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Switzerland national football team
European Championship | Qualifiers
Sep 8, 2014 at 7.45pm UK
 
England national football team

0-2

FT(HT: 0-0)
Welbeck (59', 94')

Danny Welbeck gets England off to winning start

Danny Welbeck's second-half brace gives England a 2-0 win over Switzerland in their first qualifier for Euro 2016.

England have opened their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign with a 2-0 win over Switzerland after Danny Welbeck scored twice in the second half this evening.

Danny Welbeck of England shoots past goalkeeper Yann Sommer of Switzerland to score their first goal during the UEFA EURO 2016 Group E qualifying match between Switzerland and England at St Jakob-Park on September 8, 2014© Getty Images

Wayne Rooney had a couple of early chances to open the scoring for the visitors, but his first was cleared after he hesitated in the box, while the second was comfortably saved by Yann Sommer.

The hosts wanted a penalty when Haris Seferovic and Phil Jones tangled on the edge of the box, but the referee was not interested in their appeals.

England continued to see the majority of the chances, with Welbeck trying to set up a chance for Raheem Sterling, but his pass was too far forward for the Liverpool midfielder.

The Swiss goalkeeper was called into action twice in the closing moments of the first half as Rooney and Jones both had efforts cleared off the line just before the break.

Raheem Sterling of England shoots past Stephan Lichtsteiner (2) and Valon Behrami of Switzerland (11) during the UEFA EURO 2016 Group E qualifying match between Switzerland and England at St Jakob-Park on September 8, 2014© Getty Images

Both sides made attacking starts to the second half, as Jack Wilshere sliced a shot just wide for England before Stephan Lichsteiner fired well high down the other end moments later.

The hosts continued to press as Xherdan Shaqiri floated the ball in for Seferovic, but Joe Hart was on hand to make the stop for Roy Hodgson's side.

The deadlock was broken just short of the hour mark when Rooney picked out Sterling, who made a blistering run into the box before passing to Welbeck, who squeezed it inside the post to give England the lead.

Switzerland responded well as they looked to quickly get back on level terms, but Seferovic blasted a 25-yard volley well wide, before Gary Cahill made a last-gasp block after Josip Drmic tried to slot the ball into an open goal after rounding Hart.

As the hosts continued to press for an equaliser in stoppage time, England made a quick counter-attack, allowing Welbeck to fire home his second and put the win beyond doubt.

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Raheem Sterling of England shoots past Stephan Lichtsteiner (2) and Valon Behrami of Switzerland (11) during the UEFA EURO 2016 Group E qualifying match between Switzerland and England at St Jakob-Park on September 8, 2014
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Group A

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Germany Germany32107
Q Switzerland Switzerland31205
3 Hungary Hungary31023
4 Scotland flag Scotland30121

Group B

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Spain Spain33009
Q Italy Italy31114
3 Croatia Croatia30212
4 Albania national flag Albania30121

Group C

TeamPWDLPTS
Q England flag England31205
Q Denmark Denmark30303
Q Slovenia Slovenia30303
4 Serbia Serbia30212

Group D

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Austria Austria32016
Q France France31205
Q Netherlands Netherlands31114
4 Poland Poland30121

Group E

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Romania Romania31114
Q Belgium Belgium31114
Q Slovakia Slovakia31114
4 Ukraine Ukraine31114

Group F

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Portugal Portugal32016
Q Turkey Turkey32016
Q Georgia Georgia31114
4 Czech Republic Czech Republic30121


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