For the England team, the meaning of the meeting in Amsterdam came down to rehabilitating the players and coach Steve McLaren after matches with the Macedonians and Croats. Apparently, solving this local problem for John Terry and his comrades was much more important than playing the roster for the qualifying matches next year. Therefore, a very decent game of the English national team should not be perceived as a real threat - rather, as a demonstration of opportunities that are not always realized.
The desire to discern tactical innovations in the main rival of the Russian national team was increasingly inferior to the interest in the newcomer to the British Mike Richards. The teenager, summoned to the team at the last moment, at first not childishly confidently met shoulder to shoulder the Dutch veteran Clarence Seedorf. And then he switched to a protracted - until the end of the match - duel with Arjen Robben, which ended in a military draw. Although the battle began not in favor of the Manchester City player - on the left corner of the penalty area Robben clocked Richards and two more, but his transfer could not be closed by Danny Landzat. From the beginning of the meeting, taking the gates of Robinson on the fly, the Dutch secured the status of “first number”.
McLaren’s squad host activity was only glad. The game on the counterattacks of the British was getting along: a rare mistake Bularuza almost made a goal by Stephen Gerrard - the ball went between Timmer’s legs, but the shot went wide. The following attacks organized Lampard and Joe Cole with sharp passes into the box. Minutes later it came to a blow - Rooney’s loneliness in the area of the “point” turned into a slight nod to the goalkeeper.
Carrick's inconspicuous but diligent work in midfield unleashed Lampard's legs, who repeatedly found himself in the center forward position. The nominal owner of this position, Andy Johnson, left it vacant. At the end of half an hour Gerrard and Joe Cole switched flanks, and the Chelsea player with an ideal pass on the right gave Rooney the opportunity to score an unidentified part of his leg - either with his heel or ankle. The Dutch made a return castling - van der Warth pushed Keith from the center to the right, but she did not become productive.
The second half began with a substitution in the home team and Van der Warth’s heavy blow to the center into Robinson’s hands. By the end of the hour, Carrick was tired of tearing Dutch lace, and the midfield of the guests sank in the center. Confused midfielders were reliably insured by the defense, a long pass from which on the line of another's penalty was picked up by Lampard and threw Rooney away. Gently rolling the ball "cheek" into the arms of Stekelenburg, Shrek justified the good-natured component of his nickname.
A clear defense game allowed you to look at the misses of the English forwards through your fingers, and there were no bumps near Robinson's goal at the Amsterdam Arena. But just one not even a miss, but the oversight of the defenders was enough to make the Dutch equalize. For the umpteenth time, Robben threw the ball to the center of the penalty area on the left, where Carrick, who had already deflated, didn’t even jump out, allowing the ball to bounce off Huntelar’s head directly onto Van der Wart’s foot. The British had the strength to indicate a disagreement with a draw. The first to add was Richards, who threw Robben and ran ahead to foul Emanuelson. After the free-kick, Terry led Gerrard one on one, and the captain of the “Liverpool” hit point blank. The parity has been maintained.
The game of the British “second number” should be recognized as exemplary. And frightening - if the Russians could be in the role of “orange”. Fortunately, the nationality of Guus Hiddink does not apply to the players of our team, so Russia for England will be something like Macedonia - the rival is obviously uncomfortable. Maclaren will have to rebuild the British into attacking orders, and what we can get from this, we have already seen in Zagreb and Manchester.
Russians have chances to succeed in this confrontation. It remains to not lose them before the coming fall.
HOLLAND - ENGLAND - 1: 1 (0: 1)
Goals: 0: 1 - Rooney (37). 1: 1 - van der Warth (86).
HOLLAND: Timmer (46 Stekelenburg), Bularuz (Yalins, 61), Emanuelson, Mataisen, Oyer (Vennegor of Hesselink, 84), Landzat, Robben, Shars, Seedorf, van der Warth, Kate (Huntelar, 61).
ENGLAND: Robinson, E. Cole, Ferdinand, Richards, Terry, Carrick, D. Cole (Richardson, 78), Gerrard, Lampard, Johnson (Wright-Philips, 74), Rooney.
Warning: E. Cole (75).
15th of November. Amsterdam Arena. 20.00
Judge: Lubos Michel (Slovakia).