Euro 2020 qualifiers: 3 reasons why England beat Montenegro

England impressed again in a 5-1 victory over Montenegro tonight
England impressed again in a 5-1 victory over Montenegro tonight

#2 Going behind didn’t faze Southgate’s side

Ad
A surprising opening goal for Montenegro didn't faze England
A surprising opening goal for Montenegro didn't faze England

England are no strangers to surprisingly falling behind in qualifying games – most recently it happened in their game against Slovakia during the qualifying campaign for the 2018 World Cup, and in that match it took the Three Lions a while to settle back down into a rhythm as they clearly appeared to be stunned by conceding.

Ad

Tonight though, they stayed extremely calm, didn’t attempt to rush or force anything, and sure enough an equaliser came pretty swiftly. Marko Vesovic’s goal definitely came against the run of play but perhaps the most impressive thing about England’s response was the way Southgate swiftly shifted tactics – switching Raheem Sterling and Callum Hudson-Odoi on the flanks after the Chelsea youngster’s mistake had led to the goal.

It ensured that Montenegro never got comfortable in the lead while also showing faith in Hudson-Odoi’s attacking abilities despite his defensive error. And sure enough, it took less than 15 minutes for the move to pay off as England quickly went 1-2 up. England are a young side, but they seem far calmer under pressure than more experienced England sides of the past were, and that’s a huge positive.

Quick Links

Edited by Arvind Sriram
Sportskeeda logo
Close menu
WWE
WWE
NBA
NBA
NFL
NFL
MMA
MMA
Tennis
Tennis
NHL
NHL
Golf
Golf
MLB
MLB
Soccer
Soccer
F1
F1
WNBA
WNBA
More
More
bell-icon Manage notifications