Stroppy Capello leaves England in the lurch

ENGLAND preparations for Euro 2012 were thrown into disarray last night as Fabio Capello took it upon himself to bring down the curtain on his career as national team boss.

Capello's resignation came hours after he had faced showdown talks with Football Association chairman David Bernstein following their disagreement over the FA's decision to strip John Terry of the captaincy.

The 65-year-old had publicly declared his support for Terry on Italian television on Sunday even though the Chelsea defender faces trial in July over his alleged racist abuse of Queens Park Rangers' Anton Ferdinand.

Once it was clear that the FA was not going to change its mind on the matter, Capello decided that it was time for him to go - but not without first aiming a parting shot at his former employers over the Terry saga.

In quotes attributed to the Italian news agency Italpress, Capello fumed: "They really insulted me and damaged my authority.

"In Terry's case, they gravely offended me and damaged my authority at the head of the England side, effectively creating a problem for the squad.

"I have never tolerated certain crossing of lines, so it was easy for me to spot it and take my decision to leave."

For their part, the FA response was more amicable, though it has been made clear that this was Capello's decision, and not a case of mutual consent.

Following the prepared statement which broke the news, chairman Bernstein added: "I would like to stress that during today's meeting and throughout his time as England manager, Fabio has conducted himself in an extremely professional manner.

"We have accepted Fabio's resignation, agreeing this is the right decision. We would like to thank Fabio for his work with the England team and wish him every success in the future."

The FA board members subsequently held a press conference at midday today in which they stated their preference for "an English or British" manager.

That desire is reflected by the betting on the next permanent manager with Tottenham Hotspur boss Harry Redknapp as short as 1/6 with one bookmaker.

It completed a whirlwind of a day for Redknapp who, just hours before Capello quit, had been found not guilty on two counts of cheating the public revenue in a trial at Southwark Crown Court.

So far, Redknapp has acted coyly on the suggestion that he becomes national team boss.

But it seems unfathomable that he would not at least be tempted to take charge of England in the summer, especially as he has already received the backing from the likes of Wayne Rooney and Jermain Defoe. 

Meanwhile, second favourite - and current under-21 coach - Stuart Pearce has been installed in the caretaker role for the senior team's friendly international at the end of the month against Netherlands at Wembley. 

The debate over whether the England coach should be English or foreign is generally pretty tiresome but it is no surprise to see it back on the agenda now that Capello's tenure has finished.

For Capello was not just a foreigner but - unlike an Anglophile like Arsene Wenger or a linguist like Jose Mourinho - he was a foreigner who was distant and aloof, one who made minimal efforts to learn the language.

The BBC's Tom Fordyce has suggested in his latest blog that Capello "seldom seemed to enjoy England or its culture".

Meanwhile the Guardian's chief sports writer Richard Williams wrote: "His £6m a year was not enough to interest him greatly in the culture of the country whose national game he was hired to revive by winning a major international tournament."

Certainly, Capello rarely stepped outside of his comfort zone while he was in charge.

Indeed, it remains somewhat of a bugbear among followers of north east football that, incredibly, the lucratively-rewarded Italian did not once watch a game at St James Park in Newcastle or in Sunderland's Stadium of Light.

Nevertheless, Capello can actually boast of a very favourable statistical record from his time in charge.

Out of the 12 permanent England managers in history, not even World Cup winner Sir Alf Ramsey can match Capello's win percentage of 66.67%.

But, this is very much a case of "lies, damned lies and statistics" - in the same way that Euro 2008 flop Steve McClaren can claim to be a statistically better England manager than Sir Bobby Robson.

Unlike with McClaren, England actually qualified for successive major finals with Capello. However, just like with McClaren, the players struggled to perform in the really big games. 

That 4-1 drubbing by Germany in Bloemfontein may have statistically only been one of six defeats in 42 matches under Capello.

But the performance - and the nature of the collapse in particular - will now forever tarnish what is left of the Italian's career.

Capello's record as a club manager - seven Serie A titles, two La Ligas and a European Cup - remains outstanding but, as an international coach, his judgement was sometimes sorely lacking.

Following an impressive World Cup qualifying campaign, in which England won nine and lost just one of their ten matches, it looked as if the team was well-placed to go far in the finals.

In the immediate run-up to the tournament, though, things began to take a turn for the worse.

First, there was the issue of the Capello Index, a formula for assessing the performances of his players which published its results in the public domain.

Then came some peculiar selections in the World Cup squad. Emile Heskey was included ahead of Theo Walcott, the injury-prone Ledley King made the cut ahead of his in-form Spurs team-mate Michael Dawson, and none of the goalkeepers knew if they had the number one shirt.

Jamie Carragher was even dragged out of retirement and Paul Scholes refused a similar offer. Meanwhile, Terry had been stripped of the captaincy for the first time following his affair with the ex-wife of Wayne Bridge.

It  meant that English optimism had begun to drain away even before the start of the tournament - but still no one expected that the team would fall to a worst-ever World Cup finals defeat.

Results improved again once England returned to the relative comfort of the qualifiers but a second situation involving Terry always seemed likely to cause a divide between Capello and his employer.

In the end, the rift was irreparable and England's Euro 2012 campaign looks in turmoil before it has even properly started.

With only 120 days to go until the opening match against France on 8 June, the national team is without a permanent manager or a permanent captain.

However, an alternative view is that all is not yet lost. A successor, once appointed, could be in a no-lose situation: if he reprises England's regular appearance in the quarter finals, then he will be commended on this occasion.

If he does even better than that, then he can expect to receive unreserved adulation; if he does worse, he can blame a lack of preparation time.

Regardless of what happens in the summer, though, it is perhaps a relief that Capello will now play no further part in the successes or failures of the England team.

Arrivederci Signor Capello. There will be few tears shed at your departure.

FABIO CAPELLO: OVERALL RECORD: P42 W28 D8 L6 F89 A35 (66.67% win)
World Cup matches: P14 W10 D2 L2 F37 A11

European Championships: P8 W5 D3 L0 F17 A5
Friendlies: P20 W13 D3 L4 F35 A19

Home: P21 W16 D4 L1 F52 A15
Away: P15 W10 D2 L3 F32 A13
Neutral: P6 W2 D2 L2 F5 L7

Record: ||WLWWDWWWWW ||LWWWWDWWLWL ||WWWDDWLWWWDL ||WWDDWWDWW
Competitive record: WWWWWWWWLWDDWLWWDWDWWD

2008

FR	06.02	ENGLAND 2-1 SWITZERLAND	Wembley, London (86,857)
FR	26.03	FRANCE 1-0 ENGLAND	Paris, France (78,000)
FR	28.05	ENGLAND 2-0 UNITED STATES	Wembley, London (71,233)
FR	01.06	TRINIDAD & TOBAGO 0-3 ENGLAND	Port of Spain, T&T (25,001)
FR	20.08	ENGLAND 2-2 CZECH REPUBLIC	Wembley, London (69,738)
WCQ	06.09	ANDORRA 0-2 ENGLAND	Barcelona, Spain (10,300)
WCQ	10.09	CROATIA 1-4 ENGLAND	Zagreb, Croatia (35,218)
WCQ	11.10	ENGLAND 5-1 KAZAKHSTAN	Wembley, London (89,107)
WCQ	15.10	BELARUS 1-3 ENGLAND	Minsk, Belarus (29,600)
FR	19.11	GERMANY 1-2 ENGLAND	Berlin, Germany (74,244)

2009

FR	11.02	SPAIN 2-0 ENGLAND	Seville, Spain (42,102)
FR	28.03	ENGLAND 4-0 SLOVAKIA	Wembley, London (85,512)
WCQ	01.04	ENGLAND 2-1 UKRAINE	Wembley, London (87,548)
WCQ	06.06	KAZAKHSTAN 0-4 ENGLAND	Almaty, Kazakhstan (24,000)
WCQ	10.06	ENGLAND 6-0 ANDORRA	Wembley, London (57,897)
FR	12.08	NETHERLANDS 2-2 ENGLAND	Amsterdam, Netherlands (50,000)
FR	05.09	ENGLAND 2-1 SLOVENIA	Wembley, London (67,232)
WCQ	09.09	ENGLAND 5-1 CROATIA	Wembley, London (87,319)
WCQ	10.10	UKRAINE 1-0 ENGLAND	Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine (31,000)
WCQ	14.10	ENGLAND 3-0 BELARUS	Wembley, London (76,897)
FR	14.11	BRAZIL 1-0 ENGLAND	Doha, Qatar (50,000)

2010

FR	03.03	ENGLAND 3-1 EGYPT	Wembley, London (80,602)
FR	24.05	ENGLAND 3-1 MEXICO	Wembley, London (88,638)
FR	30.05	JAPAN 1-2 ENGLAND	Graz, Austria (15,326)
WCF	12.06	ENGLAND 1-1 UNITED STATES	Rustenburg, South Africa (38,646)
WCF	18.06	ENGLAND 0-0 ALGERIA	Cape Town, South Africa (64,100)
WCF	23.06	SLOVENIA 0-1 ENGLAND	Port Elizabeth, South Africa (36,893)
WCF	27.06	GERMANY 4-1 ENGLAND	Bloemfontein, South Africa (40,510)
FR	11.08	ENGLAND 2-1 HUNGARY	Wembley, London (72,024)
ECQ	03.09	ENGLAND 4-0 BULGARIA	Wembley, London (73,426)
ECQ	07.09	SWITZERLAND 1-3 ENGLAND	Basel, Switzerland (37,500)
ECQ	12.10	ENGLAND 0-0 MONTENEGRO	Wembley, London (73,451)
FR	17.11	ENGLAND 1-2 FRANCE	Wembley, London (85,495)

2011

FR	09.02	DENMARK 1-2 ENGLAND	Copenhagen, Denmark (21,523)
ECQ	26.03	WALES 0-2 ENGLAND	Millennium Stadium, Cardiff (68,959)
FR	29.03	ENGLAND 1-1 GHANA	Wembley, London (80,102)
ECQ	04.06	ENGLAND 2-2 SWITZERLAND	Wembley, London (84,459)
ECQ	02.09	BULGARIA 0-3 ENGLAND	Sofia, Bulgaria (36,521)
ECQ	06.09	ENGLAND 1-0 WALES	Wembley, London (77,128)
ECQ	07.10	MONTENEGRO 2-2 ENGLAND	Podgorica, Montenegro (12,700)
FR	12.11	ENGLAND 1-0 SPAIN	Wembley, London (87,189)
FR	15.11	ENGLAND 1-0 SWEDEN	Wembley, London (48,876)

2012

08.02

FABIO CAPELLO QUITS

PERMANENT ENGLAND MANAGERS: OVERALL RECORDS

	P	W	D	L	Win%
FABIO CAPELLO (2008-2012)	42	28	8	6	66.7%
SIR ALF RAMSEY (1963-1974)	113	69	27	17	61.1%
GLENN HODDLE (1996-1999)	28	17	6	5	60.7%
RON GREENWOOD (1977-1982)	55	33	12	10	60.0%
SVEN-GORAN ERIKSSON (2001-2005)	67	40	17	10	59.7%
WALTER WINTERBOTTOM (1946-1962)	139	78	33	28	56.1%
STEVE MCCLAREN (2006-2007)	18	9	4	5	50.0%
SIR BOBBY ROBSON (1982-1990)	95	47	30	18	49.5%
DON REVIE (1974-1977)	29	14	8	7	48.3%
TERRY VENABLES (1994-1996)	23	11	11	1	47.8%
GRAHAM TAYLOR (1990-1993)	38	18	13	7	47.4%
KEVIN KEEGAN (1999-2000)	18	7	7	4	38.9%

Caretakers: Joe Mercer (1974) P7 W3-D3-L1 42.9%, Howard Wilkinson (1999-2000) P2 W0-D1-L1 0.0%, Peter Taylor (2000) P1 W0-D0-L1 0.0%

Euro 2012 finals draw

GROUP A	GROUP B	GROUP C	GROUP D
POLAND	NETHERLANDS	SPAIN	UKRAINE
GREECE	DENMARK	ITALY	ENGLAND
RUSSIA	GERMANY	IRELAND	FRANCE
CZECH REPUBLIC	PORTUGAL	CROATIA	SWEDEN

GROUP A

TV	Date/time (BST)		Venue
BBC	Fri 8 June, 17:00	POLAND v GREECE	Warsaw
ITV	Fri 8 June, 19:45	RUSSIA v CZECH REPUBLIC	Wroclaw
ITV	Tue 12 June, 17:00	GREECE v CZECH REPUBLIC	Wroclaw
ITV	Tue 12 June, 19:45	POLAND v RUSSIA	Warsaw
BBC	Sat 16 June, 19:45	CZECH REPUBLIC v POLAND	Wroclaw
BBC	Sat 16 June, 19:45	GREECE v RUSSIA	Warsaw

GROUP B

TV	Date/time (BST)		Venue
BBC	Sat 9 June, 17:00	NETHERLANDS v DENMARK	Kharkiv
BBC	Sat 9 June, 19:45	GERMANY v PORTUGAL	Lviv
ITV	Wed 13 June, 17:00	DENMARK v PORTUGAL	Lviv
BBC	Wed 13 June, 19:45	NETHERLANDS v GERMANY	Kharkiv
ITV	Sun 17 June, 19:45	PORTUGAL v NETHERLANDS	Kharkiv
ITV	Sun 17 June, 19:45	DENMARK v GERMANY	Lviv

GROUP C

TV	Date/time (BST)		Venue
ITV	Sun 10 June, 17:00	SPAIN v ITALY	Gdansk
ITV	Sun 10 June, 19:45	IRELAND v CROATIA	Poznan
BBC	Thu 14 June, 17:00	ITALY v CROATIA	Poznan
ITV	Thu 14 June, 19:45	SPAIN v IRELAND	Gdansk
BBC	Mon 18 June, 17:00	CROATIA v SPAIN	Gdansk
BBC	Mon 18 June, 19:45	ITALY v IRELAND	Poznan

GROUP D

TV	Date/time (BST)		Venue
ITV	Mon 11 June, 17:00	FRANCE v ENGLAND	Donetsk
BBC	Mon 11 June, 19:45	UKRAINE v SWEDEN	Kiev
ITV	Fri 15 June, 17:00	UKRAINE v FRANCE	Donetsk
BBC	Fri 15 June, 19:45	SWEDEN v ENGLAND	Kiev
ITV	Tue 19 June, 19:45	ENGLAND v UKRAINE	Donetsk
ITV	Tue 19 June, 19:45	SWEDEN v FRANCE	Kiev

QUARTER FINALS

TV	Date/time (BST)		Venue
BBC/ITV	Thu 21 June, 19:45	Winner A v Runners-up B	Warsaw
BBC/ITV	Fri 22 June, 19:45	Winner B v Runners-up A	Gdansk
BBC/ITV	Sat 23 June, 19:45	Winner C v Runners-up D	Donetsk
BBC/ITV	Sun 24 June, 19:45	Winner D v Runners-up C	Kiev

SEMI FINALS

TV	Date/time (BST)		Venue
BBC	Wed 27 June, 19:45	Quarter final 1 v Quarter final 3	Donetsk
BBC	Thu 28 June, 19:45	Quarter final 2 v Quarter final 4	Warsaw

FINAL
BBC and ITV

Sun 1 July, 19:45

Finalist 1 v Finalist 2

Kiev

Euro 2012 qualifiers: England escape with draw against Swiss

ENGLAND stayed top of Group G on goal difference after coming from two goals behind to rescue a draw against Switzerland in an entertaining end-of-season qualifier at Wembley.

Frank Lampard's penalty and a well-taken volley by second-half substitute Ashley Young ensured a point after poor defending to two Tranquillo Barnetta free-kicks had given the Swiss a surprise lead.

Even before Switzerland took the lead, though, there had been warning signs.

As ever, England were struggling to keep possession and the Swiss seemed happy to shoot from range with Joe Hart making good saves from Gokhan Inler and Xherdan Shaqiri.

Meanwhile, England's best chance early on came after two minutes when Theo Walcott was just beaten to the ball by keeper Diego Benaglio.

But the match really exploded into life shortly after the half-hour mark with three goals in five minutes.

Barnetta was first to strike as he floated in a free-kick from about 30 yards out on the left. The ball evaded everyone and made its way past the scrambling Hart into the far corner of the net.

England did not learn their lesson and, within two minutes, Barnetta had another dead-ball in about the same place on the pitch.

This time, the Bayer Leverkusen forward favoured drilling the ball low to the near post and, assisted heavily by the breaking of an atrocious two-man wall of Walcott and James Milner, he scored.

Again, Hart was left scrambling in vain towards the post as the ball sneaked into the net and England looked in a mess.

Thankfully, the home side responded immediately and credit must go to Jack Wilshere for his positive, direct run straight from the kick-off.

Wilshere's burst into the box brought a penalty after he was upended by his club mate Johan Djourou. Lampard fired the ball under the arm of the unlucky Benaglio and England were back in it.

Nevertheless, the Wembley crowd jeered Fabio Capello's men off the pitch with some in attendance unhappy that it had taken them until 20 minutes after kick-off to get into the stands.

Capello introduced Young for Lampard and England were better in the second half as a result. There was less defensive uncertainty and England were able to control the game a lot better.

The equaliser, when it came, was a simple but effective move. A throw-in down the left was chipped in by Milner to Leighton Baines who chested it down for Young to volley an early shot across the goalkeeper into the far corner.

From then on, England looked the likelier side to win. Young was particularly industrious, perhaps proving a point to Capello who had unfathomably left him on the bench despite a fine performance against Wales in March.

Indeed, Young was involved when England came closest to their winner, his shot having been parried by Benaglio straight into the path of the in-form Aston Villa striker Darren Bent.

But with the goal gaping, Bent astonishingly sent his effort blazing over the bar and, as England tired, it proved a costly failure to hit the target.

Not that costly, though. England may have extended their winless run at Wembley to four matches - their worst sequence for 30 years - but after Montenegro's 1-1 draw with Bulgaria, Capello's men are in no worse position in their group.

And so, it is looking increasingly likely that the match against the Montenegrins in Podgorica on 7 October will  ultimately decide the direction of Group G.

The outcome of Group B for the Republic of Ireland is even less certain after the three bigger teams each won in the latest round of qualifiers.

Robbie Keane became the first British or Irish footballer to score 50 international goals as his brace proved the difference between Ireland and the former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia.

There was a bit of fortune about both of Keane's goals - his first was deflected and his second was a gift after a horrendous mis-kick by defender Boban Grncharov.

Nevertheless, Keane is not going to start complaining about the nature of his 50th and 51st goals in a green shirt, given their importance to the Irish in this group.

The victory in the Balkans moves Ireland onto 13 points, level with Slovakia - who sneaked a 1-0 against Andorra - and Russia, who beat Armenia 3-1 thanks to a Roman Pavlyuchenko hat-trick.

EURO 2012 QUALIFIERS 
Full tables
Group-by-Group summaries

GROUP A
Germany moved to the brink of qualification - mathematically, they are now just two points away - after a 3-1 win in Azerbaijan thanks to goals from Mehut Oezil, Mario Gomez and Andre Schuerlle. On Friday, the Germans had moved seven points clear after Mario Gomez's strikes at the end of both halves had given them a narrow 2-1 victory over neighbours Austria.
The lead increased because the Germans' nearest rivals, Belgium and Turkey, cancelled each other out in a 1-1 in Brussels which left them on 11 and 10 points respectively. Turkey have a game in hand on the Belgians but look like losing the services of coach Guus Hiddink to Chelsea.
Kazakhstan 2-1 Azerbaijan
Austria 1-2 Germany
Belgium 1-1 Turkey
Azerbaijan 1-3 Germany

GROUP B
As mentioned above in the main report, Robbie Keane has now scored 51 international goals after his brace helped Republic of Ireland beat FYR Macedonia 2-0. Slovakia sneaked past Andorra 1-0 and Russia beat Armenia 3-1 thanks to a Roman Pavlyuchenko hat-trick.
The results leave Slovakia, Russia and Ireland tied at the top of the group on 13 points from six games. The Slovakians are ahead courtesy of the best head-to-head record between the teams but the Irish and the Russians have a better goal difference.
Russia 3-1 Armenia
Slovakia 1-0 Andorra
FYR Macedonia 0-2 Republic of Ireland

GROUP C
Italy kept their stranglehold on Group C with a routine 3-0 win over Estonia in Modena. Goals from Giuseppe Rossi, Antonio Cassano and Giampaolo Pazzini ensured the Azzurri remain five points clear of second-placed Slovenia who beat minnows Faroe Islands 2-0 in Toftir.
Italy now need only two wins from their last four qualifiers for a place in the finals meaning Slovenia look likely to have to settle for the playoffs. In the midweek game, the Faroes astonished Estonia by winning 2-0, completing a poor week for the Baltic side. In the race for second, Slovenia have 11 points from seven games, Serbia are on eight points from six, Estonia look out of the running on seven points from seven while Northern Ireland are on six points but from just five games.
Faroe Islands 0-2 Slovenia
Italy 3-0 Estonia
Faroe Islands 2-0 Estonia

GROUP D
Belarus beat Luxembourg 2-0 to close within a point of France at the top of Group D. It completes a good week for the Belarussians as, four days earlier, the French settled for a point in Minsk when a fine Florent Malouda volley provided the antidote to Eric Abidal's own goal in a 1-1 draw.
As it stands, France are on 13 points from six games and Belarus are on 12 but having played a game more. Indeed, Bosnia-Herzegovina are probably favourites for second-place as they are on 10 points from six games after recovering from their 3-0 bashing by Romania to beat Albania 2-0. As just mentioned, Romania - who are on eight points from six games - helped their chances of qualifying by beating the Bosnians 3-0 in Bucharest thanks to two goals from Ciprian Marica and one from Adrian Mutu.
Romania 3-0 Bosnia-Herzegovina
Belarus 1-1 France
Belarus 2-0 Luxembourg
Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-0 Albania

GROUP E
Sweden gave themselves a chance of closing down leaders Netherlands with nine goals in the last week. First, they enjoyed a 4-1 win over Moldova in Chisinau in which Ola Toivonen, Johan Elmander, Sebastian Larsson and Alexander Gerndt were all on the scoresheet.
Then, the Swedes thrashed neighbours Finland 5-0 with a great attacking display including a hat-trick for Zlatan Ibrahimovic. That sort of result was to be expected after the Finns had laboured to a 1-0 win over San Marino with former Chelsea forward Mikael Forssell sparing Finnish blushes in Serravelle.
With the Dutch out of action, the results mean Sweden are back to within three points of the Oranje. Hungary, a further three points back having played a game more, are probably out the running despite their routine 3-0 win over San Marino.
Moldova 1-4 Sweden
San Marino 0-1 Finland
Sweden 5-0 Finland
San Marino 0-3 Hungary

GROUP F
Euro 2004 winners Greece lead a three-horse race in Group F after a straight-forward 3-1 win over Malta in Piraeus. The unbeaten Greeks are on 14 points from six matches, one ahead of Croatia who came from behind to beat Temuri Ketsbaia's Georgia 2-1 thanks to Nikola Kalinic's late winner.
The Croatians are joined on 13 points by Israel after Yossi Benayoun and Tal Ben Haim scored in their 2-1 win over Latvia in Riga but the Israelis have played a game more than their two rivals.
Croatia 2-1 Georgia
Latvia 1-2 Israel
Greece 3-1 Malta

GROUP G
England and Montenegro remained locked at the top of Group G on 11 points after both teams drew their latest qualifier. England had to come from 2-0 down to force a draw at Wembley before Montenegro drew 1-1 with Bulgaria. The qualifier in Podgorica on 7 October between Montenegro and England is looking more and more vital.
The Montenegrins looked like heading top of the group when Radomir Djalovic gave them the lead early in the second half but Ivelin Popov soon equalised for Bulgaria. The draws left Switzerland and Bulgaria adrift on five points apiece with Gary Speed's Wales rock-bottom having yet to score.
England 2-2 Switzerland
Montenegro 1-1 Bulgaria

GROUP H
There is another three-way tie at the top of Group H with Portugal, Denmark and Norway all on 10 points. Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Helder Postiga scored the only goal as the Portuguese moved top of the group by beating Norway 1-0 in Lisbon.
Denmark kept up their challenge after second-half goals from Lasse Schone and Christian Eriksen were enough to beat Iceland 2-0. The Danes face Norway and Portugal at home on 6 September and 7 October in the only matches left between the three top sides.
Iceland 0-2 Denmark
Portugal 1-0 Norway

GROUP I
Minnow Liechtenstein won their first competitive match for four years after first-half goals from Philippe Erne and Michele Polverino. The result meant Liechtenstein scored their first points of this campaign and moved within one point of Lithuania... and Scotland.
The Scots, on just four points from as many matches, have a game in hand on the bottom two but their chances of catching Spain, on a perfect 15 points, and even Czech Republic, on nine, are very slim indeed.
Liechtenstein 2-0 Lithuania

Euro 2012 qualifiers: All too easy for England in Cardiff

ENGLAND moved back to the top of Euro 2012 Group G with an comfortable 2-0 win over Wales at the Cardiff Millennium Stadium.

Frank Lampard converted a penalty and Darren Bent scored a tap-in to leave the match over as a contest after barely 15 minutes.

The Welsh dragon failed to roar and the players in red started nervously in front of the 68,959 crowd.

James Collins made the first critical mistake on seven minutes, slipping before clumsily bringing down Aston Villa team-mate Ashley Young in the box.

And once Lampard sent Wayne Hennessey the wrong way from 12 yards, the dye in this match had been cast.

The lead was doubled within quarter of an hour when Glen Johnson played a rasping pass to Young who whipped the ball to Bent who applied the finish.

Three touches and it was in the net - this was clinical stuff from England who had adopted a 4-3-3 formation with Wayne Rooney and Young flanking Bent.

It was disappointing, then, that England's performance somewhat denigrated as the match wore on and the possibility of handing out a thrashing was passed up.

Still, the victory returns Fabio Capello's men to the summit of the qualifying group, level on 10 points with Montenegro but with a superior goal difference.

Switzerland and Bulgaria remain third and fourth in the group on just four points after they cancelled each other out in a drab 0-0 draw in Sofia.

And Wales' fourth successive defeat of this qualifying leaves them bottom without a point and the size of the unenviable task for new manager Gary Speed is clear for all to see.

Elsewhere, Northern Ireland's chances of making it to the finals took a hit after a 2-1 defeat away to Serbia on Friday night.

Nigel Worthington's men had looked to take advantage of the fact that there were no home fans in the ground following the violence which caused Serbia's last qualifier against Italy to be abandoned.

Indeed, it looked to be going to plan when Gareth McAuley looped a header in from Chris Brunt's free-kick.

But, amid an eerie atmosphere, the 240 Northern Irish fans who were allowed to attend saw a second-half comeback from the home side in Belgrade.

Marko Pantelic restored parity with a 65th-minute shot before Zoran Tosic won it for the hosts late on.

Northern Ireland have a chance to redeem themselves on Tuesday when their Group C campaign continues with a home match against Slovenia.

However, Italy have now taken control of the group after they beat the Slovenians 1-0 in Ljubljana through a Thiggo Motta goal.

The narrow win means Italy have 13 points from five games, six clear of Slovenia and Serbia. Estonia are fourth on six points from four games with Northern Ireland down in fifth with five points from four matches.

The Republic of Ireland's chances of making it to the finals are in rather better shape after they secured a 2-1 home win over FYR Macedonia in Dublin.

Just like England earlier in the day, the Irish controlled the first part of the game and they were 2-0 up in 21 minutes.

Indeed, it took Aiden McGeady just 84 seconds to open the scoring with a low strike that goalkeeper Edin Nuredoniski should have saved.

Nuredoniski was at fault again for the Irish second after he failed to hold Darron Gibson's free-kick, enabling Robbie Keane to pounce for his 46th international goal.

At this stage, it was all too easy for Ireland and Shane Long should have made it 3-0 but he sliced wide with only Nuredoniski to beat.

But Giovanni Trappatoni's men got a rude awakening just before half-time when Ivan Trickovski turned Richard Dunne too easily and slotted the ball past Keiran Westwood.

In the second period, the Irish had to be on their guard against a Macedonia team ever increasing in confidence.

Goran Pandev volleyed wide in the opening minutes of the half but it was a Westwood save from Trickovski towards the end which ensured the points would go to Ireland.

At the halfway stage in Group B, Republic of Ireland are on 10 points alongside Slovakia - who squeezed home 1-0 against rock-bottom Andorra - and Russia who were held in Armenia.

While it would be a brave man to predict the outcome of that group, the identity of some of the qualifiers is already looking quite clear.

Defending champions Spain lead Group I by six points after they beat their closest rivals Czech Republic 2-1.

Barcelona striker David Villa became Spain's all-time leading scorer with two goals to put himself on 44 international goals, two clear of Raul with whom he was previously level.

The Czechs had threatened an upset in Granada after Jaroslav Plasil gave them a half-time lead but two Villa goals in four second-half minutes ensured the World Cup holders would retain their 100% record.

Scotland, who are in this section but not playing competitively in March, are in third place on four points, eight behind the Spanish.

Meanwhile, Germany - beaten finalists in Euro 2008 - lead Group A by eight points after an easy 4-0 home win over Kazakhstan.

Braces from Miroslav Klose and Thomas Mueller meant the Germans' grip on their 100% record was never in danger of being lost in Kaiserslautern.

The Nationalmannschaft were also helped by Austria's 2-0 home defeat to Belgium. The Belgians now leapfrog the Austrians into second place but both sides on seven points are well behind Joachim Loew's leaders.

France appear to be in control of Group D after an unconvincing 2-0 win in Luxembourg gave them 12 points from five matches, a four-point lead over Belarus and Albania.

Albania beat Belarus 1-0 in Tirana today but it is fair to say that the unusual identity of France's challengers says everything about the disappointing campaigns of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Romania.

Bosnia inflicted further woe on the Romanians by beating them 2-1 in Sarajevo and leaving them with just two points from four matches.

Romania finished fifth in their qualifying group for World Cup 2010 and there are now genuine fears that the same fate may befall them in this competition.

Another east European nation now staring into the wilderness are Hungary after their 4-0 home defeat to the Netherlands left them six points adrift of the Dutch in Group E.

Rafael van der Vaart, Ibrahim Affelay, Dirk Kuyt and Robin van Persie got the goals as Netherlands retained their 100% record in the Ferenc Puskas Stadium in Budapest.

Hungary remain second in the group for now but Sweden are much more a threat to the Oranje, currently third on six points but with two games in hand on the Dutch.

Group F and Group H are shaping up to be three-horse battles in the second part of the campaign.

Euro 2004 champions Greece lead Croatia by a point in Group F with Temuri Ketsbaia's Georgia just a further point behind.

The unbeaten Georgians pulled off another shock with a 1-0 win over Croatia allowing Greece to take the lead in the group after their late 1-0 win over Malta.

The Group H table is still led by Norway after Erik Huseklepp snatched a late leveller in a 1-1 home draw with Denmark.

The Danes had taken the lead in the first half through a brilliant volley by Dennis Rommedahl but they could not hold onto their advantage in Oslo.

Egil Olsen's Norwegians are on 10 points from five games, three clear of Denmark and Portugal who usually improve in the second half of the qualifying stages.

EURO2012 Qualifying
Group-by-Group update

GROUP A
Germany continue to dominate Group A after a 4-0 win against Kazakhstan. Austria, who were second in the group last week, dropped to fourth after successive 2-0 defeats to Belgium and Turkey. The Belgians made it two wins in a week with a fine 4-1 victory over Azerbaijan to move into second place. Turkey are third, a point behind but with a game in hand in the chase for a playoff place.
Austria 0-2 Belgium
Germany 4-0 Kazakhstan
Turkey 2-0 Austria
Belgium 4-1 Azerbaijan

GROUP B
Slovakia, Russia and Republic of Ireland are all on 10 points after the Russians dropped points while the Slovakians and the Irish sneaked wins. Armenia are still a threat in fourth place on eight points at the halfway stage.
Armenia 0-0 Russia
Andorra 0-1 Slovakia
Republic of Ireland 2-1 FYR Macedonia

GROUP C
Italy confirmed their control of Group C with a 1-0 win over Slovenia, a result which leaves the Azzurri five points clear at the top. Second place is up for grabs, though, after Tuesday's two draws. Slovenia and Serbia are both on eight points from six games with Estonia, in fourth on seven points from five games, and Northern Ireland, in fifth place on six points from five, still in touch.
Serbia 2-1 Northern Ireland
Slovenia 0-1 Italy
Estonia 1-1 Serbia
Northern Ireland 0-0 Slovenia

GROUP D
France hold a four-point lead at the top of Group D, ahead of surprise challengers Belarus and Albania. Bosnia-Herzegovina, currently in fourth, nonetheless remain favourites for second spot after their 2-1 win over Romania left them on seven points from four games - just a point behind the Belarussians and Albanians. Fifth-placed Romania beat Luxembourg 3-1 for their first win of another terrible campaign.
Luxembourg 0-2 France
Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-1 Romania
Albania 1-0 Belarus
Romania 3-1 Luxembourg

GROUP E
Scoring nine goals in the process, the Dutch did the double over Hungary this week to lead Group E after 18 points out of 18 so far in this qualifying campaign. Sweden took advantage of the Magyars' miserable week by moving second with a 2-1 win over Moldova. Both the Swedes and the Hungarians have nine points each but Sweden are in a better place to challenge the Dutch as they have two games in hand.
Hungary 0-4 Netherlands
Sweden 2-1 Moldova
Netherlands 5-3 Hungary

GROUP F
Either Greece or Croatia seem likely to end up as Group F winners but Israel and Georgia cannot be discounted. Euro 2004 winners Greece went top of the group after a late 1-0 win over Malta while Croatia were going down to a shock 1-0 defeat in Georgia. But the Georgians then lost 1-0 in Israel who moved third with their second home win of the week. Greece have 11 points from five games, Croatia 10 points from five, Israel 10 points from six, and Georgia nine points from six.
Georgia 1-0 Croatia
Israel 2-1 Latvia
Malta 0-1 Greece
Israel 1-0 Georgia

GROUP G
England moved top of Group G on goal difference above Montenegro who were not in competitive action this week. An easy 2-0 win over Wales helped Fabio Capello's men to 10 points from four games. Bulgaria and Switzerland cancelled each other out in a 0-0 draw and both remain well adrift on just four points. Wales have yet to score a point.
Wales 0-2 England
Bulgaria 0-0 Switzerland

GROUP H
Norway scored a late equaliser in a 1-1 draw with Denmark to retain their three-point advantage at the top of Group H. The Norwegians have 10 points from four games, three ahead of the Danes and Portugal who did not play this week.
Cyprus 0-0 Iceland
Norway 1-1 Denmark

GROUP I
Spain stretched their lead at the top of Group I to six points with a 2-1 win over the Czech Republic on Friday. David Villa scored twice to become Spain's highest international goalscorer in history. The Czechs recovered in midweek to beat Liechtenstein 2-0 but Spain won yet again, 3-1 in Lithuania, to retain their 100% record. Those wins for the top two are particularly bad news for Scotland who did not play this month. The Scots are now 11 points behind Spain and five behind the Czech Republic although they do have a game in hand.
Spain 2-1 Czech Republic
Czech Republic 2-0 Liechtenstein
Lithuania 1-3 Spain

Next Euro 2012 fixtures take place on 3-4 June. This report was written on Saturday 26 March with the Group updates written on Tuesday 29 March.

Euro 2012 qualifiers: Rooney repay Capello's faith

WAYNE ROONEY attempted to put the off-field allegations of his infidelity behind him as he opened the scoring in a comfortable 3-1 win for England over Switzerland in Basle.

Manchester United striker Rooney has hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons this week after stories in the News of the World claimed he cheated on his wife Colleen by paying a prostitute £1,200.

But, despite the rather unsavoury reports, Rooney travelled with the squad and he repaid the faith of Fabio Capello almost immediately.

England scored early on Friday night against Bulgaria and repeated the trick tonight with just nine minutes gone at St Jakob Stadium.

Theo Walcott and Glen Johnson combined to good effect to set up Rooney with a tap-in, though Walcott was injured in the move and had to be replaced by Adam Johnson.

England continued to the press in an excellent first half performance and could have added to their tally with Friday's hero Jermain Defoe failing to convert a succession of chances.

At the start of the second half, there was more of the same from England until a Swiss spell on the hour made Joe Hart look a little nervy and forced a new-look defence into a couple of rash clearances.

But just as the home side started to get the crowd behind them, struggling full-back Stephan Lichsteiner was sent off for crude challenge on James Milner.

England made their one-man advantage work in their favour immediately as Adam Johnson rounded the goalkeeper for his second international goal in a week.

However, the Swiss responded in this extraordinary spell with the goal of the night as Xherdan Shaqiri smashed a shot past Hart to make it 2-1 with 20 minutes left.

Rather than inviting pressure, Capello's men continued to attack with their numerical advantage and dominated the latter part of the match.

It should have been 3-1 and game over when Shaun Wright-Phillips failed once again to justify his selection with a woefully under-hit pass to fellow-substitute Darren Bent who was clean through.

Regardless, Sunderland striker Bent did eventually score his first England goal with a confident finish that finally put the game to bed.

Meanwhile, at Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland only just escaped total humiliation after Stephen McManus headed a 97th-minute winner against Liechtenstein.

After a goalless first half, the part-timers had taken a shock lead in the opening minute of the second period through captain Mario Frisk.

Kenny Miller's volley brought Craig Levein's men level with 25 minutes in the new national team coach's first competitive home match.

But the Scots struggled to mount significant pressure to push for 2-1, although Liechtenstein's players were hardly helping Scotland's cause with their cynical timing-wasting tactics.

Eventually the time-wasting was to be Liechtenstein's downfall but McManus's header from a corner should not excuse an absolutely woeful performance.

Incredibly, with Spain not in competitive action, the Scots' three points and Czech Republic's 1-0 home loss to Lithuania puts Scotland at the top of Group I.

Tonight, Levein is a lucky, lucky man.

Wales manager John Toshack has not been so fortunate and has resigned following the awful 1-0 loss in Montenegro on Friday.

Toshack has said he will stay on for the matches in October against Bulgaria and Switzerland if no replacement has been found but otherwise says he will leave immediately.

In the meantime, Montenegro pulled off another amazing result, winning 1-0 away in Sofia against Bulgaria to be level with England on six points in Group G.

Republic of Ireland looked set for an easy win against Andorra after first-half goals from Kevin Kilbane and Kevin Doyle but they also had to survive a scare.

Andorra's Cristian Martinez stunned the crowd at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin with a fine goal on half time to make it 2-1.

Nevertheless, the Irish saw off the threat in the second half and Robbie Keane made it 3-1 to put Giovanni Trapatonni's men top of Group B.

But, perhaps the more significant result in that group came in Moscow as Russia were beaten 1-0 by Slovakia.

Elsewhere, Miroslav Klose hit a hat-trick as Germany and Italy both recorded big wins - 6-1 against Azerbaijan and 5-0 over the Faroe Islands respectively.

Sweden also hit six goals, without reply, against hapless San Marino while, also in Group E, Klass-Jan Huntelaar made it five goals in two games for the Dutch in their 2-1 win over Finland.

France ended a run of four straight defeats, including humiliation at home against Belarus in their Euro2012 opener, by beating Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-0 away.

It is an impressive result for Laurent Blanc's men as Bosnia, who - like France - were in the World Cup qualifying playoffs, are probably Les Bleus' biggest threat in Group D.

That is because Romania have already proved to be a shadow of their former selves, just like neighbours Bulgaria in England's group.

Having finished fifth in qualifying for World Cup 2010, Romania have opened their campaign with successive draws against Albania and Belarus, and they are already off the pace.

Portugal and Greece are also struggling. Portugal lost 1-0 to leaders Norway in Group H on the back of a 4-4 home draw against Cyprus.

Worse still, they are leaderless after the suspension for six months of Carlos Queiroz for interference in a World Cup anti-doping test.

Like Romania, Euro 2004 champions Greece have opened with two draws - against Georgia on Friday, and in Croatia tonight.

And with that draw, the Croatians have seized the early advantage in Group F.


FULL RESULTS
GROUP A
Austria 2-0 Kazakhstan
Germany 6-1 Azerbaijan
Turkey 3-2 Belgium

GROUP B
FYR Macedonia 2-2 Armenia
Republic of Ireland 3-1 Andorra
Russia 0-1 Slovakia

GROUP C
Italy 5-0 Faroe Islands
Serbia 1-1 Slovenia

GROUP D
Albania 1-0 Luxembourg
Belarus 0-0 Romania
Bosnia-Herzegovina 0-2 France

GROUP E
Hungary 2-1 Moldova
Netherlands 2-1 Finland
Sweden 6-0 San Marino

GROUP F
Croatia 0-0 Greece
Georgia 0-0 Israel
Malta 0-2 Latvia

GROUP G
Bulgaria 0-1 Montenegro
Switzerland 1-3 England

GROUP H
Denmark 1-0 Iceland
Norway 1-0 Portugal

GROUP I
Czech Republic 0-1 Lithuania
Scotland 2-1 Liechtenstein

The next Euro 2012 qualifiers are on Friday 8th October.

World Cup 2010: Bloemfontein thrashing ends England's hopes

ENGLAND suffered the worst defeat in their World Cup finals history, losing 4-1 to old rivals Germany to go out in the Second Round in Bloemfontein.

The Three Lions' back four - Ashley Cole, John Terry, Matthew Upson and Glen Johnson - were pulled apart by the pacy German forwards with Mehut Ozil pulling the strings.

On 20 minutes, Miroslav Klose helped himself to his 50th international goal - more than any Englishman in history - when he stole in ahead of Terry and Upson from an innocous goal kick.

And it was deservedly 2-0 shortly afterwards when a neat passing move ended with Lukas Podolski in space in the England right-back area.

Podolski took a poor touch but he had so much time that he was able to adjust his position and fire through goalkeeper David James' legs.

But, if this was to be a bad day for England, it would also be a disastrous one for governing body FIFA and its president Sepp Blatter.

Blatter has repeatedly rejected calls for goal-line technology to be introduced, arguing ludicrously that it would be too expensive for the world's richest sport.

England had somehow got back into the match at 2-1 on 40 minutes when Upson went briefly from zero to hero by heading in a short corner.

Then, a minute later, Frank Lampard crashed a shot off the underside of the bar which went well over the goal-line for what should have been 2-2.

Unfortunately for Blatter, the Uruguayan referee and his myopic linesman compatriot failed to see the clear goal, leaving the England players understandably incensed.

But, for Germany, this was sweet revenge for England's disputed third goal in the 1966 Final.

And, despite feeling that they should have been level at the interval, England had been second best for much of the opening period.

The gulf between an ageing England squad and a vibrant Germany team showed again in the second half.

Lampard hit the bar again in a brief rally after half-time but, when Thomas Mueller beat the woeful Gareth Barry for pace to score twice in three minutes on the counter, it was time to take down the bunting.

Unsurprisingly, the highly-paid England coach Fabio Capello blamed the defeat on that disgraceful refereeing call but the Italian and his 23 man squad could do with looking closer to home first.

This World Cup as a whole was an awful effort from England. Poor in the 1-1 draw against the United States, Capello's men somehow got even worse in the 0-0 stalemate with Algeria.

England gained a reprieve by qualifying for the last 16 with a 1-0 against Slovenia, a country with 2m people.

But a failure to get a second goal against the Slovenians meant England finished second behind United States in Group C.

It was likely that the Three Lions would have had to beat Germany, Argentina, Spain and Brazil to win the tournament.

Exposed in defence and useless in attack, it was sadly not a surprise that England failed to clear the first of these hurdles.

Their neandethal style of play with the long-ball constantly pumped towards Emile Heskey deserved nothing more.

Wayne Rooney was a peripheral figure throughout and he has now failed to score a single goal at a major tournament finals since 2004.

On the other hand, aided by a generous defence, Germany scored more goals in Bloemfontein than England managed all the way through the tournament.

The wheat has been sorted from the chaff. The real World Cup starts here.

SECOND ROUND RESULTS
26/06 Uruguay 2-1 South Korea
26/06 United States 1-2 Ghana (after extra time)
27/06 Germany 4-1 England
27/06 Argentina 3-1 Mexico
28/06 Netherlands 2-1 Slovakia
28/06 Brazil 3-0 Chile
29/06 Paraguay 0-0 Japan (Paraguay won 5-3 on pens)
29/06 Spain 1-0 Portugal
Quarter Finals: Uruguay v Ghana, Germany v Argentina, Netherlands v Brazil, Paraguay v Spain

SOUTH AMERICAN teams have dominated the first World Cup on African soil so far with four of the five teams progressing to the last eight.

Six-time winners Brazil produced their best performance of the tournament so far to dispose of Chile, the only South Americans to fail to make it to the Quarter Finals.

It was a cruel case of history repeating itself for the Chileans who went down to a third defeat to Brazil in the World Cup finals.

La Roja had previously lost to Brazil 4-1 in the Second Round in 1998 and 4-2 in the Semi Finals in 1962.

Brazil had also won 3-0 and 4-2 in the two qualifiers for World Cup 2010, and Chile could provide no answer once again to another inspired performance in Johannesburg.

Nevertheless, the first goal was preventable - it was utter simplicity as Juan headed in a corner on 34 minutes to give Dunga's men the lead.

But, from then, Brazil relaxed and were soon 2-0 up when Luis Fabiano scored his fourth goal of the finals at the end of a neat passing move.

Robinho added a third after the break with a strike from the edge of the box as Brazil began to justify their favourites tag. They are now as short as 5/2 with most bookmakers.

Despite that, Argentina have probably been the best team to watch at the World Cup so far. La Albiceleste have had the most shots in the tournament and have scored the most goals.

Argentina beat Mexico 3-1 in a repeat of their Second Round fixture from four years ago to set up another repeat fixture from World Cup 2006 - against Germany in the Quarter Finals.

Germany won that match on penalties having scored a late equaliser in normal time but the Argentines look well-placed for revenge after Carlos Tevez's double in Johannesburg.

Nevertheless, Tevez's first goal on 25 minutes should not have been allowed, the Manchester City man having prodded home Lionel Messi's through-ball from a clear offside position.

It was an unbelievable missed call from the linesman as Tevez was ahead of every Mexican player when Messi threaded the ball.

The mistake came just hours after England had been denied a clear goal against Germany, and it completed a terrible day for FIFA and Sepp Blatter.

Mexico were shaken by the opener and, perhaps unsurprisingly, were 2-0 just minutes later when Gonzalo Higuain hit his fourth of the tournament after a defensive error.

And the contest was over just seven minutes into the second half when Tevez hit a glorious strike to make it 3-0.

New Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez pulled a goal back with 20 minutes left but it was nothing more than mere consolation and El Tri have now gone out of each of the last five World Cup finals in the last 16.

Uruguay and Paraguay are the other South Americans still in the hunt after their Second Round wins over Asian pair South Korea and Japan.

Luis Suarez scored on eight minutes and 80 minutes as Uruguay beat South Korea 2-1 to reach their first World Cup Quarter Final since 1970.

It was a heart-breaking defeat for the Koreans who spent much of the game chasing after Suarez's early strike.

The pressure from 2002 semi finalists finally seemed to have paid off when Bolton Wanderers' Lee Chung-Yong headed in a free-kick from close range on 68 minutes.

But a belting strike from Suarez left little time for another South Korean response and ensured two-time winners Uruguay could turn back the clock.

By contrast, Paraguay have a modest World Cup history and have reached the Quarter Finals for the first time ever after beating Japan on penalties.

The Japanese had never gone beyond the Second Round stage either and so this was a tense tie with few chances which finished 0-0.

With Paraguay taking first, all five penalties had been converted when Yuichi Komano stepped up but he fired his spot-kick over the bar.

Nelson Valdez made it 4-2 to the Paraguayans before Keisuke Honda kept Japan hopes alive. Oscar Cardozo ensured it was a brief stay of execution and Paraguay progress to meet Spain.

The Spanish will have seen little to worry them from their South American opponents having produced their best performance of the World Cup to beat neighbours Portugal 1-0.

David Villa scored the only goal of the match on 63 minutes but it was the least the Euro 2008 winners deserved.

Portugal had set out to contain Spain but relied on goalkeeper Eduardo to save brilliantly from Fernando Llorente, Sergio Ramos and Villa before the breakthrough.

The best Portuguese chances fell to Hugo Almeida either side of half-time. First, Almeida put an easy header wide before he was considerably less fortunate to see a looping effort spin past the post.

However, that was all Portugal had to offer and, while Fernando Torres' troubles continued - he was withdrawn on the hour for Llorente - Spain march on...

... And so do Ghana as the African continent's last representative at the first African World Cup after a 2-1 win over United States in extra time.

The Black Stars became only the third African country to reach the last eight after Cameroon in 1990 and Senegal in 2002 with that win over the Americans.

And victory over Uruguay would mean they would be the first ever team from Africa to reach the Semi Finals.

Ghana started well against USA and Kevin-Prince Boateng's early goal led to a succession of chances in the first half.

The Ghanaians failed to extend their advantage and looked set to pay for their profligacy when the Americans produced a much-improved second half performance.

Bob Bradley's men got a deserved equaliser when Landon Donovan scored from the spot after Jonathan Mensah's clumsy tackle on Clint Dempsey but neither team could find a winner in 90 minutes.

Just three minutes into extra time, Ghana struck another early blow as Asamoah Gyan showed great composure to control a long-ball before producing a sweet strike for his third goal of the finals.

The goal left the Americans shell-shocked and they were unable to raise much of a response until late on but Ghana survived without too much panic.

Netherlands beat Slovakia 2-1 after goals from Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder gave them a fourth World Cup finals win out of four.

The victory was more comfortable than the score suggests with the Oranje able to control the match and hold Slovakia off at arm's length after Robben's 18th-minute low strike from outside the box.

Miroslav Stoch and Robert Vittek had chances early in the second half to equalise but Maarten Stekelenburg produced two top-drawer saves and the match swung back in the Dutch's favour.

A quick free-kick played in Dirk Kuyt on the left and he beat the advancing Slovakian keeper Jan Mucha to set up Wesley Sneijder for the easiest of goals with six minutes left.

Despite a lack of time left in the game, the Dutch could have extended their lead further before Vittek scored a penalty with literally the last kick of the game after Stekelenburg's foul on him.

World Cup 2010: England on the brink after Algeria stalemate

ENGLAND face possible World Cup elimination at the first hurdle after a dire 0-0 draw with Algeria in the second set of group matches on Friday.

The humiliating stalemate in Cape Town means Fabio Capello's men will likely need to beat Group C leaders Slovenia in the final group game.

Though they are level on two points with United States, the Americans are currently above the Three Lions on goals scored after their 2-2 draw with the Slovenians.

The build-up to Wednesday's crucial encounter has hardly been ideal with ex-captain John Terry suggesting in a press conference that Capello needs to change his tactics.

Terry spoke publicly of a team meeting being held to clear the air between the players and the backroom staff and he effectively called for the introduction of Joe Cole into the midfield.

Needless to say, Capello was not impressed with the comments from Terry, denying a clear the air meeting took place and referring to the fact that the Chelsea man spoke publicly as a "big mistake".

At least Capello can console himself with the fact that he has not had to deal with a full-scale mutiny, like French coach Raymond Domenech has.

Despite leading Les Bleus to the World Cup Final four years ago, Domenech has rarely impressed during his reign and he has already confirmed he will leave the national team after the tournament.

In the latest disappointing episode, France suffered a poor 2-0 defeat to Mexico on Thursday to leave their World Cup hopes hanging by a thread.

But it is the news that striker Nicolas Anelka has been sent home early for insulting Domenech at half time which has really rocked the camp.

The French squad came out in support of Anelka and refused to train on Sunday while captain Patrice Evra had a heated argument with a fitness coach - all caught on camera.

A French Federation chief has resigned and the press are less than impressed with The Parisien stating, "To have the worst soccer team at the World Cup was already unbearable. To also have the most stupid is intolerable."

On the field, France must beat hosts South Africa and hope to turn around a four-goal deficit to Mexico or a five-goal deficit to Group A leaders Uruguay.

A draw between Mexico and Uruguay will make irrelevant any result in the France-South Africa fixture.

South Africa are in a similar predicament to France but with an even worse goal difference again after they suffered a major hit in a bad 3-0 loss to Uruguay in Pretoria.

Group B continues to be dominated by Argentina who beat South Korea 4-1 thanks to a hat-trick from Gonzalo Higuain.

Two early goals looked to have sent La Albiceleste to a comfortable win before a defensive rick allowed the Koreans to pull a goal back on the stroke of half time.

But Higuain found plenty of time and space to slot in two second half goals meaning Diego Maradona's men require just one more point to progress to the Second Round as group winners.

South Korea's loss means the runners-up spot is less clear-cut, though the Asians remain favourites to qualify with Argentina.

Nevertheless, the South Koreans remain vulnerable to a two-goal victory for Nigeria which will mean the Africans go through if Greece also fail to beat Argentina.

The Greeks earned their first-ever World Cup win by coming from behind to beat Nigeria 2-1 after the Super Eagles lost control of the game when Sani Kaita was sent off.

But a final group fixture against Argentina means that the odds are against Greece extending their World Cup adventure any further.

In Group D, Serbia produced a major shock to beat ten-man Germany who missed a penalty had Miroslav Klose sent off after half an hour.

Milan Jovanovic scored the only goal of the game shortly afterwards but, despite a numerical deficit, the Germans pushed hard for an equaliser in the second period.

A golden chance duly arrived but Lukas Podolski, who missed numerous other chances, saw his soft penalty easily saved. It was Germany's first penalty miss in the World Cup outside of a shoot-out since 1974.

In the other match, Ghana went top of the group with a point against Australia who bounced back from their 4-0 mauling by Germany in this 1-1 draw.

The Socceroos took an early lead but when Harry Kewell's hand ball on the line prevented a goal, the men from Down Under were down to ten men for a second match in a row.

Asamoah Gyan converted his second penalty of the tournament but with the Ghanaians facing Germany last, the Africans could have done with a win.

It is much more clear-cut in Group E with Netherlands becoming the first team to qualify for the Second Round after their 1-0 win over Japan, Sneijder scoring a beautiful winner.

Cameroon were the first team to be knocked out despite taking the lead in an open and entertaining encounter with Denmark.

Neither defence looked particularly strong in the first half but the Indomitable Lions failed to build on a gift of an early goal for Samuel Eto'o and the Danes hit back.

Dennis Rommedahl scored the winner, and made the other goal, in a 2-1 win which still leaves Morten Olsen's men needing to beat Japan in the final group game to go through.

A draw is enough for the Japanese to join the Dutch in the last 16 thanks to their superior goal difference. Netherlands are expected to top the group, requiring just a point against Cameroon to do so.

Meanwhile, New Zealand pulled off the most extraordinary result in their football history by holding defending champions Italy to a 1-1 draw in Group F on Sunday.

Shane Smeltz gave the All Whites an early lead but Italy were level on 29 minutes when Vincenzo Iaquinta converted a penalty after a shirt pull on Daniele de Rossi.

But the Kiwis held firm and a second half onslaught from the Azzurri never really materialised.

In fact, West Brom's Chris Wood went close to making this an incredible victory but he rolled his shot just past the post.

Earlier, Paraguay had taken control of the group with a comfortable 2-0 win over Slovakia who have not had the best of times in their debut World Cup finals appearance.

In the final matches, Paraguay are expected to seal top spot against New Zealand with Italy still likely to qualify with a result against Slovakia despite taking just two points so far.

Portugal have seemingly killed off the challenge of Ivory Coast with a 7-0 mauling of North Korea in Group G after a silky second half display.

After a tight first half which ended just 1-0 to Portugal, the North Korean defence collapsed in the second period as three quick goals gave the Portuguese a handsome lead.

They further improved their goal difference with three late goals, including a first at this World Cup for Cristiano Ronaldo who lashed home a right-foot strike after inadvertently juggling the ball on his neck.

Portugal now enjoy a healthy goal difference of +7, nine goals better than that of their rivals Ivory Coast who lost 3-1 to Brazil in what ended up as an ill-tempered match.

Luis Fabiano scored twice and Elano once as Brazil sealed their place in the Second Round with a 3-0 lead just past the hour mark.

Didier Drogba headed a consolation before the game turned nasty with the Ivorians not slow to pull out of challenges and Brazil players making the most of any fouls.

It was surprising then that a Brazilian was shown red when Kaka was sent off after an innocuous challenge.

But he was the victim of some terrible play acting by Abdelkader Keita and the incident left a sour taste on what had been a decent victory for the six-time winners.

Group H remains the most intriguing of all the groups after Switzerland's shock win over Spain in the first set of matches and just five goals in the four games so far.

Chile beat the Swiss 1-0 to go top of the group but they could yet be unlucky and finish on six points but still miss out.

La Roja face Spain in their final group game, with the Euro 2008 champions having got themselves back into the tournament with a 2-0 win over Honduras.

The Spanish missed a hatful of chances for a greater margin of victory but David Villa scored twice to mean that any win against Chile would be enough for Spain to qualify.

Switzerland could also yet make it ahead of Chile by improving their goal difference with a few goals against Honduras. The Hondurans have just the slimmest chance themselves, needing to beat the Swiss well and hope Chile beat Spain.


WORLD CUP GROUP STAGE
After two matches

GROUP A
11/06 South Africa 1-1 Mexico
11/06 Uruguay 0-0 France
16/06 South Africa 0-3 Uruguay
17/06 Mexico 2-0 France
22/06 Mexico v Uruguay
22/06 France v South Africa

	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
URUGUAY	1	1	0	3	0	4
MEXICO	1	1	0	3	1	4
FRANCE	0	1	1	0	2	1
SOUTH AFRICA	0	1	1	1	4	1

GROUP B
12/06 South Korea 2-0 Greece
12/06 Argentina 1-0 Nigeria
17/06 Argentina 4-1 South Korea
17/06 Greece 2-1 Nigeria
22/06 Nigeria v South Korea
22/06 Greece v Argentina

	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
ARGENTINA	2	0	0	5	1	6
SOUTH KOREA	1	0	1	3	4	3
NIGERIA	0	1	1	1	2	1
GREECE	0	1	1	1	3	1

GROUP C
12/06 England 1-1 United States
13/06 Algeria 0-1 Slovenia
18/06 Slovenia 2-2 United States
18/06 England 0-0 Algeria
23/06 Slovenia v England
23/06 United States v Algeria

	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
SLOVENIA	1	1	0	3	2	4
UNITED STATES	0	2	0	3	3	2
ENGLAND	0	2	0	1	1	2
ALGERIA	0	1	1	0	1	0

GROUP D
13/06 Serbia 0-1 Ghana
13/06 Germany 4-0 Australia
18/06 Germany 0-1 Serbia
19/06 Ghana 1-1 Australia
23/06 Ghana v Germany
23/06 Australia v Serbia

	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
GHANA	1	1	0	2	1	4
GERMANY	1	0	1	4	1	3
SERBIA	1	0	1	1	1	3
AUSTRALIA	0	1	1	1	5	1

GROUP E
Netherlands progress to the Second Round
14/06 Netherlands 2-0 Denmark
14/06 Japan 1-0 Cameroon
19/06 Netherlands 1-0 Japan
19/06 Cameroon 1-2 Denmark
24/06 Denmark v Japan
24/06 Cameroon v Netherlands

	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
NETHERLANDS	2	0	0	3	0	6
JAPAN	1	0	1	1	1	3
DENMARK	1	0	1	2	3	1
CAMEROON	0	0	2	1	3	0

GROUP F
14/06 Italy 1-1 Paraguay
15/06 New Zealand 1-1 Slovakia
20/06 Slovakia 0-2 Paraguay
20/06 Italy 1-1 New Zealand
24/06 Slovakia v Italy
24/06 Paraguay v New Zealand

	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
PARAGUAY	1	1	0	3	1	4
ITALY	0	2	0	2	2	2
NEW ZEALAND	0	2	0	2	2	2
SLOVAKIA	0	1	1	1	3	1

GROUP G
Brazil progress to the Second Round
15/06 Ivory Coast 0-0 Portugal
15/06 Brazil 2-1 North Korea
20/06 Brazil 3-1 Ivory Coast
21/06 Portugal 7-0 North Korea
25/06 Portugal v Brazil
25/06 North Korea v Ivory Coast

	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
BRAZIL	2	0	0	5	2	6
PORTUGAL	1	1	0	7	0	4
IVORY COAST	0	1	1	1	3	1
NORTH KOREA	0	0	2	1	9	0

GROUP H
16/06 Honduras 0-1 Chile
16/06 Spain 0-1 Switzerland
21/06 Chile 1-0 Switzerland
21/06 Spain 2-0 Honduras
25/06 Chile v Spain
25/06 Switzerland v Honduras

	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
CHILE	2	0	0	2	0	6
SPAIN	1	0	1	2	1	3
SWITZERLAND	1	0	1	1	1	3
HONDURAS	0	0	2	0	3	0

SCORERS
3 Gonzalo Higuain (Argentina)
2 Diego Forlan (Uruguay), Asamoah Gyan (Ghana), Luis Fabiano (Brazil), Elano (Brazil), Tiago (Portugal), David Villa (Spain)
1 Siphiwe Tshabalala (South Africa), Rafael Marquez (Mexico), Lee Jung-Soo (South Korea), Park Ji-Sung (South Korea), Gabriel Heinze (Argentina), Steven Gerrard (England), Clint Dempsey (USA), Robert Koren (Slovenia), Lukas Podolski (Germany), Miroslav Klose (Germany), Thomas Mueller (Germany), Cacau (Germany), Dirk Kuyt (Netherlands), Keisuke Honda (Japan), Antolin Alcaraz (Paraguay), Daniele de Rossi (Italy), Robert Vittek (Slovakia), Winston Reid (New Zealand), Maicon (Brazil), Ji Yun-Nam (North Korea), Jean Beausejour (Chile), Gelson Fernandes (Switzerland), Alvaro Pereira (Uruguay), Lee Chung-Yong (South Korea), Kalu Uche (Nigeria), Dimitris Salpingidis (Greece), Vasileios Torosidis (Greece), Javier Hernandez (Mexico), Cuauhtemoc Blanco (Mexico), Milan Jovanovic (Serbia), Valter Birsa (Slovenia), Zlatan Ljubijankic (Slovenia), Landon Donovan (USA), Michael Bradley (USA), Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands), Brett Holman (Australia), Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon), Nicklas Bendtner (Denmark), Dennis Rommedahl (Denmark), Enrique Vera (Paraguay), Crisitian Riveros (Paraguay), Shane Smeltz (New Zealand), Vincenzo Iaquinta (Italy), Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast), Raul Meireles (Portugal), Simao (Portugal), Hugo Almeida (Portugal), Liedson (Portugal), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Mark Gonzalez (Chile)
2 own goals Daniel Agger (Denmark) for Netherlands, Park Chu-Young (South Korea) for Argentina

RED CARDS
Nicolas Lodeiro (Uruguay) v France
Abdelkader Ghezzal (Algeria) v Slovenia
Aleksandar Lukovic (Serbia) v Ghana
Tim Cahill (Australia) v Germany
Itumeleng Khune (South Africa) v Uruguay
Sani Kaita (Nigeria) v Greece
Miroslav Klose (Germany) v Serbia
Harry Kewell (Australia) v Ghana
Kaka (Brazil) v Ivory Coast
Valon Behrami (Switzerland) v Chile

World Cup 2010: Swiss shock Spain after slow start to tournament

SWITZERLAND stunned favourites Spain with a 1-0 win in Group H on a dramatic day as World Cup 2010 belatedly threated to take off.

Former Manchester City midfielder Gelson Fernandes scored the only goal early in the second half though the Swiss went close to adding a second, only for Eren Derdiyok to hit a post.

Despite those chances, Euro 2008 champions Spain controlled possession in vast periods of the game but struggled to make the breakthrough.

Switzerland's victory was a testament to Ottmar Hitzfeld's tactics but this is a tournament in which a defensive set-up has been rewarded far too regularly.

After 17 matches, the average goals per game is just 1.64, the lowest in World Cup history, and well short of the averages in 2002 (2.52) and 2006 (2.29).

The new Adidas Jabulani ball has caused some consternation and it does appear to be too light with countless overhit passes and free-kicks regularly floated over the bar.

But the cagey nature of the teams is a greater factor in the lack of goals so far.

And the poverty of goalmouth action has meant this World Cup has not had many magic moments to feast on.

It all started so well when Sipihwe Tshabalala smashed in a stunning strike for the hosts South Africa to take a 1-0 lead in the opening match against Mexico.

But poor marking by Bafana Bafana's defence let in Rafael Marquez for a late Mexican equaliser.

Elsewhere, New Zealand gained their first ever World Cup point with a dramatic equaliser from Winston Reid in the last minute of stoppage time against Slovakia.

And North Korea managed a moral victory against Brazil, even going as far as scoring a consolation goal in a 2-1 loss which never threatened to turn into the expected massacre.

Only Germany helped improve the goal average with a ruthless 4-0 thrashing of Australia who were hampered by Tim Cahill's sending off, one of five red cards in the tournament so far.

Otherwise, most of the major nations disappointed in an underwhelming start to Africa's first ever World Cup finals.

England began their campaign with a laboured 1-1 draw against the United States despite Steven Gerrard's fourth-minute opener.

Fabio Capello's men were largely untroubled until an absolute howler by Robert Green from Clint Dempsey's speculative shot gifted an equaliser to the Americans just before half time.

Chances fell to Emile Heskey and Aaron Lennon in the second half but England struggled to make a second breakthrough against a workmanlike American side.

Defending world champions Italy also had to settle for a 1-1 draw in their opening match against Paraguay.

Indeed, the Paraguayans took a first-half lead when Wigan Athletic's Antolin Alcaraz headed in a corner after taking advantage of unusually slack Italian defending.

But Marcello Lippi's team were much improved in the second half and Daniele de Rossi's header earned the Azzuri a deserved point.

France played out a stultifying 0-0 draw with Uruguay but even that match was not as bad as the much-anticipated clash between Portugal and Ivory Coast.

Cristiano Ronaldo hit the post with a classy long-range strike but that was as close as it got in a game more accurately summed up by an Ivory Coast corner deep into stoppage time.

With little chance of losing, the Ivorians still opted to take the corner short and secure a point which was wildly celebrated on full-time. It was a nadir of the negativity in this World Cup.

At least some credit can go to the likes of South Korea and Argentina in Group B for their attacking intentions.

The Koreans won 2-0 but it could have been more against a woeful Greece team while Argentina were restricted to a 1-0 win by Nigeria through Gabriel Heinze's header.

On another day, Lionel Messi could have had a hat-trick and he showed throughout why he is considered the best in the world, but Super Eagles keeper Vincent Enyeama was equal to all of his efforts.

Netherlands have also started well, beating Denmark 2-0, while Chile deserve plaudits for using their enterprising 3-3-1-3 formation in a 1-0 win over Honduras.

Africa's only win so far in this World Cup came courtesy of Asamoah Gyan's penalty for Ghana who beat Serbia 1-0.

Slovenia beat Algeria for their first-ever World Cup finals victory, while Japan beat Cameroon for their first finals win on foreign soil. Both of those games were also 1-0.


WORLD CUP GROUP STAGE
After one match
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GROUP A
11/06 South Africa 1-1 Mexico
11/06 Uruguay 0-0 France

	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
MEXICO	0	1	0	1	1	1
SOUTH AFRICA	0	1	0	1	1	1
FRANCE	0	1	0	0	0	1
URUGUAY	0	1	0	0	0	1

GROUP B
12/06 South Korea 2-0 Greece
12/06 Argentina 1-0 Nigeria

	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
SOUTH KOREA	1	0	0	2	0	3
ARGENTINA	1	0	0	1	0	3
NIGERIA	0	0	1	0	1	0
GREECE	0	0	1	0	2	0

GROUP C
12/06 England 1-1 United States
13/06 Algeria 0-1 Slovenia

	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
SLOVENIA	1	0	0	1	0	3
ENGLAND	0	1	0	1	1	1
UNITED STATES	0	1	0	1	1	1
ALGERIA	0	0	1	0	1	0

GROUP D
13/06 Serbia 0-1 Ghana
13/06 Germany 4-0 Australia

	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
GERMANY	1	0	0	4	0	3
GHANA	1	0	0	1	0	3
SERBIA	0	0	1	0	1	0
AUSTRALIA	0	0	1	0	4	0

GROUP E
14/06 Netherlands 2-0 Denmark
14/06 Japan 1-0 Cameroon

	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
NETHERLANDS	1	0	0	2	0	3
JAPAN	1	0	0	1	0	3
CAMEROON	0	0	1	0	1	0
DENMARK	0	0	1	0	2	0

GROUP F
14/06 Italy 1-1 Paraguay
15/06 New Zealand 1-1 Slovakia

	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
ITALY	0	1	0	1	1	1
NEW ZEALAND	0	1	0	1	1	1
PARAGUAY	0	1	0	1	1	1
SLOVAKIA	0	1	0	1	1	1

GROUP G
15/06 Ivory Coast 0-0 Portugal
15/06 Brazil 2-1 North Korea

	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
BRAZIL	1	0	0	2	1	3
IVORY COAST	0	1	0	0	0	1
PORTUGAL	0	1	0	0	0	1
NORTH KOREA	0	0	1	1	2	0

GROUP H
16/06 Honduras 0-1 Chile
16/06 Spain 0-1 Switzerland

	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
CHILE	1	0	0	1	0	3
SWITZERLAND	1	0	0	1	0	3
HONDURAS	0	0	1	0	1	0
SPAIN	0	0	1	0	1	0

SCORERS
1 Siphiwe Tshabalala (South Africa), Rafael Marquez (Mexico), Lee Jung-Soo (South Korea), Park Ji-Sung (South Korea), Gabriel Heinze (Argentina), Steven Gerrard (England), Clint Dempsey (USA), Robert Koren (Slovenia), Asamoah Gyan (Ghana), Lukas Podolski (Germany), Miroslav Klose (Germany), Thomas Mueller (Germany), Cacau (Germany), Dirk Kuyt (Netherlands), Keisuke Honda (Japan), Antolin Alcaraz (Paraguay), Daniele de Rossi (Italy), Robert Vittek (Slovakia), Winston Reid (New Zealand), Maicon (Brazil), Elano (Brazil), Ji Yun-Nam (North Korea), Jean Beausejour (Chile), Gelson Fernandes (Switzerland)
1 own goal Daniel Agger (Denmark) for Netherlands

RED CARDS
Nicolas Lodeiro (Uruguay) v France
Abdelkader Ghezzal (Algeria) v Slovenia
Aleksandar Lukovic (Serbia) v Ghana
Tim Cahill (Australia) v Germany

World Cup 2010: England squad and player profiles

ENGLAND WORLD CUP SQUAD
GOALKEEPERS
Robert Green (West Ham United), Joe Hart (Manchester City), David James (Portsmouth)
DEFENDERS
Jamie Carragher (Liverpool), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Rio Ferdinand(c) (Manchester United), Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Ledley King (Tottenham Hotspur), John Terry (Chelsea), Matthew Upson (West Ham United), Stephen Warnock (Aston Villa)
MIDFIELDERS
Gareth Barry (Manchester City), Michael Carrick (Manchester United), Joe Cole (Chelsea), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Aaron Lennon (Tottenham Hotspur), James Milner (Aston Villa), Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City)
FORWARDS
Peter Crouch (Tottenham Hotspur), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham Hotspur), Emile Heskey (Aston Villa), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)


PROFILES
GOALKEEPERS
Robert Green (West Ham United)
DOB: 18.01.80
Debut v Colombia on 31.05.05, won 3-2
Record: 10 caps (0 goals)
Likely first choice, having played in all but one of England's final five qualifiers as well as starting the warm-up match against Mexico. Green only missed the final qualifier against Belarus after being suspended having become the first England goalkeeper in history to be sent off in a match against Ukraine. Played in all 38 league games in 2009-10, keeping eight clean sheets to help his club West Ham to beat the drop narrowly.

Joe Hart (Manchester City)
19.04.87
Debut v Trinidad & Tobago on 01.06.08, won 3-0
3 caps (0 goals)
At just 23, Hart is the youngest player in the squad by three days from Aaron Lennon. A prestigious talent signed by Manchester City from Shrewsbury Town, but loaned to Birmingham City for 2009-10, having made his England debut the previous summer as a half time substitute. Helped the Blues to their highest league finish for 51 years with a series of strong performances and featured as an unused sub for three of the qualifiers. Received his second and third caps, again as a half time substitute, in the World Cup warm-up matches against Mexico and Japan.

David James (Portsmouth)
01.08.70
Debut v Mexico on 29.03.97, won 2-0
50 caps (0 goals)
The veteran goalkeeper has never entirely convinced throughout his career, gaining the nickname 'Calamity' after a series of high-profile errors when playing for Liverpool in the 1990s. Enjoyed a renaissance in recent times, winning the FA Cup with Portsmouth in 2008 and reaching another Cup final in 2010 but he was also relegated with them this year and, more importantly, he ended up playing second fiddle to Green in the qualifiers.

DEFENDERS
Jamie Carragher (Liverpool)
28.01.78
Debut v Hungary on 28.04.99, drew 1-1
35 caps (0 goals)
Only recently reversed his 2007 decision to retire from international football after being convinced by Capello and his assistant Franco Baldini. Has been picked due to his ability to provide back-up at right-back as well as in his preferred position at centre-back but, now aged 32, struggles to deal with pace. Missed the 2002 World Cup through injury but played in Euro 2004 and World Cup 2006.

Ashley Cole (Chelsea)
20.12.80
Debut v Albania on 28.03.01, won 3-1
78 caps (0 goals)
Lampooned by opposition fans at club level for his transfer from Arsenal to Chelsea which earned him the nickname 'Cashley' and for the failure of his marriage to pop star Cheryl Tweedy after his infidelity. Neverthless, 29-year-old Cole is an excellent, highly experienced left-back, adept at supporting an attack and rarely found wanting defensively. First choice as far back as World Cup 2002, Cole then played every minute of England's campaigns in Euro 2004 and World Cup 2006.

Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United)
07.11.78
Debut v Cameroon on 15.11.97, won 2-0
78 caps (3 goals)
Appointed captain following John Terry's downfall earlier this year. That represents quite a turnaround for Ferdinand after he was forced to miss Euro 2004 due to an eight-month ban for failing to attend a drugs test. Ferdinand was chosen though not played at World Cup 1998 but he was first choice in both World Cup 2002 and 2006. A series of blunders early in this season, notably against Holland and Ukraine in an England shirt, and against Manchester City for United, left his first team place in some doubt but he returned to form in the second half of the season.

Glen Johnson (Liverpool)
23.08.84
Debut v Denmark on 16.11.03, lost 2-3
22 caps (1 goal)
Attacking full-back blessed with great pace though sometimes he is forced to use this asset to cover his deficiencies at the back. Signed for Liverpool from Portsmouth last summer for £18 million and has since become a first choice member of the national team, notablysetting up four goals in the 6-0 win over Andorra. Scored his first England goal, a fine curling effort with his left foot, in a World Cup warm-up match against Mexico at Wembley.

Ledley King (Tottenham Hotspur)
12.10.80
Debut v Italy on 27.03.02, lost 1-2
20 caps (1 goal)
Will provide defensive back-up despite an incurable knee injury which can swell up after games, affecting his training and usually stopping him from playing more than once a week. However, he played twice in four days at the end of the season against Bolton Wanderers and Manchester City, which Spurs won to secure a Champions League place, convincing Capello to give him a place in the squad. Scored his first international goal in the warm-up match against Mexico but was less than convincing at the back. Also holds the Premier League record for the fastest goal, scored in 10.2 seconds in a 3-3 draw against Bradford City in 2000.

John Terry (Chelsea)
07.12.80
Debut v Croatia 20.08.03, won 3-1
60 caps (6 goals)
Dropped as captain in February this year following tabloid allegations of a number of affairs but seen as far too valuable by Capello to be omitted from the first team altogether. Terry is a lynchpin at the back for Chelsea where he remains captain, winning the Double this year to wipe away his famous tears after he missed a decisive penalty in the 2008 Champions League final against Manchester United in Moscow. Played every minute of England's World Cup campaign in 2006.

Matthew Upson (West Ham United)
18.04.79
Debut v South Africa on 22.05.03, won 2-1
19 caps (1 goal)
Another player who Capello has brought back into the international fold after he was frozen out by Steve McLaren. Chosen in the squad as defensive back-up despite playing in a struggling West Ham team this season and not appearing in either warm-up match against Mexico or Japan. Upson did play his part in qualifying, however, making five appearances including a full 90-minute showing in the 5-1 win over Croatia at Wembley.

Stephen Warnock (Aston Villa)
12.12.81
Debut v Trinidad & Tobago on 01.06.08, won 3-0
1 cap (0 goals)
Curious choice as reserve left-back, having made his sole England appearance exactly two years ago today against Trinidad & Tobago. However, Warnock enjoyed a strong season at Aston Villa and Capello clearly preferred him to the other candidate, Leighton Baines, after the Everton player admitted homesickness and produced a poor performance in the warm-up against Mexico.

MIDFIELDERS
Gareth Barry (Manchester City)
23.02.81
Debut v Ukraine on 31.05.00, won 2-0
36 caps (2 goals)
Passed a late fitness test to take his place in the squad. The fact that Capello was willing to wait on his fitness until the last minute proves how much the Italian rates the Manchester City man, who he usually deploys as a holding midfielder. Indeed, Barry has earned 20 of his 36 caps under Capello, all but one of which were starts. Moved to Man City from Aston Villa for £12m in a controversial transfer as, like Villa, the Manchester club were unable to provide his previously-stated desire of Champions League football.

Michael Carrick (Manchester United)
28.07.81
Debut v Mexico on 25.05.01, won 4-0
22 caps (0 goals)
Geordie midfielder who learned his trade through West Ham's youth academy, transferring to Tottenham for £2.75m a season after the Hammers' relegation. Carrick proved to be a success at White Hart Lane, prompting Manchester United to shell out £14m on him. Despite competition from Owen Hargreaves and Anderson, who both arrived a year later, Carrick was seen as an integral part of a United team who won three consecutive champions and made successive appearances in the Champions League Final. Carrick was selected by Sven Goran Eriksson for the 2006 World Cup squad but made just one appearance. Likely to be similarly frustrated this time after a weaker 2009-10 season, exemplified by a poor performance in the warm-up game against Mexico.

Joe Cole (Chelsea)
08.11.81
Debut v Mexico on 25.05.01, won 4-0
54 caps (10 goals)
Struggled to hold down a place in the Chelsea midfield but deemed good enough to make the final squad based upon previous tournament experience. He was chosen for the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004 but played just 27 minutes in the former and not at all in the latter. However, Cole made a real impression at World Cup 2006, starting each match and scoring a wonderful dipping volley against Sweden in the final group game. He has received just five caps under Capello, and none since the 4-1 win against Croatia in September 2008 when he went off injured in the second half. Not a likely starter this time.

Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)
30.05.80
Debut v Ukraine on 31.05.00, won 2-0
80 caps (16 goals)
A fifth major tournament for Gerrard after appearances at the World Cups in 2002 and 2006, Euro 2000 and Euro 2004. Finished as England's top scorer in the 2006 World Cup with two goals in group games against Trinidad & Tobago and Sweden but, despite this, he has gained a reputation for playing better in a Liverpool shirt than an England one after several heroic performances for his club. Arrested but found not guilty of GBH in the 2008-09 season in which Liverpool finished second but struggled for form during 2009-10 as Liverpool tumbled to seventh in the Premier League. Scored two goals in the 5-1 thrashing of Croatia last September.

Frank Lampard (Chelsea)
20.06.78
Debut v Belgium on 10.10.99, won 2-1
78 caps (20 goals)
Attacking midfielder with a phenomenal goal record. During 2009-10, he became Chelsea's third-highest all-time scorer with 157 career goals for his club in all competitions. However, his World Cup story so far is a less happy tale - he missed the cut for Sven Goran Eriksson's squad in 2002 and failed to impress in 2006, missing one of the penalties in the shootout against Portugal. Normally reliable from the 12 yards since, Lampard has had his last two spot-kicks - in the FA Cup Final and the Japan warm-up game - saved.

Aaron Lennon (Tottenham Hotspur)
16.04.87
Debut v Jamaica on 03.06.06, won 6-0
16 caps (0 goals)
Dazzling winger with searing pace who looked least in threat of Capello's candidates in the right-hand side position having finally found some end product during a fine first part of the season at Spurs. It was, however, a campaign disrupted by a groin injury which kept him out from January until the end of April. But Lennon proved his fitness in the closing weeks and he is a Capello favourite as demonstrated by a starting place in most of the qualifiers for which he has been available.

James Milner (Aston Villa)
04.01.86
Debut v Netherlands on 12.08.09, drew 2-2
8 caps (0 goals)
Versatile midfielder who can play on either flank, also enjoying a more central role in a successful 2009-10 season at Aston Villa. A tireless, industrious player with an excellent work-rate, Milner can also be called on to play at right-back if England get stuck for options in defence. The 24-year-old has improved his final ball but he is sometimes not greedy enough in good shooting positions. As a decent dead-ball player, he is likely to take a penalty if England are in a shootout and he is on the field.

Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City)
25.10.81
Debut v Ukraine on 18.08.04, won 3-0
31 caps (6 goals)
A surprise inclusion in the final squad ahead of Theo Walcott, making up for the heartache he suffered after missing the cut in 2006. The adopted son of Ian Wright, he started his senior career at Manchester City after Nottingham Forest released him as a trainee but moved to Chelsea in 2005. Struggled to hold down a first-team place at Stamford Bridge with almost half his appearances fo the Blues coming as a substitute and so moved back to City in 2008. Hard to see much improvement in his game since his move to Chelsea as, despite blinding pace, he still regularly fails with his final ball.

FORWARDS
Peter Crouch (Tottenham Hotspur)
30.01.81
Debut v Colombia on 31.05.05, won 3-2
38 caps (21 goals)
Lanky striker, standing at 6ft 7in, with spectacular international goal record, currently the sixth-best ratio in English history. However, it is boosted by several goals against modest opposition and he is by no means a starter. Chosen by Eriksson for the 2006 World Cup, Crouch scored in the finals against Trinidad & Tobago with a header but, despite his height, he is not particularly prestigious in the air. Has gained a reputation for taking a light-hearted look at life and looks more settled at Spurs than anywhere else in his nomadic club career. He is well-remembered for his robotic dancing in a friendly against Jamaica before the last World Cup and his response to an interviewer that he would be a virgin if he were not a footballer.

Jermain Defoe (Tottenham Hotspur)
07.10.82
Debut v Sweden on 31.03.04, lost 0-1
40 caps (11 goals)
Crouch's team mate is still less likely a starter but Defoe offers something which none of the other strikers can and he comes into the World Cup on the back of a strong season at Spurs. Defoe has the pace to worry any defence but he is sometimes let down by his final choice, particularly at international level. Omitted from the 2006 World Cup squad, Defoe improved his chances this time around by equalling the Premier League record for goals in a game with five in the 9-1 thrashing of Wigan in November. Six of his 11 international goals have come in his last 10 appearances.

Emile Heskey (Aston Villa)
11.01.78
Debut v Hungary on 28.04.99, drew 1-1
58 caps (7 goals)
The most controversial of Capello's four choices up front considering Heskey's poor goals record at club and international level. Heskey's detractors consider him a waste of a squad number but his supporters argue, with some value, that his presence causes enough disruption among the opposition to help other players benefit. Wayne Rooney seems to enjoy playing with Heskey, scoring eight times in their last nine games together as compared to just two Rooney goalsin nine matches without Heskey. Heskey played at the 2002 World Cup, scoring in the 3-0 Second Round win over Denmark, but he failed to make it into the 2006 squad. He has scored two international goals since 2003, both of them coming in 2009.

Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)
24.10.85
Debut v Australia on 12.02.03, lost 1-3
60 caps (25 goals)
England's real hope of World Cup glory this summer rests with Rooney. Since Cristiano Ronaldo's move from Manchester United to Real Madrid, Rooney has moved into a more central position and become a magnificent player, up with the world's very best. Having added headed goals to his already impressive repetoire, Rooney was able to score 34 goals in 44 appearances in all competitions for United in 2009-10. He also scored nine goals for England in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers, the highest in Europe. Better still, fatherhood appears to have matured him and, though he has retained a tenacious nature to his game, he picks up fewer bookings. Hopefully, that means there will be no repeat of four years ago when he was sent off for stamping on Ricardo Carvalho.


LEFT IN THE DEPARTURE LOUNGE
Leighton Baines (Everton)
Despite a consistent season with Everton, Baines failed to make it as the reserve left-back after a poor performance in the warm-up match against Mexico and an admission that he gets homesick.
Darren Bent (Sunderland)
Bent scored 24 goals in 38 league games in a struggling Sunderland team but it was not enough to fire him to the World Cup after he failed to break his international scoring duck in the warm-up game against Japan.
Michael Dawson (Tottenham Hotspur)
Dawson remains uncapped, perhaps harshly not even given a chance in either of the warm-up games.
Tom Huddlestone (Tottenham Hotspur)
Failed to make an impression as a holding midfielder in the warm-up games and his chance was pretty much gone as soon as Gareth Barry was declared to be fit. Five years younger than Barry and Michael Carrick, he can be seen as one for the future.
Adam Johnson (Manchester City)
A strong finish to the season from Johnson put him in the original squad of 30 and, as a natural left-footer, he seemed to be in with a chance. But he was only given six minutes against Mexico to make an impact, though he did almost latch on to Rooney's through ball. A harsh omission.
Scott Parker (West Ham United)
Parker also finished the domestic season strongly, putting in a series of brave performances to keep West Ham in the Premier League. There was always the impression, though, that he was a decent player in a struggling team but nothing more - and Capello did not see fit to give him any time in the warm-up games.
Theo Walcott (Arsenal)
Shock inclusion in 2002, and shock omission in 2006. Walcott has come in for some criticism for failing to use his electric pace to better effect but he is perhaps harshly judged against a brilliant performance when he scored a hat-trick to help England beat Croatia 4-1. Certainly, he is no worse than Shaun Wright-Phillips at providing a final ball and his exclusion means that, for the first time since 1990, there are no Arsenal players in the England squad. Thankfully, Walcott seems to have taken the news well and, at 21, has plenty of time to play in future World Cups.