Crouch has England walking tall
Wednesday 14 October 2009
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Peter Crouch is congratulated by team-mates after the opening goal (©Getty Images)
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Peter Crouch scored twice as Group 6 winners England defeated Belarus 3-0 to end their FIFA World Cup qualification campaign on a high.
Nine wins
Crouch struck on three and 75 minutes, either side of Shaun Wright-Phillips's 59th-minute effort at Wembley. The result means England finish with nine wins from ten matches in the section and can look forward to the finals in confident mood having bounced back from Saturday's 1-0 loss in Ukraine, their first competitive reverse under Fabio Capello.
Agbonlahor assist
With qualification assured, the Italian named an experimental lineup. Two of those drafted into the side, Gabriel Agbonlahor and Crouch, combined to put England ahead, the former running on to Gareth Barry's pass and squaring for Crouch to score his 17th goal in 35 internationals. Agbonlahor was heavily involved in the early stages, and only a smart save from Yuri Zhevnov denied the Aston Villa FC striker after he burst down the right.
Crouch double
Wright-Phillips doubled the lead with a shot from the edge of the area following David Beckham's short corner, shortly before Sergei Omelyanchuk forced Ben Foster to tip a fierce strike over the crossbar. Crouch put added gloss on the scoreline late on when he pounced on a loose ball after Zhevnov parried Carlton Cole's shot.
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