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09/07/10 05:55:00
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09/07 17:52 CDT England beats Switzerland 3-1 in Euro qualifier
England beats Switzerland 3-1 in Euro qualifier
By GRAHAM DUNBAR
AP Sports Writer
BASEL, Switzerland (AP) -- Wayne Rooney made some positive news.
The star forward put aside the embarrassing headlines about his personal life
to score his first goal for England in nearly a year, sparking the Three Lions
to 3-1 win Tuesday over Switzerland in a European Championship qualifier.
Rooney scored in the 10th minute, slotting home Glen Johnson's pass for his
first England goal since last Sept. 9 against Croatia.
"He was focused on the game. The whole team played very well, not only Rooney,"
England coach Fabio Capello said.
Capello insisted on Monday that it was best for Rooney to play to escape the
pressure in his personal life following Sunday tabloid stories alleging he
cheated on his pregnant wife last year with a prostitute.
Rooney scored off a Johnson pass that was perfectly dummied by Jermain Defoe.
Arriving late and unmarked, Rooney slotted home in front of goal.
It was a 26th international goal for the Manchester United forward, who was
then joined on the field by a fifth Manchester City player when Adam Johnson
replaced Theo Walcott, who was injured in the scoring move. The Arsenal winger
was taken to hospital for scan on a suspected sprained right ankle.
Substitute Adam Johnson rounded goalkeeper Diego Benaglio to make it 2-0 in the
69th, four minutes after Swiss right back Stephan Lichtsteiner was ejected for
fouling James Milner.
Teenager Xherdan Shaqiri gave Switzerland hope with a long-range goal in the
71st, but England substitute Darren Bent sealed the game in the 88th with a low
shot.
"They were able to wait for counter attacks and bring the game home,"
Switzerland coach Ottmar Hitzfeld said.
Following its 4-1 loss to Germany in the second round of the World Cup,
Capello's team opened Euro 2012 qualifying with back-to-back wins. The Three
Lions routed Bulgaria 4-0 at Wembley last Friday.
"We are very good because we are fresh. (The players') minds are free," Capello
said. "Switzerland is the most important opponent for our group. To win here is
really, really important, not only for the result but the performance."
England resumes Group G play at home against Montenegro on Oct. 12, four days
after Switzerland travels to the Montenegrins.
The England coach opted to partner former Everton teammates Phil Jagielka and
Joleon Lescott in central defense, with regular starters Rio Ferdinand and John
Terry out injured.
England soon mastered a wet field soaked by a downpour during the warmups and
scored at the end occupied by its 3,000 traveling fans.
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