England let a two goal lead slip as Wayne Rooney was sent off in a second that got worse for Capello and his men as the night continued. In a first half on a bobbly pitch England controlled the game with both Ashley Young and Darren Bent scoring from close range to put the visitors ahead. England started their final qualifier at a good tempo as the Montenegrin defence looked unsure and flimsy conceding five corners in the first 20 minutes. A pin point cross from Theo Walcott, left in acres of space let Young put England ahead within the first 15 minutes from a close range header. England doubled their lead when England sprang the off side trap and Darren Bent scored from his first meaningful touch of the game. Scott Parker was controlling the midfield and Montenegro spent much of the first half camped inside their own half. A brief run by Vuckinic was the hosts only showing in the first 40 minutes and few would have predicted that Montenegro would reduce the arrears before half time only mustering one shot on target. However, the one shot that hit the target proved deadly as Zverotic managed to find space on the edge of the England box and fire past as wrong footed Hart after taking a double deflection off both centre backs. Despite the flattering score line Montenegro came out in the second half and showed England just why the Podgoricans were second in their European qualification table. Two half time changes settled the Montenegrin defence and their side began to push England backwards. England lacked width and the two supporting wingers failed to muster a decent cross in the second half. The lack of width was evident and Rooney was playing far behind Bent leaving a disjointed attacking unit. Phil Jones was looking out of sorts out of position at right back and many may wonder why Capello blooded the talented youngster out of position in such an important game while leaving the two natural right backs out of the squad altogether. But even at 2-1 Montenegro were posing few threats despite the sluggish England defence until Wayne Rooney was sent off for a rash kick out at Dzudovic. There was little reaction or complaints as Rooney looking almost sheepish was giving his marching orders. However the man advantage gave the home side the impetus and the crowd began to roar. A late goal snatched Montenegro a deserved if not surprise equaliser out of another nothing situation when Gary Cahill let his marker escape him and slam home the ball from two yards. The 2-2 final score was treated like a home victory as their supporters triumphantly cheered their sides efforts to secure second place in the group. As for England, they are through to next summers finals but the end result left a bad taste in many supporters mouths as England went lurched from comfortable to sublimely awful. Capello will be left wondering where it all went wrong and questioning if some players have finally reached the end of the line in the England shirt. England player ratings: Joe Hart - 6 - Not his most assured performance in goal, but could do little about each goal. Phil Jones - 5 - Poor performance by the debutant who was unfortunate to be played out of position. A great talent but needs to be played in the centre to realise his potential. Ashley Cole - 7 - The only defender that looked confident and comfortable for much of the game. Gary Cahill - 5 - Looked far from composed tonight and was at fault for the second goal, letting his marker get away from him. John Terry - 5 - Tried to organise the defence in vain. Looked short of pace but was not helped out by Cahill. Scott Parker - 7 - Solid performance and looked assured on the ball and was England's best player. Gareth Barry - 5 - Passing was poor and looked rather sluggish. Theo Walcott - 6 - Produced a great cross for the first goal. Had a bright first half despite persistent fouling by Montenegrin defenders but struggled in the second half as England dropped deeper. Ashley Young - 6 - Went in and out of the game. Good turns of pace but poor crossing and did not provide width. Wayne Rooney - 5 - Played much of the game on the periphery and ended up playing much deeper than would have liked before getting frustrated and lashing out. Darren Bent - 4 - Had no impact on the game except a two yard tap in. Work rate was poor, however referee did not hesitate to penalise him at any chance. Fabio Capello - 5 - Had no control over the Rooney debacle but played Jones out of position while Richards and Walker were not even on the bench. Referee - 4 - Poor performance. Could have booked a number of Montenegrins in the first half but called up a number of petty fouls. Could have given Montenegro a second half penalty. Pitch - 1 - A bumpy bobbly pitch that all players seemed to struggle with.
