- Date:2009-03-28
- Kick-off:17:15
- Venue:Wembley Stadium
- Attendance:85512
- Referee:Hamer, A
Live Commentary
90mins
ENGLAND 4 - 0 SLOVAKIA: A fitting end to a game which England were able to cruise through. Only the injuries to Heskey, Carlton Cole and Crouch put a dark cloud over a satisfying night
90mins
ENGLAND 4 - 0 SLOVAKIA: England still find time for a final goal. ROONEY was played in behind the defence by Lampard and, with no offside flag in sight, clipped the ball over Senecky and into the roof of the net
89mins
A one-two with Rooney leaves Beckham through on goal but the striker was offside and he wasn't able to get a shot off
88mins
Foster earns his first touch as a free-kick, taken from a decent position, 30 yards out, is floated painlessly into Foster's arms
87mins
Both sides are going through the motions in the final few minutes. Slovakia, despite England's quality, will be embarrassed by their performance today
85mins
Lampard found himself again in the penalty area after a high Rooney pass but Skrtel wins the aerial battle and clears
83mins
Zdeno Strba will be Slovakia's final sub, coming on for Karhan
82mins
ENGLAND 3 - 0 SLOVAKIA: Another easy goal for England. LAMPARD collected a Carrick pass on the edge of the box, went past the defender with his first touch and slid the ball beyond Senecky to score
81mins
Rooney found himself through on goal after a Barry through-ball but it sent him too wide and he could only win a corner
79mins
Slovakia make their final change, taking off their last remaining attacking talent, Hamsik, who is replaced by Marek Mintal
78mins
A late scythe from SAPARA on Downing earns the midfielder a yellow card. Not pretty
76mins
England are having to use Rooney on his own in attack now that Crouch has gone off, not that it should matter as the home side have this match in the bag
74mins
More problems for England as Crouch has taken a blow to the midriff from a Skrtel challenge and he will have to go off. Michael Carrick comes on as England make their final change
72mins
Martin Jakubko will replace Sestak as Slovakia begin to take off and preserve their best attacking players
70mins
ENGLAND 2 - 0 SLOVAKIA: Classic goal from ROONEY, who leapt unmarked to head in a well measured Beckham cross from all of five yards
69mins
Crouch gets in on the act, hitting a shot from 30 yards which dipped nicely but was well wide of the goal
68mins
Slovakia get a shot in for the first time in a while, unfortunately it came from Holosko who thought he was playing rugby - hitting a shot widely high over the bar
66mins
Chaos ensues from the corner as England three times get the ball into the box without scoring and finally Terry gets a shot in from the edge of the box which trickles painfully past the post
65mins
Rooney and Beckham work some space down the right where the Man Utd striker clips a cross into the box for Crouch but he fails to attack the ball and England only win a corner
64mins
Slovakia are even shorter of invention than they were in the first half, perhaps the loss of Vittek at half time has caused more damaged than they'd have liked
62mins
Marek Sapara is coming on to replace Kozak
62mins
Another set piece from the right wing is delivered by Beckham to Crouch who nods the ball towards goal where Terry is there to finish and score! But wait, Terry is offside. And if he'd have left it England would have been 2-0 up!
60mins
Beckham can't make the most of possession on the right flank. Unable to beat his marker the AC Milan and LA Galaxy man hits an aimless, deflected cross into the box where Slovakia clear
59mins
Both teams decide to slow the game down a touch, perhaps they are looking to agree on a respectable scoreline that doesn't reflect the gulf in quality between the two sides
57mins
A first chance for Erik Jendrisek as England found themselves in a three-on-two situation but Slovakia don't make full use of the extra man and Jendrisek's shot from a tight angle hits the side netting
56mins
Pretty footwork from Rooney, who is looking increasingly adventurous, doesn't quite work as his final pass isn't good enough
55mins
Rooney feeds Downing down the left wing but his cross is poor, straight at Peter Pekarik who kicks clear
54mins
Ashley Cole and Lampard combine to win a corner which Backham takes, but it doesn't beat the first man and Slovakia are on the break
52mins
Rooney tries his luck from 25 yards but his low, swerving effort ends up well wide of Senecky's left hand post
51mins
Johnson strides forward after intercepting a Slovakia attacking move. The ball finds its way to Beckham on the right, via Rooney, but sub Holosko intercepts well
49mins
Excellent cross as always from Beckham but Terry's leap isn't quite enough and Slovakia win the header and clear
48mins
Beckham's first contribution sees him win a free-kick on the right, which he will take of course
46mins
Filip Holosko and Erik Jendrisek are on for Cech and Vittek
46mins
The second half begins with England looking very different. We shall see how long it will take them to gel
46mins
David Beckham comes on, breaking Bobby Moore's record of 108 caps for an outfield player. He replaces Lennon, while Stewart Downing replaces Gerrard, Ben Foster is on for James
45mins
ENGLAND 1 - 0 SLOVAKIA: The home side will have to settle for a one goal lead at half time, despite deserving more, but the away side have some serious planning to do if they are to get anything out of this friendly match
45mins
An excellent Gerrard pass to Rooney on the left wing allows the forward to cut inside an hit a shot which is far too high to worry Senecky
45mins
A poor header from Cech, who has been run ragged by Lennon this half, gives England a corner which causes some panic in the Slovakia box but they eventually get the ball clear
44mins
Gerrard continues to be the focal point of England's attacks, this time falling just short of reaching a long ball over the Slovakian defence
42mins
England continue to find space in and around the Slovakia box as this time Lennon picks out Gerrard on the edge of the box. The Liverpool man's placed shot was low to Senecky's right but the keeper dived and held on well
41mins
A mistake from Upson gifts Vittek the ball inside the England box but the Lille striker's shot deflects first off Johnson and then the fingertips of James, ending up just over the bar
40mins
Slovakia's attacking promise seems to have disappeared already as England again find themselves caught offside, with Gerrard to guilty party this time
38mins
Again England hit back immediately through Lennon who danced his way easily into the box from the right and clipped a shot at Senecky who saved weakly before tipping Gerrard's rebound header around the post
37mins
An excellent lay-off from Vittek to Karhan created a good chance for Slovakia by Karhan's cross-shot went to nobody and James held on
35mins
More injury problems for England's strikers as Carlton Cole has pulled his groin and will have to come off. Peter Crouch replaces him and West Ham will be worried because he looks in a lot of pain
33mins
England's counter-attack is swift and Carlton Cole was gifted a shooting chance after Gerrard's run inside from the left. He couldn't get enough behind it though and Senecky saves easily
32mins
An excellent, sharp turn from Vittek on the edge of the box fooled Upson and created enough space for a shot but he opted to pass and England intercepted
31mins
A great save from David James denied Miroslav Karhan after a short corner found its way to the midfielder just outside the penalty box. His shot was placed to James' right but the Portsmouth keeper dived and tipped the effort around the post
29mins
A loose ball in the Slovakia ball, created by another good Lennon run, is hit by Lampard towards goal. Senecky parries the effort but no England player can get onto the ball and the home side only win a corner
27mins
A good passing move centred around Hamsik comes to an end when a pass deflects off the referee and into England's path. It could be one of those days for Slovakia
26mins
Jan Kozak shows his skill as he floats into the England box but his attempted through-ball is well read by Matthew Upson and England clear
24mins
Glen Johnson does well to win a free-kick just outside the penalty area, on the right side. Lampard delivers but it is again overhit. That's been a weak spot for England so far
22mins
Slovakia are at least showing some attacking intent now, although Skrtel takes it a touch too far by trying to take on Rooney and losing out. Fortunately for the Liverpool man Stefan Senecky is out quickly to clear the loose ball
20mins
In the end Jozef Valachovic delivered a decent cross from the right which fell for Sestak but the right winger's shot was far too high
19mins
Slovakia are able to get their feet on the ball for a period as England ease off but they are in no rush to get forward
17mins
A rare foray forward through Stanislav Sestak wins a corner on the right but England clear their lines well
17mins
It was be interesting to see if Cole causes the highly-rated Skrtel as many problems as Heskey did in the opening quarter of an hour
15mins
Carlton Cole does indeed come on for Heskey, who has damaged a muscle in his leg. It doesn't look serious but there is no need to take chances in a friendly as easy as this is proving to be
14mins
Heskey wins a free-kick down the right side but that could be his last contribution as Carlton Cole is stripping off. Lampard's free-kick is poor, bypassing everyone
13mins
This is cut-throat football from England, although they look to have eased off for a moment as Slovakia are allowed some possession down the right side
11mins
More chances for England as Lennon is found down the right wing behind the defence but his pulled back cross finds only a Slovakia shirt and the home side must make do with a corner kick
9mins
It was as much as England deserved, Slovakia have been poor. Heskey should have bagged a second less than two minutes later, heading over from five yards out. Terrible miss
7mins
ENGLAND 1 - 0 SLOVAKIA: A low cross from the left was attacked by HESKEY who out-faught Skrtel for the ball, flicking a shot in off the near post
6mins
Another corner delivered by Frank Lampard but this one is too high and Gerrard's lofted ball into the penalty area catches a number of players offside
5mins
Slovakia haven't had a touch of the ball yet, save for the odd hacked clearance, as England almost find a way through with Steven Gerrard down the middle but his through-ball is blocked
3mins
More pressure from England with a corner on the left side. It was a touch short but England kept the pressure up and a second ball from the left from Gareth Barry was just over Heskey's head and Wayne Rooney couldn't find a finish
1mins
Excellent early cross by Lennon from the right byline but his low effort was a touch behind Emile Heskey on the front post and Skrtel is able to interveen
1mins
The game is underway in a wet Wembley stadium and England will be looking for a win after getting beaten by Spain in their last international friendly one and a half months ago
0mins
Their opponents have some experience in the shape of Liverpool centre-back Martin Skrtel, West Brom's Marek Cech and, further abroad, Robert Vittek (Lille) and Marek Hamsik (Napoli) provide a serious attacking threat
0mins
It's a first-choice starting eleven for the home side, clearly manager Fabio Capello is continuing with his policy of taking friendly games seriously. Expect to see David Beckham win his record-breaking 109th cap as a substitute in the second half
0mins
An injury to Rio Ferdinand (back) gives Matthew Upson a chance to impress alongside John Terry in defence, while Aaron Lennon will take the hotly-contested right midfield birth
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Match Report
David Beckham became England's most-capped outfield player as Fabio Capello's side strolled to a 4-0 friendly victory against a poor Slovakia side.
Beckham came on as a half-time substitute at Wembley to win his 109th cap and break Bobby Moore's record.
England completely dominated the game and should have won by a wider margin, but had to settle for goals by Emile Heskey, Wayne Rooney (2) and Frank Lampard as they stepped up their preparations for Wednesday's important World Cup qualifier against Ukraine.
Aston Villa striker Heskey scored after eight minutes but soon had to be substituted after appearing to aggravate an Achilles problem.
His replacement Carlton Cole then went off with a groin injury and Peter Crouch also limped out of the action in the closing stages.
Rio Ferdinand missed the match with a groin problem and was replaced in the starting line-up by Matthew Upson. An ankle injury also sidelined Shaun Wright-Phillips so Tottenham winger Aaron Lennon started on the right.
Gareth Barry and Lampard were paired in midfield with Steven Gerrard given a role on the left while Rooney started just behind Heskey.
England took control of the game from the first whistle, with Gerrard setting up England's first goal.
The Liverpool midfielder was found by Rooney before pulling a left-footed pass back to Heskey who edged ahead of Martin Skrtel and forced the ball home.
Heskey almost immediately made it 2-0 when he somehow headed Rooney's cross over the bar when it seemed easier to score.
Heskey was replaced in the 15th minute by Carlton Cole but, when Slovakia finally settled, Stanislav Sestak fired a 20-yard volley over the bar.
Lampard's half-volley was pushed away by Slovakia keeper Stefan Senecky but, just after the half-hour mark, David James was forced to make a fine save to keep Miroslav Karhan's 20-yard effort out.
Carlton Cole shot tamely towards goal after being set up by Gerrard but appeared to sustain a groin injury in the process and had to be replaced by Crouch.
Lennon had his angled shot blocked by the keeper at the near post before Gerrard saw his follow-up header pushed away.
James touched an effort from Slovakia captain Robert Vittek over the bar after Upson had dithered while, at the other end, Gerrard's low drive was held by Senecky.
The pattern of play continued in the same vein after the break and, just after the hour mark, John Terry had the ball in the net but was rightly adjudged to be offside.
The Chelsea defender then fired wide after a goalmouth scramble.
With 20 minutes left, Beckham lifted in a cross from the byline for Rooney to head home before Lampard fired a shot into the net from a tight angle to put the seal on a comfortable victory for Capello's side.
With virtually the last kick of the game Rooney added a fourth to complete the rout.
England Team
Slovakia Team
England | Slovakia |
Corners
| 10 | 5 |
Fouls
| 5 | 13 |
Goal attempts
| 14 | 6 |
Shots off target
| 6 | 3 |
Offsides
| 6 | 0 |



90mins
The ref kindly limits the injury time to two minutes as the match peters out with the Wembley crowd happy enough with the evening's entertainment