A delayed kick off for England saw England get the vital three points to take them on the verge of the knockout stages. After Andy Carroll's header had given Hodgson's side a first half lead, it looked like England would just need to defend and build. Of course we all know with England these things don't tend to be simple.
Both teams came out in the second half and it didnt take long for the Swedish to level. The equaliser didnt come with out its fortunes as a deflection saw Glen Johnson look like he may claw it off the line. The bounced off the post and in.
England found themselves 2-1 down as Olaf Mellberg headed home. Visions of Euro 92 may have started to come back to haunt England. Hodgson did what we all had hoped he'd do and in the 60th minute, the yet again disappointing James Milner ( why was he in the squad?) was replaced by Theo Walcott.
Walcott's introduction on the right mafe an immediate difference, he took players on, he looked comfortable and confident. In the 64th minute Stevie G's corner was cleared to just outside the penalty area and a sublime finish from the Gunner saw the game level.
A draw for England wouldnt necessarily have been a disaster, but it would have meant having to beat the Ukraine or face elimination. That event was taken out the equation when Walcott was involved again. He crossed the ball and found Welbeck who cheekily struck the winner with the back of his foot.
England have a good chance to get all three points on Tuesday against Ukraine. Despite flashes of good attacking, I dont see too much trouble. I can see Walcott starting together with Welbeck and Oxlade-Chamberlain. The hot pace of the youngsters could do some real damage against the Ukranian defence. The way the qualification for nations level on points is like, England could very well win having two shiny stickers and a club badge sticker. Should both England and France finish level I would assume given the draw, it may go down to the results against the others unless goal difference does count at some point. I imagine for England fans so long as the Three Lions qualify thats all that matters.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment