England 1-0 Croatia: Raheem Sterling gets Gareth Southgate’s side off to winning start at Euro 2020
Southgate #Southgate
Raheem Sterling’s second-half strike got England off to a winning start at Euro 2020, as they beat Croatia 1-0 in sweltering conditions at Wembley.
There had been debate about the forward’s starting role under boss Gareth Southgate but, despite some patchy goal-scoring form for Manchester City this past season, he has been a key figure for England and the local lad sent them top of Group D with his 13th international goal in his last 17 games.
In front of 22,500 fans, Sterling slotted in after excellent build-up play from Kalvin Phillips on an afternoon when Southgate’s selections paid off and England earned some measure of revenge on the side who knocked them out of the World Cup semi-finals three years ago.
Phil Foden struck the post early on as England began well before both sides appeared to slow in the heat but Southgate’s side grabbed the lead just as their visitors were gathering some momentum and saw it through without any major alarms to the delight of their returning home fans.
England’s first win in an opening match at a European Championships puts them in a commanding position ahead of their second group game against Scotland on Friday.
Player ratings
England: Pickford (6), Walker (5), Stones (6), Mings (7), Trippier (6), Rice (7), Phillips (8), Mount (7), Foden (7), Sterling (8), Kane (6).
Subs used: Rashford (6), Bellingham (N/A), Calvert-Lewin (N/A)
Switzerland: Livakovic (6), Vrsaljko (6), Vida (5), Caleta-Car (6), Gvardiol (5), Modric (6), Brozovic (5), Kovacic (6), Rebic (5), Kramaric (5), Perisic (5).
Subs used: Vlasic (5), Brekalo (6), Petkovic (N/A), Pasalic (N/A)
Man of the match: Raheem Sterling (England)
How England made a winning start…
Initial boos were drowned out by cheers and applause when England’s players took a knee before kick-off and the home fans were on their feet again soon after, as Southgate’s side put together a flurry of early chances.
Kieran Trippier’s inclusion at left-back had dominated the pre-match line-up discussion but it was a long throw from the defender which opened Croatia up on six minutes, allowing Sterling to run at their backline before feeding the dyed-blond Foden to bend a left-foot shot agonisingly against the inside of the far post.
Phillips then forced Dominik Livakovic into a sharp stop by firing through a crowd of bodies before Sterling latched onto Mason Mount’s fine pass but couldn’t pick out a white shirt in the box.
Team news
Kieran Trippier started England’s Euro 2020 opener at left-back as part of a back four, with Ben Chilwell not in the squad. Phil Foden and Raheem Sterling began in attack in support of captain Harry Kane, with Jack Grealish on the bench and Jadon Sancho not in the matchday 23.
Meanwhile, Duje Caleta-Car and Domagoj Vida started at centre-back for Croatia, with injured Dejan Lovren not in the squad, and Chelsea’s Mateo Kovacic started in midfield alongside Luka Modric.
Croatia began to feel their way back into the contest with some sustained possession but, despite some neat build-up, they were unable to carve any meaningful openings, as the heat appeared to take its toll on both teams, lulling the game to walking pace at times.
Just before half-time, a Duje Caleta-Car booking for handball gave Trippier the chance to repeat his heroics of the World Cup semi-final three years ago but he pinged his free-kick into the Croatia wall and the players headed down the tunnel to cool off.
They were back into the heat of the action at the start of the second half, though, with Mateo Kovacic booked for a crunching tackle on Chelsea team-mate Mason Mount before Trippier breathed a sigh of relief when Jordan Pickford beat Ante Rebic to his under-hit back pass. But then came the moment of class we’d been waiting for.
Image: Kalvin Phillips starred for England at Wembley
It was Leeds midfielder Phillips who provided it, skipping past a couple of challenges before reversing a pass into the path of Sterling who slid in ahead of Sime Vrsaljko to score his first goal at a major tournament.
England nearly came up with a second moments later when Mount crossed to the back post but Kane was unable to turn the ball home and collided painfully with the upright, before Rebic lashed wide at the other end as the game opened up.
Mount fizzed a free-kick just over the bar after a driving run of his own, before Marcelo Brozovic and Sterling blasted off target at either end.
With space to play, Southgate sent on Marcus Rashford for Foden and then, in a special moment, Jude Bellingham replaced Harry Kane, which meant, at the age of 17, he became the youngest player to feature in a European Championship match.
The teenager certainly didn’t look out of place as England defended confidently through the final stages and completed an impressive opening-day victory. On the touchline, Southgate, with his shirt sleeves rolled up, celebrated the final whistle with a clenched fist and embrace with his coaching staff.
It’s a sight England fans hope will become as familiar and iconic as his waistcoat and raised arms of Russia 2018 over the coming weeks…
Opta stats – England’s first opening day Euros win
What’s next?
Both teams are next in action on June 18. England face a huge Home Nations derby against Scotland at Wembley (kick-off 8pm) while Croatia face the Czech Republic at Hampden Park (kick-off 5pm).