"WAT A START" Daily Mirror

England Team

San Marino Team

    Match Report by Mike Payne

When England play against the minnows of World football, the task ahead is in not treating the opposition too lightly and taking the expected win too much for granted.  Thankfully, that was not the case with this latest visit of San Marino to our shores as England’s attitude and desire was first rate, and they deservedly earned their reward.

The match opened quietly with the visitors dashing here, there and everywhere with gusto.  England, meanwhile, kept possession well and made their opponents run and run as the play attacked San Marino from all angles.  Mason Mount was prominent with his excellent probing and running off the ball, whilst captain Raheem Sterling was a real livewire in the penalty area.  After six minutes England fashioned their first real chance.  Reece James whipped in a great cross, one of several he made, but unfortunately Dominic Calvert-Lewin couldn’t adjust his feet and the ball missed his right foot and hit the other of his tangled legs.  He should have scored, but no matter.

The returning, rejuvenated, Jesse Lingard was next to send in a dangerous cross, but this time it was Sterling who missed, heading wide.  After ten minutes, as the pressure grew on the overworked San Marino men, Mount again teed up Sterling, but the Manchester City winger once more missed the target, shooting wide.

Elia Benedettini was already a very busy goalkeeper for the visitors and he made the first of many fine saves when he pushed a Lingard shot away for a corner.  Then, soon afterwards, it was John Stones turn, missing a sitter by shooting over from close range.  By now it really was one-way traffic.

The inevitable breakthrough finally arrived in the 14th minute.  Ben Chilwell made a fine run down the left, interchanging passes, before his pull-back from the bye-line was swept home from ten yards in confident manner by the impressive James Ward-Prowse.  It was double delight for the Southampton man as it was his first goal for England.

Three minutes later, Sterling and Mount combined well before Sterling’s cross was cut out by desperate defending.  England were totally dominant in their possession of the ball, and with Mount, Ward-Prowse and Kalvin Phillips playing very well, the chances kept coming.  On 18 minutes Sterling broke down the left, cut inside, only to hit the side-netting as he aimed his shot for the near post.  A minute later and ‘forgotten man’ Nick Pope, in the England goal, had to collect a weak right-wing cross.  I think that was his first touch, or maybe second?

England were quickly back at the other end, however, and on 21 minutes they scored a second goal.  James again broke down the right and sent over a terrific cross, which was headed home by Calvert-Lewin.  It was perfect for the big man and he took his chance with glee.  It was obvious at this point that it was going to be a long night for the San Marino defenders.

Two minutes after the goal, a fabulous shot by Chilwell was destined for the top corner until Benedettini pulled off a marvellous flying save to tip the ball over the bar.  The goalie would have enjoyed that one and probably hoped the cameras picked it up okay!  Another two minutes elapsed and Calvert-Lewin’s back-header beat the keeper but just looped wide of the far post.  England’s play was very impressive at times and the pressure was unrelenting on San Marino.  To be fair, the visitors worked their socks off, they had to, but the quality they needed to stem the tide just wasn’t there.

We were still only 26 minutes into the match when Mount fired in a shot which the keeper saved with his feet, and then immediately after that, Sterling shot wide from a good position.  The third goal came right on the half-hour mark.  Sterling curled a shot around the wrong side of a post, but from the goalkick, a poor clearance by a defender was intercepted and the ball was passed to Sterling.  This time he cut inside and his final shot took a slight deflection as it flew past Benedettini.  Two minutes later and Chilwell combined with Mount to give Lingard another chance.  He headed the ball back across goal but it was put wide by the stretching Calvert-Lewin.

Sometimes in these games it can be so easy for England that their play tends to slacken off somewhat, but here, the intensity increased if anything, forcing San Marino to continually defend.  Another break by the impressive Mount set up Lingard for yet another shot at goal, but this time it went wide.  Lingard then shot wide again shortly afterwards and on another day the West Ham loanee would have had a hat-trick.

That last chance had stemmed from a very rare San Marino attack that gave them a corner.  This was quickly cleared and with three minutes of the half left, Sterling teed up Lingard, but Benedettini was equal to the task again with a fine save.  Sterling missed again after a mazy dribble, shooting wide, and if all the chances of the first-half had been taken England could have declared as the whistle blew.  It was difficult to believe it was just 3-0, and even more difficult to understand how Lingard hadn’t scored.

England made four substitutions at the restart, with Jude Bellingham, the 17-year-old making a debut, Phil Foden, Kieran Trippier and Tyrone Mings coming on for Mount, Sterling, James and Stones.  Three minutes into the half, there was a hold-up as Mings accidentally hit Conor Coady in the face as the pair went up for a cross.  Nice to know who your friends are!!  Coady soon recovered and on 53 minutes England increased their lead.

A superb pass from Chilwell to Lingard, sent the forward scampering to the bye-line.  When he crossed to the middle there was Calvert-Lewin with the simplest of tap-ins.

The half sort of faded a little as the substitutes found their way into the game, and England’s intensity dropped a little, understandable with the job done.  That didn’t mean that chances were not forthcoming, far from it.  A quickly taken free-kick gave Lingard another go, but his shot was saved, Foden saw his shot also saved at the near post, whilst England passes went back and sideways a little more in this half.

Just after the hour Calvert-Lewin’s two goal night was over as Gareth Southgate brought on Ollie Watkins for his debut.  And England again upped the tempo.  Lingard, who else, had another shot saved, and Bellingham also saw a good effort saved by the goalkeeper.  Dante Rossi, an impressive no-nonsense defender, blocked another England effort, before Bellingham was fouled on the edge of the penalty area.  It didn’t look as though it was in Ward-Prowse’s range, but he proved everyone wrong with a corker of a free-kick, again destined for the top corner, until the spring-heeled goalkeeper leapt across to make a wonderful tip-over save.

Bellingham was really growing into the game now, and twice more he almost marked his debut with a goal.  One of his chances was a spectacular scissors-kick that flew over.  Then after 83 minutes came a moment a young man from Devon will remember for the rest of his life.  Watkins gained possession just inside the box, and calmly and precisely planted the ball into the far corner of the net with a crisp right-foot shot.  The joy on his face, and the excitement from his teammates congratulations, said it all.  What a moment.  And his lovely after match interview showed what a smashing lad he is and what the moment meant to him.

A fine all-round performance to open our World Cup qualifying campaign, but tempered by the poor quality of the beleaguered San Marino team.  There will be tougher days ahead, but at least we have made a positive and impressive start.
     

Source Notes