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.