LONDON: England kicked off their World Cup qualifying campaign with a 5-0 thrashing of San Marino on Thursday as Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored twice and Ollie Watkins marked his debut with a goal.
On a Wembley night when Gareth Southgate could have dispensed with defenders altogether, England toyed with FIFA’s lowest-ranked nation who rarely made it past the halfway line.
San Marino held out for 13 minutes before James Ward-Prowse opened his England account with a smart finish and Calvert-Lewin made it 2-0 seven minutes later with a header.
Raheem Sterling, who missed a succession of early chances, made it 3-0 just after the half-hour mark at which point it seemed England might be heading for double figures.
To their credit, San Marino’s part-timers dug deep in the face of a siege with Calvert-Lewin’s second goal, a tap-in, the only addition to the score until substitute Watkins slotted in late on as England moved top of Group I.