Match ticket = £32-50
Coach = £37
Tea at Sheffield = £1
Bus = £1-80
Snacks = £1-86
Tea at Asda = 90p
Programme = £6
Taxi = £10
Total = £91-06
Back at Wembley again! For the third time this year I was heading to the arch, for a 'dead rubber' against the Estonians. We've breezed through the group thus far, and although the media seem to think its been straightforward, I think back to that game in Basle where Switzerland had us on the ropes for a short period. The 2-0 win there has I think helped us gather the momentum this campaign, which is surely something to be praised rather than complained about.
As usual, I was on the coach down to the stadium straight from Sheffield. It is the first time I've had a vaguely bad experience with other passengers. Two blokes behind me were clearly drunk already, kicking the seats, and further down the bus another chap was coughing loudly and incessantly. There were only 18 passengers on board from Chesterfield & Sheffield today, so maybe that made it seem OK to behave in an anti-social way!
Upon arrival at the stadium, I decided to stretch my legs, and found the nearby Asda for fruit, snacks and a cup of tea in the cafe. The tea revitalised me after the long journey, and I recovered my bounce as I headed back to the ground. I was in block 508 (entrance E) today, on the dizzying heights of the fifth tier, and had a nice 'dinner' of some tuna rolls in the practically empty ground.
The game was better than I expected. England were playing a 4-3-3 system, with Lallana, Kane and Sterling spearheading an attack ahead of Barkley, Milner and Walcott. Not a bad front 6 on paper. Walcott's early volley forced a two-handed palm away by the Estonian keeper, before Sterling and Barkley fired wide. Barkley is growing into his role, and despite not always finishing well, he's one for the future. A fantastic move between Milner and Walcott then resulted in another close shave, before Walcott made it 1-0 almost on the stroke of half-time. The goal looked offside, but that didn't matter.
The second half was not a bad contest, although we barely got out of 2nd/3rd gear. Barkley was particularly dominant in midfield, but couldn't quite get a goal for his endeavours. Estonia's midfield actually played some half-decent football, with Ats Purje and Sergei Zenjov looking particularly handy with passing, movement and attacking. In particular, Estonia's Konstantin Vassiljev was a real engine of the team, picking up loose balls, distributing quality balls, and looking a threat when in possession. While they didn't have the quality to create chances or finish, they deserve some credit for the way they set out. England always looked in control, and made it 2-0 when Jamie Vardy sprinted free on the left, and unselfishly slid it to Sterling, who fired home. It was somewhat ironic that a selfish player like Sterling had profited from unselfish team play from a colleague!
So, the last home qualifier. I'm not sure when I'll be back here again. Roll on Euro 2016. Let's hope (a) we can do well, and (b) I manage to get a ticket!
No comments:
Post a Comment