England boss Southgate slammed for not using subs in Poland draw

Gareth Southgate. Pic/AFP

Gareth Southgate admitted England still have work to do to reach the 2022 World Cup after Damian Szymanski's stoppage-time equaliser earned Poland a 1-1 draw in Warsaw on Wednesday.

The Three Lions are still well-placed to secure their place in Qatar as winners of Group I of European qualifying with a four-point lead over second-placed Albania and five clear of Poland.

A game short on goalmouth action looked to be meandering towards a stalemate until Harry Kane's long-range strike 18 minutes from time deceived Wojciech Szczesny.

But Szymanski rescued a point that could be vital to the Poles' chances of sealing second in the group and a playoff place for the World Cup. The England boss was again questioned for his reluctance to use a bench filled with EPL stars.

By stark contrast, Poland boss Paulo Sousa used all five of his allocated changes, including the introduction of Szymanski. "We were in total control of the game," said Southgate.

"You can bring players into the game when it's not so easy in the latter stages. We knew if we won the game we were pretty much in Qatar. That isn't the case, we still have work to do, but I can't fault the players in the way they've responded."

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