Second anniversary
Saturday, 06 February, 2010
Capello’s first match as England Manager was played two years ago today.
England played their first match with Fabio Capello in charge two years ago today.
The football coach who had enjoyed great success at club level in Italy and Spain – and twice scored for Italy against England as a player – had his appointment as England Manager confirmed late in 2007.
Jermaine Jenas and Shaun Wright-Phillips scored the goals as Capello’s reign started with a 2-1 win against EURO 2008 co-hosts Switzerland in a Wembley friendly. England began nervously, but when Tottenham midfielder Jenas opened both his and the Manager’s account five minutes before half-time, the Three Lions immediately looked more relaxed.
Derdiyok’s goal for the Swiss, coming against the run of play, was something of a set-back on 58 minutes, but Wright-Phillips prodded home Steven Gerrard’s pass four minutes later to secure victory against a tenacious visiting side.
For England it was a winning start to 2008 and a winning start to a new era. With Capello at the helm, England went on to qualify in style for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, winning nine out of ten matches and scoring 34 goals.