Club Trip To England V Israel Euro 2008 Qualifier
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8th Sep 2007 |
England 3-0 Israel
UEFA European Championship Qualifier
5pm, Saturday 8 September 2007
Wembley Stadium
It was to be the third time in four months that over 50 members of the Club took to the road to see England at Wembley Stadium. This time England took on Israel in a UEFA European Championship Qualifier. 85,372 spectators cheered the England Senior Squad onto a convincing victory over Israel .
Hopefully this was to be the start of many victories to come!!
MATCH REPORT BELOW
Michael Owen's stunning strike overshadowed Micah Richards' first goal in an England shirt as the Three Lions kept pace with the leaders in Group E.
After Shaun Wright-Phillips had put England deservedly ahead, Owen brought the house down four minutes after half-time with a majestic turn and half-volley into the top corner.
Richards' 66th minute header was slightly more routine but it was a special moment nevertheless for the all-action defender.
On a grey afternoon, Wembley Stadium was awash with red, white and blue for England's vital Euro 2008 Qualifier with Israel.
England Head Coach Steve McClaren included Emile Heskey - his first appearance since Euro 2004 - up front with Owen while behind them, Steven Gerrard and Gareth Barry were flanked by the Chelsea pair of Joe Cole and Wright-Phillips.
The defence had a more familiar look although they were rarely tested by their toothless opponents.
Heskey made a lively start, continually linking up with Owen while his physical presence was a constant problem for the Israel backline.
He should have made a scoring return to the England side on ten minutes. In a role reversal, Owen controlled Barry's measured pass and presented Heskey with a golden chance to net his first goal since May 2003. But composure gave way to over-eagerness and he skied horribly.
The Wigan man went close again minutes later when he rose highest but headed Gerrard's corner wide.
Wright-Phillips showed Heskey how to do it on 20 minutes as the Chelsea connection put England ahead.
Timing his run to perfection, the diminutive winger latched onto Joe Cole's cross before guiding a half-volley past the exposed Dudu Aouate.
Cole provided Owen with the chance to double England's advantage on 34 minutes. After his namesake Ashley did wonderfully well to keep the ball in play, England's other Cole toe-poked across the six-yard box but the Newcastle forward could not turn it home.
The Newcastle man should have scored three minutes later with Cole again at the heart of the action, cushioning Wright-Phillips' cross into Owen's path. The prolific forward blasted the ball into Aouate's face. The rebound fell kindly but Owen slashed wildly to send the ball into the stand behind the goal.
England were only a fingertip save away from scoring a second five minutes before the break, Aouate flinging himself to his left to palm wide from Ashley Cole.
The Three Lions continued to push forward as the half came to an end with the excellent Heskey heading Gerrard's cross to Wright-Phillips whose low cross just eluded Owen.
But Owen did not have to wait long to light up Wembley. Receiving Barry's 49th minute pass, he controlled, swivelled and unleashed an unstoppable half-volley into the top corner.
Already England's highest scorer in competitive matches, Owen is now just eleven shy of equaling Sir Bobby Charlton's record all-time haul of 49.
Richards is unlikely to trouble that impressive feat, but he was full value for his first goal at senior level.
With little room to manoeuvre in a conjested box, Richards towered above the defence to powerfully head home Barry's cross.
The jubilant defender celebrating by pointing to the name on the back of his shirt, not that anyone in the stadium needed reminding after another impressive show.
McClaren handed David Bentley an England debut although it was another substitute, Andy Johnson, who sent Owen clear as the game reached its dying embers.
With just the keeper to beat, Owen masterfully rounded Aouate before rolling the ball towards goal. With Wembley about to cheer goal number four, a sliding Yoav Ziv appeared from nowhere to block three yards out.
England
1 Paul Robinson, 2 Micah Richards, 3 Ashley Cole, 4 Steven Gerrard (14 Phil Neville), 5 Rio Ferdinand, 6 John Terry (c), 7 Gareth Barry, 8 Shaun Wright-Phillips (15 David Bentley), 9 Emile Heskey (17 Andrew Johnson), 10 Michael Owen, 11 Joe Cole
Subs not used: 12 Wes Brown, 13 David James, 16 Stewart Downing, 18 Jermain Defoe
Goals: Wright-Phillips 40, Owen 49, Richards 66
Israel
1 Dudu Aouate, 2 Yuval Shpungin, 3 Tal Ben-Haim, 4 Arik Benado (12 Omer Golan), 5 Shimon Gershon, 9 Barak Yitzhaki (8 Toto Tamuz), 10 Walid Badir, 11 Idan Tal, 14 Yoav Ziv, 15 Yossi Benayoun (c), 20 Yaniv Katan (7 Michael Zandberg)
Subs not used: 22 Nir Davidovic (gk), 16 Yigal Antebi, 19 Gal Alberman, 17 Pini Balali)
Attendance 85,372