Wayne Rooney struck twice as England went through a stiff test before beating Kazakhstan 5-1 in their World Cup qualifier at Wembley on Saturday.
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England's Wayne Rooney (C) celebrates as Kazakhstan's Alexandr Kuchma (R) reacts with teammate Yuriy Logvinenko after scoring an own goal during their 2010 World Cup qualifying soccer match at Wembley Stadium in London Oct. 11, 2008. [Xinhua/Reuters]
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A goalless first 52 minutes prompted restlessness from the crowd but England ultimately ran riot with a late rally.
Stand-in captain Rio Ferdinand broke the deadlock in the 52nd minute and an own goal by Alexandr Kuchma (62), two from Wayne Rooney (76 and 86) and a last-minute strike by substitute Jermain Defoe gave Fabio Capello's side their third successive win in the qualifying campaign.
It was the first time for England to score five goals in a World Cup match since Sven Goran Eriksson's side dismantled Germany on route to the 2002 World Cup finals.
There was an added bonus when Group 6 rivals Ukraine and Croatia battled out a goalless draw.
Kazakhstan have now lost three games in a row following last month's defeats by Croatia and Ukraine.
However, it was not a comfortable night for Capello and his side as the scoreline suggested.
A spirited display from the visitors saw England jeered off at half-time before Capello introduced Shaun Wright-Phillips for Barry in a bid to inject some more dynamism.
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England's Wayne Rooney (top) celebrates after scoring a goal during their 2010 World Cup qualifying soccer match at Wembley Stadium in London Oct. 11, 2008. [Xinhua/Reuters]
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Wright-Phillips had a shot turned behind for a corner and from the resulting set-piece, Ferdinand climbed highest to nod into the net.
England doubled their advantage as Kuchma headed a Frank Lampard free kick into his own net but sloppy play from Ashley Cole gifted Zhambyl Kukeyev a reply in the 68th minutes, prompting boos from the stands.
