England defeated Estonia in a crucial fixture last evening and got the important 3 points. Rooney returned to the national squad after a 2-month lay off due to an ankle fracture. Michael Owen started alongside Rooney, which made the striking combination even more fierce. Rooney admitted that he hasn’t been playing well for his country and it was 1211 days since he scored a goal for England managed to score one against Estonia. Sol Campbell returned to the national squad to replace the injured Terry.Gareth Barry retained his spot in the mid-field alongside Gerrard, which left Lampard on the bench. Wright Phillips scored the first goal in the 11th minute, a mistake by Poom and Rooney blasted home Joe Cole’s low cross to get England in a comfortable position. Rahn’s own goal completed the icing on the cake as England won their 5th consecutive match. England weren’t impressive at all. Though they scored 3 goals, their football wasn’t catching the eye. England suffered a big setback as Ashley Cole was stretched off the pitch early in the second half due to an Ankle injury. It would be impossible for him to play against Russia. This leaves Mclaren with a fewer options at the back with Terry also out injured. Now England have a crucial fixture on Wednesday against Russia, and a win there would make sure England would qualify for the Euro 2008 at Austria and Switzerland. But England have a tough task ahead as the Russian pitches are all artificial and are totally different from the pitches back home.
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