Wright stuff puts Hoddle in charge

Paul Gascoigne and Ian Wright staged a Wembley benefit for each other against Moldova and now England go to Rome with the door to the World Cup finals wide open.

A point is all Glenn Hoddle's men need in the qualifying climax in Rome on October 11th to win the group and condemn Italy to the second-place lottery.

But it was more thanks to the gutsy determination of Georgia, who staged a shock in Tblisi to take a point off Cesare Maldini's Italy, than the initiative of an England side who found respectability depressingly late two hours afterwards.

England fans were starved of excitement and entertainment as England struggled to break down the side ranked 122nd in the world, who packed defence, hacked at white socks, and prayed for mercy.

England showed plenty before 22-year-old Scholes marked his World Cup debut with a flying header in the 28th minute to break the deadlock.

It was his second goal in his second start for his country, following on from the Nantes strike against Italy in the summer Tournoi in France which gives England the real psychological edge in the Olympic Stadium next month.

Wright had bagged the first goal in that game, set up by Scholes, but it was Gascoigne who helped the Arsenal player break his Wembley hoodoo in the first minute of the second half.

The 33-year-old, just two goals away from his place in Highbury history, has left Wembley a dozen times with an England shirt but no goal to his name.

Six of his seven international goals have come abroad and his only `home' success was at Old Trafford against South Africa this summer.

So he celebrated ecstatically at breaking his duck. Then, after 35 frustrating second half minutes, he returned the favour for the Rangers star whose first goal since Kishinev a year ago made it 3-0.

Gascoigne responded in the last seconds by again playing Wright through for his second goal of the night.

It was just about the minimum return for England - even without Shearer and Sheringham - and they must play much better than this in Rome if they are to reach France without need of a play-off.

Italy, who had also dropped points to Poland, must win to qualify automatically and that makes the 1994 losing finalists more dangerous than ever.

However, they will be without Chelsea play-maker Roberto Di Matteo who collected his second booking of the campaign and is now suspended.