Marius Bagdonas. England – Scotland: What did I see? | sports

1 observation from the sofa

It was a true evening of British football. Not only because the two oldest teams in the world faced each other, but also because of the rain that rained throughout the game.

In 1872, England and Scotland played the first international match in football history. They finished goalless. It’s been 149 years and the whole of England has made sure not much has changed.

Soccer is not always right, but that is not the case here. Both teams hit the goal area once, the Scots hit 11 and the English nine. Eloquent, right?

2 observation from the sofa

Before the game, it was very interesting which eleven Gareth Southgate would pick. The strategist allowed all the same men to defeat the Croats (1: 0), replacing only both defenders.

Reece James and Luke Shaw took the lead, replacing Kyle Walker, who was unregistered all this time, and Kierran Trippier, who played the Croats on an unusual side. Such a decision hardly indicated that the coach of both students was unhappy with the game. The changes are more likely to have been made to add even more intensity to the edges.

Meanwhile, the team’s former Harry Maguire and Jordan Henderson, who had healed from injuries, stayed on the bench, as the defensive and secure chains also worked well in the opening game.

The decision on defenders clearly did not work out. The English edges faded and received a huge blast from Andrew Robertson and Scotto McTominay suddenly sprouted to the right.

3 observation from the sofa

Scottish coach Steve Clarke has lowered one of his most versatile footballers, S.McTominay, to the right wing of the defensive trio, thus reinforcing the defensive fortifications against Raheem Sterling and counting on a man capable of launching attacks. Motherwell’s Stephen O’Donnell was probably the weakest player on the right side of the defensive line, so the strategist’s idea seemed completely logical.

The Scots were pleasantly surprised. Yes, the English played the ball longer, tried to hold out an easy siege late in the game, but with limited resources, S. Clarke made the most of it. The Tartan Army even had very good opportunities, but Che Adams and Lyndon Dykes were again unsuccessful on Friday night.

Breaking points

Two essential episodes should be highlighted that could have drastically changed the flow of the match. Johnas Stonesas was the first to reach the corner kick, but his header was blocked by the keeper. This was probably the only serious mistake by the Scottish defense during the entire match.

Already in the 62nd minute, Lyndon Dykes attacked the hosts ‘goal very dangerously and R.Jamesas’ head was defending almost standing on the goal line.

Grand Masters Party

Soutghate also didn’t need a heavyweight test for European soccer. Motivated neighbors were enough.

In the tactical duel, the strategist of the England team in this match got one goal from his opponent S. Clarke. The Scotsman came to Wembley with very clear ideas, most of which worked perfectly. G.Southgate remembered an arrogant English gentleman who fully believed that individual dominance would still prevail. It was not carried.

Before the championship, there was talk of a bottomless bucket of English talent, but in a match where the match was not played, Southgate made only two intentions out of five possible, letting in Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish.

Twenty-year-old Billy Gilmour from Clarke did a brutal job in the support zone and was very successful dealing with opponents who cast Croatian stars out of the world runners-up just a few days ago.

Harry Kane touched the ball only ten times during the first half (at least among all the English), of which he was the only one on the field. Of the captain’s five attempts to make the handover, only two reached the recipient. G.Southgate’s main weapon was very faded, but the coach was more surprised by the fashionable raincoat than by the ideas.

Just a few days ago, it seemed that this English team had come to Euro 2020 not to tie with the Scots … Now it looks different.

X Factor

Joining Kieran Tierney, as expected, gave the Scottish game a lot more peace of mind. As the London Arsenal defender did not play with the ball and pushed through the center, Andrew Robertson, who played on the left, had even more opportunities to express himself than in the first game against the Slovaks. On defense, the Liverpool defender “ate” Manchester City’s main rival Phil Foden until finally Southgate hated and replaced the young talent.

In the spotlight

S.McTomminay was fantastic. Although he played in an unusual position and was sacrificed on behalf of the team, a Man Utd member vividly demonstrated just how versatile a player has become in recent years.

Another modest hero from Friday’s game is B. Gilmour. The twenty-year-old midfielder was invited to the Scottish national team’s campus for the first time just before the Euro Cup, but this match was completely dominated and UEFA was voted best footballer of the match. This year, Chelsea’s London teammates have already presented the youngster with the Champions League medal. Now Gilmour himself is showing why at twenty he belongs to the strongest club in Europe (he played 11 games this season).

Critical arrow

Goodbye to young Man City star Ph. Foden. On his right wing, he clearly burned and lost most of his microduels to Scotland’s captain A. Robertson, who also had K. Tierney on his back.

Well, of course, the H. Kane accident … They were both replaced.

A man with a whistle

For a complete football classic, UEFA has chosen the most charismatic referee of the moment. Legends circulate about the communicative style of Antonio Mateu Lahoz, who comes from Valencia. Before the game, he tries to collect as much interesting information as possible about the personal lives of the players, so by eliminating the tension, footballers are often asked various questions about a newly bought car, opening a bar, etc. . He whistled in this year’s Champions League final and if he avoids serious mistakes, he probably has a good chance of returning to Wembley on July 11. The 44-year-old judge makes no secret of the fact that he will end his career after this tournament – the final of Euro 2020 would be a wonderful finale.

It is true that there was a controversial episode in this match after all. In the 79th minute, AMLahoz did not impose a penalty on the Scottish goal, although A. Roberston stepped on Raheem Sterling’s leg. It is true that the episode took place in a completely safe situation and the Englishman had already released the ball behind the baseline. Obviously, the referee did not want such an episode to determine the outcome of the match. Aiming for the 11-meter mark, the aftertaste would have come to nothing.

Intrigue / Boredom Meter

100 percent. The Scots were much better and more competitive than many imagined. Neutral fans could not dislike this.

Vibration in the stands

9/10. The atmosphere in the stadium was also incredible. The memories of the 1996 European Championship were vivid, the teams played league soccer and the fans created an incredible atmosphere. All that was missing were the crowded stands, but here’s another story.

Number

The average age of the eleven Englishmen was 25 years and 31 days. It was the youngest team of the Three Lions to play in a European or World Championship.

The word is not a sparrow

“We had a lot of great opportunities, we supported the ball well and we annoyed them. On the other hand, we could have chosen more and won, but the point also sustains our lives. The most important thing is that we carry this feeling and the same attitude to the last game as well, ”said A. Robertson.

Historical inconsistencies

In October 2016, the Lithuanian team almost defeated the Scots at the Hampden Park Stadium in Glasgow (1: 1). Three players from Friday’s game (goalkeeper David Marshall, Grant Hanley and A. Robertson) also played in that game, and the fourth (K. Tierney) was among the reserve players.

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