Welbeck Gives England Perfect Send-Off

Danny Welbeck's first international goal ensured England completed their European Championships preparations in ideal fashion with victory over Belgium at Wembley.

Having beaten Norway last weekend, Roy Hodgson was seeking a similarly solid display just nine days before England's opening group game against France.

And in a game of few chances, Welbeck produced a rare moment of class, chipping the ball over the onrushing Simon Mignolet after 36 minutes.

Guillaume Gillet and Jermain Defoe both hit the post in the closing minutes but England saw out their second consecutive 1-0 win at the start of Hodgson's tenure as manager.

Hodgson was able to welcome Chelsea trio John Terry, Gary Cahill and Ashley Cole into his starting eleven after they missed the victory over Norway, while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain earned his first England start following his cameo in Oslo.

A star-studded Belgium side boasted four players from the Premier League, as well as the highly rated Eden Hazard, who revealed in mid-week his intension to join Chelsea from Lille.

With the fixture representing England players' final opportunity to impress prior to their opening group game against France on 11 June, the performance of each individual was likely to be highly scrutinised, and the early stages saw the pressure tell for many.

Only the effervescent Oxlade-Chamberlain provided any spark in the opening quarter, firing over Simon Mignolet's goal, after skewing his shot following James Milner's pullback.

In a week which saw both Gareth Barry and Frank Lampard replaced in England's 23-man squad after respective abdominal and thigh injuries, defender Cahill was next to suffer from the injury curse, after he clashed with Joe Hart following Dries Mertens' push on the 26-year-old.

Cahill, who suffered a bang to the jaw, was immediately replaced by Joleon Lescott; a further disruption to a disjointed England performance.

But despite creating little, and playing second fiddle to Belgium's midfield, England took full advantage when handed the opportunity, and when Ashley Young picked up a loose ball in midfield, his inch-perfect pass found the overlapping Welbeck, who flicked the ball over Mignolet to break the deadlock.

Steven Gerrard could have doubled the lead just before the break but was twice denied by desperate Belgium defending.

The visitors continued to look comfortable in possession after the interval, however a lack of end product was affecting their ability to draw level at Wembley, with Marouane Fellaini shot straight at Joe Hart as the pressure started to build.

But while Hart denied Fellaini with ease, the Mancheter City stopper could only watch as Gillet struck the post from 25 yards.

Mignolet cut just as forlorn a figure at the other end when faced with substitute Defoe, who hit the inside of the post after fellow replacement Theo Walcott's weaving run.

However, Defoe's failure made little difference at the end, as England saw out their second win under of the Hodgson era; ideal preparation ahead of their trip to Poland and Ukraine.