Michael Owen scored England's second goal

The England manager Steve McClaren and the England squad had faced growing pressure to deliver a result 拿出结果来 after a series of disappointing performances, but goals from Owen, Wright-Phillips and Richards kept England on course to qualify.

Positive  We were positive about Saturday's performance but the important thing is not to get carried away. We realise Russia is going to be a tougher test so we need to forget about Israel now.   Steven Gerrard, England

Coach McClaren said before the match that "the big games are when we have to deliver" and his team did just that with an emphatic 强有力的 win over a lacklustre 缺乏生气的 Israel, who rarely looked dangerous.

The England coach was forced to recall 召回 a number of older players to the national squad as many of his first-choices 首选 were out through injury and suspension 停赛.

Emile Heskey returned to the England side for the first time since Euro 2004.

Heskey himself admitted his recall came "as a bit of a surprise".

Confidence  They got off to a good start and you could see they were full of confidence at the start of the second half and it was a matter of how many they were going to get.   Alan Shearer, ex-England captain

But the gamble paid off 回报 as Heskey’s partnership up front with Michael Owen proved too much for the Israeli defence.

England’s performance earned praise from many pundits 评论人士 and commentators.

Former England captain Alan Shearer said "[England] were full of confidence in the second half and it was simply a matter of how many they were going to get", meaning it was certain England would win by a number of goals.

The win has boosted the team’s confidence before Wednesday’s second qualifying match against Russia.

However England midfielder Steven Gerrard warned players and fans not to "get carried away", meaning they shouldn’t become over-confident or unrealistic in their expectations.

Russia will be a much tougher test 更艰巨的考验 than Israel, and the Russian coach, Gus Hiddink, has already been accused of playing mind games 玩心理战术.

England assistant manager Terry Venables said: "Hiddink has had plenty to say for himself, claiming England lack passion, are scared to play and won't qualify.

"But you also hear him moaning 抱怨 about having to play his third-choice goalkeeper.

"When you have coached at the level both he and I have, you know all the tricks and the mind games. I'm not buying it 才不信呢, I'm shutting my ears."