Defoe hat-trick helps batter Bulgaria
442 Staff - Friday 03 September 2010, 22:44
LONDON - A hat-trick from Jermain Defoe
led England to an encouraging 4-0 win over Bulgaria as Fabio
Capello's World Cup flops began their rehabilitation in some
style in Euro 2012 qualifying on Friday.
Defoe helped ease the pressure on Capello when he volleyed
home after three minutes of England's opening Group G tie at
Wembley Stadium and the striker capped a fine team performance
with two more well-taken goals in the second half.
Substitute Adam Johnson also scored his first international
goal in the 83rd minute.
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Although England celebrated a convincing victory margin they
also needed an outstanding performance from new first-choice
goalkeeper Joe Hart.
Hart made three excellent saves but the key one, and the
turning point of the game, came when he got a strong right hand
to a shot from Stanislav Angelov in the first half and set up a
counter-attack in the process.
Fourteen seconds after Hart's save Defoe had the ball in the
back of the net. Instead of being level at 1-1, England led 2-0
and Bulgaria's resistance was broken.
Wayne Rooney, who had a poor World Cup in June, looked like
a new man playing deep and roaming around in attack and had a
hand in all four goals.
He almost ended his 10-match scoring drought for England
with a superb chip after 50 minutes which goalkeeper Nikolay
Mihaylov tipped over the bar.
The only blemish on an otherwise encouraging night for
England came after 57 minutes when defender Michael Dawson,
winning his second cap, injured his knee and left the field on a
stretcher in obvious pain.
SEVEN SURVIVORS
England, starting with seven of the side eliminated from the
World Cup by Germany in the second round, bore little
resemblance to the team that played so dismally in South Africa.
They produced more movement, passes and sheer vigour in the
opening 20 minutes than they did in their four World Cup games.
England captain Steven Gerrard set up the move that led to
Defoe's early breakthrough with a long pass upfield which found
Rooney.
He in turn fed Ashley Cole and although his first effort was
parried by Mihaylov, the defender's second cross found Defoe who
smashed a volley into the roof of the net.
England controlled the rest of the half without seriously
threatening to increase their lead but Bulgaria came close to an
equaliser when Glen Johnson diverted a cross from Chavdar Yankov
too powerfully towards his own goal, forcing Hart into a smart
stop.
It was not all plain sailing for England. Without the
injured John Terry and Rio Ferdinand at the heart of his
defence, Capello gambled on Dawson and Phil Jagielka as his
centre-backs.
The pair acquitted themselves superbly until Dawson's injury
meant he was replaced by debutant Gary Cahill.
Defoe shone the brightest, doubling the lead after 61
minutes with a left-foot shot and completing his hat-trick four
minutes from time with an angled drive that gave Mihaylov no
chance.
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