England’s 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign opened in emphatic fashion as Moldova were outclassed in Chisinau on Friday.
Roy Hodgson’s side were three goals up at the interval as Frank Lampard scored an early penalty and headed a second before Jermain Defoe was on target.
England were kept waiting until 16 minutes from time before James Milner added a fourth, while Leighton Baines also scored his first international goal after his free-kick took a massive deflection.
It was a victory that was every bit as emphatic as the 5-0 scoreline suggests.
Manchester United’s Tom Cleverley impressed on his first competitive start and Lampard demonstrated his continued worth at international level in a performance that was little more than a stroll once England swiftly exerted their obvious authority.
The display and result must be placed in the context that was it was against a side that looked every bit their Fifa world ranking of 141 – but England completed the job with efficiency to record their biggest away win in 19 years.
Hodgson may actually feel England could have scored even more but this was the perfect first step on the road to Rio in 2014 and the ideal platform for the second qualifier against Ukraine at Wembley on Tuesday.
Cleverley was a central figure as England took the lead inside three minutes. He saw his shot handled by Moldovan defender Simion Bulgaru and Lampard drilled home the penalty in trademark fashion.
The action was all heading one way and the Moldova keeper was having an adventurous evening. Defoe turned an effort wide at the near post before forcing a fine low save from Stanislav Namasco, who also rescued his own handling error by blocking Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
England were graphically illustrating the huge gulf in class between the sides and it was no surprise when Lampard added the second just before the half hour. Steven Gerrard found his Liverpool team-mate Glen Johnson and Lampard arrived in the area with perfect timing to glide a header beyond Namasco.
If Moldova harboured even the slightest hopes of pulling off a comeback that would have bordered on miraculous given their lack of quality, they were snuffed out 13 minutes before the break when Oxlade-Chamberlain picked his way through midfield before releasing Defoe for a finish that should have been dealt with more convincingly by Namasco at his near-post.
Moldova did give England’s under-employed keeper Joe Hart a worrying moment when Igor Armas sent a free header wide but otherwise it was an easy night.
Gerrard was replaced by Michael Carrick at the start of the second half and it was the signal for a sloppy passage of play in which England struggled to recapture the momentum and rhythm of their earlier work.
Theo Walcott and Danny Welbeck were introduced for Oxlade-Chamberlain and Defoe – and both were involved in the build-up which led to Milner’s powerful, low finish after 74 minutes.
As Moldova understandably tired after a night of ball chasing, Everton left-back Baines scored his first international goal as his deflected free-kick totally wrong-footed Namasco.
John Terry then limped off injured with what looked an ankle problem which may make him doubtful to face Ukraine.
It was the final act of a painful evening for Moldova in Chisinau and a highly satisfactory one for England.
Wales 0-2 Belgium
Goals late in each half consigned 10-man Wales to defeat in their opening 2014 World Cup qualifier in Cardiff.
Wales defender James Collins was sent off after 26 minutes for a lunge on Guillaume Gillet, and Belgium enjoyed almost total dominance thereafter.
Vincent Kompany’s front-post header from a Dries Mertens corner gave the Group A favourites a deserved lead.
Gareth Bale was denied an equaliser by a superb save but Jan Vertonghen’s late free-kick wrapped up victory.
Tottenham left-back Vertonghen and Manchester City centre-back Kompany were two of Belgium’s seven Premier League contingent that started, and the visitors showed plenty of poise and power to dispatch a limited Wales without much difficulty.
It leaves Wales manager Chris Coleman still searching for his first win and first goal since taking over, but his side were left a near impossible task once Collins saw red.
Russia 2-0 Northern Ireland
A first-half strike by Alexander Kerzhakov and Roman Shirokov’s late penalty sent Northern Ireland to defeat in their opening World Cup qualifier.
In former England boss Fabio Capello’s first competitive match in charge of Russia, Fayzulin buried Alexander Kerzhakov’s cross in the 30th minute.
The penalty came 13 minutes from time when Blackpool defender Craig Cathcart shoved Alexander Kokorin over.
Roman Shirokov sent Roy Carroll the wrong way with the spot-kick.
Soon after that came Northern Ireland’s best effort as Gareth McAuley’s header from a Chris Brunt corner was cleared off the line.
So, for the seventh time in the last nine World Cup or Euro qualifying campaigns, Northern Ireland have fallen to defeat and they can have little complaint as they did little to suggest a surprise result.
It was Michael O’Neill’s first competitive match as Northern Ireland manager and he will be all too aware that his second must end in victory against Luxembourg in Belfast on Tuesday night.
