It was a powerful salvo from England, with three goals in five minutes early in the second half, transforming a previously lackluster and forgettable match. This surge not only secured Lee Carsley the victory he sought in his sixth and final game as interim manager but also sealed England’s promotion back into the Nations League’s A section. With five wins and only one disappointing night against Greece at Wembley, it was a job well done. Carsley will now hand over to Thomas Tuchel with the team in good shape, having also introduced a new generation of players. Previously, Carsley had awarded first caps to Angel Gomes, Morgan Gibbs-White, Noni Madueke, Curtis Jones, Lewis Hall, and Morgan Rogers. In this match, there were two more debuts—Tino Livramento from the start and Taylor Harwood-Bellis as a substitute. It was a memorable night for both, especially Harwood-Bellis, who scored with a powerful header from a Jude Bellingham cross, making it 5-0. Ireland was already defeated, and the moment to trigger a dramatic collapse was ignited by Harry Kane. Who else?
Kane returned to the starting lineup after his high-profile omission from the 3-0 win over Greece in Athens. Despite struggling in the first half, it was his exquisite pass that set up Bellingham to win a penalty against Liam Scales, who was then sent off for a second yellow card offense. Kane converted the penalty, his 69th goal for England in 103 caps. However, this was a night for the next generation, as not only Harwood-Bellis but also Anthony Gordon, Conor Gallagher, and Jarrod Bowen scored their first England goals, sweeping aside Ireland’s ten men.
Livramento provided the cross for Gordon to score with a volley, while Gallagher tapped in after Marc Guéhi flicked on a Madueke corner. This completed the flurry for England, but they showed no signs of stopping, with Bellingham setting up Bowen after a well-executed free-kick routine. Bowen had just come on as a substitute.
The game was partly shaped by the first meeting between the nations in this group in September, when Ireland’s 2-0 loss in Dublin was disappointing. Few England fans expected anything other than victory here, especially since Ireland was depleted by injuries, missing several key players. England had to wait, with the first half being a near write-off from their perspective. Heimir Hallgrímsson set up Ireland in a 4-5-1 formation, with captain Nathan Collins—a center-half by trade—sitting in front of the defense. The plan was to be compact, committed, and hard to break down.
Madueke, fresh from his impressive performance against Greece, had an early run past two Irish defenders. His pullback found Curtis Jones, whose shot was deflected over. Kyle Walker headed off target from the corner, and the first half descended into a sluggish affair. England was slow in possession, with predictable patterns. With eleven men behind the ball, Ireland kept Carsley’s team at bay with ease.
Kane’s struggles in the first half were evident. It was unfortunate that Bellingham chose to put him in a foot race with Collins midway through the period, which he was never going to win. Moments earlier, Kane had failed to control a clipped ball into the area from Hall; it was all so tight. There was a heavy touch from Kane that led to Scales slamming into him to win a showy tackle, and frustrations seemed to boil over in first-half stoppage time when Kane threw Jayson Molumby to the ground, earning a yellow card. Madueke had been booked earlier for a foul on Callum O’Dowda, with Bellingham’s complaints about the decision earning him a yellow card. He was also booked for dissent in Athens.
Ireland had loudly appealed for two penalties before the interval, the first when Guéhi had a handful of Evan Ferguson’s shirt as they tussled. The second came when Walker stooped to guide a header back to Jordan Pickford, blocking Sammie Szmodics, who tumbled over. It was risky from Walker. The referee, Erik Lambrechts, did not see enough in either appeal. He could easily have given the first.
This only deepened Ireland’s frustration after the break when England got the penalty to completely turn the game around. Never write off Kane. It has become a truism. It was the captain whose masterpiece of a pass provided the spark, a flat and perfectly calibrated diagonal from the left putting Bellingham up against Scales in the area. Bellingham jinked inside; Scales lunged and caught him. Kane did what he does, a little stutter in his run-up before he banged past Caoimhín Kelleher. The red card for Scales was a body blow for Ireland. They would continue to rain down.
Source link: https://www.theguardian.com
