England ease past Greece

England 4 Greece 0: Steve McClaren got off to a winning start as manager of England with a 4-0 win over Greece at Old Trafford tonight.

An early goal from new captain John Terry in the 13th minute was followed up by one from his Chelsea teammate Frank Lampard 16 minutes later.

Liverpool's Peter Crouch then slotted home twice to put the game beyond doubt before the end of the first half.

Although Greece raised their game during the second forty-five minutes of play they were unable to address the goal deficit.

Leeds United striker David Healy marked his 50th cap by scoring the opening goal in Northern Ireland's impressive 2-1 friendly win over Finland earlier this evening.

The 27-year old, who was handed the captain's armband in recognition of his landmark, headed home from a corner in the 33rd minute for his 20th goal for the often goal-shy national team.

Another header by Burnley's Kyle Lafferty, his first international goal, increased Northern Ireland's lead after 64 minutes with Finlandgettingone back through PSV Eindhoven Mika Vayrynen's strike in the 74th minute.

In tonight's other international friendlies, World Cup winners Italy lost 1-0 to Croatia in their first competitive game since the finals,

Germany, who are due to meet the Republic of Ireland in the Euro 2008 qualifying stages in two weeks time, beat Sweden 3-0. Schneider slotted home early in the fourth minutes to put Germany ahead, while Klose scored a brace.

The Czech Republic, who are also in Ireland's qualifying group, lost 1-0 to Serbia in what was Pavel Nedved's last game for the national side.

Meanwhile, France won their first match since losing to Italy on penalties in the World Cup final. Les Blues beat Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-1 with Chelsea's William Gallas getting his name on the scoresheet.