Ruthless England smash eight past San Marino

England strolled to an embarrassingly one-sided 8-0 win at minnows San Marino on Friday in an ideal warm-up for Tuesday's key World Cup qualifier away to Montenegro.After an own goal by Alessandro Della Valle gave them the lead, England rammed home their advantage and scored through Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jermain Defoe, Ashley Young and Frank Lampard to take a 5-0 lead into half-time.Wayne Rooney and Daniel Sturridge deepened the hosts' woe early in the second half, before Defoe claimed his second goal to complete England's biggest win since an 8-0 thrashing of Turkey in 1987.England manager Roy Hodgson could hardly have asked for a more straightforward evening, but a far sterner test awaits in Podgorica on Tuesday, when defeat would leave his side five points adrift in Group H."It could not have gone much better, it was a very professional performance, we are obviously a class above San Marino," said Hodgson."It was good that so many players got a chance to play. Everyone brought their straw to the water. Even at 5-0 at half-time, we kept playing."England's last away game against San Marino saw them concede a goal after just 8.3 seconds, but there was no danger of a repeat as the visitors applied a vice-like grip to the game from kick-off in Serravalle.Lampard, captain in place of the rested Steven Gerrard, was thwarted by San Marino goalkeeper Aldo Simoncini and Oxlade-Chamberlain sent a lob against the crossbar before England broke the deadlock in the 12th minute.Lampard found Leighton Baines on the left with a raking pass over the top and from the Everton left-back's low cross, the blundering Della Valle sent the ball into his own net.Such was England's dominance that by the mid-point of the first half, the away fans were already ironically cheering every touch from visiting goalkeeper Joe Hart.The second goal arrived in the 28th minute and it was a strike of quality, Oxlade-Chamberlain showcasing some sinuous touches on the right and exchanging passes with Rooney before driving home left-footed.Defoe had a goal disallowed for offside but a minute later he made it 3-0, touching the ball in from close range after Oxlade-Chamberlain headed Rooney's cross back across goal.Lampard stung Simoncini's palms from distance before Young added a fourth with a fine shot that flashed past the bewildered San Marino goalkeeper from 25 yards.Three minutes short of half-time it was five, as Lampard applied the finishing touch to another Baines cut-back with a side-foot shot that found the bottom-right corner.Rooney had failed to trouble Simoncini in the first period, but he seemed determined to make amends after the interval.He had already seen Simoncini tip a dipping shot over the crossbar by the time England won a free-kick in a promising central position in the 54th minute.Rooney took it, and scored, bending a shot over the wall and into the bottom-left corner before being replaced by Sturridge.Sturridge headed against the post from Oxlade-Chamberlain's dinked cross on the hour, but the Liverpool striker would not have long to wait for his first international goal.Defoe flashed a shot wide following an incursion down the right and Oxlade-Chamberlain hit a feathered effort narrowly over before Sturridge struck in the 70th minute, nodding in Young's cross from close range.Defoe tapped in Oxlade-Chamberlain's cut-back from the right to claim his second goal and make it 8-0 in the 77th minute.The Tottenham Hotspur striker could have completed his hat-trick late on, but he put the ball wide with his left foot to grant the hosts one, belated reprieve.

Source: AFP