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By Zoran Milosavljevic
SKOPJE, Sept 6 - A superb finish by striker Peter
Crouch just after halftime gave England a deserved 1-0 win over
Macedonia in their Euro 2008 Group E qualifier on Wednesday.
England dominated after a nervy start and could have won by
a bigger margin, having missed half a dozen good chances either
side of the in-form Crouch's 46th minute strike.
It was the lanky forward's 11th goal in his last 10
internationals, including two in England's 5-0 win over Andorra
in their first qualifier at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Crouch scored what proved to be the winner against Macedonia
when he unleashed a close-range overhead kick that cannoned off
the underside of the bar and down over the goal-line.
He was set up by midfielder Frank Lampard who stole the ball
off a hesitant defence and scrambled it into Crouch's path.
England now have six points from their opening two games
while Macedonia have three points from their first two matches
following their 1-0 win in Estonia last month.
NOT COMFORTABLE
England did not look comfortable on a hard pitch in the
early stages and were unable to mount any consistent pressure,
giving the ball away easily in the final third of the pitch.
Macedonia coach Srecko Katanec fielded his favourite 3-4-1-2
formation and his team subdued England's midfield in the opening
30 minutes, cutting off the supply routes to Crouch and Jermain
Defoe up front.
Fullback Phil Neville initially struggled to keep up with
Macedonia wing back Robert Petrov on England's right flank but
it was his long throw-ins that created the first three chances
for Steve McClaren's men.
Crouch saw his header tipped away for a corner by keeper
Jane Nikolovski in the 25th minute while Defoe's overhead kick
flashed wide of the far post before he volleyed a Crouch
flick-on over the bar from 10 metres.
CRISP SHOT
Nikolovski did well to keep out Lampard's crisp low shot
from 20 metres on the stroke of halftime after England captain
John Terry had blocked a Velice Sumulikoski shot at the other
end with goalkeeper Paul Robinson beaten.
England looked completely in control after Crouch broke the
deadlock straight after the restart and almost made it 2-0 in
the 57th minute when he rifled a fierce shot from 15 metres just
wide of the far post.
Nikolovski then kept out midfielder Steven Gerrard's
scrambled shot from 10 metres in the 65th minute but England
were forced to hang on in the closing stages and survived a late
onslaught from the battling Macedonians.
Veteran midfielder Artim Sakiri, who came on as a second
half substitute, shot just wide in the 78th minute and Macedonia
had a penalty appeal waved away two minutes later when Goran
Pandev's shot struck central defender Terry on the arm.
But it was Ashley Cole who came to England's rescue in their
most frightening moment when he scrambled the ball away on the
goal line in the 83rd minute after a shot by Darko Tasevski.