It wasn’t inspiring, but it is mission accomplished for England, with the European giants winning their Euro 2020 group en route to the last 16. The Three Lions’ 1-0 victory over Czech Republic in their third and final group-tie meant they finished the first round on top, racking up seven points and three clean sheets.
For the second time in three games, Raheem Sterling delivered the decisive goal, burying a lovely cross from Jack Grealish that came about from an excellent Bukayo Saka run. Despite that, there was little to no improvement in regards with the Three Lions’ overall performance.
Clear-cut goalscoring chances were, once again, few and far between, with Southgate’s men losing control of the game and failing to make their presence felt in the second half. As a result, the air of pessimism among the England fan base has not died down.
The continental powerhouse are through to the knockout stages, but since they won their group, they are set to face the runners-up of Group F – meaning one of France, Portugal, or Germany. Despite this, Sterling stressed that he is not fazed by their upcoming opponent, nor should he be, as England must face the best in Europe at some point if they wish to lift the title.
“At some point you’re going to have to face the best teams and that’s the whole point of a tournament, to challenge yourself,” the Man City ace told ITV Sport, as per the Sun.
“Our objective from the beginning was to win the group.”
Mason Mount was ruled out of this fixture after coming in close contact with Billy Gilmour, who tested positive for COVID-19 after the England vs Scotland showdown. Furthermore, Phil Foden was rested as the Cityzens sensation was one booking away from a suspension. As a result, Southgate brought in two new faces to play higher up the pitch and they were Jack Grealish and Bukayo Saka.
The Aston Villa and Arsenal stars played a huge role in the one and only role, thus garnering praise from Sterling. As for the overall display, the English winger disagreed with the consensus among the fan base, arguing that there were a lot of positives from the Czech Republic victory, namely a third consecutive clean sheet.
“People were disappointed in the Scotland game but we didn’t concede and that’s the most important thing,” Raheem added.
“We kept the ball better today, there was more attacking option and we got in the gaps really well and played some really good football at times.”
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