Welbeck double helps England to victory.
England have taken a giant leap towards securing automatic qualification for Euro 2016 in France, with the Three Lions coming from behind to defeat Slovenia at Wembley after a drab first half exploded into life after the break.
There was little to warm the cockles of a relatively sparse Wembley crowd before the half-time whistle as both sides canceled them out, with visitors Slovenia clearly happy to come to London and look for a point to boost their hopes of qualifying ahead of Switzerland.
These hopes were given a massive boost just before the hour mark when they took the lead – a devilish set piece delivery from the left flank had the England defence backtracking and saw midfielder Jordan Henderson head the ball beyond his own goalkeeper:
This, however, seemed to shake England into life rather than depress a solemn Wembley crowd even further, with the Three Lions leveling moments later – Wayne Rooney jinked into the box and was clipped by a defender, giving him the chance to step up and beat Samir Handanovic to mark his 100th cap for his country with a goal.
After this Roy Hodgson’s side began to take control of the game and were rewarded for their efforts when Danny Welbeck scuffed home an effort from inside the area that owed a lot to some dreadful defending from the shellshocked visitors:
The Arsenal striker’s pace was beginning to really trouble the Slovenian visitors and they took a two goal lead soon after, with Welbeck the man once again on target. This time it was a far more aesthetically pleasing effort, with a wonderful one-two with Raheem Sterling allowing Welbeck to slot home:
England seemed content with their evening’s work after Welbeck’s goal and didn’t create many opportunities to strengthen their position until full time, although Slovenian were clearly beaten and the game fizzled out into a comfortable victory for the hosts.