Wayne Rooney finally scored a goal. He also added an assist. But his ‘dark side’ was also on display when he clashed with Kagiso Senamela and was booked for dissent.
Glen Johnson again gave cause for concern when he hesitated to clear in time and ended up hauling down Mzikayise Mashaba for a spot kick which was completely muffed by Bradley Grober.
Capello is said to have been so distraught by the disjointed England performance in the first half that he was repeatedly warned by the referee to return to his technical area. England improved in the second half by which time Capello was just glad that they had were left unscathed from further injuries.
There seems to be a pattern here. Against Mexico, Japan, and now Platinum Stars. Uninspiring, disjointed first halves with England looking vulnerable followed by a noticeable and significant improvement in the second.
One comment on “Video: England 3 Platinum Stars 0”
Regarding Mexico, I actually thought that England were better in the first half, and that Mexico looked the stronger team in the second half. Of course, it’s really hard to know what to take out of these kinds of friendlies when your starters are only playing for 45 minutes, and not always the same 45 minutes as each other.