England cruised to victory over Wales in an international friendly between the two Home Nations at Wembley Stadium on Thursday night. Dubbed the ‘Battle of Britain’, the contest was effectively over inside the opening 20 minutes as a rampant England raced into three-goal lead, with Thomas Tuchel’s side picking up from where they left off in last month’s international break.
It took England just two minutes to break the deadlock as Wales failed to deal with a corner, allowing Marc Guehi to pick out Morgan Rogers to score his first senior international goal. The visitors didn’t learn their lesson and 10 minutes later another ball into the box wasn’t cleared and Ollie Watkins was on
Wales could do nothing about Bukayo Saka’s stunning strike as the Arsenal winger cut in onto his left foot and smashed an effort into the top corner. The second half was a more even affair, but in truth the all the damage was done in the first half. Follow the game back below with our dedicated match blog, featuring expert insight and analysis from Dom Smith and Simon Collings at Wembley!
England vs Wales latest news
- GOAL! Saka adds a third
- GOAL! Watkins doubles England's lead
- GOAL! Rogers puts England ahead after two minutes
FULL-TIME!
21:39 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneEngland 3-0 Wales
England 3-0 Wales
21:36 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne90 min: Board goes up...
Three more minutes to play as Wales win a corner.
Dom Smith at Wembley Stadium
21:33 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneWales stringing some nice passes together, but their race was run after about 11 minutes with England's two quickfire goals. Surprising, I think, that the hosts have not added to their first-half three.
England 3-0 Wales
21:33 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne87 min: Spence can’t bring the ball under control as he approaches the penalty box. England still pushing for a fourth goal even at this late stage.
England 3-0 Wales
21:28 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne82 min: Gordon is still searching for his goal. The winger curls an effort just wide of the post after linking up with Lewis-Skelly down England’s left-hand side.
England 3-0 Wales
21:26 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne81 min: What a block that is from Rodon as he sticks a leg out to stop Gordon adding a fourth for England following a sweeping from from back to front.
Simon Collings at Wembley Stadium
21:26 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneFair play to the Wales fans who, even with the scoreline, are still singing their hearts out. No chance of any of them heading home early, either.
England 3-0 Wales
21:25 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne79 min: Lewis-Skelly enters the fray, replacing Stones.
I imagine that will mean Konsa moves to centre-back with Spence switching sides.
England 3-0 Wales
21:22 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne77 min: Fellow substitute Harris should score for Wales as he heads a big chance over the bar.
England 3-0 Wales
21:22 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne76 min: Another change for Wales as Koumas is on for Moore.
England 3-0 Wales
21:18 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne72 min: Another routine save from Pickford as he palms Mepham’s header away.
England 3-0 Wales
21:17 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne71 min: Spence picks up a needless yellow card for kicking the ball away after Kpakio had won a free-kick.
England 3-0 Wales
21:15 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne69 min: England make a quadruple change of their own.
ON: Gibbs-White, Loftus-Cheek, Bowen and Henderson
OFF: Rice, Anderson, Rogers and Saka
Dom Smith at Wembley Stadium
21:11 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneEngland in cruise control in this second half. Still to find that fourth goal but totally dominating proceedings. Wouldn't be surprised to see the inevitably flurry of substitutions follow soon.
England 3-0 Wales
21:10 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne64 min: Wales make a quadruple change.
ON: James, Mepham, Sheehan and Kpakio.
OFF: Wilson, Davies, Ampadu and Williams.
England 3-0 Wales
21:08 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne62 min: Thomas Tuchel gestures on the touchline for his England players to raise the tempo. It has been a little flat since the break, but that’s to be expected with such a commanding lead.
England 3-0 Wales
21:07 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne61 min: Wales seem to have learned from their mistakes in the first-half as they are dealing with the England set-pieces better now.
England 3-0 Wales
21:06 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne60 min: Saka wins a corner for England...
England 3-0 Wales
21:03 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne57 min: Stones is back on his feet and looks fine to continue.
England 3-0 Wales
21:02 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne56 min: Pickford is called into action as he makes a save from Cullen to preserve his clean sheet.
Injury concern in the midst of that as Stones requires treatment.
England 3-0 Wales
20:58 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne52 min: CROSSBAR!
Rogers rattles the top of the bar following a well-worked corner routine.
The England midfielder was in an offside position, so his effort would not have counted had it gone in.
England 3-0 Wales
20:56 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne51 min: Cullen is fortunate his mistake is not punished as Rodon bails out his team-mate to cut out Gordon’s cross.
Why England are wearing nameless shirts in second half against Wales
20:54 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneEngland are sporting a different look for the second half of the friendly against Wales at Wembley.
England’s shirts have no names on them after the break as the match has been dedicated as an ‘Alzheimer’s Society International’ as part of the Football Association (FA) and Alzheimer’s Society’s official charity partnership.
KICK-OFF!
20:50 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneBack underway at Wembley!
Thomas Tuchel has turned to his bench with Marcus Rashford replacing Ollie Watkins.
Clearly taking no risks with the striker.
England vs Wales live
20:49 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneThe pick of England’s three goals from Bukayo Saka.
THE BEST ONE YET! 🦁
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) October 9, 2025
England RAMPANT - Saka EXTRAORDINARY 🤩#ITVFootball | #ThreeLions | @England pic.twitter.com/AzuOseJMC2
England vs Wales live
20:46 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneOllie Watkins has scored once, but he should have two to his name tonight.
Anyways, here’s a reminder of his goal.
TWO FOR ENGLAND! ⚽️⚽️
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) October 9, 2025
It's all too easy for the Three Lions - Watkins finishes from point-blank range#ITVFootball | #ThreeLions | @England pic.twitter.com/I0KNyD89Hl
England vs Wales live
20:43 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneMorgan Rogers got the ball rolling for England after just two minutes.
His first goal of the season is an ENGLAND goal! 🦁
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) October 9, 2025
Morgan Rogers taps in after a clever bit of play from Guehi 🥶#ITVFootbal | @England pic.twitter.com/7pvRBeFirs
Dom Smith at Wembley Stadium
20:36 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneFine, fine first half performance from an England team who have now scored six goals across their last two halves of football. Something is starting to click.
HALF-TIME
20:34 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneEngland 3-0 Wales
England 3-0 Wales
20:34 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne45+1 min: Gordon wins England a corner with what should be the final attack of the half...
England 3-0 Wales
20:32 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne45 min: Board goes up...
Two minutes of added time to be played.
England 3-0 Wales
20:32 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne44 min: Wales have sprung to life as we near half-time.
Moore tries to get a shot off but Guehi makes a timely block before the visitors keep England penned in for a bit.
England 3-0 Wales
20:31 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne43 min: Wilson takes aim from range but his shot was never troubling Pickford. Still, that is Wales’ first shot of the game.
England 3-0 Wales
20:29 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne42min: Watkins is up on his feet, he is walking rather gingerly but looks like he will give it a go.
England 3-0 Wales
20:27 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne40 min: How are England not 4-0 up?!?!?
Rogers squares for Watkins who has a simple tap-in but he manages to balloon the ball over the bar.
The striker then collides with the post and looks to be in some serious pain.
England 3-0 Wales
20:26 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne38 min: Rice gets in behind the Wales defence and looks to cut the ball back for Watkins but the cross is cleared.
The offside flag eventually goes up as the England captain for tonight made his run too early.
Dom Smith at Wembley Stadium
20:22 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneFor so much of this first half, England have just been camped outside the Wales penalty area patiently looking for a way to knock down the door.
Twice already they've found one, and you sense more could be on the way in what is shaping up to be a long evening for Wales.
England 3-0 Wales
20:21 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne34 min: Guehi goes into the book for fouling Moore as Wales looked to break. They call that ‘taking one for the team’.
England 3-0 Wales
20:20 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne33 min: Wales threaten for the first time tonight as Williams picks out Ampadu centrally but the Wales holding midfielder gifts possession straight back to England with a poor pass.
England 3-0 Wales
20:17 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne30 min: Bellamy having words with the official on the touchline. Now, where have we seen that before!??
England 3-0 Wales
20:15 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne28 min: Rice takes aim from the free-kick but Darlow watches the ball sail over the bar.
Dom Smith at Wembley Stadium
20:15 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneEngland in the mood for number four here. They've been relentless.
England 3-0 Wales
20:14 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne27 min: Williams takes his frustrations out on Gordon with a late tackle. Yellow card for the Wales full-back and England have a free-kick in a promising position.
England 3-0 Wales
20:12 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne25 min: Where do Wales go from here? It’s already damaged limitations for Craig Bellamy and his side have a massive World Cup qualifier next Monday.
Simon Collings at Wembley Stadium
20:09 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneOne or two Wales fans heading for a pint, by the looks of it. Can't blame them.
GOAL! England 3-0 Wales | Bukayo Saka ‘20
20:08 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne20 min: GOALLLLLLL
England are three up after 20 minutes as Bukayo Saka smashes the ball into the back of the net with a stunning left-footed finish.
No chance for Karl Darlow.
England 2-0 Wales
20:06 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne19 min: Great play from Rogers to hold off the challenge from Cullen before eventually being fouled. This gives England a chance to build another attack but Wales are able to get enough bodies behind the ball for force the hosts back.
England 2-0 Wales
20:04 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne16 min: You do have to question the Wales defending so far tonight.
Take a look at Watkins’ goal, for example.
The visitors fail to deal with a routine ball and the Aston Villa striker, in the absence of Harry Kane, pounces to bundle the ball over the line.
Dom Smith at Wembley Stadium
19:59 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneWales are all at sea and are already 2-0 down as Ollie Watkins shows there can be goals in this England team even when Harry Kane isn't playing. England making Wales look like the much smaller neighbour here. And we've only played 11 minutes...
GOAL! England 2-0 Wales | Ollie Watkins ‘11
19:58 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne11 min: GOALLLLLL
Ollie Watkins taps home at the back post and England are flexing their muscles!
England 1-0 Wales
19:57 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne10 min: Really good start this is from England as Rodon is forced to concede another corner as he cuts out Rice’s ball over the top looking for Watkins or Saka.
England 1-0 Wales
19:56 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne9 min: Konsa has a worth penalty appeal turned away. The England defender was having his shirt pulled by Dasilva at a corner, but Wales get away with that one.
England 1-0 Wales
19:54 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne7 min: A lot of credit must go to Marc Guehi for the goal as he was the one who kept the ball alive following a corner and then did ever so well to pick out Morgan Rogers inside the box.
Dom Smith at Wembley Stadium
19:51 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneEngland lead Wales after two minutes and 14 seconds, and Morgan Rogers has his first England goal. That was far too easy, but they won't care one bit.
GOAL! England 1-0 Wales | Morgan Rogers ‘2
19:51 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne2 min: GOALLLLL
Dream start for the Three Lions as Morgan Rogers breaks the deadlock inside two minutes.
England 0-0 Wales
19:49 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne1 min: Early chance for England as Rogers picks out Gordon in the area, the winger gets a little lucky with his first touch but manages to dig out a shot which Darlow gets a boot to.
KICK-OFF!
19:47 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneWe are underway in this international friendly!
Simon Collings at Wembley Stadium
19:45 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne22 fans with dementia walking out with the England and Wales players as the FA show their support for the Alzheimer's Society. The players will also remove the names from their shirts for the second half, too.
England vs Wales live
19:44 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneNational anthem time, Wales go first followed by ‘God Save the King’.
HERE WE GO!
19:40 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneThe two teams emerge from the tunnel, Declan Rice leads out England and Ben Davies does the same for Wales on the occasion of his 99th senior international cap.
Raising awareness about Alzheimer's
19:35 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneTwenty-two fans living with dementia will walk out with England and Wales players at Wembley as part of the partnership between Alzheimer’s Society and The FA.
Wales results under Craig Bellamy
19:30 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneCraig Bellamy has only lost two of his 12 games in charge of Wales.
Furthermore, it's 20 goals scored during this period too, with just two goalless draws.
All signs point towards an entertaining fixture tonight!
Wales 0-0 Turkey
Montenegro 1-2 Wales
Iceland 2-2 Wales
Wales 1-0 Montenegro
Turkey 0-0 Wales
Wales 4-1 Iceland
Wales 3-1 Kazakhstan
North Macedonia 1-1 Wales
Wales 3-0 Liechtenstein
Belgium 4-3 Wales
Kazakhstan 0-1 Wales
Wales 0-1 Canada
Not long now!
19:25 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneLess than 20 minutes until kick-off at Wembley!
Friendships on hold
19:20 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneElliot Anderson and Neco Williams are team-mates at Nottingham Forest, but for 90 minutes tonight, they'll be rivals.
Both players start for England and Wales respectively.
Team news reminder
19:15 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneHere is how both teams will line-up today.
England XI: Pickford; Konsa, Stones, Guehi, Spence; Anderson, Rice; Saka, Rogers, Gordon; Watkins.
Substitutes: Lewis-Skelly, Henderson, Kane, Eze, Rashford, Burn, Henderson, Gibbs-White, Loftus-Cheek, Bowen, Trafford, Quansah, O'Reilly.
Wales XI: Darlow; Williams, Rodon, Davies, Dasilva; Ampadu; Brooks, Wilson, Cullen, Johnson; Moore.
Substitutes: King, Davies, Mepham, Koumas, Colwill, Cabango, James, Harris, Thomas, Davies, Sheehan, Broadhead, Kpakio, Lawlor, Colwill.
Wright reacts to Bellingham decision
19:10 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneIan Wright has addressed Jude Bellingham's absence from the England squad.
"It doesn't make sense to me," he told ITV.
Wales changes
19:05 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneCraig Bellamy has made seven changes to Wales team that started the 1-0 loss against Canada last month.
This means Karl Darlow, Ethan Ampadu, Joe Rodon, Liam Cullen, Brennan Johnson, Kieffer Moore and Jay Dasilva all return to the starting XI.
Meanwhile, Ben Davies captains the side on what will be his 99th senior international appearance.
Simon Collings at Wembley Stadium
19:00 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneHeck of a stat from Opta: England have named a starting XI without a player from at least one of Chelsea, Liverpool or Manchester United for the first time since June 1992 against France.
Dom Smith and Simon Collings at Wembley Stadium
18:55 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneOur very own Dom Smith and Simon Collings are in position at Wembley and have delivered their immediate thoughts on the England team selected to face Wales.
🗣 "It will be interesting to see how England fare, especially without Harry Kane because he is such an important source of goals."@MrDomSmith and @sr_collings deliver their thoughts on the England team news!
— Standard Sport (@standardsport) October 9, 2025
LIVE: https://t.co/Ub4Ak0jFIL#ENGWAL pic.twitter.com/LxXRi0xp5V
Dom Smith at Wembley Stadium
18:50 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneAlso a huge opportunity to impress for Tottenham's Djed Spence, who earns his first start for his country following a debut off the bench in last month's excellent 5-0 win in Serbia.
A Wembley game against neighbours Wales will no doubt be a fine occasion for the 25-year-old to make his full debut.
Simon Collings at Wembley Stadium
18:45 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneA big night for Declan Rice - who has the armband in the absence of Harry Kane - but this is also a vital game for John Stones, too. It's his first start for England since October last year.
Wales team in full
18:42 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneWales XI: Darlow; Williams, Rodon, Davies, Ampadu, Brooks, Wilson, Cullen, Johnson, Moore, Dasilva
Substitutes: King, Davies, Mepham, Koumas, Colwill, Cabango, James, Harris, Thomas, Davies, Sheehan, Broadhead, Kpakio, Lawlor, Colwill.
England team in full
18:35 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneEngland XI: Pickford; Konsa, Stones, Guehi, Spence; Anderson, Rice; Saka, Rogers, Gordon; Watkins.
Substitutes: Lewis-Skelly, Henderson, Kane, Eze, Rashford, Burn, Henderson, Gibbs-White, Loftus-Cheek, Bowen, Trafford, Quansah, O'Reilly.
CONFIRMED WALES TEAM NEWS
18:32 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneLining up for the visitors...
CYMRU XI 🏴🏴
— Wales 🏴 (@Cymru) October 9, 2025
Ready to represent at Wembley 🫡
CONFIRMED ENGLAND TEAM NEWS
18:31 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneHere is the team Thomas Tuchel has selected...
Tonight's #ThreeLions to take on Wales at Wembley! 🦁 pic.twitter.com/2t5wZcyYPN
— England (@England) October 9, 2025
146 years on
18:30 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneThe very first meeting between these two nations in January 1879 saw England come out on top in a 2-1 win.
146 years on from our first meeting 🤝 pic.twitter.com/C5oWABTY8G
— Wales 🏴 (@Cymru) October 9, 2025
Three Lions support
18:25 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneEngland fans are ready to cheer on the Three Lions!
Team news imminent
18:20 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneTeam news from Wembley is on the way.
Who will lead the line for England? Who will captain the Three Lions? Will Craig Bellamy leave out his big names?
Find out shortly!
21 years ago today
18:15 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneA look back at this stunning strike from David Beckham to sink Wales at Old Trafford just over two decades ago...
That Beckham magic! ✨#OnThisDay in 2004, his trademark strike sealed a World Cup qualifying win over Wales 🦁 pic.twitter.com/PgEXJbSvS4
— England (@England) October 9, 2025
Bellamy: Wales and England are not rivals
18:10 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneWales manager Craig Bellamy insists Wales and England are “not rivals”, because they are not playing at the same level on a “consistent basis”.
His side face England in a Wembley friendly today before a crucial World Cup qualifier against Belgium on Monday.
Wales are ranked 30th in the world, 26 places below their hosts, who have won all of their last seven meetings including group-stage games at Euro 2016 and the 2022 World Cup.
Bellamy told a press conference on Wednesday that he had trawled back through the archive of old Borussia Dortmund matches from when Thomas Tuchel was manager as part of his preparation for taking on Tuchel’s England.
Click here for Bellamy's quotes in full!
What is England's Plan B?
18:05 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneHarry Kane will not feature against Wales which means it's time for others to step up and for another man to lead the line, writes Dom Smith.
Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins is the only other recognised striker in the squad, and Tuchel has namechecked West Ham winger Jarrod Bowen as a capable No9 understudy, but might this be a chance to try Marcus Rashford through the middle? His start to life at Barcelona has been very promising.
The burden will of course be shared, an added onus also on the three who play behind the striker. That could mean Tuchel turning to Bukayo Saka, Morgan Rogers and Anthony Gordon for goals.
Predicted England XI
18:00 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneJordan Henderson, Declan Rice or John Stones will captain the England team in Harry Kane’s absence.
There will therefore be a chance to impress up front for Ollie Watkins, Marcus Rashford or Jarrod Bowen.
Marc Guehi spoke to the media in the pre-match press conference on Wednesday evening so will start.
Predicted England XI (4-2-3-1): Pickford; Spence, Stones, Guehi, Lewis-Skelly; Anderson, Rice; Saka, Rogers, Gordon; Watkins
Henderson: I am more than just a cheerleader for England
17:55 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneJordan Henderson has dismissed suggestions he is simply in the England squad as a cheerleader, writes Simon Collings.
Thomas Tuchel has picked Henderson in all four of his England squads since taking charge at the start of this year.
Tuchel has praised the 35-year-old’s leadership qualities and his vast experience, hailing him as a “serial winner” back in March.
Henderson, however, has stressed that is not the sole reason he is being continually called up by Tuchel.
Today's settings
17:50 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneEngland are back at Wembley tonight after playing their last home game at Villa Park.
England vs Wales latest match odds
17:45 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneEngland to win: 1/6
Wales to win: 10/1
Draw: 4/1
Odds via Betfair (subject to change).
Head to head (h2h) history and results
17:40 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneEngland have won the last seven meetings against Wales, including a 3-0 triumph in the 2022 World Cup group phase and the most recent friendly between the two nations in October 2020.
England wins: 69
Wales wins: 14
Draws: 21
England vs Wales score prediction
17:35 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneEngland will be full of confidence following that 5-0 thrashing of Serbia last month and we expect the Three Lions to come out on top in the battle of Britain.
England to win, 2-0.
Wales team news: Ramsey out
17:30 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneAaron Ramsey has been forced to withdraw from the Wales squad due to injury, while former Manchester United winger Dan James is also unavailable for selection.
Craig Bellamy, however, can call upon Tottenham’s Brennan Johnson in attack with Karl Darlow, Ben Davies and Harry Wilson among the other Premier League representatives in the Wales squad.
England team news
17:25 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneEngland were dealt a major blow on Monday when Chelsea captain Reece James had to withdraw from the squad after sustaining an injury in the 2-1 win over Liverpool at the weekend.
Three Lions skipper Harry Kane has since been ruled out of tonight's meeting, but should be fit to face Latvia next Tuesday.
How to watch
17:20 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneTV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on ITV 1, with coverage starting at 7pm BST.
Live stream: ITVX will offer a live stream service.
Live blog: You can follow all the action on matchday via Standard Sport’s live blog, with expert analysis from Dom Smith and Simon Collings at the ground.
England vs Wales live
17:15 , Tashan Deniran-AlleyneHello and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of England vs Wales!
It's billed as an international friendly, but a meeting between two rivals will always have an extra edge to it.
England have won the last seven meetings against Wales and are heavy favourites to make it eight.
We’ll have all the latest updates, build-up and team news right here ahead of kick-off, which comes at 7.45pm BST from Wembley. Stick with us!
