World Cup 2018: Tunisia 1-2 England; Player Ratings

Gareth Southgate's England kick-started their World Cup campaign in Group G with a 2-1 win over Tunisia at the Volgograd Arena last night. The Three Lions got off to a flying start and opened the scoring in the 11th minute through their captain and talisman Harry Kane after the ball fell kindly to him inside the penalty area for a close-range tap-in following a brilliant save by Moez Hassan to keep out John Stones' header from a well-worked set-piece routine.

England were seemingly in control and continued to create chances until Kyle Walker's swing of the elbow at Fakhreddine Ben Youssef resulted in a penalty being awarded against them. Ferjani Sassi shouldered the responsibility for Nabil Maaloul's side and calmly put away the spot-kick to restore parity between the two sides.

It almost seemed as if England would be put to the sword for failing to convert the bulk of their chances but a stoppage-time winner from Kane ensured that the Three Lions snatched all three points in their opening game of the tournament. On that note, let's take a closer look at how players from both sides fared during the game:

Tunisia

Moez Hassen - 4/10

The young goalkeeper made a number of crucial saves in the opening 15 minutes of the game before fate put a halt to his night in the form of a shoulder injury that saw him being withdrawn shortly after England's opener on the night.

Dylan Bronn - 6/10

Despite being pinned back in his own half for a majority of the game, Bronn showed a lot of promise when he made a sudden burst down the flank to put England on alert. The full-back grew in confidence as the game progressed but then all his hard work went to waste in the end.

Syam Ben Youssef - 6/10

The defender was not afraid to throw himself in front of anything that England tried to muster on the night and did well to cope with the threat offered by Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane before finally being undone by the latter's effort in the dying minutes of the game.

Yassine Meriah - 6/10

Meriah did not hit the ground running right from the start and was pegged back on the wake of England's promising start to the game. However, he slowly started finding his rhythm and settled in well before being dismantled by Kane's late winner.

Ali Maaloul - 5/10

The left-back would have certainly enjoyed going forward but he was forced to stay in his own half and contain the likes of Kieran Trippier and Sterling for prolonged periods in the game and he was given a hiding on a few occasions as well.

Anice Badri - 5/10

Badri was outmatched in midfield by England's rich vein of talent and offered very little cover to his defenders on the night. The midfielder threw his back to the wall as England pushed on for a winner that eventually came in the dying moments of the game.

Ellyes Skhiri - 5/10

The midfielder did most of his work deep inside his own half and rarely threatened to go forward and contribute to the numbers ahead of him. Skhiri managed to recycle possession effectively whenever Tunisia had a sniff of the ball but struggled against England's pace and quick feet.

Ferjani Sassi - 6/10

Sassi was probably the luckiest player on the pitch last night after his penalty went in despite Pickford getting a hand to it and later the referee failed to spot him wrestling Kane to the ground inside the penalty area.

Fakhreddine Ben Youssef - 7/10

Ben Youssef was a constant thorn for England — Ben Youssef was a constant thorn in England's side

The winger was Tunisia's best player on the night after winning them the penalty and sending a header just wide. Ben Youssef was constantly showing a willingness to move forward and get inside England's penalty area.

Wahbi Khazri - 4/10

The Sunderland player struggled to make an impact on the night and never looked like offering any form of threat up front before being replaced later on in the second half.

Naim Sliti - 5/10

Sliti was constantly looking to improve from an attacking perspective but otherwise, he was pretty much an isolated figure as England continued to dominate the game before he was eventually replaced by a more defensive minded player.

Substitutes

Farouk Ben Mustapha - 6/10

Despite making his first appearance in years for the national side, Ben Mustapha managed to do a commendable job between the sticks. However, he could not prevent Harry Kane from clinching the winner in the end.

Mohamed Amine Ben Amor - 5/10

Amine Ben Amor replaced Naim Sliti in the 74th minute in a tactical move that was aimed to protect Tunisia's goal but things did not go according to plan.

Saber Khalifa - N/A

Came on in the 85th minute to replace Wahbi Khazri.

England

Jordan Pickford - 6/10

The England shot-stopper was largely untroubled for the majority of the game and he came ever so close to denying Sassi from the penalty spot after the youngster managed to get a hand to the spot-kick. Pickford's distribution was surprisingly not always spot on.

Kyle Walker - 5/10

Walker almost pulled the plug on England with that bizarre swing of the elbow on Ben Youssef to grant Tunisia a lifeline. Otherwise steady on the night but there might be some concerns surrounding playing him in that unfamiliar center-back role from the next game.

John Stones - 6/10

The Manchester City defender was a threat from set-pieces throughout the night and despite playing an instrumental role with his header in the build-up to England's opening goal, he will be remembered for fumbling a clear-cut chance in front of goal later on.

Harry Maguire - 7/10

The defender has come leaps and bounds ever since making his debut for the Three Lions. Maguire certainly looked the part against Tunisia and his flick-on helped Kane pounce on the ball for the winner. The defender looked confident on the ball and was not shy of playing it out from the back.

Kieran Trippier - 6/10

Trippier's delivery from set-pieces was excellent on the night and he was relatively comfortable in defence while occasionally bombing forward to effectively complement his attackers on the pitch.

Jesse Lingard - 6/10

Lingard was probably the unluckiest player on the pitch after he was denied a goal in the first half despite having a number of chances to put the game to bed. The midfielder's first attempt was saved, the second deflected wide and a third hit the post in the first half.

Jordan Henderson - 8/10

Henderson proved to be an influential figure in midfield for England and justified his selection on the night with a commanding performance. The midfielder consistently picked the right passes but will need help against tactically superior teams in the games to come.

Dele Alli - 6/10

The youngster started the game in sumptuous fashion and looked the part in the opening 20 minutes of the game. However, he faded off eventually after appearing to have a taken a knock that hampered his movement to an extent.

Ashley Young - 6/10

Young saw plenty of the ball on the night and bombed forward every time he sensed an opportunity. However, it will be hard for him to prevent Danny Rose from retaining his natural position in the team for the games to come.

Raheem Sterling - 5/10

Certainly not his night considering the fact that he fluffed a brilliant chance early on and struggled to replicate his form with Manchester City at the biggest stage of them all. Sterling struggled to keep the ball and was subbed off eventually.

Harry Kane - 9/10

Kane saved England's blushes yet again with a stoppage-time winner on the night after the skipper had just taken 11 minutes to break the deadlock on his World Cup debut. Southgate will be hoping that every chance from now on falls to their main man.

Substitutes

Marcus Rashford - 6/10

The Manchester United attacker replaced Sterling in the 68th minute on the night and it wouldn't be a surprise if he is given the nod for the game against Panama.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek - N/A

Came on in the 80th minute to replace Dele Alli.

Eric Dier - N/A

Came on to replace Lingard with just about a minute to spare.

Edited by Arvind Sriram