England vs North Macedonia LIVE: Result and reaction from Euro 2024 qualifier as Bukayo Saka nets hat-trick
England 7-0 North Macedonia: Bukayo Saka’s hat-trick was the icing on the cake for ruthless England
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England earned another win in their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign with a ruthless display against North Macedonia at Old Trafford. The visitors had never lost in England and for 20 minutes looked up to the task of keeping the Three Lions quiet despite the gulf in quality.
Harry Kane’s opener, turned in from a Luke Shaw pass, opened the floodgates and Gareth Southgate’s men feasted on a plethora of chances. No more so than Bukayo Saka, the brightest rising star of England’s next cohort. He opened his own account with a fine twist and finish inside the box before adding two more after half-time to earn a first career hat-trick.
He is forming a cut-throat partnership with Trent Alexander-Arnold, once again pushed into midfield, which could become the foundation stone of Southgate’s next European Championship campaign.
There were impressive performances elsewhere too. Marcus Rashford was a constant threat on the left and became the first Mancheser United player to score for England at Old Trafford since David Beckham. He made a strong case to start ahead of Jack Grealish and Raheem Sterling tonight and there was also a first international goal for substitute Kalvin Phillips who was left with a tap-in inside the box.
Relive all the action as England battered North Macedonia at Old Trafford:
Why England will head into 2024 with their sense of optimism restored
In 2023, as in 2022, a marathon season ended for England’s players in June, north of their Wembley home, against eastern European opposition. And there, it is fair to say, the similarities ended. A year ago came the historic low, the 4-0 loss to Hungary at Molineux that was England’s heaviest home defeat since 1928, the night Gareth Southgate was told he did not know what he was doing and when both he and many another concluded his reign was nearing an undignified end.
Twelve months and five days later, a 7-0 thrashing of North Macedonia at Old Trafford capped a restorative spell. Euro 2024 beckons, a broadly positive World Cup has been followed by a quartet of qualifying wins and the feel of Southgate’s reign, of youthful progressiveness, has largely been restored.
The torrid June of 2022 has started to look like the anomaly, not the start of the slide. The encouraging June of 2023 has more in keeping with most of Southgate’s tenure. “We look back at last summer, with four matches, [playing] behind closed doors for two and we needed to look at new players,” he reflected. “There were a lot of circumstances around those.”
A year on, England could have been forgiven for suffering from a similar tiredness. Yet if the fixtures were easier now, there was a relish and a sharpness. Southgate fielded a forward line with three of the outstanding players of the Premier League campaign, in Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford: they scored six of the seven goals to take their combined tally to 96 goals for the season for clubs and country. They were emblematic of a side who still showed a sharpness.
“Post World Cup, we have hit a sweet spot,” Southgate said. The most seismic result of England’s season was actually the victory over Italy in Naples but, after the 6-2 demolition of Iran in the World Cup, North Macedonia can testify that teams with the ability to get excellent results can find themselves eviscerated by England.
By Richard Jolly
Why England will head into 2024 with their sense of optimism restored
Gareth Southgate has once again brought the feelgood factor back to England after a year that has represented the changing of the guard
Bukayo Saka cements his place as England’s next leading man with first career hat-trick
There was a period when it seemed that Bukayo Saka’s golden season would end with him a Premier League champion, perhaps even anointed as Footballer of the Year. And if neither quite came to pass, he still conjured a fitting finish to a wonderful campaign.
The first hat-trick of his career came in just 13 minutes and in his country’s colours. As England football team’s No. 7 made off with the match ball, they scored seven. North Macedonia have claimed the scalps of Italy and Germany in their recent past but they were demolished. If this could have been a group laced with pitfalls for England, with the reigning European champions, Euro 2020 quarter-finalists and a side who almost qualified for the World Cup, they have the maximum 12 points and are turning their journey to Germany next summer into a procession.
If Saka’s last European Championships ended with the trauma of a penalty miss in the final shootout, he has rendered it highly likely England will go to next summer’s. If he started this season outside Gareth Southgate’s strongest side, he ends it very much in it. A treble took his tally to six goals in his last nine caps; for country as well as club, Saka has proved more prolific than most envisaged.
Bukayo Saka cements his place as England’s leading man with first career hat-trick
England 7-0 North Macedonia: Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford and Kalvin Phillips also scored as Gareth Southgate’s men ran rampant at Old Trafford
FT England 7-0 North Macedonia
England hat-trick hero Bukayo Saka to Channel 4: “It’s a feeling I can’t put into words. I can’t describe how I’m feeling right now. I’m so happy.”
Which was his favourite goal? “I like the first one but I’ll go for the second goal. Volley outside the box, top corner.
“Tonight was a really special display. We went out with me and Rashy down the wings. Sharp, direct. They couldn’t handle us.”
On Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield: “He’s a top player. At half-time he said to me he was going to do that pass. When I scored I was looking for him to thank him. I didn’t have to break my stride.
“It’s been a really long season. It’s the end of the season now. I couldn’t have ended it in a better way. Time to relax and have a break.
“Perfect end to the season. We’re really happy with the way the fans turned out and supported us.”
Full-time: England 7-0 North Macedonia
90 mins: There’s no added time and the full-time whistle goes with England making it four wins from four in Euro 2024 qualifying.
They’re top of C and take another giant step towards next year’s tournament. Bukayo Saka was the star with his first career hat-trick but there were goals for Harry Kane (2), Marcus Rashford and Kalvin Phillips too.
England 7-0 North Macedonia
87 mins: Jack Grealish sends a corner ball short to Phil Foden who takes a touch and shoots from the edge of the box. He hits it well enough but curls the effort wide of the near post.
Will England get one more?
England 7-0 North Macedonia
84 mins: With just six minutes of the match to go, North Macedonia are yet to have a shot. They’ve not created a single chance - either on or off target - which shows just how much England have dominated.
England 7-0 North Macedonia
81 mins: Inside the final 10 minutes to play at Old Trafford. North Macedonia will be hoping to get off the pitch as soon as possible. Trent Alexander-Arnold has had another fine outing in midfield but there will be sterner tests to come for the Liverpool man.
England 7-0 North Macedonia
78 mins: The fight has all gone out of North Macedonia as England’s substitutes look to impress and continue to hunt for goals.
Conor Gallagher and Jack Grealish have been particularly bright but Phil Foden utilising his wonderful touch on the right side.
England 7-0 North Macedonia
75 mins: There’s a smile and a hug between Harry Kane and Callum Wilson as the England captain leaves the pitch. Wilson would have taken the penalty if he’d been on the pitch a minute earlier but as it was, Kane increased his record-breaking England tally.
GOAL! England 7-0 North Macedonia (Kane, 73’)
73 mins: Harry Kane converts from the spot for his second goal of the night. North Macedonia have been hammered tonight.
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