England 1 France 2
November 18th 2010 18:39
Link: twitter.com/mattsaltmer
Last night in an International friendly, France triumphed at Wembley, 2-1 against England. In the final International of a disappointing year for both countries, the two biggest disappointments of the World Cup were looking to end 2010 on a high. Les Blues dominated the game from start to finish, and goals from Karim Benzema and Matheu Valbuena were enough for victory. Peter Crouch managed to keep up his impressive goalscoring record for England with a late consolation goal, his first touch after coming on a sub.
After pressing the home side's defence from the off, a neat one two on the edge of the box between Benzema and Nasri, allowed the Real Madrid striker to fire past Ben Foster at his near post. Then ensued a dull first half, with the French midfielders giving a lesson in how to keep possession. Sagna's cross early in the second half, saw Valbuena steal in at the far post to double the lead. England came back into the game in the closing stages, and Crouch's deft finish from a corner atleast gave the scoreline a better look.
Fabio Capello used the friendly to blood new players, with mixed results. Newcastle striker Andy Carroll was England's best player on the night, and will no doubt remain part of future plans after being a rare bit of light on his debut. Kieran Gibbs gave an inconsistent performance at left-back, but given his lack of first team football at Arsenal, it was to be expected, and he has undoubted potential. Jordan Henderson looked uncomfortable in central midfield, but was asked to play a holding role next to Gareth Barry, rather than his usual box-to-box style at Sunderland. He was asked to contain the likes of Gourcoff, Nasri, Malouda and Valbuena, who simply did not give much ball away.
The result cannot be put down to the youngsters though. Senior players such as Gareth Barry really failed to perform, and his place in the side will surely come under threat once Lampard is back fit. Defenders Jagialka and Lescott failed to impress in defence, and given their advancing years, may not get many more chances to shine. Overall there are few positives to take as an England fan from this game, or the year as a whole. Lets hope 2011 will bring better performances and results.
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Comment by Kranium Decay
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He's a class. Hope he does the same things for Real Madrid.
Comment by Matt Saltmer
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Best in Footy
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Comment by Kranium Decay
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