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Player Ratings: England 3-0 Belarus
Performances of the English and Belarussians in their final World Cup qualifier are examined.
15-Oct-2009 3:20:02 AM
ENGLAND
Foster: 7.0 - Good positioning when defending set pieces. Got strong mitts to a deflected shot from distance that he kept his eyes on. Promoted his cause for a continued starting role with a fine block from Omeyanchuk. However, his command of the area was lacking.
Johnson: 5.5 - Made space for himself expertly, cutting diagonally in from the right hand side before the half hour mark but a woeful finish let him down. Later lost possession carelessly to Bordachev.
Ferdinand: 6.5 - Because Belarus disregarded the closing down tactic, Ferdinand & Co had the comfort of time to pass, move, and begin play from the back. He seems to have recovered, mentally, from his weekend mistake. Read the game well.
Terry: 6.5 - Aerially dominant, needed no excuse to get forward and even attempted a volleyed scissor-style side kick but connected more with the opposition defence than he did with the ball. Exemplary blocking.
Bridge: 6.0 - Made good runs down the left. Brought off for Milner amid concern over a leg injury.
Lennon: 7.0 - His general wing play was good - he used the full width of the pitch. In one situation he was harassed by a trio of chasing Belarusians but still snuck the ball to a team-mate. When he switched flanks temporarily his final ball was lacking.
Lampard: 6.0 - Timed his runs well. Sound set-piece delivery prior to the introduction of David Beckham. Nice rise and dip from a 25-yard free kick early in the second half, but was otherwise quiet.
Barry: 6.5 - There are escalating claims that he is incapable of picking a pass, but he found former team-mate Agbonlahor with a perfectly placed pass prior to Crouch finding the first.
Wright-Phillips: 7.5 - Took a decent shot early on. Showed intuition. The team lined up in a traditional English 4-4-2 system but Wright-Phillips' natural tendency to drift right found him not making full use of the left hand side of the pitch. Capitalised on Belarus' lethargic closing down to sneak a shot past the grip of Zhevnov for England's second.
Crouch: 8.0 - Scored twice. Rolled the ball over the line for the first. Linked well and seemed to form a fluent understanding with Gabriel for, erm, perhaps ten minutes. His height became an obvious route of opening up the defence. For his second, his willingness to chase saw him score from a rebound after a powerful thumped strike from Cole.
Agbonlahor: 7.0 - Fed Crouch and got the assist for the first, also had a hand in the second as he won the corner. Stretched the defence with his pace. Confident display in the first half - ran well with the ball.
Subs
Beckham: 7.5 - His introduction changed the game, it further inspired the crowd and this seemed to have an effect on the pitch. Increased his international assist total, but is still (bizarrely) yet to score at Wembley.
Milner: 7.0 - n/a.
C. Cole: 6.5 - n/a.
BELARUS
Zhevnov: 5.0 - Produced a good diverting save when Frank Lampard tested the glovesman from distance. Should have done better with England's second. Conceded thrice.
Shitov: 5.5 - High robust challenge on Wright-Phillips won him a cautionary booking. Showed he was capable of teasing diagonal crosses from deep that had Foster worried on more than one occasion.
Verkhovtsov: 5.0 - Continued his role in the heart of defence but was guilty of not charging down those in possession. He was not the only one, mind.
Sosnovsky: 6.5 - Like some of his team-mates he was calm and composed when England pressed. Once the recovery was made, he passed the ball out of defence in an unworried manner.
Yurevich: 7.0 - An intelligent passer of the football. The rearguard passed around themselves aiming to keep hold of the ball, he rarely - if at all - lost possession. Made no hesitation in conceding corners and/or throw-ins if there was a shred of danger lurking
Kulchy: 5.5 - The veteran international did not seem too overawed about the situation, despite his pre-game acknowledgment that he might be star-struck facing John Terry.
Omeyanchuk: 7.0 - A confusing dead-ball attacking situation let Omeyanchuk fire in from 30-yards but his low drive found the grasp of Foster. Often looked to create, and utilised the through ball. Tried to round off a good team-move late in the game but his shot was thwarted, superbly, by Foster.
Kalachev: 6.5 - Tried to test England's centre-backs with some lofted crosses from wide.
Kutuzov: 7.0 - Was central to some swift passing play in the middle. His hesitation in the final third allowed Barry to time his challenge well to rob Belarus of a clear goal-scoring chance. Should have been more aggressive.
Bordachev: 6.5 - Alert to loose balls. Denied an intent and zippy Lennon a shot on goal when he burst into the box.
Kornilenko: 6.5 - Excellent play up-top just before the end of the first half, and showed neat one-two work that helped play in Kutuzov inside the area. Booked for a rash challenge.
Subs
Rodionov: 6.5 - n/a.
Kovel: 6.0 - n/a.
Kashevsky: 6.0 - n/a.
Alan Dawson
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