English beat Croatia 1-0 in a closely fought match to make the perfect start to the UEFA euro 2020 campaign
The Three Lions Played and won the first group stage game of their Euro 2020 Campaign at Wembley before 22000 Supporters. England looks fired up right from minute one. They pressed Croatia high up the pitch forcing even the like of Modric to lose possession. Despite England’s Onslaught, Croatia held firm up until the halftime break.
Second Half dominance from England
Akin to the first half, the three lions came out guns blazing, bombarding the Croatian defence, and their tactics finally paid off when Raheem Sterling opened the scoring for England through a sumptuous pass from Kalvin Phillips. After the goal, Croatia decided to up the ante, Modric was pushed further into the pitch to provide an additional attacking outlet. Apart from a couple of half-chances, Croatia failed to cause any real damage to the English defence and Pickford had a largely quiet afternoon.
Man of the Match
Raheem sterling
Gareth Southgate received criticism for starting Sterling in a match of this magnitude. Given his underwhelming performances for City, sterling’s inclusion in the starting lineup surprised the England faithful. Notwithstanding the criticism, Sterling came through for his team when it mattered the most. At Minute 57, Sterling fired home the winner and the only goal of the game. This performance will do him a world of good, and the team would be hoping for more performances like this.
Southgate added “He’s been a reliable performer for us for a long period of time. His record is one in three for his club – we can’t just have all the goalscoring burden on Harry. His work without the ball was phenomenal too.” (Source – the athletic)
The Win Puts England at First in Group D. And they look set to qualify for the round of 16.
