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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Your support makes all the difference.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:
How to watch England vs North Macedonia
England play North Macedonia on Monday 19 June with kick-off set for 7:45pm BST.
All England senior men’s games are now shown live on Channel 4. Viewers can stream the match via the Channel 4 website and app. You can also follow the live blog right here on the Independent, starting from around 6pm BST.
England vs North Macedonia
Hello and welcome to The Independent’s coverage of tonight’s Euro 2024 qualifier between England and North Macedonia.
On paper this is another comfortable match for Gareth Southgate’s men but things may turn out slightly different if the Three Lions are not on top of their game. The North Macedonians took a two-goal lead in their previous qualifier against Ukraine only to surrender three goals and lose a player in the second half.
They have also never been beaten by England in England, recording two draws from their previous two matches here.
The England boss is expected to rotate his squad for tonight’s match with the likes of Marcus Rashford, John Stones and Callum Wilson hoping for starting berths.
Despite North Macedonia’s historic results, England should have enough quality to win this one and move on with their 100% win record in tact during this qualifying campaign.
We’ll have all the team news, build-up and latest updates from Old Trafford as kick off (7:45pm) draws closer so stick around.
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