England 3 Mexico 1:IT MUST be ideal preparation to win a match and still leave the pitch with an appreciation of the taxing games to come at the World Cup. Mexico's technique caught the eye, but England were effective and the centre-half Ricardo Osorio had to stop a Wayne Rooney chip from becoming a fourth goal. The evening also saw Adam Johnson make his international debut as a late substitute.
England would plead they made the very most of a restricted repertoire while being outdone in the arts of the game before the interval. Peter Crouch set up Ledley King for the first and then scored himself. In each case aerial power was a factor.
Crouch’s inclusion was interesting. Fabio Capello has chosen to stand by the men who served him well in the qualifiers, but their status is not guaranteed. Emile Heskey was penalised for the loss of form that has seen him drop to the bench at Aston Villa.
Capello had promised Joe Hart his second cap, but the goalkeeper was to get it as a half-time substitute since Robert Green started. The West Ham player made a good impression, although the manager would not have appreciated the lack of cover that made him so prominent before the visitors cut the deficit to 2-1 moments before the interval.
While King was on the pitch at kick-off for his first cap since a World Cup qualifier with Estonia in June 2007, it was not really because of a lack of alternatives. Capello, by his austere standards, almost sounds excited that the Tottenham centre-back has been able of late to string together appearances despite his knee condition. He was vigorous enough to open the scoring in the 17th minute. Steven Gerrard, his head bandaged after a clash of heads, struck a deep corner and Crouch clambered above Francisco Javier Rodriguez to head the ball into the centre for King to head home.
The England manager would have been disturbed as early as the fifth minute when King was left clutching at Guillermo Franco as the forward turned for a shot that went narrowly wide.
England’s second goal came after Gerrard crossed from the left and after Oscar Perez had tipped a Rooney header onto the bar in the 34th minute, Crouch, who was offside, bundled the ball in with his chest and perhaps arm.
Green needed to excel when saving from Arsenal’s Carlos Vela, and a Carlos Salcido header had clipped the outside of the post. In first-half stoppage time Rafael Marquez’s header from a corner was blocked on the line and Franco tucked in the loose ball.
England stretched the lead two minutes after the interval. Theo Walcott gave the ball to Glen Johnson and the right-back went past Salcido and Rodriguez before putting a left-footed drive into the corner of the net.
Capello made three half-time substitutions. Hart took over from Green and Jamie Carragher ended his self-imposed exile from international football by replacing Rio Ferdinand. In attack, Crouch stood down in favour of his Tottenham team-mate Jermain Defoe.
James Milner moved to the left, with Gerrard taking over his previous duties. Michael Carrick’s uneasy form at Old Trafford continued here until he was superseded by Tom Huddlestone.
The new Manchester United signing Javier Hernandez had been brought into the action but it was England who were more regularly on the attack. Mexico were purposeful, with Marquez as much a midfielder as a centre-half, and the match had more energy and ambition than expected. The prospect of the World Cup prevented any slacking.
Guardian Service
ENGLAND: Green (Hart 46), Glen Johnson, Ferdinand (Carragher 46), King, Baines, Walcott (Lennon 77),Gerrard, Carrick (Huddlestone 61), Milner (Adam Johnson 85), Crouch (Defoe 46), Rooney. Subs Not Used: James, Dawson, Upson, Warnock, Parker, Wright-Phillips, Heskey.
MEXICO: Perez, Juarez, Aguilar (Barrera 52), Marquez, Salcido, Osorio, Torrado, Rodriguez, Giovani (Blanco 72), Franco (Hernandez 46), Vela (Guardado 62). Subs Not Used: Ochoa, Michel, Castro, Moreno, Magallon, Torres, Bautista, Medina, Jonathan. Booked: Barrera, Giovani, Rodriguez.
Ref: Masaaki Toma(Japan).
