Scotland smiled, England expressed disappointment In the incessant rain in London, the Scots made their first dent in the co-favorite players in this European Football Championship on Friday evening. The Three Lions drew 0–0 against their arch-rivals and outsiders, thus missing out on an early jump in the round of 16. With four points left after two preliminary round games, coach Gareth Southgate’s team may still be planning the knockout stages, but the coach still has a lot of work to do.
The Scots, who initially lost 2–0 to the Czech Republic, were rewarded for their fighting performance with a point from their neighbors and can continue to hope for a place in the next stage of the tournament. The Bravehearts need a win against Croatia on Tuesday at Hampden Park in Glasgow. England will take on the Czech Republic in their final group match.
At Wembley Stadium, the atmosphere was charged even before the 115th edition of the legendary “Battle of Britain” began. Most of the 22,500 spectators blew the whistle with the Scots national anthem. As announced earlier, when players from both teams kneeled on the pitch for a moment just before kick-off to send a common signal against discrimination and racism, there was mostly applause, but some boos as well. used to come.
The favored British quickly took control of the pitch. John Stones nearly put him ahead after eleven minutes but hit the post with a header from a corner. Two minutes later, Mason Mount swung the ball toward goal from close range. It was like this for a long time but there were good opportunities too. The Three Lions, whose starting XI averaged 25 years and 31 days and thus were the youngest Englishmen ever to appear in a World Cup or European Championship game, had more authority but some ideas were moving forward. His performance was initially reminiscent of a 1-0 win against Croatia, in which he made an energetic start and then rested.
The Scots relied largely on their stronghold around Arsenal professional Kieran Tierney, who had recovered from an injury, on defense, on fighting and passion, but also on an occasional offensive tone. Like in the fourth minute, when a shot from Che Adams was blocked after a good combination. Or in the 30th minute when England keeper Jordan Pickford made a strong defense against Stephen O’Donnell. As the first half progressed, the guests seemed more daring – and the English fans were less satisfied.
The British also started the second half fast, but they rarely became really dangerous. Mount’s low shot on Scotland goalkeeper David Marshall (48′) failed, Reece James shot it well from a promising position (55′). Chelsea were then challenged backwards and when Lyndon Dykes tried (62′) he made a brilliant save on the line.
The game was exciting, but England was unimaginable for a long time. Coach Gareth Southgate tried to boost the home team’s offense with newcomers, first bringing in Jack Grealish and then Marcus Rashford for hapless James Foden and Harry Kane. Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho, who was in the English team this time, unlike the first game against Croatia, remained on the bench. Adams gave the Bravehearts a sensational win in the 78th minute, but was shot over. The new edition of the world’s oldest football duel ended like its premiere 149 years ago in Glasgow: 0-0.
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