EURO 2012 Match Review: Switzerland versus England
England played Switzerland at the St. Jacob Park in Basel to decide the outcome of the second qualification match for both the countries, who are also a part of the qualification group G. England started with a surprise selection at the back in Joleon Lescott.
Capello selected the ex-Everton defender to play at the centre back spot for the English national team. Lescott was brought in to replace Michael Dawson, who injured himself in England’s previous qualification match against Bulgaria at Wembley.
Fabio Capello’s choice raised a few questions before the match had even started. The Manchester City player had been playing for his club at the left back position in the 2010-2011 English Premier League season, rather than at the centre back position where the ex-A.C Milan manager had deployed him for England’s second qualification match.
Up front in attack, England continued with their successful duo of Wayne Rooney and Jermain Defoe. Despite reports of infidelity regarding Rooney’s private life, the Manchester United striker was entrusted by the Italian manager to do the job effectively for England on the night. Defoe merited his selection through his hat trick of goals against Bulgaria on Friday, the 3rd of September, 2010.
In midfield, the English national team retained Theo Walcott on the right wing along with Steven Gerrard and Gareth Barry in the middle. On the left side of midfield, James Milner held onto his regular starting spot in the post-World Cup era for England. At the back, Phil Jagielka and Lescott formed an inexperienced partnership in the middle of the defence while Ashley Cole played on the left as Glen Johnson played on the right side of defence.
Joe Hart maintained his place in goal for England after the Manchester City goal keeper had a fine game against Bulgaria. For Switzerland, Ottmar Hitzfeld went with the experienced goal scorer Alexander Frei in attack whereas Gokhan Inler was deployed in midfield to keep a check on the likes of Theo Walcott and Steven Gerrard.
England started the match off brightly and Walcott was their main avenue of attack down the right side of midfield. Right at the start, he won a free kick against David Degen, who was playing as Switzerland’s left back. Within the first ten minutes England took the lead through the much criticized Wayne Rooney as the striker provided an expert finish to Glen Johnson’s accurate cross from the right side of the English attack.
However, there was a down side to this bright moment for England as their winger Walcott sustained an injury in the build up to the goal and he was substituted in place of Adam Johnson at the 13thminute mark. It looked like a serious injury for the Arsenal man, who had caught his foot in turf and wounded it as a result.
England emphasized their superiority in the rest of the half as well by keeping Hitzfeld’s team on the back foot and creating all sorts of chances mainly from their impressive movement on the right side of midfield. At the end of the first half, the score line was in favour of the English national team by a goal to nil.
Following the start of the second half, the first yellow card of the match was shown to Lichtsteiner of Switzerland in the 57th minute of the match. The Swiss full back was booked after his continuous protests against the referee’s decision to give England a goal kick. In the 60th minute, James Milner followed his opponent into the referee’s book after illegally stopping Lichtsteiner’s run down the left side of the English defence.
Perhaps the game’s most important moment came in the 65thminute of the match as Lichtsteiner was shown his second yellow card of the night and as a result he was suspended from participating in the rest of the match for Switzerland. The Swiss were then forced to play on with ten men against eleven Englishmen.
England benefited from their numerical advantage and doubled their lead in the 69th minute of the second half as Gerrard’s sublime through ball found Adam Johnson in space inside the Swiss penalty area.
The Manchester City winger got past the Swiss goal keeper with ease and scored England’s second goal of the night. England’s goal was followed up by Jermain Defoe’s injury, the Tottenham striker left the field on a stretcher as Darren Bent replaced him in the English attack.
Switzerland soon rallied and pulled a goal back through a marvelous strike by their midfielder Shaqiri in the 71st minute of the match. Joe Hart, the English goalkeeper could not get near the shot as Switzerland cut the English lead in half despite being a man down.
The Three Lion’s put the match beyond the Swiss in the 88th minute as Darren Bent got his first goal for the English national team to make it three goals to one for Capello’s men. The eventual score line was 3-1 as England ended up as comfortable winners on the night.
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