England vs Greece, International Friendly
· International FriendlyAbout
England are hosting Greece
at Old Trafford, Manchester, England, starting on
. The match is a part of the International Friendly.
Match Commentary
- 0': The teams are in. And after being left out of Sven-Goran Eriksson's World Cup squad, Jermain Defoe is back to lead the forward line with Peter Crouch. Steven Gerrard fills David Beckham's place on the right while the remaining positions are as expected.
- 0': John Terry leads England out for the first time as captain with the rain lashing down in Manchester. That may explain the vast number of empty seats at Old Trafford.
- 0': All eyes are on the two leaders Terry and Steve McClaren. Terry roars his way through the national anthemn as kick-off looms in England's new era.
- 1': We're under way. England (in red) kick off and will play left to right for the first period.
- 3': The European champions haven't come here to make life easy on McClaren's honeymoon. They settle in well with some slick passing
- 4': England have the first corner of the match. But Downing fails to beat the first man with a miserable cross.
- 6': The atmosphere is flat to say the least. Gerrard tries to liven up proceedings with a drive from all of 30 yards, but his effort tumbles harmlessly past the post.
- 9': Crouch, not the fastest footballer in the world fancies himself against Antzas in the Greek defence. The giant striker falls to the ground after a slight nudge - he'll have to think of another way round the nippy defender.
- 9': The Greeks are in no rush to send players forward. Up until now they seem content holding posession in midfield.
- 13': GOAL: England 1-0 Greece
- 13': New skipper John Terry nods into an empty net after the Greek keeper's feeble clearance allows Defoe to find the Chelsea defender.
- 15': Crouch could so easily have added to Terry's opener just minutes later, but his header from Gerrard's clever cross falls just the wrong side of the upright.
- 17': The Greek transfer window closes tomorrow. If any of these national heroes want a move to the Premiership, they'll have to show more spirit than they are at present.
- 17': Someone in the England coaching staff must have told Rio Ferdinand to venture out of defence more. The Manchester United defender has twice rushed from deep to force an attack.
- 21': It's all England at the moment. Peter Crouch is being targeted with his aerial threat causing the Greek back line problems.
- 21': It may be pouring with rain in the North West of England, but it doesn't perturb the band that follow their national stars. It's a valiant effort to raise the spirits inside the stadium.
- 23': A decent spell for Greece as England are pegged back inside their own half. But the final ball is woeful and there's precious little invention in the final third.
- 24': Ferdinand again comes forward. His endeavour spurs the others around him on and England look assured in posession.
- 25': Heartbreak for Greece midfielder Fyssas. He can't continue, Lagos comes on to replace him.
- 25': GOAL: ENGLAND 2-0 GREECE
- 28': Lampard puts his World Cup form behind him and doubles England's lead. He can thank Antzas for it though. His shot takes a wicked deflection of the Greek centre-half and leaves the keeper stranded.
- 30': Defoe forces a corner after a bright run down the right. He looks in the mood up front.
- 32': The corner causes confusion in the Greek penalty area. The ball falls to Gary Neville who tries his luck from distance, only for Dellas to make a timely block.
- 32': England are linking up well with Downing looking to whip in deadly crosses from the left and Defoe busting a gut to get on the end of them.
- 35': GOAL: ENGLAND 3-0 GREECE
- 35': England are making it look easy! 10 minutes before the break an unmarked Peter Crouch is on hand to stab home from five yards. Frank Lampard should have his second but Crouch finishes the job after the Chelsea man fluffed his effort.
- 36': Defoe is so keen to get his name on the scoresheet. And up against this defence, anything is possible. It's hard to imagine how they lifted the European Championships in 2004.
- 38': Another quick counter for England and the home side have the freedom of Old Trafford. Gerrard's cross almost finds Crouch, but the big man can't get down in time to divert his pass home.
- 40': Owen Hargeaves picks up from where he left off in the World Cup. He's like a terrier in midfield, chasing down every pass and run. Sir Alex Ferguson looks on with interest.
- 41': GOAL: ENGLAND 4-0 GREECE
- 41': It's a rout! Another England attack and another goal. It's Crouch's second and England's fourth. Downing's crisp left-foot cross is the kind of delivery the big man dreams of. He doesn't disappoint and plants his header in the top corner.
- 45': HALF TIME: ENGLAND 4-0 GREECE England can do no wrong and enjoy an impressive first 45 minutes. Steve McClaren must think this England manager business is a breeze. Mind you, the Greek defence resemble a pub team so far not European Champions.
- 45': The second half is about to start and Chris Kirkland's dad is a happy man. His son is coming on which means Eddie will net £10,000 after a bet he made in 1997 that Chris would feature for England before he turned 30.
- 45': The second half is underway and Steve McClaren has resisted the temptation to make wholesale changes. Only the one change in the England goal.
- 48': The half is three minutes old but McClaren has yet to re-appear. Oh, here he comes, and what an ovation he gets from the loyal supporters.
- 50': John Terry is having an immense performance. He said that he wanted to throw himself into every challenge, well that's exactly what he's done tonight.
- 52': The Greeks are running into cul-de-sacs at the moment. They need to find a spark from somewhere before England run up a cricket score.
- 53': At last, a shot from the visitors! Amanathidis cracks one striaght at Kirkland and the Liverpool keeper does well to tip it over.
- 54': Greece are trying to make a game of it. Dellas brings two goal-line clearances from Ashley Cole. A remarkable double-block from the Arsenal left-back.
- 55': The game has opened up. With the pressure off, the Greeks come forward with more freedom and zest than in the entire first half.
- 57': There's no doubt which England keeper has had the most work to do. It's the Liverpool stopper Kirkland who has had his gloves peppered more. Robinson barely had to lift a finger in the first half.
- 60': An hour gone and Defoe is still searching for the goal he craves. He may be fortunate to start after Dean Ashton's injury, but his confidence and spirit would have caught McClaren's eye.
- 63': He's offside again. Defoe just can't seem to time his runs right tonight. Frank Lampard is constantly looking to play in the speedy forward.
- 63': Greece have now made all their six substitutions and Vintra is writhing around in agony. He'll play on through the pain though.
- 68': It's time for McClaren to make another substituton. Two in fact. Kieron Richardson comes on for Defoe and Aaron Lennon replaces Stewart Downing.
- 69': It looks like England have switched to a 4-3-3 to accommodate the substitutes. Crouch will spearhead the attack with Lennon and Richardson flanking him.
- 71': England haven't dealt with corners at all well. Another chance for Amanatidis almost embarrases John Terry's defence.
- 71': Charisteas tries his luck from distance. With no real pace or venom on the shot Kirkland can fall on the ball and gather easily.
- 74': England deal with the latest corner better. Lampard takes charge and makes a decent clearance.
- 75': For all their dominance in the first half, England have hardly had a shot on the opposition goal this half. They may be 4-0 up but their intensity has petered out.
- 76': Jamie Carragher comes on for Gary Neville and Steven Gerrard makes way for the highest-scoring Englishman in the Premiership last season - Darren Bent.
- 78': Lennon starts to show some of the promise he displayed in Germany. His trickery almost creates a chance for Frank Lampard.
- 80': It's been a somewhat fragmented 15-minute spell for England with the substitutions taking thier toll. Just for good measure Wayne Bridge replaces Cole at left-back.
- 82': Eight minutes to go and some of the locals are heading for the exits. There's plenty of time for another goal, but it doesn't look likely now.
- 83': Karagounis almost finds a goal though. His sweet strike forces Kirkland into another fine save. Charisteas also goes close with a free header.
- 84': It's far from full at Old Trafford but the 45,000 fans have got their money's worth tonight.
- 84': Richardson fancies his chances on his home ground. A cross-cum-shot almost caps a comfortable England performance.
- 87': Owen Hargreaves receives a cheer from the supporters as the tannoy announcer declares the Bayern Munich midfielder as man-of-the-match.
- 90': Two minutes of added time are signalled and it's all smiles on the England bench.
- 92': FULL TIME: ENGLAND 4-0 GREECE
- 92': What a start for Steve McClaren! He couldn't have asked for a better start to his reign in charge. Four goals and a clean sheet will have boosted the Yorkshireman's confidence no end. Even new skipper John Terry got on the scoresheet.
Statistics
 GRE |
ENG |
|
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Fouls | 11 |
| 0 | Yellow Cards | 0 |
| 0 | Red Cards | 0 |
| 1 | Offsides | 5 |
| 8 | Corner Kicks | 6 |
| 5 | Saves | 3 |
| 49 | Possession | 51 |
| 9 | SHOTS | 10 |
| 6 | ON GOAL | 7 |
| 0.7 | On Target % | 0.0 |
| 0 | Penalty Goals | 0 |
| 0 | Penalty Kicks Taken | 0 |
| 0 | Accurate Passes | 0 |
| 0 | Passes | 0 |
| 0.0 | Pass Completion % | 0.0 |
| 0 | Accurate Crosses | 0 |
| 12 | Crosses | 15 |
| 0.0 | Cross % | 0.0 |
| 0 | Long Balls | 0 |
| 0 | Accurate Long Balls | 0 |
| 0.0 | Long Balls % | 0.0 |
| 0 | Blocked Shots | 0 |
| 0 | Effective Tackles | 0 |
| 0 | Tackles | 0 |
| 0.0 | Tackle % | 0.0 |
| 0 | Interceptions | 0 |
| 0 | Effective Clearances | 0 |
| 6 | Clearances | 14 |
Game Information
Competition: International Friendly
Venue: Old Trafford
Location: Manchester, England
Attendance: 45,864
Venue: Old Trafford
Location: Manchester, England
Attendance: 45,864
Line-Ups
England
| No. | Name |
|---|---|
| 1 | Paul Robinson (GK) |
| 2 | Gary Neville |
| 5 | Rio Ferdinand |
| 6 | John Terry |
| 3 | Ashley Cole |
| 4 | Steven Gerrard |
| 8 | Frank Lampard |
| 7 | Owen Hargreaves |
| 11 | Stewart Downing |
| 9 | Jermain Defoe |
| 10 | Peter Crouch |
Greece
| No. | Name |
|---|---|
| 1 | Antonis Nikopolidis (GK) |
| 14 | Takis Fyssas |
| 5 | Traianos Dellas |
| 28 | Paraskevas Antzas |
| 24 | Loukas Vyntra |
| 21 | Kostas Katsouranis |
| 7 | Theo Zagorakis |
| 10 | Georgios Karagounis |
| 8 | Stelios Giannakopoulos |
| 27 | Giorgos Samaras |
| 9 | Angelos Charisteas |
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