Defoe hushes Fabio critics

Spurs striker notches hat-trick as England down Bulgaria 4-0 in Group G

By James Dall   Last updated: 4th September 2010   Subscribe to RSS Feed

England v Bulgaria Jermain Defoe

Hat-trick hero salutes England fans at Wembley

England v Bulgaria Jermain Defoe

Defoe: Opened scoring after just three minutes
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England went some way to ridding themselves of their World Cup 2010 hangover and also silencing manager Fabio Capello's critics as Jermain Defoe's hat-trick helped slay Bulgaria in the Three Lions' first Euro 2012 qualifier.

Defoe was paired up front with strike partner Wayne Rooney in a 4-4-2 formation, a decision condemned by some, but the Tottenham Hotspur forward made an instant impact after just three minutes at Wembley as he lashed home in clinical fashion.

And Rooney, guilty of a poor South Africa, was again key in the second goal of the match as England counter-attacked well with the Manchester United man sliding in Defoe, who made no mistake as he rolled a finish under goalkeeper Nikolay Mihaylov.

Adam Johnson then grabbed his first England goal, Rooney the provider once more, before Defoe's hat-trick was sealed, the Spurs player slotting in with aplomb, although sustaining an injury in the process on a night which also saw Michael Dawson stretchered off.

Nonetheless, the winning start to Group G was just what the doctor ordered for Capello and his side, who travel to Switzerland next Tuesday.

Have a Hart

Aside from Defoe's obvious match-winning contribution, Joe Hart was outstanding and James Milner looked far more comfortable on the left flank than he did in South Africa.

It will also have pleased him that a substitute, Adam Johnson, scored England's third goal and broke his own international duck on his third appearance.

In claiming he has been built up into a god or a monster by the media, depending on results, Capello also knows his aura of infallibly has been stripped away.

The brutal truth is that from now until such time as England are lining up for their opening match of the European Championship in either Poland or the Ukraine, every success will be met with some scepticism.

Defoe scored after three minutes. Of course, England scored with similar speed in their opening World Cup game against the United States. They did not win it.

The Three Lions played with verve and panache at times and thoroughly deserved their victory. Then again, they did that nine times in 10 qualifying games under Capello to reach the World Cup. What good did it do them thereafter?

Questions will be asked at every turn. We know Capello is a good coach. It will take him a long while to prove he is a good England coach.

Still, while there are grounds for optimism, the Italian is perfectly entitled to stand on them.

He may have selected seven of the side chiefly responsible for the debacle against Germany in Bloemfontein, but there was a definite freshness about his team.

Two of the four who had no part in the Germany match, Hart and Walcott, were among the better performers.

Frank Lampard and John Terry, who both pulled out through injury, and Rio Ferdinand, who was never in contention, were not missed at all.

England could not have made a better start.

Rooney's pass released Ashley Cole whose initial shot was parried by Nikolay Mihaylov.

The Chelsea man was on to the rebound in a flash and when he turned it back for Defoe, the player who by rights should now be recovering from groin surgery provided an excellent first-time finish.

Walcott's pace caused Bulgaria huge difficulties during a frantic English attacking display. James Milner had a shot deflected wide and Defoe just failed to connect with a low Walcott cross.

Nearly-gaffe

The only time England found themselves in trouble was their own fault, when Glen Johnson's attempt to turn Ivelin Popov's cross away for a corner instead threatened a horrendous own goal until Hart plunged across to his right to make a vital save.

Rooney is still struggling to find his touch and at times looked well off the pace.

But a sublime chip five minutes into the second half was a reminder of the talent he possesses and Mihaylov needed to make a fingertip save to deny the Manchester United man.

Three direct assists are not to be sniffed at either, even if his international goal drought now extends to 11 games.

Dawson's horrible injury followed. Slow motion replays showed the defender's left knee buckling under him.

As he was carried off in obvious pain, it was hard to avoid the conclusion that he will not be back on a football pitch again for some considerable time, which is heartbreaking for him, and devastating for Harry Redknapp given his opportunity to bring in a replacement ended three days ago.

There followed a pivotal 15 seconds, which started with an excellent Hart reaction save to repel Martin Petrov.

England countered immediately and a flowing move involving Gareth Barry, Steven Gerrard and Rooney ended with Defoe firing through Mihaylov's legs.

Adam Johnson's strike eased England further clear and paved the way for Defoe to complete his momentous three-timer four minutes from time.

The Tottenham striker suffered some kind of twinge as he sealed the trio of goals and was immediately replaced by Ashley Young.

Capello was left to hope the recovery will be swift, and Defoe confirmed within minutes of the final whistle that he will be ready to face the Swiss.

EnglandTeam StatisticsBulgaria
4Goals0
11st Half Goals0
8Shots on Target2
5Shots off Target3
1Blocked Shots3
8Corners2
12Fouls9
2Offsides5
1Yellow Cards1
0Red Cards0
87.4Passing Success79.6
17Tackles16
88.2Tackles Success81.2
59.8Possession40.2
50.2Territorial Advantage49.8

Comments (89)

Seb Franklin says...

When people compare England to Spain Holland and Germany yesterday did you see who those teams played against yesterday far weaker oppositions than England did yesterday. Bulgaria arent a team to mess around with. Some teams in their group have struggled in the past. It will be different when we play them in Sofia because their fans will be behind them and it also might be a smaller pitch to contend with. Spain played Liechtenstein and to only beat them 0-4 in Vaduz is rubbish really. Likewise with the Germans only managed to beat Belgium 0-1 and Holland only managed to put 5 past San Marino isnt great either. If England had played like they did last night I think Englandwould have beaten Germany and both Holland and Spain. They didnt look great last night. They play much better against better opposition obviously but there lacklustre performances shows that anybody can beat anybody. Spain play boring football and should never have won the World Cup it should have been Germany Uruguay or possibly Holland and never in a million years Spain who all they do is put 11 players behind the ball and defend all the time when they are leading 1-0. Yes its a tactical move but its still a poor way to win really. That is the only reason why they only managed to score 8 goals in the world cup whereas Germany scored 16. They scored the most goals along with Uruguay. How Germany and Uruguay played at this summers World Cup shows you that they can compete against the best when it matters. But judging by Germanys performance yesterday they only managed to win 0-1 in Belgium last night. And for me Belgium are just the same as Bulgaria is average to say the least.

Posted 14:41 4th September 2010

Ryan De wit (Birmingham City fan) says...

let''s be honest. Lampard is one of the best midfielders england has seen in a long time. but he doesn''t have a place in Capellpoe''s side, in the same way i thought Rooney didn''t till last night. the position Lamps plays is too free, and in a capelloe side that can''t really work. if he plays in a set position, e.g. defensive midfield, it may be not the best use of his abilities, but it would strengthen their whole back line. It was a solid performance, and credit where it''s due, bulgaria had a tricky formation to deal with, and naturally once in a while a player will run through. Which is what Joe Hart is for!!! no need for Terry, there is far more trust between Dawson and Jagielka, and probably who-ever replaces poor Dawson, then there will ever be with John. up front this partnership is yet to really live up to what it can, think Rooney can be a little more selfish, couple of occasions where he could of had a shot, but by passing it on the chance was gone. perhaps Walcott should play a more central role, and have AJ come in for Milner or Barry, neither of which really impress me. A 4-2-2-2 with Lamps and Stevie in front of the back, alternating attacking ventures, with Walcott, Johnson having free license to role the other two thirds of the pitch, Rooney and Defoe up front. Switzerland should be easy pickings on Tuesday, ALL THE BEST ENGLAND

Posted 13:44 4th September 2010

Nobby Hall (Liverpool fan) says...

Yet again nothing but negative comments. We''ll never be successful because we''re too quick to criticise and create extra pressure on ourselves. The media do nothing but slag Capello off. It''s as if they''re on a mission to get him sacked. All that would do is but us back to square one yet again. Yes the world cup was disappointing but let''s show some true support and give some true English support!

Posted 13:18 4th September 2010

Duane Roystone (Manchester United fan) says...

Dunno why people are getting so excited, it was Bulgaria not Brazil. No disrespect to Bulgaria, but with the players we have we should be beating teams like this 4-0 with no pre-match nerves from the fans or needing to prove anything. The best thing to come out of this match was Joe Hart - quality keeper, should keep the no.1 spot in my opinion - with Foster as no.2 competing for the no.1 jersey.

Posted 12:00 4th September 2010

Chris Szuca (Manchester United fan) says...

Does anyone honestly belive that putting frank lampard in this team will improve the side? good to see some improvment after such a shocking summer

Posted 11:38 4th September 2010

James Skirving (Arsenal fan) says...

People mention this dodgy make shift back line but the only dodgy part was Glen Johnson! In a poor to average team he looks good (like when he was at Pompey) against better oppo he is found out! Poor defender, nearly scored an own goal!! New right back please fabio!!

Posted 11:20 4th September 2010

Matt Waite says...

Great front 2 last night. it worked very well. rooney looked like he enjoyed his role. is glen Johnson really our best right back? he is shocking.

Posted 11:18 4th September 2010

Obe Edewor (Arsenal fan) says...

Post something everytime and it never goes up but once again I''ll give it a try. I find it astonishing that every England game played which Theo is involved in Spud fans go out of their way to criticise him, Dawson wasn''t spot on with his positioning and like the previous game his mistake let someone clean through. And now I''ll make the same point I always make about Theo, Theo Walcott is a striker not a right midfield player he''s a striker Arsenal play 4-3-3 do you see us swinging in balls into to box to be headed errr no, we and he doesn''t play like that then you play him as a traditional beckham role and expect great deliveries (would like to see Crouch, Defoe, or Bent swing in inch perfect balls all the time them playing out of position) credit where credit is due, Defoe last night was excellent no wasting job done, And how I wish we bought Hart (no chance now) just because you support a rival team doesn''t mean you have to put down players from another this match wasn''t Arsenal Vs. Tottenham was England vs. Bulgaria get some perspective.

Posted 11:08 4th September 2010

Rob Malseed (Nottingham Forest fan) says...

Wait til England faces a real team, and not one from such a weak group. England always get weak group opponents in order to guarantee entry into the championship. If England was playing Germany last night the score would have been the other way round, and there would be more talk about England winning the European Cup.

Posted 11:08 4th September 2010

Robert Booth says...

I don''t know who said it - either Pele or Platini: "If the world cup were staged in September/October, England would win regularly, but until they start playing less fottball - have a winter break, like the rest of Europe, and reduce our domestic calendar - they might as well stay at home." It isn''t all Capello''s fault. And what if the ref and/or linesman had seen our second goal against Germany... Yes, we might have lost just the same, but, then again, we might not have. Had the ref seen it, psychologically England would have been the stronger; no team likes to be 2-0 up, and then 2-2...

Posted 10:58 4th September 2010

Ernest Mbuthia (Manchester United fan) says...

What''s with all the negative talk. England fans need to take the positives and build on that. What happened at the world cup is water under the bridge! Move on and learn to appreciate good wins. i don''t know of any team that would be unhappy with such a scoreline on any day!

Posted 10:55 4th September 2010

Scott Smith (Manchester United fan) says...

At last a reasonable game, no Lampard and Terry did we really miss them? As a Manchester red it pains me to say Gerrard plays so much better with Lamps. When will Cappello see this. Although it is a sad day when Man City have more England internationals than Utd.

Posted 10:34 4th September 2010

Alan H (Manchester United fan) says...

Look how well England play when you have not got Lampard in midfield holding up play and missing goal on every touch!

Posted 10:31 4th September 2010

Terry Mckenna says...

I saw the game last night and had to remember Bulgaria are 36 places below us in FIFA rankings!! Having said that there were signs of an improvement. Hart looks as though he''ll be around for ever.Cole flatters to deceive when he has no wde man to look after.Terry, Lampard who!! Would be interesting to play Walcott AND Defoe side by side with Rooney providing the ammunition. He and Gerrard link up so well EVERY time I see them in the middle.We just need 6 other players THEN we might have a decent team at last. I hope Dawsons injury isn''t as bad as it looks

Posted 10:25 4th September 2010

Mike P (Tottenham Hotspur fan) says...

All this nonsense about formations - the most relevant point is to have a balanced side. England too often field unbalanced teams especially with Gerrard & lamps, then compound by adding very poor players e.g. G Johnson, SWP, etc.; A properly balanced team can change formation throughout a match as required. Of course we should get behind new team but should also demand answers from capello/Pearce/Clemence and FA for the dreadful squad and team selections and poor tactics in SA.

Posted 10:14 4th September 2010

Karl Hartley says...

Cant complain with a strong four nil win and a vastly improved and hungry performance. I think the critisism is a bit harsh because in any game I take a win and that score line anytime. Bulgaria are a decent solid outfit not great but stronger than a fair few other teams in Europe. When we compare this result to our rivals like Italy and France who definately didnt impress last night, I would congratulated England on a fine win. I do agree that the sideways passing we do drives me nuts, why?? So boring and negative. Next game would be very interesting to know where we stand as a footballing nation.

Posted 09:49 4th September 2010

Stevie Stocks (Everton fan) says...

Don''t get to carried away with this performance, if they was a half decent side they''d of got a few, because G Johnson is awfull... I think they should go with Jagielka and Cahill at the back, must start playing A Johnson more, he''s obviously quality, Milner is also playing great. Good result, but no results going to make up what happend in the World cup.

Posted 09:40 4th September 2010

Simon Rourke (Manchester United fan) says...

Here we go again, convincing win for England at home in a qualifier and everyone get''s carried away and starts to think we can win the Euros! Fact is England have not performed in any tournament since 96 and given our abject display in SA I can''t see us getting anywhere near the final stages of the Euros

Posted 09:38 4th September 2010

Bob Linen (Southampton fan) says...

Ppl get alittle bit ''too'' carried away, yes a decent performance by England (which we''ve seen before)....Although my opinion is........ "England are supposed to beat Bulgaria HANDSOMELY at WEMBLEY".....The Nation needs to get a grip and remember if we have improved and keep improving too...WHAT ABOUT Spain, Germany and Holland then..Wont they improve too???? And from what i saw in South Africa they are quite some distance away from Us in their ability already.

Posted 09:36 4th September 2010

Malcolm Foster says...

Why are so many people moaning about england if you dont like them no-one forced you to watch the match which i thought was a pretty good effort by the lads man of the match has got to be a toss up between hart and defoe but the other lads did really well i thought except for barry who i forgot was even on the pitch.

Posted 09:34 4th September 2010

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