England v Croatia: Euro 2020 – live!

9.24am EDT 09:24

24 min Vrsaljko’s cross is headed away by Mings at the near post. It’s been an unexpectedly comfortable start for England’s slightly makeshift defence.

9.23am EDT 09:23

23 min Croatia are slowing the game down at every opportunity. They know their experience will become more of an advantage if they can take the game deep.

9.21am EDT 09:21

20 min Sterling again gets behind the Croatia defence, this time on the left side of the area. He turns and flips a cross to the far post that is headed away. At the moment, England’s youth is trumping Croatia’s experience. But then we said the same in the first half of the World Cup semi-final.

9.19am EDT 09:19

19 min Foden tries to snake around the outside but is dispossessed by the diligent Kovacic. England are playing with a really impressive energy and purpose.

9.17am EDT 09:17

17 min Phillips is fouled 35 yards from goal. Trippier flips the ball over the defence towards Kane, who is offside, the end.

9.17am EDT 09:17

16 min “In this searing heat Croatia will regret their black kit in the last 20 minutes,” says Mary Waltz. “Their aging side will melt.”

Literally.

9.15am EDT 09:15

15 min Sterling went to the last World Cup in great form and had a bit of stinker, so maybe this will be the reverse. He has been really bright so far. One thing Sterling doesn’t get enough credit for is his irrepressibility – he never hides, even if he’s having a rough time. That attitude, combined with his speed and movement, mean he will always be a threat.

9.13am EDT 09:13

13 min Thanks for all your emails, with which I am doggedly failing to keep up. It’s been a pretty frantic start to the game, faster than I expected in this heat.

9.11am EDT 09:11

11 min Kalvin Phillips has started the game really well, with and without the ball. It took four or five minutes for them to settle down, but since then England have been dominant.

Brozovic and Rebic hound out Phillips Photograph: Frank Augstein/AP

Updated at 9.18am EDT

9.09am EDT 09:09

9 min The resulting corner is headed away as far as Phillips, whose crisp volley from 20 yards is pushed away by the sprawling Livakovic. This is terrific stuff from England.

9.08am EDT 09:08

8 min Caleta-Car makes a vital tackle on Sterling, although I think he was offside as he ran into Phillips’ clever pass. He tried to turn back inside Caleta-Car, who ensured neither Sterling or the ball would pass.

9.07am EDT 09:07

7 min “Like I always say,” says Mike Mackenzie, “a tournament doesn’t really start until the English fans are annoyed by the manager’s starting XI!”

9.06am EDT 09:06

6 min: Foden hits the post! Almost a dream start for England. Sterling broke through midfield, running onto a clever long throw from Trippier, and found Foden just outside the area. He controlled the ball on the stretch, teased Gvardiol and shaped a lovely left-footed curler towards the far post. It beat the diving Livakovic and bounced off the inside of the post.

Foden shoots at goal and hits the post Photograph: Laurence Griffiths/Reuters

Updated at 9.15am EDT

9.04am EDT 09:04

4 min It’s been a slightly nervous start from England, with a few loose touches. Croatia, whose team are much more experienced, look pretty assured.

9.02am EDT 09:02

2 min England are indeed playing with Trippier at left back. But the formation is slightly different, 4-1-4-1 rather than 4-2-3-1. Declan Rice is playing in front of the back four, with Phillips and Mount ahead of him.

Updated at 9.03am EDT

9.01am EDT 09:01

1 min Peep peep! England kick off from right to left.

Ante Rebic plays the ball past England’s Kalvin Phillips Photograph: Frank Augstein/AFP/Getty Images

Updated at 9.09am EDT

9.00am EDT 09:00

The England players take a knee… and there is a lot of booing. It’s soon drowned out by cheers and applause, but that’s not really the point.

Updated at 9.01am EDT

8.59am EDT 08:59

England are in their snazzy home strip, Croatia are wearing a very stylish black change kit.

8.58am EDT 08:58

The Croatia anthem is briefly booed. Tremendous stuff. Then the England playersand fans belt out God Save the Queen, some with more gusto than others. This is it, the start of another emotional spin cycle.

8.56am EDT 08:56

Harry Kane leads England onto the field. Then Luka Modric, England’s nemesis on this ground in 2007 and in Russia in 2018, strolls on with the Croatia team. They’re all wearing tracksuits, despite the heat, possibly to shoe how hard they are.

8.54am EDT 08:54

The players are in the tunnel. The 22,500 fans at Wembley are making a rare old noise. Here we go!

8.41am EDT 08:41

A suited Gareth Southgate speaks

“We’re very focussed on today’s game. We’ve prepared tactically. We know everybody around us is hugely excited and the players and staff are as well, but we have to focus on the performance and forget the noise.

“Kieran is a very experienced player, a good one-v-one defender to stop crosses coming in. His communication and leadership will be a help because we’ve got changes in the back line. It’s unfortunate that we can only name 23, and we’ve had to cover several positions. I don’t like that we have to leave players out of the squad at a major tournament – it’s not fair on them.

“The front six is the same as we had in our games in March. We had some continuity through those matches, and I think they have an understanding. We’ve got fabulous depth and we know that Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish are really pushing for starting places. With the heat today, substitutes are going to be more important than ever.

“We know we’ll have great support during the game. What happens before is for individual people to decide. We know what we’re doing and our focus is entirely on the football. We hope Christian Eriksen is recovering well and our thoughts are with him. I thought his teammates were incredible. Thankfully the news sounds positive.”

Support for Christian Eriksen from Wembley stadium Photograph: Justin Tallis – Pool/Getty Images

Updated at 8.56am EDT

8.36am EDT 08:36

“Somehow, something doesn’t feel right about this match,” says Chris Evans. “Could be the team selection, could be the booing, could be Covid. Not sure. Feeling uneasy.”

Wait until England win their first corner. You’ll be straight up on the roof singing Atomic Kitten.

8.33am EDT 08:33

Half an hour to kick off. It’s boiling at Wembley, just below 30 degrees. It’s not ideal gegenpressing weather.

8.30am EDT 08:30

“The Sancho omission is a bit odd,” says Seth Ennis. “I thought the whole squad are available as substitutes.”

Not at this tournament. Each team is allowed 26 players in their tournament squad, then 23 in each matchday squad. Two of the 12 substitutes must be goalkeepers. The three England players missing out today are Sancho and Ben Chilwell, who were fit and available for selection, and Harry Maguire.

8.26am EDT 08:26

Some of you have suggested England could play with a back three. I’d say that’s highly unlikely, as it would mean Raheem Sterling or Phil Foden playing as a left wing-back. Stranger things have happened, but not many.

8.22am EDT 08:22

The pre-match thoughts of Mason Mount

“I’m very excited. We know how big the game is but we’re confident and in a good state of mind. We’re looking forward to the game. I’ve had a little bit of experience playing against [Modric], which always helps, but it’s a different game today. We’ll be doing everything we can to stop them as a team and then focus on what we can do when we have the ball. It’s gonna be a tough game today, with the heat as well, so it’ll give us a massive boost to have a crowd at Wembley.”

8.19am EDT 08:19

Tubthumping department

“Nice to see we’re keeping up tradition by selecting blatantly unfit key players, picking others out of position, and inexplicably leaving some of the form players on the bench (or in the stands, in the case of Sancho),” says Dave Adams. “For all that Southgate talks a different game to previous England managers, does anyone seriously doubt that Grealish and Sancho would be in the XI today if the played for City or Liverpool? Can’t see anything ahead but disappointment, finger pointing, and a scrappy win over Scotland.”

Though I disagree with parts of the team, I think that’s pretty harsh. He was always likely to pick Sterling or Rashford for their pace, and if he had left out Foden (as I would have done) or Mount he would have been slagged off for that. Trippier at left back is a little bit strange, but Southgate trusts him.

8.03am EDT 08:03

I’m away to grab a coffee for the next 10 minutes or so. I’ll leave you with this terrific piece, which I suspect speaks for a few of you.

My cross to bear: what it means to support England in these divided times | Jonathan Liew

7.54am EDT 07:54

“Is Jadon Sancho’s non-selection partly because he plays in Germany and hasn’t played too much in England?” asks John Burrell. “I can’t understand why he wouldn’t at least be in the bench.”

I can’t see that being the reason, but I’m as surprised as you that he isn’t among the subs. I’d have had him in the XI, never mind the XXIII.

7.52am EDT 07:52

There are no big surprises in the Croatia team. Andrej Kramaric is preferred to Bruno Petkovic, which should mean Ante Rebic starting up front. The talented Nikola Vlasic, who is still feeling his way back from injury, will come off the bench at some stage.

7.48am EDT 07:48

“I have opted out of following England (decided not to get a ticket or a tattoo) but have allowed myself peeps at the MBM,” says Ian Copestake. “There is such a bad taste in the mouth from how the crowd reacts to the team and to how the press will gladly throw Southgate to the ‘lions’. I just don’t feel the love.”

Wait until they win their first corner; you’ll be straight up on the roof singing Vindaloo.

7.46am EDT 07:46

England’s route to glory/failure

“It’s worth pointing out,” begins Simon Bromley, “that while finishing second in the group would mean an easier last 16 game for England, they would then have to play the Group of Death winner in the quarters – without home advantage.”

7.44am EDT 07:44

The teams in full

England (4-2-3-1) Pickford; Walker, Stones, Mings, Trippier; Phillips, Rice; Foden, Mount, Sterling; Kane.Substitutes: D Henderson, Johnstone, Shaw, Grealish, J Henderson, Rashford, Coady, Calvert-Lewin, White, James, Saka, Bellingham.

Croatia (4-3-3) Livakovic; Vrsaljko, Caleta-Car, Vida, Gvardiol; Modric, Brozovic, Kovacic; Kramaric, Rebic, Perisic.Substitutes: Kalinic, Sluga, Brekalo, Vlasic, Budimir, Pasalic, Skoric, Badelj, Petkovic, Juranovic, Bradaric, Ivanusec.

Referee Daniele Orsato (Italy)

Trippier will play on the left Photograph: Eddie Keogh – The FA/The FA/Getty Images

Updated at 8.14am EDT

7.40am EDT 07:40

England team news

That leaked England team has been confirmed. Jadon Sancho isn’t even on the bench, which is weird, while Jordan Henderson has been included in the matchday squad so that he can do a few card tricks in the dressing-room at half-time.

England (@England)

Team news is in!

Your #ThreeLions to face Croatia in our opening game at #EURO2020… 👊 pic.twitter.com/HxYXprXtex

June 13, 2021

Updated at 7.57am EDT

7.35am EDT 07:35

“Very much feeling the hope and despair vibe,” says Lizz Poulter, “but right now I feel this is a lose/lose match. If England win, the chances are they’ll top the group and have a harder time going forward. If England lose, ENGLAND LOSE!, which is a terrible way to start the tournament. Still, at least we’re all feeling the love for Christian Eriksen and Denmark.”

It’s a very good point. If England win the group they stay at Wembley for the last 16 – but they would have to play the team that finishes second in the France/Germany/Portugal/Hungary group. If they finish second they should have an easier game, but they would lose home advantage. If they finish third, you can do your own wallchart because I haven’t a clue what happens then.

7.30am EDT 07:30

Croatia If you want to know more about how their team has evolved since they reached the World Cup final, Aleksandar Holiga is your friend.

Euro 2020 team guides part 13: Croatia

7.26am EDT 07:26

This isn’t going to end well, is it

Respect players taking the knee and do not boo, FA urges

7.20am EDT 07:20

Croatia’s recent form is poor, with seven defeats in the last 13 games. But they are still a dangerous, streetwise team, and you don’t need to read between too many lines to know how much they would love to do a number on England today.

Croatia talk up ‘big opportunity’ to beat England through superior midfield

Updated at 7.30am EDT

7.11am EDT 07:11

We have a separate liveblog for all the other Euro 2020 business. I’m happy to report that the news on Christian Eriksen remains positive.

Christian Eriksen ‘sends greetings to teammates’ from hospital – live updates

7.10am EDT 07:10

Early team news/pre-match mellow-harshing

The word on the social media street is that Jack Grealish won’t start for England. This is the reported team, in the popular 4-2-3-1 formation: Pickford; Walker, Stones, Mings, Trippier; Phillips, Rice; Foden, Mount, Sterling; Kane.

Thoughts? I think the security of Phillips and Rice is essential, but I would have played Grealish and probably Jadon Sancho ahead of Sterling and Foden. Kieran Trippier at left-back is also an interesting decision.

Updated at 7.56am EDT

6.49am EDT 06:49

Preamble

Dear reader, meet Hope and Despair. If you’re an England supporter, they’ll be staying at your place for the next few weeks. They’re a well-meaning pair, if a little high maintenance, and they’ve already invited a few of their friends round for the England games: Giddiness, Hype, Anger, Hubris and even Racism, though you don’t have to answer the door to that particular clown.

Yep, it’s time for a new series of everyone’s favourite tragicomedy: England’s attempt to win a second major tournament. This is their 20th attempt at glory since 1966, not including the tournaments they failed to reach, but only the second in which they have had home advantage. IT’S ONLY JOLLY WELL COMING HOME

They start with a tricky game against their old friends Croatia, who put England out of their optimism at the last World Cup; then it’s Scotland on Friday and the Czech Republic a week on Tuesday. One way or another, it’s going to be emotional.

Kick off 2pm.

Updated at 7.21am EDT