England 0 – 0 Scotland
In the stands and in the streets of London, the derby between the English and the Scottish ultimately did not lead to the expected fighting. Both rivals pulled off a goalless draw at Wembley this Friday (0-0). This is not necessarily a mathematically poor performance for England, but its performance raises questions.
From the beginning of the day, Scots could be seen arriving in the thousands on the streets of London. Over 20,000 supporters are said to have traveled from the north of the United Kingdom, while only 2,000 had tickets to the match. In numbers, they put up the heat in the capital, raising tensions a bit more before this meeting. Once at Wembley Bay, the two camps alternately whistled the neighbour’s anthem. A real derby atmosphere regardless of gauge. In the end the promises of this electric match were nothing but a wet cracker. Not only because it rained heavily in London, but also because the declared battle did not take place between the two countries.
a physical condition that questions
That there is no strangulation every couple of minutes is not a bad thing, especially if physical intensity is replaced by high technical quality. But it was not. The two structures are more measured, than anything else is measured. The blame is mainly on the Englishmen, who on average have a much higher quality of players than the Scots. The visitors also created a fine opportunity in the first period with O’Donnell’s half-volley which forced Pickford to deploy (30th). They dominated the end of this first act while the British controlled the start of the match. The Stones were very close to the start of the scoring after being completely overlooked at Mount Corner. Unfortunately for him, his head hit the square of the Scottish goalkeeper (12th). Furthermore, the British now hardly created any real opportunities, hitting only one hit the entire game. In the second half, England had the ball but did nothing.
Overall, the attacks of the Three Lions have been very conservative and steady. The Scottish defense was clearly cautious, which did not make it easy for the attacking players, but the complex was particularly readable and steady in their initiative. Mason Mount was probably the best of the English attackers while Harry Kane once again had a very poor game. The captain of this selection, against Croatia last Sunday, looked heavy and tired. This has resulted in some awkwardness in rare times. Three Scottish midfielders imposed a great physical intensity on him, which thwarted the English. Sometimes it seemed that they wanted to accept this physical challenge and play against nature. Which only exposed the astonishing fatigue of the local people.
This draw prevents the British from validating their ticket for the Round of 16 and will have to wait until the last day to confirm their eligibility. This draw is not an accounting failure but a failure in terms of the game. The Three Lions will have to level up to assume their position as the favorites for this Euro. They will take on Czech Republic at Wembley next Tuesday to conclude the group stage. The Scots will play Croatia to try to make a place for the next round.
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