The International break from the competition for domestic football trophies has yielded just as much entertainment as a normal super saturday.
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There were plenty of goals on show and, although it was generally expected that England would beat Moldova in Chisinau, nobody really expected a 5-0 drumming of the Eastern European side.
Hodgson has had injury trouble in choosing his side which has led to him giving a very young squad a chance to shine. This turned out to be a good opportunity for Hodgson to see which players are going to be crucial for the World Cup in Brazil in 2014.
Some would say a risk was taken in playing Stephen Gerrard and Frank Lampard together in midfield. It has long been thought, and often proved, that the pair have trouble playing in the same side. Separately they are undeniably brilliant players, Gerrard proved this in Euro 2012 by being the lone representative in an England kit in Uefa’s 23 man all star team.
Lampard has had to shake off rumours of his retirement from International football, with speculation that Chelsea may not be renewing his contract and a lot of youngsters in the England line up bidding for his famed number 8 football kit. His game against Moldova will have quieted those rumours. He scored two of England’s five football goals, one penalty in the fourth minute after Cleverley’s shot was handled, then he headed another on the 29th minute.
From then on it was all downhill for the Moldovans, ranked 141st in the world. The huge gap in skill was evident and the Moldovans may as well have been wearing football bibs on the training ground for all the resistance they offered.
Defoe broke his habit of scoring late in the second half by receiving and finishing a well placed pass by the Ox, another young player who impressed in the Euros and has bucket loads of potential.
Gerrard was replaced by Carrick in the second half and then England had to wait until the 74th minute for Milner to fire a shot past the Moldovan ‘keeper, but by then the game was a foregone conclusion. The icing on a very gluttonous cake was added by Leighton Baines who put a free kick into the back of the net for his first international football goal, opefully the first of many football nets to be rippled by his skill from set pieces.
Although tough to tell what chances this gives the three lions for the world cup, this will be very encouraging and spirits will be high around the football training equipment before the next game against Ukraine.
In other news Scotland were held to a 0-0 draw by Serbia, with neither team showing any flair nor any ambition to win. Wales seemed to have been robbed in their 2-0 defeat at the hands of Belgium, contesting both a red card for James Collins and the free kick that gave Belgium their second goal.
Northern Ireland boss Michael O’Neill also criticised the penalty decision that gave Russia the lead with 17 minutes left and ultimately cost them the game.
