England defeated Kazakhstan 4-0 on goals from Wayne Rooney, Emile Heskey, Frank Lampard, and Gareth Barry to remain on top of Group 6 in UEFA World Cup Qualifying. It was an up and down match for England who started off shaky but eventually took the lead and never looked back in the second half. Here’s a full recap of Saturday’s win against Kazakhstan.
A Rough Start
Kazakhstan nearly had a dream start as a defensive mistake from Glen Johnson nearly resulted in a goal. However Kazakhstan failed to convert the chance but continued to apply pressure on England. They were the better side for most of the first 25 minutes until striker Ostapenko was injured and the momentum began to switch.
England takes control
After Ostapenko’s exit, England started to gain most of the possesion but still failed to get many chances. The first goal for England came late in the first half as they scored off a corner kick. The corner was taken short then a cross sent into the box as Gareth Barry was unmarked and headed it past the keeper for a 1-0 lead. At this point England began playing with much more confidence and weren’t finished scoring in the first half. In the 45th minute, Gerrard saw Kazakhstan goalkeeper Mokin sleeping and tried a long distance shot. The ball deflected off a defender and Mokin was barely able to make a save but the rebound was right to Emile Heskey. The English striker flicked it past Mokin and England led 2-0 at halftime.
A dominating 2nd half
As the second half started, it was clear that England had the upper hand and Kazakhstan could get little going in attack. England dominated the second half and finished the match off with a goal from Wayne Rooney and Frank Lampard. Rooney’s goal came from a great run by Glen Johnson, who beat a defender, and sent a pass into the box. Rooney’s first attempt was saved but the 2nd was in the back of the net. Lampard scored off a penalty kick as Heskey drew a penalty in the box against Kazakhstan.
Conclusion
It was a solid victory for England that struggled in the first half but came alive when they needed it. They are in great shape to win Group 6 and well on their way to South Africa next summer.
| SCORING SUMMARY | |
| Kazakhstan | England |
| Gareth Barry (40) | |
| Emile Heskey (45) | |
| Wayne Rooney (73) | |
| Frank Lampard (pen 78) | |
