England’s goals against Iran sent people wild in London. According to Urheilu’s expert Jonne Kunnas, England opened strongly, but the real indicators are yet to come.
20:44•Updated 20:48
In England, faith in the “Three Lions”, a national team known for its lack of success, has returned in recent years. Four years ago, the team reached the World Cup semi-finals, and in last year’s European Championships, the team reached the final.
During the opening match of the Qatar Games, hopes were not high, at least in the public discussion. The results of the past year have been bad and, above all, the performances have been poor.
Also in England, the debate about Qatar’s human rights situation has intensified during the tournament. Before the Iran match, the biggest topic of conversation was the rainbow-colored captain’s armbands, which Fifa banned from wearing. England was one of seven countries to express their disappointment at Fifa’s decision.
To top it all off, the match started at 1pm British Isles time on Monday – and even in November. Can the disputed tournament be the material for a national celebration, which the previous tournaments in England have been?
Pictures from Monday afternoon in London show that it can.
England beat Iran no less than 6-2 in the goal celebration, which raises expectations in the country to the ceiling, but is there reason to celebrate in the future?
England head coach Gareth Southgate famously trusts the same players and so also in the opening of the World Cup. The central defender, who was barked at and dismissed, was in a particularly big spotlight in the match against Iran Harry Maguirewho dropped out of Manchester United’s lineup in the fall due to poor performances.
Maguire has been hurt from every direction, but in the national team he was again in the opening and headed the top bar in the early stages of the match. It is in special situations that he is a big weapon for England. Sports expert Jonne Kunnasen according to Maguire, and even the entire English defensive line, the problem is defending the rear, which the Full-back by Kyle Walker absence due to injury highlights.
– Maguire and to some extent the other bottom line players are not the fastest when defending the back. That test against Iran has not yet been seen.
Walker is expected to be fit for England’s next game against the United States. Against Iran, England played as full backs Luke Shaw and Kieran Trippier. According to Kunnas, England looked strong in both directions, but points out that Iran did not offer much of a counterattack threat.
Six goals from attacking play was a real storm warning. It was scoring goals that was problematic for the team in the Nations League earlier this year. Three of England’s four goals in six matches came in the last game against Germany, when relegation to the B level was already assured.
– England was able to solve situations with high quality, when Iran rushed from high. There you found clear functions, how to get between the lines, quickly attack the backline and get into the scoring area. Correspondingly, the game also showed signs of breaking the low block, especially towards the end of the first period, praises Kunnas.
England’s other opponents in Group B are the United States and Wales, of which, especially in the expected meeting with neighboring Wales, more versatile means are needed to break the low block.
– Iran rushed a bit recklessly from high, which England was able to break down well. Wales’ low block is well and much better organized than Iran’s. The Yankees will certainly press from higher up, which is a different challenge, says Kunnas.
According to Kunnas, Prässi is a big question for England in the future also in the other direction.
– I would still wonder how high they want to press and how they will be able to defend the back, especially as long as Walker is gone.
In the English media, especially young people of Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Sakan the gameplay garnered rave reviews. Bellingham, 19, scored the first goal of his national team career in his first major league game. Saka, who missed the decisive penalty kick in last year’s EC final, hit twice.
Head coach Southgate was According to the BBC (you will switch to another service) also pleased with the contribution of the substitutes. Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish came on the field effectively.
Grealish’s goal had a special meaning for one young football fan in particular. Grealish kept his promise and aired the goal to his recently met 11-year-old mentally disabled fan as desired (you switch to another service).
England’s competitive career continues on Friday with a match against the United States. The last time the countries met at the World Cup level was in South Africa in the summer of 2010 and they shared the points with a 1-1 result.