England beat Czech Republic at Wembley Stadium by 1-0 to secure the top spot of Group D in Euro 2020.
Raheem Sterling scored the solitary goal yet again for the Three Lions early in the first half. But, Gareth Southgate’s team could not keep the intensity in the second half.
After the rest of the final Group D games, England finished as a group topper. By beating Scotland 3-1 Croatia became the runner up and Czech Republic qualified as the third-best team.
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Czech Republic 0-1 England team news:
Czech Republic boss Jaroslav Silhavy went with 4-2-3-1 formation and made no changes from the previous draw against Croatia. In form Bayer Leverkusen forward Patrick Schick led the line for the Czechs.
Southgate also went with 4-2-3-1 formation and Harry Maguire made his return after recovering from an ankle injury. Apart from that, the Three Lions boss made three more chances in his starting eleven.
Bukayo Saka got his chance and Phil Foden had to sit out on the bench. Jack Grealish also started the game and Mason Mount left out from the starting line-up. Harry Kane led the line for Southgate’s team.
Czech Republic 0-1 England Post-match analysis:
The changes worked wonderfully in the first half for England, Saka and Grealish linked up well and Kane got onto the ball more times than the previous two games.
In the build-up to the goal, the Arsenal youngster showed his quality with the ball. After beating two Czech players from his own half, the 19-year-old made a strong run through the Silhavy’s side’s midfield. And then a deflected Grealish’s cross fell nicely on the head of Sterling who put the ball in the empty net. Before scoring the goal the Manchester City man had a great chance to open the deadlock but he saw his chip come off the post.
Following the goal, Czechs tried to apply pressure which opened up spaces for Southgate’s side. In one situation Kane had a great opportunity to double the margin but Tomas Vaclik saved it brilliantly.
However, in the second half, it was back to the old England. No urgency, lethargic and slow football. The Three Lions could not even manage a single attempt. With the second-half performance against Czech Republic, it will be hard for England to go far in Euro 2020.
Notable Performances:
Bukayo Saka: The energy that England was lacking, Saka provided perfectly to Southgate’s side and produced a man of the match performance.
Jack Grealish: It was awful to see that the full fit Villa man was sitting on the bench despite England’s struggles. His first-half performance showed clearly how important he is for the England side.
Raheem Sterling: Despite the criticism about his performance, the Manchester City man is the only scorer for the Three Lions. England have scored two goals in the competition and Sterling scored both.
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