• International football

Capello delighted with England display

ESPN staff
March 29, 2011
Andy Carroll opened his international account for England © PA Photos
Enlarge

Fabio Capello was delighted with England's performance despite conceding a late goal to draw 1-1 with Ghana in their international friendly at Wembley.

Andy Carroll's first half goal looked like giving England the win on Tuesday night, until Asamoah Gyan's fine individual effort evened up the score in injury time. Despite failing to take victory, Capello was encouraged by what he saw from his players in a riveting game of football.

"Fantastic game, really," Capello told ITV. "It was a real friendly game. Two really, really good teams on the pitch, playing well. They showed technical skill and it was a great football match.

"A really, very good game."

Capello was the subject of some criticism before the match for picking a weaker team than perhaps he could have done, but the Italian was impressed with how the players performed in front of their own fans and feels he was vindicated in his team selection.

"They played without fear, with confidence and purpose at every moment on the pitch," he said. "It is most important that they play well, and the performance was fantastic.

"The players I selected I did so because I think they are really good players, and their performance was really good."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
Close

ABOUT COOKIES

To help make this website better, to improve and personalize your experience and for advertising purposes, are you happy to accept cookies and other technologies.

More Info Here Cookie Choices