Words by Alysia Georgiades
The statue of Bobby Moore outside Wembley stood proud after England's win against Croatia.
Image courtesy of Pixabay
Under a blazing sun in London the hopes of England fans around the country were lifted when Southgate’s young team became the first of 10 previous squads to win their opening match at the Euros.
On a much cooler day in Glasgow the hopes of Scotland fans around the country fell as Steve Clark’s team lost their first match of the tournament after qualifying on penalties last November.
Both teams will meet on Friday in their second round matches, reigniting the oldest rivalry in football’s history.
Beneath the famous white arch of Wembley, Southgate’s side shut down speculation over their abilities by beating Croatia 1-0, and by doing so proved to everyone watching that this is not the same team from three years ago, and it won’t be the same story.
England started the game with an attacking energy that warned their opponents they were there to win, which led to a strike by Phil Foden hitting the post within the first five minutes.
When play slowed down near the end of the first half England still had majority possession, and were demonstrating a mature patience as a team, waiting for the right moment to pick up the pace and make something happen.
That moment came in the 57th minute, when Kalvin Phillips dribbled the ball into the centre, past two Croatian players, and delivered a perfect pass to Sterling who scored his first goal in a major tournament. Needless to say cheers erupted from crowds, beer gardens and living rooms up and down the country.
The entire sequence had an ease about it, the young players proving they can perform under pressure. Croatia were runner’s up at the World Cup in 2018 after all, and with talent like Luka Modrić on the pitch, a victory against them is no easy feat.
There were a couple of attempts that brought Jordan Pickford into play, but for the majority of the match England showed patience and control whilst maintaining a positive energy.
Sure, you could argue that some of that energy was fed from the 18,500 fans in the stadium, or from the year long wait for the tournament to begin. But there’s no denying this is an England side we haven’t seen in a while, and Southgate’s management style and long-term plan seems to be paying off.
Once the final whistle was blown the England fans in the stadium had a newfound belief. If it wasn’t coming home before, it certainly feels like it will now, the song blasting through Wembley with the crowd singing along with passion and pride under a golden sun.
But it’s only one match, and Southgate and the players know not to get ahead of themselves.
“To win the first game relieves some tension but it doesn’t mean we’ve qualified and that’s the first objective,” Southgate told BBC Radio 5 Live after the match. “The players settled really quickly, used the ball well and we limited Croatia to very few clear chances throughout the game.”
Three points for England has put them in second place in the Group D table after the Czech Republic beat Scotland on Monday 2-0, placing the former first on goal difference.With England playing Scotland in two days, it’s impossible not to mention Euro ’96, when an England side made up of Gascoigne, Neville and Southgate himself to name a few won 2-0 after a Scottish penalty was saved by David Seaman.
The history that comes with a fixture like this will surround Friday’s game before, during and after it has been played. But this year’s teams are making sure to focus on their match only.
“We know it’s going to be a difficult one but we can’t get drawn into what the outside world is making of it.” Sterling told the Official England Podcast.Likewise, Scotland’s manager Steve Clarke told the media after their loss on Monday, “the players are fine, completely relaxed and know what they have to do,” before saying they still have a chance of making the points needed to qualify past the group stages, something they have yet to do on their two previous attempts in the tournament.
There’s no doubt that this will be an exciting match to watch for many reasons, and as much as sport is always rooted in history and forms a narrative for almost any match, it’s likely this England v Scotland Euros contest would be enjoyable, emotional, and electric even without the backstory.
It’s certainly not one to miss, and shrouded in history or not, it will be a match we won’t forget.