3-1 The Convicts Beat England at their own game

Australia 3
England 1

GO AUSSIES GO

Eat my shorts England, we spank your best team 2-0 in the first half and then he substitutes the whole team!!!!

here's a report

England 1-3 Australia: FT Report

PA

First cricket, then tennis and now, most embarrassingly of all, football as England's sporting humiliation at the hands of Australia plumbed to new depths at Upton Park.

Never mind Sven-Goran Eriksson taking a look into England's future talent. He has more than enough to worry about right now.

It was all very well throwing in an experimental under-26 side in the second-half, but he has a very real problem on his hands ahead of the looming qualifying games against Liechtenstein and Turkey.

Not even the eagerly-anticipated debut of Wayne Rooney, who became the youngest-ever England international, or a promising cameo role from Jermaine Jenas managed to paper over the wide open cracks.

In their first game since stumbling to a 2-2 draw at home to Macedonia, England's first-choice team - the only one that really mattered - conspired to play even worse against Australia.

Australia seized the lead early on through Crystal Palace defender Tony Popovic and further punished England's hapless defending with a strike by Harry Kewell just before the break.

Francis Jeffers may have pulled a goal back with 20 minutes left, but Brett Emerton's late strike completed a night of dark foreboding for England's Euro 2004 qualifying campaign.

On a night when even the streaker only managed a half-monty, both of England's teams were booed off the pitch and the ground was half-empty well before the end.

It may have been 119 days since Eriksson's team were last in action, against Macedonia, but this was Australia's first game since their World Cup qualifier against Uruguay in November 2001.

Not that it showed. The visitors were immediately in control, playing with a far greater assurance than England's first team.

While Sol Campbell's header was blocked early on, Kewell issued the first warning with a long-range effort that David James did well to tip around the post.

It was not heeded. Just a few minutes later, James was going through a familiar routine at Upton Park - picking the ball out of the net - as he stayed rooted to his line while Popovic beat Gary Neville to head home a corner.

England rallied but only briefly. Paul Scholes had the ball in the net but the flag had already been raised, while Michael Owen robbed Mark Schwarzer but could not net from a tight angle.

Back came Australia. James pulled off a superb reaction save from Mark Viduka's looping back-header, while Neville denied Scott Chipperfield at the near post and Kewell planted a header over.

England were in a defensive mess, while Kieron Dyer could not come to terms with his left-sided role.

Owen's fortunes had not improved either. While James Beattie was starved of service, his strike partner fluffed his only real chance from 12 yards out.

The contrast to Kewell was almost painful to watch.

A hopeful long ball should have been cut out by Rio Ferdinand but he was muscled off the ball by the impressive Leeds winger, who nonchalantly rounded James before clipping his shot into the empty net.

And that, for the first-team at least, was that.

Club demands had forced Eriksson's hand and rather than sending his side back out for some evidently much-needed match practice, he instead had to substitute them all.

The crowd, however, had already seen enough. Having roundly booed off the first-team at half-time, they cheered the arrival of the new side.

Eriksson not only changed personnel but also tinkered with tactics, with a 4-3-3 formation in which Rooney was on the right side of a strikeforce also featuring Francis Jeffers and Darius Vassell.

The teenager's first touch was as classy as it was instinctive, followed by a deep cross to Vassell, whose shot was deflected just wide.

Rooney certainly had all the confidence and exuberance of youth, trying his luck from long-range and, rather hopefully, claiming a penalty.

Along with Jenas, he certainly ensured England finally had some urgency about their play but, with Paul Robinson diving full-length to deny Kewell, it was taking time for the new-look team to discover any rhythm.

Eventually, they managed to click, with Rooney playing the ball out to Jenas, who attacked the right flank before driving in a low cross which Jeffers stooped to flick his header past Schwarzer.

Hopes flickered but the crowd were right to be non-plussed. This was another false dawn.

Dozens of fans streamed away well before Emerton's late third goal for Australia as they cut through England's second defence just as easily as they had sliced through the first.

And so England's first ever defeat by their great sporting rivals at our national sport was completed.

 

and today we justified it Haven

Number 50 in the world v number 8

 

sure the booing english crowd felt the same way, damn should have heard them as they players walked off at half time

remember we spank the Poms at everything, i would thought they would have had something to play for

I understand we had more to play for, hence my previous post, we need to justify the change in qualification for the WC

i understand what you are saying but if Kewell plays like he did today next time we play them, anything is possible, he was amazing........


and damn is Michael Owen in a rut at the moment, not sure he could get clean contact with his own balls at the minute!!!