Thanks to Ashley Young's solitary first half goal at Wembley the Premier League stars could return to their clubs with a further three points . They deserved just the one.
Fabio Capello's men played out the ninety minutes with an air of complacency, knowing that they were good enough to get the goal to put them one up, all the while failing to contemplate that Wales may produce an attack of any note. It was a superiority complex that seemed not of their own making but that of their manager, though at no point did the eleven men on the field decide amongst themselves to turn the dial up a notch in an attempt justify the 113 world ranking places that separate the Lions from the Dragons.
From the first whistle, then, England came out and looked to monopolise possession, pinging the ball comfortably around their own half. It could have been an attempt to set the tempo of the game, stamp an authority upon the Welsh and get into their heads. What looked like tactics for the first five minutes swiftly became wishful thoughts after ten, the home side not stroking the ball around of their own choice but because of the pressure zone that was the middle of the park, Wales packing five men into their midfield and denying England any space in the central third.
Any joy that was to come England's way was as a result of the front three of Wayne Rooney, Ashley Young and Stewart Downing. The two widemen in particular were the biggest threats that the home side could conjure up as they twisted and turned, passed and crossed to the beat of a drum, their compatriots more musically on par with the England band on the Wembley terraces. They were blowing.
It was quite apt that the two ex-Villains would combine to open the scoring and notable, too, was the fact that the first time England managed to sew two attacks together they produced a goal. After James Milner's cross was cleared away Gareth Barry immediately sprayed the ball back out to the right flank, Downing able to steal a yard of space off Joe Ledley, his low, driven cross beaten between Wayne Hennessey's left hand and the near post by Young.
With that came hope that the lead could be doubled sooner rather than later as England were suddenly invigorated by the breakthrough, their opponents looking bewildered, there was to be no further test for Hennessey, though, and with the half time whistle came a much needed moment of respite for Wales, a moment that Gary Speed used impeccably.
Three England shots came and went in the first minute of the second half and a wasteful Frank Lampard effort aside there was to be no more football of note from the home side. Wales had spent the majority of the match coping comfortably with all that a half-hearted England had to throw at them and now felt that there was never a better time to fight back. Gareth Bale grew increasingly into the game and, one wayward effort aside, was the key figure for the final thirty minutes, though that mantle could, should, have been taken from the roving Tottenham winger.
With a quarter of an hour left on the clock a free kick from the left was floated onto the far edge of Hart's six yard box. Cardiff Full back Darcy Blake got the better of his marker to cushion the ball back across goal for Robert Earnshaw who connected not with the sweet spot of his left boot but the edge, his shot ballooning over the England goal along with any hope the Welsh had of claiming a point.
The result was greeted with less ecstasy than relief amongst those in the stands, the Welsh left to feel slightly aggrieved at not returning across the Severn Bridge with something to show.
A Podgorica point is all that England require from their final qualifier against Montenegro to secure a spot at the Polish/Ukrainian finals next year, not that a display of such meekness will strike fear into Europe's elite come June.
England are fourth in the world, Wales 117th, it is difficult to see whether this result makes a more of a mockery of Capello's team or the FIFA world rankings, though the answer is most likely both.
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