By their frequent admission, professional footballers hate watching matches, so, for the dozen or so who wisely accepted Fabio Capello’s invitation to take in England’s final World Cup qualifying game last night from the comfort of an executive box, this may have felt like seeing a rival candidate receive an almighty slap on the back on the way out of a job interview.

Michael Owen, Jermaine Jenas and Co were invited to the dressing room at the final whistle to join Capello and the squad for a toast in which the Italian somewhat misleadingly told all present: “See you in South Africa.” The thought is inspiring for Joe Cole and Theo Walcott, back from injury, but Owen will have looked at Peter Crouch, who scored twice, and the performances of David Beckham and James Milner, as substitutes, and wondered whether the door to the World Cup finals had closed before his eyes.

This was not a devastating performance by any means, as England beat an inexperienced Belarus team thanks to three untidy goals, two from Crouch and one from Shaun Wright-Phillips, but, on a night when individual causes seemed more significant than the collective, Capello is unlikely to be troubled by any of that. Whatever his misgivings about Crouch, the Tottenham Hotspur forward is a prolific goalscorer at international level — these were his seventeenth and eighteenth goals in 35 games for England — and, if that is not enough to retain a place in the squad, nothing will be.

Crouch knows better than to expect plaudits from Capello, whose downbeat response in his post-match press conference was merely that he knows about the forward’s “numbers”. The trouble with Crouch is that he changes the dynamic of the England team — it is not simply a case of replacing one big man with another. But if Emile Heskey is off form, there may come a time next summer when a drastic change of approach is necessary.

Capello had said beforehand that, fitness and form permitting, he knew 16 of the players who will constitute his 23-man squad for the finals. If anything, that sounded high, particularly as it will not have included Crouch, or Wright-Phillips, Milner or Ben Foster, all of whom had enhanced their claims by the end of the evening.

The same applies to Beckham, even if the sponsors’ man-of-the-match award, bestowed on him by Steve Bruce, was rather excessive — Capello dryly observed that it was like Barack Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize. Even if, with little at stake, the stage was set for Hollywood passes by the time he came on at 1-0, this was the former captain’s most productive night in an England shirt in two years. He even struck the outside of a post, denying him a first international goal since the 2006 World Cup.

Of those who started last night, Foster, Bridge, Wright-Phillips, Crouch and Gabriel Agbonlahor would not dare to think they were among Capello’s chosen 16 — Aaron Lennon may be entitled to fancy his chances — so this was audition time.Inevitably, the football was disjointed at times, with not a hint of the fluency that Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney provide, so instead the emphasis was on speed, with Wright-Phillips, Lennon and Agbonlahor blessed with the kind of pace that, if used correctly at least, terrifies defenders.

But there is a significant difference between exhibiting pace and playing at pace. The high-tempo football that has marked England’s best performances, most notably in the 5-1 victory over Croatia last month, was not seen. On the occasions that Lennon or Wright-Phillips got into their stride, England threatened, but they mainly struggled to find the cohesion that comes so naturally when Gerrard and Rooney are on the pitch together.

It started well enough, with Agbonlahor sprinting clear of the Belarus defence to set up Crouch to open the scoring in the fourth minute. One of many incisive passes from Gareth Barry found Agbonlahor tearing into the space behind Igor Shitov, the visiting right back, and, after a quick look up, the Aston Villa forward crossed into the six-yard box, where Crouch, sliding in and sticking out a leg, prodded the ball beyond Yury Zhevnov.

For a time it seemed that Wright-Phillips may end up as the evening’s biggest loser, incurring the wrath of Capello twice in the first half, but he ended up firmly in credit. The way he took the second goal on the hour was impressive, receiving a quick corner from Beckham, cutting inside on to his right foot and striking a low shot that deceived Zhevnov. But Capello will be just as happy with the winger’s workrate down the left-hand side.

As for Foster, he has had little to smile about lately, having struggled to take the chance that had arisen at Manchester United this season through an injury to Edwin van der Sar, but the goalkeeper dealt comfortably with what little action came his way last night. His first save, from Sergei Omelyanchuk’s free kick in the 37th minute, was routine, but his second, repelling a fierce shot from the same player midway through the second half, was far more satisfying.

Carlton Cole, another substitute, made a decent impression, but when his shot in the 75th minute was saved by Zhevnov and the loose ball converted by Crouch, he might have reflected that his good work had resulted in a goal for his main rival. Such thoughts come naturally to professional footballers when there is a place in the World Cup squad at stake. It is why, up in the executive box, Owen and his friends struggled to raise a smile. For Capello, the challenge is to ensure that the competition remains healthy. At this rate, he may end up spoilt for choice.