Character key to England victory

England coach Steve McClaren praised his side's character after they saw off Andorra with three second half goals in Barcelona to quell the unrest amongst their frustrated supporters.

Lacking confidence
McClaren said: "We came here to win a football match and we have won it. In the end it was comfortable. The first-half was difficult - they had eleven men behind the ball and we lacked confidence. At half-time we said they have to show guts and character both on and off the field but they coped with it and Steven Gerrard really stepped forward. All the players did that. I am proud of the way they've done it. It is still in our hands, there is a long way to go and work to do."

Patience rewarded
Two-goal hero Steven Gerrard concurred with McClaren's viewpoint and felt that their patience was eventually rewarded. He said: "The first-half was one of the most difficult 45 minutes for England. There has been a lot of pressure. The fans were on us quite early and we found it difficult to break Andorra down. We knew that eventually if we were patient it would come and we could have scored four or five. At half-time at 0-0 we had to show a lot of character. The fans have got to be pleased with the second-half performance."