Rio Ferdinand frustrated after Montenegro stalemate

Rio Ferdinand admitted England should have done better after being held to a disappointing draw against Montenegro at Wembley on Tuesday.

The England captain said: “We can take a few positives but we really should be winning games like that.”

England lacked creativity in and around the box, with Manchester City midfielder Adam Johnson standing out as one of the only players in Fabio Capello’s side to put in a solid performance.

Wayne Rooney and Peter Crouch, who started the game up front, both failed to make a substantial impact, with Rooney seeing his best effort saved by Mladen Bozovic in the second period while Crouch headed just over the bar in the first-half.

Steven Gerrard, who was relieved of the captain’s armband following the return of Ferdinand, looked subdued from the off, with central midfielder partner Gareth Barry also having a poor game, misplacing a number of passes throughout the course of the 90 minutes.

England can, however, feel aggrieved at not having been awarded a penalty in the second-half after Milan Jovanovic clearly handled the ball in the box. Ferdinand also revealed his frustration over the referee’s decision.

“He might as well have caught the ball, put it under his shirt and run home with it. But you’ve got to get on with it,” Ferdinand said of Jovanovic.

Manager Fabio Capello also stated he was disappointed with the result, but praised Montenegro for their defensive performance.

“We created four or five chances to score but the keeper saved every time.” said Capello. “It’s not easy to play a team like this who defend very well and are really difficult to beat.”