England blitz Andorra to inch towards finals place

ENGLAND (6) vs. ANDORRA (0)
ENGLAND can book their flights to South Africa after effectively guaranteeing their place at next summer’s World Cup finals with a routine drubbing of Andorra.

Wayne Rooney and his second-half replacement Jermain Defoe mercilessly punished opponents ranked 196th in the world by plundering two goals apiece. Frank Lampard and Peter Crouch also netted as Fabio Capello’s men recorded their seventh win from seven qualifying matches.

England need another win to be mathematically sure of reaching the tournament proper, but it would take an unprecedented collapse to deny them, and never has the national team looked less likely to do so.

Capello defended the decision to withdraw Rooney at half-time, having netted his 10th goal in seven internationals and with a hat-trick beckoning. “I decided: ‘Thank you very much, have a good holiday’,” quipped the Italian. “I think we were very strong. We had two chances before Rooney scored the first goal. When you play a team that is not strong, you have to start quickly, press and win back the ball. That is what we did. In every game we improved.”

Capello had urged his England sided to avoid a war of attrition by scoring early, and Rooney obliged after just three and half minutes. The outstanding Glen Johnson swept in a cross and Manchester United’s Rooney peeled away to guide a controlled header low across and beyond goalkeeper Koldo Alvarez.

It was too all too easy for England, although it took them another 26 minutes to inject the urgency needed for a second. The lukewarm Walcott got to the byline and pulled the ball back for Chelsea midfielder Lampard to meekly sidefoot home.

With half-time approaching Rooney made his final contribution. Portsmouth right-back Johnson was again the provider, whipping in a centre than Rooney met with a clinical, true sidefooted volley.

Substitutions disrupted England’s rhythm after the interval, but another three goals came – all in the space of eight minutes. First Tottenham striker Defoe, on for Rooney, met another laser-guided Johnson delivery to head the fourth on 73 minutes.

The diminutive frontman’s second, two minutes later, was even easier, tapping in after Koldo fumbled David Beckham’s tame free-kick.

And with 10 minutes left Crouch completed the rout. Defoe scampered free in the inside right position and shot goalwards, his effort ricocheting to the Pompey forward, who apologetically bundled home.

England        7           7          0        0         21
Croatia          6           3          2       1         11
Ukraine         6           3          2       1         11
Belarus          5           3          0        2          9
Kazakhstan    7           1          0        6          3
Andorra         7           0          0        7           0