England 3 Belarus 0

England are sailing to South Africa on a parabolic upcurve – just! With Rooney absent, this was a more conventional 4-4-2 with Peter Crouch and Gabriel Agbonlahor paired in attack. Fabio Capello also fielded two attacking wide-midfielders with Aaron Lennon and Shaun Wright-Phillips on the flanks.

England capitalized on an assertive start: Gareth Barry played a neat ball through to Agbonlahor who stayed composed and crossed for Crouch who scrambled the ball home from close range. England continued to play well after the goal but gradually Belarus gained a foothold. As half-time approached Belarus were enjoying most of the possession and kept the ball with some nice interplay. England accordingly lapsed into a sloppy long-ball game. The visitors also worked their way into some decent attacking positions, but Ben Foster did not really need to make a save of note. The first-half was reminiscent of the away fixture in Minsk, England scored an early goal but Belarus came back into the game. However, it differed from the away fixture in that England retained their lead up to the break.

After a slightly lethargic opening to the second period, England doubled their lead on the hour. Shaun Wright-Phillips’ shot from just outside the area found the net, with Zhevnov’s attempted save looking a little tame. England added another after Barry released substitute Carlton Cole: Cole’s shot was parried by the keeper and Crouch followed up to score his second. England were generally on top for the second-half although, between the two goals, Foster did need to save smartly from Omelyanchuk. England could have added some extra gloss but both James Milner and Beckham hit the woodwork. The former made space really well with a nice turn in the box, but unfortunately his shot hit the inside of the post.

Although it was far from a rampant performance, this is just the win England needed to ease their transition to South Africa. Crouch enhanced his fine scoring record for England, but it will probably remain the case that Capello feels that Emile Heskey provides a more suitable apex for the team structure. Crouch at least offers a goalscoring alternative with the scope to lead the line.

8 Gareth Barry: Looked really classy when England dominated early; he also remained highly involved and dependable when they became more bogged down.

7 Frank Lampard: Another sound display underpinned by good decision-making.
7 Peter Crouch: An aerial threat and scored two.
7 John Terry: The defence was not impermeable, but he put in some fine tackles and blocks.
7 Ben Foster: One excellent save and otherwise looked assured.

6 Aaron Lennon: Lively on his flank without dominating his marker.
6 Gabriel Agbonlahor: Nice assist and a good run and shot, but hard work didn’t yield much else before he was subbed.
6 Rio Ferdinand: Didn’t do much wrong but his contribution was less apparent than Terry’s.
6 Wayne Bridge: Solid in defence and busy in search of the action, without much in terms of end-product.
6 David Beckham: Highly involved after he joined the action.
6 Glen Johnson: A now familiar combination of attacking verve and defensive lapses.

5 Shaun Wright-Phillips: Nothing seemed to come off for him – until he scored.

Ukraine 1 England 0

England: second-half

England were reduced to 10 men after only quarter-of-an-hour: a punt from the Ukraine defence was misjudged by Rio Ferdinand which allowed Milevskiy a clear run at goal. The Ukranian forward was brought down by Robert Green in the box which meant a red card for Green and a penalty. David James came on as replacement, meaning that a sharp-looking Aaron Lennon had to make way. Shevchenko missed from the spot.
 
The home side did eventually secure a goal advantage. England looked to be playing neatly out of defence until Ashley Cole gifted the ball to Ukraine on the edge of the box. His endeavour to recover merely led to him deflecting Nazarenko’s shot past James into the net. England nearly replied straight away when Rooney played in Frank Lampard, but his shot narrowly missed the far post.
 
England contained Ukraine reasonably well in the first period, but under Fabio Capello’s reorganization at half-time they looked better in the second-half. If anything they shaded the second period although they didn’t make many clear goalscoring opportunities. Glen Johnson seemed to have plenty of freedom on the right and he pushed forward well in support of the attack. But the only time Ukraine really broke England down in the second-half was when Johnson was caught in possession: from the resultant break, Yarmalenko was given clear sight of goal but James saved well with his legs.
 
Ukraine, needing a win to secure a play-off spot, looked a touch nervy despite their numerical advantage and were perhaps fortunate, as a draw would have been a fair result.

Screengrab

It’s hard to draw too many conclusions from this match, but the defence has been leaky throughout the qualifiers and lapses in concentration ultimately led to defeat in this game. Lampard and Rooney were England’s best players, as they have been throughout the campaign. Michael Carrick (in his first appearance in a competitive fixture under Capello) did well enough in central midfield but not well enough to supplant Gareth Barry. If Owen Hargreaves returns to fitness, Carrick may not make the squad for South Africa. 

7 Glen Johnson: He was like Garrincha on the right flank, but this did leave a gap at the back.
7 David James: Excellent shot-stopping kept England in the game.
7 Wayne Rooney: Lively on both flanks following reduction to 10 men.
7 Frank Lampard: Sound in central midfield and also broke into goalscoring positions.
7 John Terry: A redoubtable display helped to keep Ukraine’s forwards subdued.

6 Emile Heskey: Well suited to a game which required effort rather than clinical finishing.
6 Carlton Cole: Only on for a short period, but good strength created a chance for Rooney.
6 James Milner: Put in an energetic showing as Gerrard’s replacement.
6 Steven Gerrard: Diligent when England went down to 10 men without shining.
6 Rio Ferdinand: Indecisiveness led to Ukraine penalty and Green’s sending off, but otherwise secure.
6 Michael Carrick: Solid enough at the base of midfield, but most long-range passes missed their target.

5 Ashley Cole: Clownery on the edge of the box gifted Ukraine the winning goal.