England

3-1

Hungary

Gerrard 47, Terry 51, Crouch 84

 

Dardai 55


International Friendly 
Old Trafford, Manchester United FC
8.05pm, 30 May 2006

Steven Gerrard was a happy man after scoring England's first goal in the Three Lions' 3-1 win over Hungary.

The England man found himself free with acres of space in the Hungary box to head home a David Beckham free-kick.

He said: "The most important thing was that we won tonight and we won convincingly. We could've been two or three goals up at half time, but we took our chances in the second half."

A world class player who is comfortable in most positions, Gerrard was asked to play just behind Michael Owen, who operated as a sole striker.

"I enjoy playing anywhere," said Gerrard. "The manager asked me to play just behind Michael Owen and try to get on the ball and make things happen. There was a lot of pressure on me tonight to play where Wayne Rooney plays, but I enjoyed it.

"I'm never going to be as good as Wayne in that position, but like I said, I enjoyed it.

"The midfield situation suits me and Frank Lampard. He is great at breaking forward and the manager tells us to interchange. If he goes past me, I fill in for him, and vice-versa. I thought we created a lot of problems for Hungary tonight, and the score-line could've been a lot more convincing.

"I've played the holding role a number of times, but tonight the shackles were off and I was allowed to break free and get into the box, so I enjoyed tonight."

Gerrard added that England had to bide their time before finally breaking down a stubborn Hungary defence.

"We're a good side and teams know that. Hungary came and put a lot of men behind the ball and made it difficult for us. It was important that we were patient tonight, but we knew the breakthrough would come and we scored three good goals."