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Death mars England triumph

Comment: 0 September 7th, 2011 by: admin

ENGLAND moved on the verge of qualifying for Euro 2012 after hurdling Wales 1-0 at Wembley on Tuesday.

But the win was marred by the death of a Wales fan who succumbed to heart attack after allegedly being mauled just before kickoff outside of the north London stadium.

Authorities said the 44-year-old man sustained head injuries and later died in a hospital. Six men, believed to be Welsh, have been arrested in connection with the incident. The victim has yet to be identified.

There was some reason to celebrate though for the Three Lions despite their unconvincing victory that ended their year-long wait for a success at home.

Ashley Young starred for manager Fabio Capello’s side as he connected in the 35th minute following a cross from fellow winger Stewart Downing.

England are now 6 points ahead in Group G. They will clinch a spot at Euro 2012 slated in Poland and Ukraine with at least a draw in their last qualifier on Oct. 7 at Montenegro, who are running second with 2 games left in their schedule.

Against  Wales who are ranked just 117th by FIFA, the Three Lions showed little to prove they are the 4th-best team in the world, with Capello describing they were “a bit lucky” to pull through.

“We didn’t start with a lot of movement, it was really slow, there was no good passes,” said Capello. “We suffered a bit in the last 15 minutes. We never pressed the ball. It’s good we survived that.”

Wales nearly equalised in the 77th but substitute Robert Earnshaw missed an open net from six meters.

England have failed to win their previous 4 matches at home as Capello added his men seem to lose confidence when they play at Wembley.

But a win is still a win. Downing said they were a bit disappointed but “the most important thing was getting the three points.’’

In a surprise move, Capello put Frank Lampard back to the starting lineup, giving the veteran playmaker his 89thcap. Lampard came in only as late substitute in their last fixture against Bulgaria, sparking speculations that his international career is nearing its end.

Elsewhere, Spain and Italy secured their places at the Euro 2012 with 2 qualifying games to spare. The defending champion Spaniards clobbered Liechtenstein 6-0 to top Group I, while Italy grabbed a hard-earned 1-0 win over Slovenia to gain first spot in Group C.

The Netherlands looked set to progress after downing Finland 2-0 in Group E, while France’s campaign suffered a setback after a 0-0 draw at Romania in Group D.

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