England 4 Bulgaria 0
Jermain Defoe scored a hat-trick as England began their Euro 2010 qualifying campaign with a resounding victory against Bulgaria at Wembley.
After a dismal performance in this summer’s World Cup, manager Fabio Capello was under increasing pressure to deliver a convincing win.
Tottenham Hotspur striker Defoe settled any nerves with an early goal and added a second just after an hour had been played as England exerted their authority over their opponents.
Manchester City’s Adam Johnson scored England’s third and his first for his country before Defoe completed his hat-trick four minutes from time.
As England looked to put the World Cup behind them and concentrate on the European Championships in two years time, a bright start was required to appease a sceptical crowd at Wembley – and Defoe duly delivered.
Wayne Rooney, highly criticised for his sub-par performances in South Africa, played in Ashley Cole, and when he pulled a cross into the six-yard box Defoe volleyed in after just three minutes.
Two decisive moments just after the hour saw the balance of the game swing heavily in favour of England.
Goalkeeper Joe Hart blocked a powerful drive from Stanislav Angelov, enabling England to pour foward on the counter attack. Steven Gerrard linked up well with Rooney to set up Defoe for another clinical finish.
After replacing Theo Walcott, Johnson proved to be a lively introduction and he netted his first international goal with a low drive after 83 minutes.
Defoe was not done yet and he completed his har-trick three minutes later when he took advantage of more good work by Rooney to smash past goalkeeper Nikolay Mihaylov.
