England hold their nerve
Saturday, March 26, 2005
Article summary
England 3-1 Serbia and Montenegro John Peacock's side come from behind to take the embryonic Group 2 lead.
Article body
First-half goals
Having had a bye to this stage, England were caught out six minutes in by their visitors, who won all their three qualifying round matches, as Rodoljub Marjanovic's shot deflected in off Michael Mancienne. However, England took control and Myles Weston levelled on 35 minutes, turning in a Theo Walcott pass, and two minutes later Walcott scored himself after being sent clear by Hogan Ephraim.
Team spirit shows
Joe Garner settled matters 16 minutes from the end, and England coach John Peacock told TheFA.com: "I warned the players we needed to make a solid start and obviously it was very disappointing to go behind so early on. But I have to give the lads a lot of credit for the way they responded. They trust and have confidence in each other as a group and that really showed."
Irish encounters
Peacock's side next meet Northern Ireland in Wolverhampton on Monday, while Serbia and Montenegro travel to Hinckley to play a Republic of Ireland side fresh from defeating their neighbours today. Only the eventual group winners advance to the final tournament in Italy.
