That’s it for tonight’s blog. I’ll leave you in the Fairy Liquid hands of Will Unwin, who will talk you through the evening games. Goodnight!
Here’s Harry Kane
“I thought it was a really good performance. Maybe a little bit slow at the start – we changed our formation halfway through the first half [from 4-2-3-1 to 4-1-4-1] and that definitely helped. We got more runners into the box, more attacking play, and getting a goal before half-time was great. I thought we controlled the second half well, so overall it’s been a good night.
“[Dropping deeper] has been part of my game for a while now. There’s been a lot of talk about it this season for club, but I feel like for country I’ve been doing it more regularly. We’ve got great pace on the wings, great forward runners from midfield, so it’s natural for me to drop and try to create play as well. Thankfully Mase made it 2-0 tonight with a great finish.
“We’re not the finished article but we’re in a good place. Poland will be the toughest game in the group; we’re ready for that. If we can win that we’ll be in a great position going into the games after the Euros.”
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Full time: Albania 0-2 England
Peep peep! That’s the end of an efficient day’s work for England. They struggled for the first half hour or so, but once they took the lead the result wasn’t really in doubt. The two goals, scored by Harry Kane and Mason Mount, were expertly taken, and Nick Pope had very little to do at the other end. Albania 0-2 England is probably a par score for this fixture, so congratulations to all concerned.
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90 min Kane’s shot takes a double deflection and drifts wide of the far post. There will be four minutes of added time.
90 min Gjasula is booked for inflicting pain upon Mount.
89 min Apparently Nick Pope is about to become the first England keeper to keep clean sheets in each of his first six appearances. But how many keepy-uppies can he do?
89 min Another Albania change - Ylber Ramadani replaces Laci.
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88 min England are passing the clock down.
87 min See 83 min.
83 min The match is petering out. If it stays like this, England will be pretty happy with two wins and two clean sheets going into the match against Robert Lewandowski Team on Wednesday.
81 min Another England change. Jesse Lingard replaces Phil Foden, who has had a decent night. Seven out of 10.
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79 min Hysaj is booked for pulling back Sterling, who has given him a decent working-over this afternoon.
77 min Hysaj’s dangerous cross is headed away well by Maguire, who is clattered by Pope in the process. Rice completes the clearance.
76 min “When Gareth goes to watch players playing for their team, does he look at how their club teams are setting up and how they are moving away from four-man defences,” says Jonathan Sisman. “Or is that beyond his pay scale?”
By my count, nine of the 11 players on the field at the moment are at teams who prefer a back four. And the other two (Rice, Mount) play at clubs who mix it up.
75 min “Hi Rob,” says Simon McMahon. “I know it’s still early in the qualification process, and it may have been said before, but it’s coming home, isn’t it?”
73 min Ward-Prowse’s cross is headed up in the air by Kane towards Sterling. He miskicks an attempted volley, but keeps the ball alive and knocks it across the six-yard box. Kane pokes the ball wide on the stretch, taking out two defenders in the process. He’s booked. I’m also not sure how he didn’t score.
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73 min Uzuni missed that excellent early chance for Albania. Since then, they haven’t really laid a glove on England.
71 min And another Albania change: Ledian Memushaj replaces Bare.
70 min An England substitution: James Ward-Prowse comes on for Kalvin Phillips.
68 min Kyle Walker is booked for flattening Bare.
65 min After a slow start, this has been a solid night’s work for England. Raheem Sterling has been really impressive since he moved to the left.
Harry Kane scored the first and now he has made the second. Djimsiti’s poor pass out of defence was intercepted by Sterling, who poked it forward to Kane. He played an angled pass through to Mount, who opened his body and lifted the ball confidently over Berisha. That’s a really good finish.
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GOAL! Albania 0-2 England (Mount 63)
Mason Mount makes it two!
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60 min Phillips’ low cross is cleared by the stretching Ismajli. England’s passing and movement is much better now.
59 min A triple change for Albania: Rey Manaj, Klaus Gjasula and Ermir Lenjani replace Cikalleshi, Memolla and Broja.
58 min Berisha springs from his line to beat Sterling to Mount’s through ball. Excellent goalkeeping.
57 min Foden’s corner is half-volleyed over the bar by Kane at the near post. He looks disappointed, though it was another sharp chance.
56 min It feels like a matter of time before England get a second. They’ve been much better since Kane’s goal.
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54 min After a difficult start, England are in complete control of the game.
52 min: Foden hits the post! Sterling teases Ismajli near the byline and plays the ball back to Foden on the edge of the area. He curls a low first-time shot that is tipped onto the near post by the diving Berisha. That’s a fine save because he was going the wrong way and had to change direction very sharply.
51 min Albania are still playing as if it’s 0-0, defending deep and in numbers. I suppose their plan is to take the game deep in the hope that human nature will do its thing in the final 10 minutes.
49 min Kane’s excellent first-time pass almost releases Sterling, who is shepherded away from the ball by Hysaj. That was an important bit of defending.
47 min I’m not sure Rice is playing as a third centre-back, but he’s certainly playing deeper than Phillips now. It looks like a 4-1-4-1 to me, or at least what we call 4-1-4-1. It’s effectively 2-3-2-3, the Manchester City formation.
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46 min Peep peep!
“It looks like England have changed to a back three with Shaw and Walker as wingbacks, and Rice in the centre,” says Francis Mead. “We look better with Philips pushed forward. Having said that I agree that we don’t need Rice and Phillips. I’d replace Rice with Grealish in my first eleven, though Phillips is understandably playing rather safe. He needs to unfurl his ability to pass long a bit more, though now he’s in a more forward attacking position.”
Well I completely missed that. It’s a timely reminder that, if you start thinking you’ve cracked it, Mother Tactics will bite you on the bum. As Silvio Dante used to say, you’re only as good as your last chalkboard.
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England first played Albania in 1989, during qualification for Italia 90. I’m halfway through David Hartrick’s new book on the Bobby Robson era and can’t recommend it enough. There’s so much good stuff in there that I didn’t know.
Half-time reading
Half time: Albania 0-1 England
Peep peep! Harry Kane’s expert finish has given England the lead in Tirana. It was hard work against a well-organised team on a sluggish pitch, but Kane’s goal should - should - ensure a more comfortable second half.
42 min: Kane hits the bar! That was so close to 2-0. Sterling cuts infield from the left and curls a devastating ball to the far post. Kane gets behind Memolla, five yards from goal, and slams a half-volley off the underside of the bar. He probably should have scored, though it’s not always easy to control a half-volley like that.
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38 min For a variety of reasons, that’s Kane’s first goal for England since 2019.
Harry Kane gives England the lead out of nothing. Shaw curled a nice cross into the middle, where Kane got in front of Veseli and steered a stooping header into the far corner. That was a masterful finish.
GOAL! Albania 0-1 England (Kane 38)
Popcorn!
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37 min “Hi Rob,” says Joel Dunmore. “I guess I’m not the first to pick up on your Grosse Pointe Blank film reference shortly before kick-off. But I can’t help myself: let’s hope we‘re not shooting blanks today. I’ll get my coat.”
They’ve barely managed to fire blanks, never mind anything more penetrative.
35 min England are getting frustrated. And why not?
34 min If it stays like this, Gareth Southgate will be tempted to take off one of his holding players at half-time. I’m not sure you need Phillips and Rice in a game like this.
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33 min A fierce long-range drive from Walker is well held by Berisha. It bounced just in front of him, which could have been awkward, but he took it with authority.
31 min Foden is starting to see more of the ball, which is a good sign for England. Look, I’m taking the positives.
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30 min Foden’s free-kick is missed by the leaping Rice at the near post. He was completely unmarked, though it would still have been a difficult chance as he was about 12 yards from goal.
28 min Hysaj mosies infield and plays a dangerous through ball that just evades Broja.
28 min A bit better from England. Foden plays in the underlapping Mount, whose low cross is booted clear by Ismajli in the six-yard box.
27 min England have had 75 per cent of the possession.
26 min There isn’t a huge amount of pace in the England midfield and attack. Sterling is very quick, Foden and Mount quick enough, but that’s about it.
25 min A pass from Pope goes straight out of play for an Albania throw-in. Pope’s distribution is by far the biggest barrier to him usurping Jordan Pickford.
24 min This might be a job for Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who is among the England substitutes.
22 min Kane smacks it straight into Maguire, who was making a nuisance of himself in the wall. It didn’t matter as the referee had blown for some pushing.
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22 min The free-kick is on the edge of the D, slightly to the right of centre...
21 min In fact it’s Bare who was booked.
21 min Mount is fouled just outside the area by a combination of Bare and Ismajli. One of them is booked, Ismajli I think.
20 min So far this has been a great advert for the cricket.
17 min England must have had at least 70 per cent of the possession. But their domination has been sterile at best. Albania are really well organised defensively.
Breaking news: Gareth Southgate has inverted his wingers
16 min Foden has moved to the right, Sterling to the left.
14 min “England are so one-paced it’s almost soporific,” says Lee Calvert.
It’s because those cheating Albanians didn’t cut the grass.
13 min: Chance for Albania! An England corner almost leads to a goal - for Albania. They broke superply, with Broja intercepting a pass from Mount and then sliding Uzuni through on goal. He took the ball nicely in his stride on the edge of the area but then lifted his shot over the bar. That was a great chance.
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12 min Lee Dixon, on ITV, makes the excellent point that the pitch is very slow and not conducive to snappy passing. Apparently England asked for the grass to be cut before the game, and were politely reminded of an age-old concept called ‘home advantage’.
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10 min Foden’s cross is headed behind for the first corner. He takes it himself, driving it towards Stones at the far post. Veseli does well to ensure Stones can’t get a clear run at the ball, and his header flies over the bar.
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8 min Nothing to report. Albania look well organised defensively, and thus far England have created the square root of bugger all.
4 min Lots of early possession for England. Albania’s 3-4-3 formation is morphing into a 5-4-1.
3 min “Cautiously excited to see this England XI,” says Robert Lin. “It could well be the team for the Euros with two or three exceptions. Pickford probably still ahead of Pope, Henderson if fit for Phillips and perhaps Rashford in place of Foden?”
I think Chilwell is still the first-choice left-back, though that could change. You can make a case for James and Grealish as well. It’s really tight in some positions, isn’t it?
2 min England’s formation is actually a 4-2-3-1, with Foden on the left, Sterling on the right and Mount behind Kane.
1 min Peep peep! England kick off from right to left. They are in white; Albania are in red.
Twenty years ago today
Twenty years, man!
If you’re into the whole England thing, Sam Curran is trying to pull of a minor miracle in Pune.
“Afternoon Rob,” says Digvijay Yadav. “Where do you sit on the Southgate debate? Does he still have credit in the bank from 2018? Or does England’s current generation deserve a better coach?”
I know it’s easy to say this when you’re not emotionally invested, but I think England fans should be careful what they wish for.
Pre-match reading
Team news
No big surprises in the England team. The in-form Luke Shaw plays for the first time since 2018. Phil Foden also starts, probably as the right-sided attacker.
Albania (3-4-3) Berisha; Ismajli, Djimsiti, Veseli; Hysaj, Laci, Bare, Memolla; Cikalleshi, Broja, Uzuni.
Substitutes: Selmani, Strakosha, Lenjani, Gjasula, Memushaj, Manaj, Arlind Ajeti, Hoxhallari, Doka, Ramadani, Kallaku, Kamberi.
England (4-2-3-1) Pope; Walker, Stones, Maguire, Shaw; Rice, Phillips; Sterling, Mount, Foden; Kane.
Substitutes: D Henderson, Johnstone, Trippier, Lingard, Coady, James, Ward-Prowse, Calvert-Lewin, Mings, Chilwell, Watkins, Bellingham.
Referee Orel Grinfeeld (Israel)
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Preamble
Hello. Contrary to the beloved cliche, there are plenty of easy games in international football. Just ask[that’s enough of that - Ireland ed]. But Albania are no longer one of them. They have improved enormously in the 21st century and have the ability to give England a game in Tirana tonight. Albania qualified for Euro 2016, beating the eventual champions Portugal en route, and were recently promoted to League B of the Nations League. A number of their squad are regulars in Serie A.
In short, this is unlikely to be San Marino (reprise). England should still win, because they are - excuse me - a damn fine football team, and they usually make short work of World Cup qualification. Their last defeat was in 2009, and that was a dead rubber, so it’ll still be a shock if they lose today. But it’ll be nowhere near as seismic as it would have been 20 years ago.
Kick off 5pm.
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