an impression the performance lapsed into mediocrity for long spells immediately after half time. Young quickly showed that he had the ability to beat his man down the left but consistently let himself down as he attempted to centre with his weaker foot. On the other flank Walcott's threat was irregular and Defoe, playing alongside the completely ineffectual Crouch, was struggling to find the support to get himself into the game. Beckham and Lampard continued to completely dominate the midfield but neither was busting a gut to get forward and the performance was in danger of petering out. Just past the hour mark England seemed to sense this danger and increased their intensity once again to put the Andorran goal under real pressure. There should have been a goal when Alvarez punched out a fierce drive by Lampard straight to Walcott and the wingers' controlled first time effort was heading for the empty net only for the hapless Crouch to block as he presumably tried to jump out of the way. Then John Terry got on the end of an inswinging Beckham corner at the near post only to see his header fizz narrowly wide. Alvarez had done well in goal for Andorra and produced a magnificent save from Defoe's vicious point blank drive although the flag was already up for offside. The next incident of note came when Crouch risked a red card by pushing Ildefons Lima in the face after a slight coming together off the ball. The defender fell theatrically but Crouch escaped as the referee and other officials were all following the ball. Crouch would have had no excuses had the incident, soft as it was, resulted in a dismissal and that might have been the appropriate way to end one of the most inept performances ever given by an England centre forward. Now that England were pushing forward with more purpose Defoe was looking lively and he got his reward with a simple header from yet another Johnson cross and the striker was soon collecting his second as he reacted sharply to convert the rebound after Alvarez had parried a Beckham free kick. Then came a goal for Peter Crouch, scarcely deserved but fitting in the ragged way it came about and its execution. Defoe made a strong run into the box but was then crowded out and there should have been no danger with two defenders in position to clear but each one left it to the other and as the ball continued to roll gently across goal Crouch got in a toe to scuff the ball past the exposed Alvarez. Everyone was probably content with six nil although Defoe remained hungry with the possibility of a hat trick to be had and was close with a late header before the referee signalled the end of as one sided an international as we are ever likely to see. Seven wins out of seven then and England are all but mathematically certain of being one of the party in South Africa next summer. Hallelujah! Full Time: England 6 Andorra 0 England: R.Green 6, G.Johnson 9, A.Cole 7 (W.Bridge 6), S.Gerrard 7 (A.Young 6), J.Lescott 6, J.Terry 7, D.Beckham 8, F.Lampard 8, P.Crouch 0, W.Rooney 8 (J.Defoe 8), T.Walcott 7. Star Man: Glen Johnson After suffering a somewhat torrid time in Kazakhstan Johnson may have been happy to come up against a side with no attackers at all and he certainly took the opportunity to impress with his own excursions forward.
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