30 March 2005    
Post Match: Sven-Goran Eriksson interview

 Click here to download Windows Media Player.



England Head Coach Sven-Goran Eriksson was full of praise for his side after they swept Azerbaijan aside.

Fine goals in the second half from Steven Gerrard and captain David Beckham ensured England still lead Poland in Group Six by a point.

England, who beat Northern Ireland 4-0 on Saturday, were unfortunate not to win by a wider margin having hit the woodwork three times and seen Michael Owen go close on a number of occasions.

But Eriksson insists England’s performance showed a lot of character because they didn’t let their misfortune get to them.

He said: "I said the same thing to the players at half-time as I did against Northern Ireland on Saturday. I told them not to panic or do stupid things.

"We didn’t do it Saturday and we didn’t do it tonight either. This is very good and a sign of maturity.

"We won the game, scored two goals but we could have scored a lot. The important thing is we played good football and created a lot of chances in both games, while only giving the opposition one chance in 180 minutes.

"Michael missed a lot of chances but he played well.

"You know that in the big games he will put the ball in the net. Sometimes as a striker it won’t go in for you."

To watch Sven's post-match interview, click on the links above.