England boss Southgate fires warning to rivals after Sterling header helps Three Lions sink Czech 1-0; team seal knockout spot after topping group
England’s Raheem Sterling celebrates his goal against Czech Republic on Tuesday. Pic/AFP
England clinched first place in Euro Group D with a 1-0 win against the Czech Republic. Already assured of playing in the Last 16, England made certain that the knockout tie will be played in front of their own fans at Wembley thanks to Raheem Sterling’s first-half winner against the Czechs.
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England will face the second-placed team in Group F on June 29, with France, Germany, Portugal or Hungary all potential opponents. At Wembley, the Czechs also knew they were sure to advance before kick-off, but their first defeat of the tournament left them in third place. Their next opponent will be decided when the final two groups conclude on Wednesday.
Cohesive display
Having started Group D by narrowly beating Croatia 1-0 before being booed off after a drab 0-0 draw against Scotland, England produced a slightly more cohesive display against the Czechs. There remains much for Southgate’s men to work on, but England coped efficiently after a disrupted build-up that saw Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell forced into self-isolation after Scotland’s Covid-19 woes.
Gareth Southgate
“We changed what we were doing overnight because of the change in personnel, so it is a huge credit to the players,” Southgate said. “There is more to come from us yet. We are not fluent but we have moments where we look a good side.”
Southgate selected Jack Grealish to replace Mount and the Aston Villa midfielder provided a spark as his perfectly-flighted cross to the far post was headed in by Sterling in the 12th minute.
Arsenal’s winger Bukayo Saka, 19, also given a surprise start by Southgate in place of Phil Foden, added pace and invention to the England attack.
But England couldn’t find a killer second as Harry Kane’s Euro goal drought extended to three games. Kane was brilliantly denied by Tomas Vaclik’s first-half save as he finally had his first shot on target in the tournament.
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Unimpressive Kane
The Tottenham striker played the full 90 minutes for the first time in the tournament, but once again was a shadow of the player who finished as the Premier League’s top scorer this season. Southgate will take heart from England’s solid defence. They have yet to concede a goal in the tournament, with Harry Maguire returning from ankle ligament damage to partner John Stones in central defence and shutting out the Czechs.
Two
Raheem Sterling is only the second player to score each of England’s first two goals at Euro after Alan Shearer in 1996
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