Jermain Defoe celebrates scoring against Bulgaria at Wembley Photo Gallery: England batter Bulgaria in Euro 2012 qualifier, Defoe scores hat-trick 06/09/2010 - 10:40 by Ollie Irish Here we are again. England look bloody amazing in a qualifier... but it's just a qualifer, at home against not-very-good Bulgaria, so let's not get carried away like we did a couple of years ago. Time to press the reset button in terms of expectations. Still, we can appreciate that Capello's boys were in fine form at Wembley, brushing aside the Bulgarians without fuss. Jermain Defoe scored his first international hat-trick, Wayne Rooney managed to put the tabloid stuff to one side (who knows how well England might play if none of its players had the fear of tabloid scoops nagging away at their tiny brains) and was involved in all four goals, and Joe Hart was immense in goal. Goaly Moly hearts Joe Hart. Comments: 0
England goal hero Jermaine Defoe World Cup Photos: Jermaine Defoe fires England past Slovenia and into the last 16 23/06/2010 - 20:48 by Ollie Irish After two damp squibs against the USA and Algeria, England finally clicked into gear to record a deceptively narrow victory over Slovenia - consequently booking their place in the second round of the World Cup. A single goal from Jermaine Defoe (the pint-sized striker prodding home James Milner's sublime cross) was enough to secure Fabio Capello's side the three vital points they needed to ensure that their tournament campaign wouldn't end prematurely amidst an inevitable media sh*t-storm. Any lingering doubts were scotched early on as Capello ushered his side forward, and they duly obliged - tearing Slovenia apart with the kind of quick, dynamic passing that had been sorely missing during their first two Group C encounters. One slight negative from an England point of view was watching Wayne Rooney limp off midway through the second half - but it seems that the forward merely took a knock to his ankle and was only taken off as a precautionary measure. Elsewhere, Germany saw off Ghana in Joburg (a single Mesut Ozil goal the difference between the two sides) to finish top of the tree in Group D, thus ensuring that Joachim Loew's men will now meet England in the last 16. Should be a corker! Comments: 0