England maintained their 100% record in World Cup qualifier 2022 after a 2-1 victory against Poland at Wembley on Wednesday night.
The Three Lions hit the front early when Raheem Sterling served his side a penalty after a strike by Michal Helik. Harry Kane came up to take the spot kick and he made no mistake when he fired the ball past Wojciech Szczęsny.
Goal number 3️⃣4️⃣ for @HKane! ? pic.twitter.com/EoksRstkXM
– England (@England) 31 March 2021
England looked to be heading for a routine victory, but John Stone’s loss of concentration saw him unnecessarily concede possession on the edge of his own box, giving Jakub Mother the chance to restore parity to the visitors – a chance he did not miss.
The Stones had a huge hand in England’s second night with just five minutes left, as he nodded the ball into the risk area before Harry Maguire unleashed an unstoppable effort that proved too hot for Szczęsny.
Here are your Three Lions player ratings …
Nick Pope had another quiet evening at Wembley | Matthew Ashton – AMA / Getty Images
Nick Pope (GK) – 6/10 – Must have made about three saves during the March matches and in the name of justice he could not do much with Poland’s equalization. Probably would have liked the chance to prove himself a little more in Jordan Pickford’s absence.
Kyle Walker (RB) – 6/10 – Looked steady as he completed his defense and tried to step forward when he had the chance.
John Stones (CB) – 4/10 – Looked to keep feeling back into the page with another solid performance – and then it happened. The old John Stones returned with a terrible mistake that cost his side the lead at night.
Harry Maguire (CB) – 7/10 – Won every flight duel he was involved in and was comfortable in possession. Possibly lucky to survive a handball scream in the second half but it would have been tough. Fantastic strike to give his side the win.
Ben Chilwell (LB) – 7/10 – A constant outlet down in England left and showed that he had the quality to produce the goods in the last third. Could have gotten a couple of assists to his name another night because he gave Southgate a lot to think about with Luke Shaw also in contention to be England’s first back.
Declan Rice performed well in the heart of midfield Mattia Ozbot / Getty Images
Declan Rice (CM) – 7/10 – Always looking to take the ball from the defense and offered a run to try to pull his side up the field. Reclaimed possession well on a couple of occasions.
Calvin Phillips (CM) – 5/10 – Just kept it simple. There is really not much more to say about a player who gets very little defensive work to do and who rarely threatened to send the ball forward.
Mason Mount (CM) – 7/10 – Played with the power of a man who learned that it was his last football match ever. Did not stop running and continued to struggle in Poland.
Harry Kane opened predictable points for England | Catherine Ivill / Getty Images
Phil Foden (RW) – 5/10 – Not the kind of performance we expected from the Manchester City star. Struggled to get into the game and started demanding to take game matches in an attempt to influence the procedure, but it was not his night.
Harry Kane (ST) – 7/10 – There are not many players in the world that you would rather stand over a spot to give your side the lead. The Tottenham man led the line well and connected the game with the midfield brilliantly.
Raheem Sterling (LW) – 7/10 – Great wing play to open Poland’s backline and win early penalties. Saw a threat when he had the ball at his feet.
Jesse Lingard was introduced late on | MB Media / Getty Images
Reece James (RB) – N / A
Dominic Calvert-Lewin (ST) – N / A
Jesse Lingard (RW) – N / A
