Czech Republic 0-1 England was a real match with two halves. The first 45 minutes were so far the most exciting in the Three Lions campaign.
The other was boring. Very boring.
However, that did not matter to most England fans. All they cared about was that the team had ensured that they had a home advantage in the round of 16 with the tie kit to be played at Wembley next Tuesday.
The job is done! ✅
#ThreeLions finishes top of Group D and enters the knockout stages of # EURO2020. pic.twitter.com/o1fDIlIYy3
– England (@England) 22 June 2021
Before the action, we had the excitement that Southgate’s start XI was revealed. Thanks to the fact that Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell both have to isolate themselves and the fact that England had already qualified, there was potential for some interesting inclusions.
So it turned out that with Our 21’s own Bukayo Saka gave a virgin start together with Harry Maguire and Jack Grealish. Unfortunately, Jadon Sancho did not manage to connect with it, as his team mates had hoped, and the ball went out.
Worth noting Saka’s opposite man tonight is Jan Boril.
Saka tormented him so much when Arsenal played Slavia Prague, when they won 4-0 the left back was hooked at half time.
Wondering about some of Southgate’s thinking.
– Simon Collings (@sr_collings) June 22, 2021
Tyrone Mings has not gone a foot wrong in the euro so far, 2 games 2 clean sheets, what happens?
Lost to Harry Maguire?
– Ty Bracey (@TyBracey) June 22, 2021
I like Saka, but I’m really not sure what Sancho has done to not start this game.
Saka may be more defensively disciplined, but with Walker on RB, Sancho would be good to go from the right. Confused personally. #ENG
– Liam Henshaw (@HenshawAnalysis) June 22, 2021
I love Bukayo Saka. Love him. Think he’s a great player. But this continued Sancho thing is confusing to me.
– target man respecter (@oliwrath) June 22, 2021
Saka gets a start before Rashford & Sancho is a crime.
– ً (@utdrobbo) 22 June 2021
Sancho is not experienced enough to start but a 19-year-old Saka who has less appearances than Sancho has G / A is. pic.twitter.com/SHbS7DXB28
– Risks? (@Riszes) June 22, 2021
I tonight every time Saka touches the ball pic.twitter.com/tS9yQU4T9P
– LJRC (@ LiamCrook1) June 22, 2021
Bukayo Saka is a very talented kid but he who starts about Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford is CRAZY, especially with what Gareth Southgate said about “experience”.
– Ole Gunnar Scamskjær (@Nigerianscamsss) 22 June 2021
Within two minutes, England fans across the country thought Raheem Sterling had given them the lead with a clever lob … just so the ball could cut the post and bounce off.
Attans.
? That @ LukeShaw23 passes ⚡️ That @ sterling7 runs # ENG ?? ????? to the perfect start? #CZEENG | #ITVFotboll | # Euro2020 pic.twitter.com/2oAJ7MpJWj
– ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 22, 2021
Sterling’s face saw the ball fall?
– Scott Saunders (@_scottsaunders) June 22, 2021
Absolute class ball from Luke Shaw to Sterling, who hits the post. Opposite foot but similar ball to what Mount fed Sterling with.
– Alex Goldberg (@AlexGoldberg_) June 22, 2021
ENGLAND FROM THE WOOD WORK IN THE OPENING MINUTE AGAIN!
Sterling with a chipped bet now!
One of those quick starts in Brendan Rodgers will start and England will roll.
– Carl Anka (@ Ankaman616) June 22, 2021
Sterling plays for it 0-0 to avoid Germany. # ENGCZE pic.twitter.com/vOq0K4s4eg
– Paul Schofield (@ schofey27) June 22, 2021
#ENG met the woodwork early in a third straight match. Shaw smarty played over to Sterling, whose effort comes back from the far post. Good game
– Simon Peach (@SimonPeach) June 22, 2021
Just ten minutes later, Sterling would get the Three Lions believers out of their seats. After a brief tussle with his marker, Bukayo Saka was able to power the ball past the keeper to make the score 1 – 0. It was 1 – 0 at the break.
The boy from Brent rolled away to celebrate and once again answered those who questioned his place in the team.
Assistant King ???????? … and #ENG leads! ?
⚡️ Sharp driving from @ BukayoSaka87? @JackGrealish puts it on a plate? @ Sterling7 does the rest # CZEENG | #ITVFotboll | # Euro2020 pic.twitter.com/rqIApvGwAE
– ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 22, 2021
2 – Raheem Sterling is just the second player to score each of England’s first two goals in a 1996 EURO tournament after Alan Shearer, with all four goals among the two players coming to Wembley. Silent. #EN # EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/Z0OZGt0I79
– OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) June 22, 2021
Sterling carrying Kane in this attack pic.twitter.com/b41LKmROZV
– Kome (@KahunaKome) June 22, 2021
Btw that was not a “tap in” that was Sterling with phenomenal positional awareness, movement and finishing. There is no such thing as pushing in, it’s just a way to discredit a player.
– Sadiq (@Origilist_) June 22, 2021
Raheem Sterling has scored 100% of England’s goals at Euro 2020 pic.twitter.com/w4I3c7s69X
– Ben ?? (@KingAymeric_) June 22, 2021
Sterling: GoalGrealish: Assist Saka: shirtless pic.twitter.com/chq3AzS4YY
– ???? ?? (@AlexFtbl) June 22, 2021
25% of Raheem Sterling’s goals for England have come against the Czech Republic [4/16].
Another Wembley strike. ? pic.twitter.com/VrQe7m18Qt
– Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) June 22, 2021
That was not all that happened during the first half of the year either. Harry Kane also went close, though he might have squared it Sterling. Where have we heard it before?
Saka and Grealish also continued to impress. All in all, a fantastic opening 45 minutes.
Not the first time we’ve seen Kane refuse to square it to Sterling … pic.twitter.com/pZlMuATzyX
– 90min (@ 90min_Football) 22 June 2021
In Andy Townsend’s words: BETTER. https://t.co/uHO92fnkUE
– Sam Tighe – Ranks FC Podcast (@stighefootball) June 22, 2021
Some of Jack Grealish’s touches in that half, phwoar https://t.co/i9kfaYtBdC
– Football Ramble (@FootballRamble) June 22, 2021
Bukayo Saka first half vs Czech Republic | Euro 2020 highlights | Starboy pic.twitter.com/EudNZhUEgy
– James Benge (@jamesbenge) June 22, 2021
Harry Kane should have squared it for Raheem Sterling. I think it’s called Déjà vu.
– Boring James Milner (@BoringMilner) June 22, 2021
After the break, England returned to type, contented themselves with sterile possession and kept their opponents at arm’s length.
Most agreed that the game was crying after Sancho, but Southgate was not on his way.
Will Southgate try to sell Sancho at half time for 90 million + surcharge ..?
– Jan Aage Fjortoft? ️? ?? (@JanAageFjortoft) 22 June 2021
I’m surprised Bellingham and Sancho are not getting a chance. Significant contribution in teams that finished 3rd in the league, won a trophy and reached the CL quarter finals.
– Simon Stone (@ sistoney67) June 22, 2021
Updated CLAMOR ranking: 1: Sancho ⬆️2: Bellingham ↔️3: Foot NEW ENTRY4: Calvert-Lewin ⬆️5: Henderson NEW ENTRY6: Grealish ⬇️ (few people are a little confused and are reflexively CLAMORING after not watching the team)
– Nick Miller (@ NickMiller79) June 22, 2021
I heard that United had an agreement on a Sancho deal including 10 million surcharges for 5 English internationals, but Dortmund have asked for negotiations because they want to be paid before 2040.
– UnitedMuppetiers (@Muppetiers) June 22, 2021
Sancho and Rashford after discovering they are not in the top eleven. pic.twitter.com/6I1nhBnr7q
– That child from Paris. (@ abdiski17) June 22, 2021
Sancho is already being treated as a Manchester United player by England. Some things never change.
– Dale O’Donnell (@ODonnellDale) June 22, 2021
RELEASING NEWS
Gareth Southgate was only told today that Sancho’s first name is not really Jason: “It’s funny, I’ve called him Jason all along. I was like ‘Jason, you’re in the stands’, ‘no need to warm up, Jason,’ stuff like that. He never complained. ”
– Ronan Murphy (@swearimnotpaul) June 22, 2021
In the end, Sancho would move on – for six minutes at the end.
The Dortmund man helped his side to see the result, in what was a professional if not very exciting second half.
The overall reaction to the result was tacit satisfaction, although most realized that there are major tests ahead.
The English media grossly underestimated Sancho because “we have not seen it for England” – a really bad criterion – but that’s OK. I much prefer that Sancho does not have so much hype of them and rest more in the summer before he comes to us … if / when it happens.
– UtdArena (@utdarena) 22 June 2021
Raheem Sterling is the difference once again for @England ✨ # EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/WP1Um1Lf49
– Premier League (@premierleague) June 22, 2021
Congratulations to Jordan Henderson and the England squad for finishing 1st in their # EURO2020 group! ? pic.twitter.com/A9eIQdIWi6
– Anfield Watch (@AnfieldWatch) June 22, 2021
England have gone through the group stage in a major tournament without giving up for the third time:
? 1966? 1982 [second group stage]? 2021
Solid on the back. ? pic.twitter.com/3uzAIiIZcU
– Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) June 22, 2021
⚫️ ???????? Things you love to see: pic.twitter.com/raB73Civkv
– Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga_EN) June 22, 2021
England will retain Wembley in their quarter-final as winners in their group.
Home benefits continue for them.
– POOJA … (@PoojaMedia) June 22, 2021
Great experience for the boy there. He has learned a lot … https://t.co/MXIRX9l4Nb
– Archie Rhind-Tutt (@ archiert1) June 22, 2021
# ENG’s latest 5 results: 1-0, 1-0, 1-0, 0-0, 1-0.
– Colin Millar (@Millar_Colin) June 22, 2021
England accumulated 0.00 (xG) during the second half of tonight’s match.
– The XG Philosophy (@xGPhilosophy) June 22, 2021
Love a 1-0, Gareth does pic.twitter.com/UBNd9dAuVt
– Chris Deeley (@ ThatChris1209) June 22, 2021
