At the halfway point of this competitive group England have seized control. Gareth Southgate’s side dominated for long spells against Switzerland but appeared to lack the necessary ideas, or guile to execute them, until the Sunderland forward Duncan Watmore came off the bench to turn an often frustrating encounter on its head and reward his manager’s substitution.
“It’s no surprise that he’s an intelligent player because he’s an intelligent boy,” Southgate said afterwards. “Tonight was a glimpse of what he is capable of.”
Chuba Akpom added a late third to leave them top of group nine on 10 points from four games, three clear of the Swiss and Norway. England’s new batch remain unbeaten since the deflating European Under-21 Championship and had not yet conceded until Shani Tarashaj’s opportunist goal moments before half-time, but they remained patient against a stubborn defence and will travel to Switzerland next March in pole position to win the sole automatic qualifying place.
“The way we keep the ball tires the opposition out,” Southgate said. “We’re unbeaten, we’re top of the group and I firmly believe in the way we go about our work. We had to dig a bit, stand up to a physical situation. I like the fact that we’ve shown an edge and it’s an important win in terms of the head-to-head in the group.”
Southgate was forced into changes after Jack Stephens’ red card in last week’s 0-0 draw against Bosnia-Herzegovina, and John Swift, one of five starters on Chelsea’s books, made his debut on the left of an England midfield that controlled the early exchanges with the captain, James Ward-Prowse, their conductor.
Familiar England tunes blasted from a trumpet in one corner of Brighton’s Amex Stadium but the music was drowned out by the 12,000-strong crowd when one of their own, the winger Solly March, sent a shot searing just high of the upright. Switzerland probed down the sides early on but it was England who looked more likely to penetrate – though they were served a warning when the visitors found the net, Haris Tabakovic’s clinical chest, spin and volley past Jordan Pickford ruled offside.
As a high-tempo first half petered out and rain began to fall, Switzerland struck. A hopeful lump forwards found Tarashaj lurking on Nathaniel Chalobah’s shoulder 30 yards out. Played onside by Chalobah’s centre-back partner, Calum Chambers, the Grasshopper forward raced in on goal and, as Pickford scampered out to meet him, looped a side-footed finish over the goalkeeper and into the net. Pickford could only crash into Tarashaj, who peeled away to celebrate before collapsing to the ground clutching his ribs. After three minutes of treatment on the field Tarashaj was carried away on a stretcher, his fourth goal in four qualifying games the last action of the half.
Ward-Prowse said Southgate’s half-time message was relaxed – “Keep patient, keep going” – and England began the second period with the sort of control which they exuded in the first – and suffered equal frustration against a dogged defence. Then, with 15 minutes remaining, Watmore arrived.
He immediately found space in the area but jabbed his effort over the bar. A moment later he pounced on a loose ball and drove into the Swiss box. The goalkeeper and captain, Yvon Nganoma, slid out recklessly and clattered the attacker to the floor without a sniff of the ball and the referee, Andreas Ekberg, pointed to the spot. As in the win against Norway, Ward-Prowse calmly stroked the ball into the right side of the goal.
Watmore’s impact was immediate, his movement and awareness to create the goal astute and Southgate was clearly impressed.
“He makes that sort of contribution when he comes into the game regularly,” said the head coach. “He has a fantastic impact in terms of pace and directness, and super runs in behind defences.”
England had nine minutes to find a winner but needed barely three, Watmore gathering Matt Targett’s short pass on the edge of the box and taking time to line up his shot, before firing past Nganoma with the considerable help of a Swiss deflection. With frustration relieved and unbeaten record intact, Watmore had ensured England take command of their group through the winter break, and it was the substitute who dribbled along the left byline in added time and cut an incisive pass back to Akpom, waiting on the penalty spot to stroke the ball into the opposite corner and put the result beyond doubt.
