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England thrashed Czech Republic 5-0 in a one-sided Euro 2020 qualifier at Wembley last night. Raheem Sterling scored his first hattrick in an England shirt, and Harry Kane converted from the penalty spot. Czech defender, Kalas, scored an own goal to complete his side’s misery.
It was a domineering display from the English, as they continued their impressive run under Gareth Southgate’s tutelage. However, it has to be kept in mind that the Czech Republic has fallen from grace in the past decade or so, and have a pretty ordinary side these days.
They no longer produce players like Jan Koller, Karel Poborsky, and Pavel Nedved, and made things much easier for the home team with their insipid performance last night. They could have only a couple of shots at goal in the match. We would now take a look at 3 takeaways from the match.
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#1 Sterling proved his class yet again
Sterling has improved immensely as a footballer in the last 2-3 seasons, and it was evident from last night’s delightful performance. He has already scored a lot of goals for Manchester City this season and was again superb for England yesterday.
He was involved in 4 goals scored by England, as he scored 3 and earned a penalty for them. He started on the left wing last night and kept making frequent inroads into the opposition penalty box. He scored his first goal with a sliding tap-in, as Sancho played a cross to the penalty box from the right flank.
Sterling scored two more goals in the second half. One of those goals came off a deflection from a Czech player, who was trying to block the former’s goal-bound shot. He also earned a penalty for England in the first half, as a Czech defender fouled him inside the penalty box.
Sterling is quite possibly the greatest English footballer at the moment, and also one of the finest attacking players in the world. His dribbling and finishing skills have improved considerably, and he has the ability to trouble any defence in the world. He now has 7 goals in 48 international appearances for the English national team.
#2 Sancho and Chilwell impressed for England
England started with a 4-3-3 formation with Kane, Sterling, and Jadon Sancho as their front three. Moreover, they played Jordan Henderson and Dele Alli as the central midfielders, and Eric Dier as the defensive one. Both Alli and Henderson prefer to play in central positions, and therefore, England lacked width in their midfield.
However, England’s right winger, Sancho, and left-back, Ben Chilwell, provided the requisite width in England’s attack. Chilwell, who was playing in his 6th international match only, made frequent overlaps and played some crucial crosses too.
Sancho also troubled the Czech defence with his quick dribbles and astute passing. He dodged past the opposition defenders frequently, and also played a delightful cross that led to England's first goal.
Sancho earned his 4th cap for England last night and impressed with his mature and commanding performance. He should have a great international career ahead.
#3 The youngsters performed well for England
Gareth Southgate fielded a number of youngsters last night, and none of them disappointed him. England went ahead with a new-look back 4, as both Chilwell and Michael Keane started for them. Keane earned his 6th international cap last night and did not have much problem in negotiating with the Czech forwards.
Harry Maguire and Kyle Walker were the two other defenders for England last night. Even Maguire is relatively inexperienced and was playing in his 17th international match only. However, he did not have to do much yesterday, as the Czech forwards hardly troubled him.
Moreover, 18-Year-old Callum Hudson-Odoi also made his debut for England last night, as he was introduced in the second half in place of Sterling. He impressed with his cameo and contributed towards England’s 5th goal.
His goal-bound shot was parried by the Czech goalkeeper, but their defender Kalas failed to get hold of the ball properly. His clumsy clearance found its way into the Czech goal, and England registered a resounding win.
