England start steadily
Wednesday, March 24, 2004
Article summary
England 2-0 Armenia England open Group 2 with a victory in front of 7,000 fans in Sheffield.
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Enthusiastic crowd
John Peacock's side got the better of a spirted Armenia at Hillsborough, Sheffield in front of an enthusiastic crowd of 7,000. England began the stronger, with Shane Paul hitting the bar early on after excellent play from Gary Roberts. However Armenia, particularly through the ever dangerous Edgar Manucharyan, also threatened sporadically.
Spot-kick opener
England took the lead in the 18th minute when Mark Noble was fouled in the penalty area and duly beat Armenia goalkeeper Shahen Manvelyan with the spot-kick. A second goal arrived in the 69th minute when Paul combined with substitute Fraizer Campbell and blasted the ball into the net.
Next games
In their next game, England will face fellow day-one winners Iceland in Doncaster while the Armenians will take on the Norwegians in Mansfield. Only the top side in the group will reach the eight-team final tournament in France this May.
