England has given Sven-Goran Eriksson the perfect start to his much-criticised role as the country's national soccer coach with a 3-0 victory over star-studded Spain in Birmingham yesterday.
After a ponderous start, Nick Barmby fired Eriksson's team ahead seven minutes before halftime.
Second-half strikes by Emile Heskey and Ugo Ehiogu made the margin of victory even more satisfactory for the Swede.
He even had the luxury of seeing goalkeeper Nigel Martyn save a late penalty by Javier Moreno.
The Swede made one surprise in his starting lineup. Charlton's Chris Powell, at age 31 something of a journeyman with no previous appearances for England at any level, made his debut on the left side of defence.
Soccer: Eriksson kicks off in convincing style
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