It was the most pointless exercise in football — literally. San Marino, the worst European team ever to play international football, came to Wembley in its usual lambs-to-the-slaughter role and lost 5-0 on Thursday.
Roy Hodgson could have fielded his fourth XI and England would still have won. San Marino is that bad. It doesn't even kick opponents. Victory over San Marino is inevitable, the only question is the margin of defeat inflicted on a bunch of guys who are serial losers. The Wembley win was the expected non-event.
In one respect, playing San Marino is the hardest task Hodgson faces. He would have to prepare for the game in the same way as if England were playing Germany. Yet he could hardly have said: "Watch the runs from deep of the number 10," or whatever.