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  • 2 days ago
"This may have been a friendly fixture, with no Euro 2000 qualification points at stake, but England did produce a quality performance to beat the team that they could so easily have played in the Euro 96 final. Such a positive result against opponents unbeaten in their nine previous internationals lifted England after a pretty miserable autumn. Hoddle and his players left the field to a great chorus of approval and the clash with world champions France in three months' time was now even more eagerly awaited.

England withstood some early pressure from the Czechs, resulting from enterprising play in midfield by Poborsky and Bejbl, before their trio of 'golden oldies' - Ian Wright, Paul Merson and Dion Dublin - started causing the visiting defence problems with their expert running into space. England had a confident look about them but they definitely needed a goal,. It arrived on 22 minutes.

Graeme Le Saux played Wright in down the left and the West Ham striker, in his first England start of the season, burst past Novotny and swept the ball across the box. Darren Anderton, arriving late and more or less undetected, sent a low left-footer between Kouba and the post. England warmed to the task after that and fashioned another goal before half-time.

Wright was again involved. Cutting inside on 39 minutes, he lifted over a cross which Dublin flicked towards the far post. Merson, the man over, was on hand to guide a cool shot past the 'keeper. England maintained their control in the second half, though there was one moment of alarm when Nigel Martyn had to fly across his goal to tip over a rasping shot from Lokvenc, a substitute."
Transcript
00:00Sol Campbell, his country's captain for the second time and in prime club form.
00:05Otherwise, Ian Wright is good for the chemistry in any dressing room
00:08and becomes the oldest out-and-out striker to start for England.
00:11You can hardly ignore a man who's scoring at two and a half goals a game for his club.
00:15So Dion Doubling, like Martin, Butt, Keown and Merson, gets a season's first cap.
00:21Only four of this starting XI began the game in Luxembourg five weeks ago.
00:26So, seven of the Czech XI played here in the Euro 96 final two and a half years ago.
00:31Included amongst those, Karol Paborski, who's been into Manchester and out again since then,
00:36and Patrick Berger, still at Liverpool.
00:39Lazio's Pavel Njergveld is injured.
00:41Others to note in a reborn side that hasn't lost in 1998.
00:45Vladimir Smica, who'll be back here with Launce next week in the Champions League,
00:49and goalkeeper Petra Koba, whose most recent playing memory of Wembley
00:53is a vain attempt to prevent Oliver Bierhoff's golden goal.
00:58Tonight's referee is a Swiss neutral.
01:01Urs Meyer is one of FIFA's preferred diplomats.
01:04His World Cup postings this summer included the United States against Iran.
01:14into the final act of England's international calendar year.
01:19So much promise it offered, the peak and the trough within a couple of heart-rending hours
01:23in Saint-Γ‰tienne, an indifferent autumn, and now just this game
01:27to offer something upbeat on which to ring the year out.
01:31It's England's 14th.
01:35This is Darren Anderson.
01:37Aimed towards a new front two.
01:40The old new front two of Dublin and Wright.
01:44Out by Berger.
01:47Now this is Vladimir Smica.
01:50Latal.
01:53And Nigel Martin is tested rather earlier than he would have wished.
01:58Darren Anderson was the man who got himself in a tangle.
02:00Very slack play by both wing-backs there.
02:03First of all, Graham Lusso taking a gamble he didn't need to take.
02:06And then Darren Anderson find himself in a defensive position.
02:10And he would much prefer to be a bit further forward.
02:13But sometimes when you play wing-back,
02:15you find yourself in those situations.
02:17He's got to handle them better.
02:23Ferdinand striding out of his own half.
02:26He had Merson in support.
02:28It's Merson's ball which turned out to be neither one thing nor the other.
02:32Well, he's apologising there because at the far post,
02:35totally unmarked was Ian Wright.
02:38But surprisingly for someone of Merson's ability,
02:40he couldn't deliver what was probably quite an easy ball.
02:45has Kuka in front of him.
02:47And Kuka is towards the edge of the penalty area.
02:50It's Kuka's shots.
02:51It's hit the crossbar.
02:57Another genuine scare for England.
03:03Well, that was wonderful link-up play there from the Czech team.
03:06I mean, great ball.
03:08And this man, he knew exactly what he wanted to do there, did Kuka.
03:12He knew that Martin would be a little bit off his line
03:15because he had to be to narrow the angle in case he hit it hard.
03:17And he played the most wonderful chip.
03:20The only thing he didn't have was that little bit of luck.
03:27The Mets with the ball in, but away.
03:29Beckham collecting, Le Sofri on the left-hand side.
03:34And Wright in plenty of space as well now.
03:36And Dublin coming up to join him.
03:39Novotny at his back, but Wright's gone away from Novotny.
03:43It's come to Andersson!
03:48Terrifically calm finish.
03:52A smile for him, a smile for England, and a lift for Wembley Stadium.
03:59This is a great finish from Darren Anderton, but the work was done by Wright.
04:03What you don't see there is how he peeled and drew Novotny out.
04:07And then what a lovely ball, pulling it back behind the defenders.
04:10In he comes, left foot, passes it into the corner of the net.
04:13Watch this wonderful run from Wright.
04:17And then a lovely turn.
04:19And he doesn't wait and look up.
04:20He knows, he just puts it in the danger area.
04:22What a finish.
04:25Seventh international goal for Darren Anderton.
04:28The first since that belter against Colombia in Lourdes.
04:34And one that English international football you feel really wanted.
04:40It's another England corner.
04:43Well, this is much, much better from England.
04:45They've survived the difficult opening period.
04:49Lovely ball here from Merson.
04:50Just went back and wanted it.
04:51He had to miss the first man, didn't he?
04:53And Dublin was at the back post.
04:57England's stepping on it a bit now.
05:02Beckham hit the first man.
05:04Anderton the scorer.
05:05David Beckham again.
05:07Better cross this time.
05:11Berger.
05:12Back to Campbell.
05:14Through by Beckham.
05:15Campbell.
05:15Anderton.
05:17Just needed a touch.
05:25They change games, but they give people confidence.
05:28And suddenly there's a spring in the step of a few England players that wasn't evident five minutes ago.
05:33Four big targets.
05:35Ferdinand and Campbell forward.
05:37Wright and Dublin there as well.
05:39It's a class ball in from Beckham.
05:43Keogh.
05:44Keogh.
05:44Straight up Berger.
05:46Flag stayed down, though Kuka seemed to be in advance at the last defender.
05:52Bebo.
05:56Wright again.
05:59And Beckham again.
06:02It's out.
06:03And it seemed to have come last off Beckham.
06:08For a goal come.
06:10Beckham.
06:10England's starting to purr now.
06:13Beckham's ball in.
06:14Dublin back post.
06:16Dublin's header.
06:16Wright going in there.
06:18There was plenty of bodily contact.
06:20And Wright thought he was hard done by.
06:25Ian Wright.
06:28Paul Merson.
06:30Wright's in plenty of space again.
06:32He's making his own yardage.
06:35It's Wright's ball in.
06:37It's Dublin with the header.
06:38It's Paul Merson.
06:39It's 2-0 England.
06:45Really so incisive.
06:50Oh, it's a wonderful goal again.
06:52It's Wright again with these runs.
06:54And Novotny just can't handle them.
06:55And not only is he making good runs.
06:59Great delivery.
07:00Dublin a lovely flick on.
07:02And Merson.
07:04A clinical finish.
07:11John Gregory said, you've got to get the ball in the box to Dublin.
07:15Well, if you do, he does things like that.
07:16If he can't score himself, he sets people up.
07:21What a finish.
07:22Constructed on the Villa Park training surface.
07:29It's an upbeat note which Glenn Hoddle can begin his team talk with.
07:35The first 15 minutes maybe were a little nervous.
07:38Since then though, England have got it together and some.
07:41The first goal cleverly stroked in by Darren Anderton.
07:46And the second, constructed like the first by Ian Wright.
07:50Helped on by Dublin.
07:51And finished with aplomb by Paul Merson.
07:54The English international football has a smile.
07:57And if it ends this way, he just might as well.
08:00Half time at Wembley Stadium.
08:02England 2.
08:03The Czech Republic 0.
08:05Decides to go on a run.
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