Five things we learned from England’s Euro 2020 win over the Czech Republic
The hosts finished top of Group D thanks to a goal from Raheem Sterling.
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Your support makes all the difference.Raheem Sterling’s first-half header was enough to see England beat the Czech Republic in their Euro 2020 clash at Wembley.
The 1-0 victory takes the Three Lions through as winners of Group D, despite having scored just twice in their three games.
Here, we take a look at what we learned from another low-key performance.
England await ‘Group of Death’ survivors
This slender win was enough to secure England top spot in Group D, despite some suggesting beforehand they would rather see them finish second and avoid a tricky round of 16 clash.
Finishing top of the pile means a return to Wembley in a week’s time – where the opposition will come in the shape of the runners-up from Group F.
That could be France, Germany, Portugal or Hungary – with their final fixtures taking place tomorrow, England have 24 hours to wait to find out who they will face in what could prove to be a tricky tie.
Jack the lad
The clamour for Jack Grealish to play for England has only gathered pace as Euro 2020 has rolled on.
He came off the bench to much acclaim in the Scotland draw but was recalled to the starting line-up at Wembley on Tuesday night.
The Aston Villa captain showed just what he can do by crossing for Sterling to head England in front and it will be difficult for Gareth Southgate not to stick with the 25-year-old moving forward – perhaps why he was substituted with 67 minutes on the clock.
Teenage kicks
While there had been calls for Grealish to be involved, Bukayo Saka’s place in Southgate’s side came as more of a surprise.The 19-year-old enjoyed a fine season at Arsenal and shone in England’s warm-up win against Austria.
He was preferred here to the likes of Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford and backed up Southgate’s faith by putting in a stellar performance which could give his manager a headache for the knockout stages.
More pain for Kane
England may have advanced from their group but the form of captain Harry Kane remains a concern.
The Three Lions skipper finally had his first shot on target in the tournament during the win but is still without a goal at Euro 2020.
Kane, who won the golden boot at the 2018 World Cup, was labelled England’s “most important player” by Southgate in the build-up to this game but the Tottenham striker will come under increasing pressure to break his duck.
Southgate you’re the one
Only Sven-Goran Eriksson and Sir Bobby Robson have managed more England games since the 1966 World Cup win than Southgate.
The 50-year-old surpassed Roy Hodgson’s 56 games with this win, meaning he has now managed England as many times as he was capped during his playing career.
Leading the nation to a World Cup and Nations League semi-final double was some achievement but he will want to at least replicate that this summer as he continues to put his faith in youth.