Three perfect touches at the end of twenty-five. The opening goal of a room temperature qualifier at a fidgety Wembley stadium might not be the kind of moment around international mini-eras are built around.
But England’s opener here, at the end of a move involving ten players, was special for various reasons. Not least as confirmation that Gareth Southgate is able to draw new elements and new rhythms from his team. So many England managers have stuck to a script, grown fat on the job. Sven Goran Eriksson sat scratching his chin watching his England team play the same flat 4-4-2 formation through three successive tournaments.
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