Bulgaria vs England review- 2nd September, 2011
England took a massive step towards confirming their presence in Poland and Ukraine next summer as they beat Bulgaria 3-0 in Sofia.
Coach Fabio Capello chose to give youngster Chris Smalling his debut at right back and surprisingly opted to exclude Frank Lampard from his starting lineup, using Scott Parker and Gareth Barry in midfield. The hostile 30,000 + strong Bulgarian squad were silenced when Bolton defender Gary Cahill put the Three Lions ahead in the 13th minute.
Eight minutes later Man Utd striker Wayne Rooney continued his rich vein of form as he nodded in a corner from Stewart Downing to make it 2-0.
The game ended as a contest in first half injury time when an excellent counter attack saw Ashley Young and Theo Walcott combine to set up Rooney’s second of the game.
England did have a few chances to make the scoreline more one sided in the second half. Liverpool’s Downing came closest with his header that hit the post, but Capello’ s boys, playing in their brand new away strip, were happy to preserve their energies ahead of Tuesday’s qualifier against Wales.
Based on their performance in Sofia, it is a fixture that those who have purchased England football tickets for the clash against the Welsh will be keenly anticipating.
