Angry Roy Hodgson Dismisses England Statistics
England laboured to a 1-0 win against Norway in an international friendly but coach Roy Hodgson chose to focus on the positives.
- Agence France-Presse
- Updated: September 04, 2014 03:08 PM IST
England manager Roy Hodgson mounted an impassioned defence of his team after they laboured to a 1-0 friendly victory over Norway.
Wayne Rooney marked his first match as captain with a decisive 68th-minute penalty, but it was one of only two shots on target.
"Two shots on target? Don't give me that one," Hodgson snapped at a journalist during a tetchy post-game media conference.
"What about all the shots that people (Norway's defenders) threw themselves in the way of? What about the little ball when (Daniel) Sturridge is played in, lobs the goalkeeper, lands on the crossbar?
"Don't hit me with statistics. When we had that much possession, and you want to talk to me about two shots on target?"
Danny Welbeck, a replacement for Rooney, was the only other England player to test Norway goalkeeper Orjan Haskjold Nyland with a shot on goal.