GROUP SIX/England 5 Croatia 1:ENGLAND HAD their eyes fixed on more than the defeat of a weakened Croatia. Wayne Rooney's goal here took his total to nine in these group matches, a new record in any qualifying campaign by his country, but the team's ambitions range much further. A new phase is opening now that a place at the 2010 World Cup has been clinched.
England knew before kick-off that a draw would be enough to take them to the finals because Ukraine had already played out a goalless match in Belarus. These happy circumstances did not take away any tautness from the performance of Fabio Capello’s side.
There may have been a celebratory note to the relish with which they set about visitors who were soon aware of the unhappy night planned for them.
Some might talk of revenge, after Slaven Bilic’s side had kept England out of Euro 2008 with their victory two years ago. It is more likely that the hosts are simply enjoying their prowess nowadays.
Capello had preferred Aaron Lennon to Shaun Wright-Phillips on the right wing because this was an evening when the opposition were in no shape to protect themselves from direct attacking. Bilic had planned to cover the gaps as best he could, but erred badly in asking defensive midfielder Darijo Srna to impersonate a left-back.
Lennon was barely conscious of him in the seventh minute as he tore across the area before being brought down by Josip Simunic. The debate about diving had been given the night off, since the defence was indisputable.
There was no ambiguity either about the penalty despatched by Frank Lampard. Even then it was obvious that England could afford to enjoy themselves.
The lead was doubled in the 17th minute. Lennon, as if intent on showing that his final ball is better than his doubters claim, picked out Steven Gerrard, who scored by heading back across the goalkeeper.
Few others were taxed in Capello’s side. The score would have mounted faster had it not been for the goalkeeper Vedran Runje. Despite being unsighted he was able to get to a Lampard 25-yarder and denied the Chelsea midfielder on another occasion.
Runje also blocked a Rooney effort that followed a pass from Lennon.
Misses, all the same, are far more controversial when Emile Heskey is involved, since the debate about his meagre record follows him into every international. He plied his detractors with new evidence. Lampard twice set him up shortly before the interval and in each case the Aston Villa striker was thwarted by the goalkeeper.
On the second occasion he was so cumbersome after taking a bad touch that he hurt Runje in a collision.
By and large, the match was more engrossing than had been feared. There was, after all, no cause for pulses to race when England still had a further two matches in which to clinch a place at the finals regardless of the result here.
This fixture was really another opportunity to reinforce the impression that this is a side of intimidating efficiency. The target, in other words, is to achieve the kind of reliability for which Germany sides have so often been famed. That is some way off.
You could find fault with any area of the England team. It is far from sure who the goalkeeper ought to be. The back four ships too many goals. As a midfield partnership, Lampard and Gareth Barry have the air of strangers who happen to have stepped into a lift together. Then there are those who are finding it ever more insufferable that Heskey should be the striker, no matter how many goals are scored by others in his vicinity.
These, however, are issues to be resolved in the run-up to the World Cup finals. The side has done everything required of it so far. England have not been behind in any of their seven qualifiers to date.
Of course, Capelllo was well-placed because of the lowered expectations. It was nearly inevitable that he would do better than a predecessor whose side finished behind Russia as well as Croatia in the Euro 2008 qualifiers.
The Italian would be the first to agree that there are still unmistakable weaknesses. Bilic’s side should have been awarded a penalty, but the referee Alberto Undiano Mallenco was indifferent to Glen Johnson’s barge from behind as Eduardo tried to head a cross from Mario Mandzukic.
Johnson showed the stronger aspect of his game by going clear of Danijel Pranjic in the 59th minute to place the cross from which Lampard took his second goal with a header. After finding Rooney and then leaping to the cross that was returned to him, Gerard scored his own second goal of the night seven minutes later.
Croatia did break through in the 72nd minute. Eduardo’s header was saved by Robert Green but he scored when the loose ball was returned to him, even though the substitute Mladen Petric had been offside.
Rooney added England’s fifth after a miss-kick by Runje. The competition within the squad has been fiercer than the challenge posed by these qualifiers.
ENGLAND: Green, Johnson, Upson, Terry, Cole, Gerrard (Beckham 81), Lennon (Milner 81), Lampard, Barry, Rooney, Heskey (Defoe 60). Booked: Terry (85). Subs not used: Foster, Brown, Bridge, Crouch.
CROATIA: Runje, Simunic, Krizanac, Pranjic, Kranjcar, Da Silva (Klasnic 73), Srna, Pokrivac (Rakitic 46), Vukojevic, Mandzukic, Olic (Petric 46). Booked: Simunic (45). Subs not used: (Subasic, Drpic, Cale, Leko).
Referee: Alberto Undiano (Spain)
