KAZAKHSTAN 0, ENGLAND 4

JOB DONE but no one will say well done after England were forced to dig deep against the brave fighters of Kazakhstan.

This was hard-fought, hard-earned and most of all hard luck on the locals. But why? Fabio Capello had warned his men what to expect and had sussed the gameplan of opposite number Bernd Storck way before kick-off.

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But his cautionary words had clearly not registered with his over-confident troops. And it almost cost them.

The Three Lions could have been a goal down inside 20 seconds and thought they had gone behind after 15 minutes.

If they had, it would have served them right for their lacklustre attitude to this vitally important World Cup qualifier.

OK, first-half goals from Gareth Barry and Emile Heskey steadied England before the break but it was midway through the second half before Wayne Rooney and Frank Lampard finally made it safe.

And that seemed like an awfully long time for those dedicated fans who had made the long trip to the edge of China to witness this surprisingly challenging encounter.

The locals were up for it on and off the pitch. A cacophony of pounding, rhythmic drums greeted England with a stirring rendition of Queen's classic anthem 'We Will Rock You'.

And here in Almaty's sold-out Central Satdium, beneath the impressive snow-topped Tyan Shan mountains, the Kazakhs tried to do just that to Capello's England.

The pumped-up players representing the ninth-largest country in the world had little respect for the superstars from the small islands that invented the game some 3,500 miles away.

In a whirlwind opening, reminiscent of last week's FA Cup final, the underdogs made a dramatic start. Glen Johnson was caught napping by the pace of the home side - maybe still jet-lagged after the seven-hour flight - and carelessly squandered possession with the Kazakhs going straight for the jugular.

MANY THANKS - England hero David Beckham salutes the travelling support

The impressive Tahat Nusrbayev, who scored in the 5-1 defeat at Wembley, cut in from the left before trying to tee up centre-forward Sergey Ostapenko.

Only a desperate clearance a yard in front of his goal by Three Lions skipper John Terry prevented a goal after just 19 seconds. But that was all the 25,000 crowd needed to go from a mere fever pitch into an absolute frenzy.

England were distinctly uncomfortable in the boisterous atmosphere and Capello was having histrionics on the touchline trying to organise his rearguard.

His efforts were not helped by a procession of mis-placed passes that denied England a foothold in the game and gifted the home side the majority of possession.

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Barry was guilty three times in quick succession and was then booked for a clumsy foul on Zhambyl Kukeyev. Manchester City fans would have been squirming at the sloppiness of their new £12million signing.

All of England was squirming moments later, though when Rob Green - making his first start for his country - misjudged a Kukeyev free-kick, allowing Ostapenko to nod into an open net.

Cue wild celebrations that were so joyous the home fans did not realise that the 'goal' was ruled out for offside. Further disappointment followed as the dangerous Ostapenko - the focal point of their attack - limped off.

That was a relief for England, who slowly began to get a grip. Heskey saw a drive turned on to the post by Alexandr Mokin as Capello's men mounted a rare attack.

WELL -PREPARED - Fabio Capello

From the corner, Matthew Upson looked to be up-ended in the box - prompting the entire England bench to leap off their seats, arms raised desperately appealing for a spot-kick. What a sight to see against a side so lowly as Kazakhstan.

It was testament to how well they were playing and how poorly England were coping. But the tide was now turning, the Kazakhs' early efforts ebbing away and England finally forging a beachhead.

Terry headed a corner from Chelsea team-mate Lampard straight at Mokin. But it was a warning of what was about to follow.

In the 39th minute, Lampard and Steven Gerrard tried a short corner and the Football Writers' Footballer of Year drove over a cross.

A wicked deflection left keeper Mokin in trouble and he could only push the ball away from his goal.

ON THE WAY - Gareth Barry after his opener

Unluckily for Mokin and his countrymen, it landed right on the head of Barry, who could not miss. It was a tough break for the hosts. A major stroke of luck for lacklustre England.

And the Kazakhs knew the game was up when Heskey scored just before the break. It was his first competitive goal for England since the 2002 World Cup! Gerrard was again the provider, although good fortune was again on England's side.

The Liverpool star let fly with a trademark long-range shot that was too much for Mokin to handle and the Villa striker mopped up the rebound.

The locals battled on but their resistance was finally broken with two goals in five minutes. First, Rooney's tireless work was rewarded after 73 minutes when the Manchester United star produced a superb overhead kick to convert the rebound after Mokin had clawed away his first effort.

And Lampard made it four, hammering home from the spot after Heskey had been taken out by Renat Abdulin as he was about to shoot. A good win in the end but no one could use the word comfortable.

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