England v Switzerland live

04 June 2011 17:50
ShareFollow Sportsmail's coverage of England v Switzerland from Wembley Stadium as Fabio Capello's side aim to make it four wins out of five in their Euro 2012 qualifiers. The Three Lions won the reverse fixture 3-1 in Basle but Ottmar Hitzfeld's team must win to stand a realistic chance of qualification. Email me your thoughts on the game at dan.ripley@dailymail.co.uk[LNB] England 2-2 Switzerland (4.45pm) England: Hart, Glen Johnson, Terry, Ferdinand, Cole (Baines 31), Parker, Lampard (Young 46), Wilshere, Walcott (Downing 78), Milner, Bent.Subs:Green, Jagielka, Barry, Zamora.[LNB]Goals: Lampard (pen) 37 Young 51.[LNB]Switzerland: Benaglio, Lichtsteiner, Senderos, Djourou, Ziegler, Behrami (Dzemaili 59), Barnetta (Emeghara 90), Inler, Shaqiri, Derdiyok (Mehmedi 74), Xhaka.Subs: Wolfli, Von Bergen, Emeghara, Fernandes, Margairaz.[LNB]Goals: Barnetta 32, 35[LNB]Referee: Damir Skomina (Slovenia) [LNB]18.48: That's it from me this season, but for summer football make sure you check back for Sportsmail's coverage of the Under 21s...surely they can't let us down as well?[LNB]Thank you for following, enjoy the remainder of the weekend.[LNB]18.45: For now, England having played a game more, top the group by a point but that was slightly worrying.[LNB]This team just seems to lack a killer instinct and only seems comfortable when it has to chase a game.[LNB]As for the defending and finishing...best bury our heads in the sand. Try and assess it and you will have sleepless nights.[LNB]18.40: A lot of 'ifs' and 'buts' there but the bottom line is England have dropped two points at home.[LNB]If Montenegro beat Bulgaria later on tonight, they will go top.[LNB]Full-time: England 2-2 Switzerland[LNB]90+3min: It's another sitter missed! Milner does well to win a header inside the box but the loose ball it becomes is fired into the side netting by Downing.[LNB]90+2min: It's those fine margins again. England are chasing shadows and after Mehmedi gets the ball in the box he flashes a shot just wide across goal.[LNB]90+1min Three minutes added on but England look too knackered to do anything.[LNB]90min: Final change for Switzerland as Barnetta is replaced by easily the name of the day, Innocent Emeghara.[LNB]88min: Switzerland the more dangerous now and they win a  free-kick on the byline after Ferdinand clumsily barges over Mehmedi. He is booked.[LNB]85min: Pressure from Switzerland as they win successive corners. The first is headed behind by Milner while the second is collected by Hart. This game is delicately poised.[LNB]82min: Brilliant from Milner, he latches onto a Baines pass but fools Djourou who is trying to block it out for a goal kick by running the other side of him.[LNB]The City midfielder proceeds to lay the ball back for Young but he again blast over.[LNB]80min: Finely balanced. Switzerland look lively when they go forward and England seem like they are tiring.[LNB] Pressure: Wilshere (bottom) was one of England's most creative players[LNB]77min: One final throw from Capello who brings on Stewart Downing for Walcott. Aston Villa it is over to you.[LNB]74min: A delay in play as Derdiyok is taken off on a stretcher following a collision. Admir Mehmedi replaces him.[LNB]71min: Shocking miss. I can't believe this, Young's shot is parried straight to the feet of Bent by Bengalio, who with an open goal spoons it over. Such fine margins...[LNB]70min: InfostradaLive answer my half-time poser:[LNB]England have never won a competitive match (so no friendlies) after falling behind by two goals.[LNB]68min: All England at the moment, they are playing much, much better. Walcott's injection of pace takes him into the box but after laying the ball off to Young, the midfielder fires over.[LNB]65min: England should be in front! Wilshere plays a superb through ball for Bent, but one-on-one with the keeper, he is fumbled at the feet by the on-rushing Benaglio.[LNB]64min: Unlucky from Wilshere, he has to compensate for a poor John Terry pass by sliding in high but the studs are showing and he is booked.[LNB]62min: So nearly deja-vu. Xherdan Shaqiri sells a dummy and hits a left-foot strike from 25 yards, but unlike in Basle, Hart is fully behind stopping it fly into the top corner.[LNB]59min: First sub from Switzerland as Blerim Dzemaili is on for Behrami.[LNB]57min: A faster tempo to this game, which favours England's wingers but it's not helping Darren Bent who has been quite anonymous. [LNB]54min: Switzerland back on the attack where they looked strong in the first half - I don't think we have seen the last of them yet.[LNB] Equaliser: Young volleys in England's second goal[LNB]51min: GOAL! ENGLAND 2-2 Switzerland[LNB]Inspired sub from Capello. Milner chips the ball to Baines inside the box who neatly lays it off to Ashley Young. From a difficult position he crashes a volley into the bottom corner despite being under pressure. Top finish and the stage is set.[LNB]49min: Switzerland sitting back, big test for this for England. They couldn't break down a defensive Montenegro, and they are going to need more ideas here.[LNB]46min: Nearly an instant response! Walcott homes in on goal but despite Djourou bringing him down on the edge of the box, no free-kick is given.[LNB]Second-half: England get us going again with Ashley Young on for Lampard.[LNB]17.45: Or even draw?[LNB]17.43: The bad news of course is England are going to have to come from 2-0 down to win this...when was the last time they managed to achieve that?![LNB]17.40: England booed off at the break, unfortunately it's like the World Cup all over again. Nobody seems to have a clue what they are doing.[LNB] Instant reply: Lamaprd hits one back from the penalty spot for England[LNB]Half-time: England 1-2 Switzerland[LNB]45+1min: Deary me, bring back David Beckham now! (I'm serious by the way) Lampard smashes it well, well wide and that really is hopeless. He never does that for Chelsea![LNB]45min: Behrami is booked for sliding behind on Milner and England have a free-kick in a position similar to the one Barnetta scored from (first goal).[LNB]43min: England with the ball and they are not too urgent in going forward as they just try to keep the ball. The home support is edgy but still behind the team, the half-time whistle will be the gauge of that though.[LNB]40min: England have been stung into life but the fact it took until going 2-0 down to do so is a major concern.[LNB]37min: GOAL ENGLAND 1-2 Switzerland[LNB]There is hope yet. After Johan Djourou is booked for bringing down Arsenal team-mate Wilshere in the box. Frank Lampard steps up to (just) fire his penalty underneath Benaglio.[LNB]37min: PENALTY (ENGLAND)[LNB] Double trouble: Barnetta (7) repeats his free-kick heroics to double Switzerland's lead[LNB]35min: GOAL! England 0-2 SWITZERLAND[LNB]I'm smashing the panic button here, what a catalogue of errors! From a ridiculous angle on the left Tranquillo Barnetta hits another free-kick inside the post.[LNB]James Milner is at massive fault for breaking away from the wall but Hart's attempts to save by diving with his feet really is schoolboy stuff.[LNB] No stopping it: England's Rio Ferdinand (back) and Joe Hart try in vain to keep out Tranquillo Barnetta's (unseen) free-kick[LNB]32min: GOAL! England 0-1 SWITZERLAND[LNB]Full marks to Tranquillo Barnetta. The Swiss win a free-kick 25-yards out to the left, but the midfielder elects to curl one into the box but on target.[LNB]Everyone proceeds to miss it and Hart dives far too late to stop it settling into the corner. A deserved lead.[LNB]31min: Here comes the change, Cole does indeed limp off and Baines will replace him. The game has fallen slightly flat in recent minutes.[LNB]28min: Cole still looks awkward, there is no way he will end this game on the field - he can barely walk properly.[LNB]26min: So unlucky from Rio Ferdinand. Frank Lampard hits a delicious cross inside the box and the centre-back bullets a difficult header on the run just over the bar. Good effort.[LNB]23min: Better from England. After some patient passing down the right, Parker floats a cross to the far post where James Milner heads wide under pressure from Stephan Lichsteiner.[LNB]20min: Fine stop Hart. Xherdan Shaqiri, who scored a belter in the reverse fixture, attempts to curl one into the far corner until the City stopper palms it away to safety.[LNB]17min: Leighton Baines is warming up as Ashley Cole looks to be carrying a slight problem as he limps along. Looks more for precaution than anything serious though.[LNB]Elsewhere Scott Parker has not had the best of starts. He has lost the ball a couple of times as well as being a bit wayward with his passes.[LNB]14min: After some patient passing from the Swiss they give the ball away at the back, but they know who the threat is. As Bent storms forward, four men surround him giving him absolutely no option to play the ball to a team-mate.[LNB]Moments later Switzerland counter but Valon Behrami's awful first-touch on the edge of the box denies him a shooting opportunity before England clear.[LNB]12min: Very even game so far. The Swiss are playing with confidence but England are still showing enough going forward to cause a few problems for their opponents.[LNB] Gunners: England's Jack Wilshere (right) takes on Switzerland's Johan Djourou[LNB]9min: Now the alarm bells are ringing. Gokhan Inler's shot takes a deflection on it's way to Hart who can only parry to Derdiyok.[LNB]The striker gets a first-time shot in which the Manchester City keeper does well to block with the inside of his leg. He was offside but Hart was not to know.[LNB]6min: A warning for England, after they fail to clear from Tranquillo Barnetta inside the box, the ball falls for Eren Derdiyok whose low shot is well stopped by Joe Hart.[LNB]3min: England on top. Moments after Bent's low cross is cleared with Theo Walcott just waiting to tap-in, Glen Johnson's header from a corner is well stopped from close range by Diego Benaglio.[LNB]Kick-off: Switzerland get us going.[LNB]16.43: Anthems impeccably observed as we get ready for the last game of the season. [LNB]16.40: The players are out and David Bernstein (remember him) is in more friendly surroundings on the Wembley pitch to greet the players.[LNB]16.37: Both teams in the tunnel are ready to come out. There is no other game in Group G kicking off at this time with Montenegro hosting Bulgaria later this evening.[LNB]16.35: Brilliant sunny afternoon in the capital, it's meant to be a sell-out but it's difficult to tell as the Swiss fans look like empty Wembley seats.[LNB]16.32: Of course Capello's time as England boss comes full circle today.[LNB]His first game was against Switzerland at Wembley back in February 2008, where the likes of David Bentley and Jermaine Jenas stood out in a 2-1 win...no wonder it's still taking him time to try and find his best squad, those two look a million miles away from a return to this side.[LNB]16.29: Interesting sound bite from Jack Wilshere's interview with ITV.[LNB]He claims he would rather win the World Cup than the Champions League.[LNB]It's a sentiment as a fan I share, but I often find very few people who ever back country over club.[LNB] Taking the bull by the horns: A Switzerland fan inside the ground pre-match[LNB]16.25: Therefore Ottmar Hitzfed has picked a very young squad with just one player over 30-years-old...and Stephane Grichting doesn't start.[LNB]England will find out first-hand if the kids are aright.[LNB]16.22: Noticed a few missing men in the Switzerland squad? Three key players are absent from the side.[LNB]Forwards Marco Streller and Alexander Frei have both retired from international football following a disappointing draw against Bulgaria last time out, while veteran Hakan Yakin has been dropped from the squad altogether.[LNB]16.18: Full lineups:[LNB]England v SwitzerlandEngland: Hart, Glen Johnson, Terry, Ferdinand, Cole, Parker, Lampard, Wilshere, Walcott, Milner, Bent. Subs: Green, Jagielka, Baines, Barry, Young, Downing, Zamora.Switzerland: Benaglio, Lichtsteiner, Senderos, Djourou, Ziegler, Behrami, Barnetta, Inler, Shaqiri, Derdiyok, Xhaka. Subs: Wolfli, Von Bergen, Emeghara, Dzemaili, Fernandes, Mehmedi, Margairaz.Referee: Damir Skomina (Slovenia)[LNB]16.13: You can excuse Bobby Zamora there due to his injury struggles but the Spurs duo of Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch have much to answer for. Both have had an average at best season, but the latter has a curious tendency to save his best for a Three Lions shirt.[LNB]He has scored 22 goals from 42 England caps - that's impressive.[LNB]16.10: First stat of the day from OptaJoe:[LNB]17 - Darren Bent netted 17 Premier League goals in 2010/11, four more than Zamora, Crouch and Defoe managed in total. Predator.[LNB]16.05: As mentioned before, England's campaign has been solid up until now. Just the home draw to Montenegro as the only bad mark which has left both sides level on points in the group.[LNB] But with a spare place in the final tournament for best runner-up, England currently are in a good position to benefit from that safety net and qualify should things start to go wrong. They won't...(hopefully).[LNB]16.00: I have to admit, Young's exclusion does surprise me but at least he provides an option as an impact sub should things go pair-shaped later on today. They won't...(hopefully).[LNB] Swiss support: Switzerland fans in central London ahead of the game[LNB]15.55: Fabio Capello springs a surprise this afternoon by selecting James Milner ahead of Ashley Young for England's Euro 2012 qualifier with Switzerland.[LNB]After a trio of outstanding performances for his country this year, Young was expected to keep his place for the Group G clash.[LNB]Instead, Milner gets the nod as Capello makes three changes to the side that defeated Wales in Cardiff just over two months ago.[LNB]Theo Walcott is also handed his first competitive England start since September, the Arsenal man has missed the Euro 2012 qualifiers since being taken off on a stretcher during the early stages of the previous meeting with Ottmar Hitzfeld's men in Basle.[LNB]Walcott replaces Wayne Rooney, who has taken advantage of his suspension by having a hair transplant.[LNB]The other change heralded the return of deposed skipper Rio Ferdinand for the first time since Capello handed the captain's armband back to John Terry.[LNB]The veteran pair are reunited in defence for the first time in a competitive match since the win over Belarus in October 2009.[LNB]England start the game joint top of Group G, with 10 points from their four games.Although they only led Montenegro on goal difference, the Three Lions are well placed to advance into next year's Finals in Poland and Ukraine as a best runner-up providing they maintain winning form.[LNB]15.50: Who said football wasn't played all-year round? Here we are in June and still the big games are coming in.[LNB]I admit no club games, but England are back in action as they take on Switzerland in a Group G Euro 2012 qualifier. So far, so good for Fabio Capello's men so let's hope the player's minds are not quite on the beach yet.[LNB]England starting XI:[LNB]Hart; G Johnson, Cole, Ferdinand, Terry; Parker, Walcott, Lampard, Wilshere, Milner; Bent.[LNB] Centre of attention: John Terry will lead England out at Wembley for the first time since his reappointment as captain[LNB]  My beach boys! World Cup showed we need holiday before Euros, admits FabioA year on from World Cup, England boss Capello has to build on his brave new worldSwitzerland draw on the Kosovo connection for the future[LNB]  Explore more:People: Fabio Capello, John Terry, Ashley Young, Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, Theo Walcott, Darren Bent, Peter Crouch, Glen Johnson, Bobby Zamora, Jermain Defoe, Jack Wilshere, David Bentley, Jermaine Jenas, Joe Hart, Ashley Cole, Frank Lampard, James Milner, Johan Djourou, David Beckham Places: Cardiff, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Montenegro, Poland, Wales, Slovenia, Bulgaria

Source: Daily_Mail