European Football Championship
England finished the European Championship group D as winners and did not concede a goal. With their own fans behind them – and still plenty of room for improvement – the “Three Lions” now have more plans. “The good thing is, we’re still improving,” said coach Gareth Southgate after the 1-0 win against the Czech Republic on Tuesday evening. “Work done – now the hard part,” wrote the Telegraph, looking ahead.
Raheem Sterling (12th) headed for the victory of the hosts, who will play again in the round of 16 on Tuesday at Wembley. The opponent will not be determined until Wednesday, it will be the second in Group F, which is very prominently equipped with France, Portugal and Germany. Scorer Sterling on the upcoming opponent: “At some point you have to play against the stronger teams. Now we are challenged. “
As one of the four best thirds in the group, the Czech Republic was also through before the game kicked off. So the game had no real expressiveness. “We are now playing against much stronger teams. But we can take confidence from this group, we haven’t conceded a single goal, ”said England winger Bukayo Saka, who was named Player of the Game. “No matter who comes, we can go into the game with confidence. Because we play with our fans at Wembley. ”40,000 spectators will be admitted from next week.
Hope for more offensive power
The English did not deliver a completely convincing performance against the Czech Republic either. Zero goals conceded are also only two goals scored. But the offensive potential is recognizable: 19-year-old Saka from Arsenal celebrated a strong debut at the European Championship against the Czechs, Jadon Sancho got his first minutes of action. One problem remains with captain Harry Kane, who is still waiting for his first goal in the tournament. “Can we play better? Of course we can. Are we going to improve? We will do everything we can, ”said England’s recovered defender Harry Maguire.
Coach Southgate also dealt with the situation at Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell. The Chelsea duo is in isolation after contact with the Scotsman Billy Gilmour who tested positive for the corona virus. This should remain up until Monday. None of Scotland’s players had to go into isolation. For Southgate the situation is “bizarre,” as he noted: “To be honest, I don’t get it at all. There are teams who travel for hours by plane or bus indoors. And they spent 120 seconds too long in a fairly open space. “
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