England

1-2

Belarus

Jenas 34

 

Kutozov 50, Kornilenko 81


'B' International Friendly 
Madejski Stadium, Reading FC
8.05pm 25 May 2006

England lifted the Jules Rimet trophy in 1966 thanks to Sir Alf Ramsey’s wingless wonders - but now it is the 2006 wide boys who are staking their claim for World Cup glory.

Sven-Goran Eriksson chose tonight’s B international against Belarus to play Tottenham’s Aaron Lennon on the right and Middlesbrough’s Stewart Downing on the left. And what a refreshing sight it was, no matter what the result.

The match was played at Reading’s Madejski Stadium, and Royals boss Steve Coppell must have been reminded of his own England days as a flying winger as he watched the action unfold.

It is a long time since England have had two natural out-and-out old fashioned wingers at their disposal, and Lennon in particular gave England fans a thrilling and breathtaking taster of what he can do.

The Tottenham star, who is only 19 years old, has missed out on media headlines in the last few weeks because Theo Walcott’s inclusion in the England squad was an even bigger surprise.

But while cameras were aimed at young Theo on the bench in Reading, Lennon proved he is every bit as exciting a prospect for his country.

Right from the first whistle he tormented the Belarus defence, using his searing pace to burn up ground on the right and cause havoc for full-back Aleksandr Kulchy.

His superb trickery and cross led to a goal for Peter Crouch after nine minutes, only for the effort to be ruled out for offside.

Then, from another jinking run, he had a go himself - and saw his chip narrowly clear the crossbar with goalkeeper Yury Zhevnov beaten.

He was influential after the break, too, winning a string of free-kicks and seeing Sergei Omelyanchuk sent off for yet another foul as he was out-skilled.

But, over on the opposite flank, Downing was determined not to be overshadowed.

He had the keeper in trouble with one free-kick and set up England’s opening goal with another. In fact, his crossing was a real feature of the match and gave a beaming Sven plenty to think about.

Young Theo Walcott, who has such amazing pace, could also be a major plus in Germany, and he certainly looked at home in international football.

He burst through two defenders with his very first touch and also fired in a wonderful shot on the turn to give glimpses of his talent.

The record books will always show England B lost to Belarus in Reading, but maybe the long-term legacy of the experience handed to the likes of Lennon, Downing and Walcott will be much more important.