FULL TIME: Lithuania 0-3 England
And after three added minutes containing nothing, it’s all over. An easy victory. England become only the fifth country in the history of the European Championships to make it to the tournament with a perfect, 100 percent record in qualifying. France 1992, Czech Republic 2000, France 2004, Germany 2012, Spain 2012, and now England 2016. A select list. Now they just need to win the thing itself, something those aforementioned four nations, in various guises, have done so nine times. No biggie. Over to you next summer, Roy!
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90 min: A little space for Vaitkunas down the left. He loops a cross towards the far post, where a couple of yellow shirts hover. Gibbs rises to head clear. Calm defending. England have been barely tested at the back. Jack Butland, on his full competitive debut, is not likely to complain.
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88 min: Everyone dreaming of home.
85 min: Spalvis, his head gone, is replaced by Matulevicius. Just before the substitution, Vardy had looped a header goalwards from a right-wing Townsend cross, but there wasn’t much juice on the effort and Arlauskis was able to pluck it from the sky.
84 min: Spalvis, who is gloriously chippy and therefore highly entertaining to watch, picks up a booking for a totally pointless clip on Townsend’s ankles as the England man skitters down the right.
83 min: Freidgeimas has a dig from 25 yards. File it away as an art piece. Here’s Simon McMahon: “Crowd silent. Training ground atmosphere. Comfortable away win. Are you at Tannadice?”
82 min: Andriuskevicius is replaced by Vaitkunas.
79 min: ... farcical scenes as Andriuskevicius sees his free kick, 25 yards out and level with the right-hand post, blocked by Shelvey, who’s gone too early. He’s booked. Then the retake. And this time Vardy is booked for coming at Andriuskevicius too soon! What a business. Eventually Slivka takes. Butland plucks his effort out of the sky without too much fuss.
77 min: Vardy upends Panka as Lithuania embark on a rare sortie into English territory. That’s a daft challenge, as the hosts were going nowhere. A free kick in a dangerous position. From which ...
75 min: Alli looks the real deal. He’s been at the heart of everything since coming on, shifting the play this way and that. He slips a pass down the right to release Townsend into space. The cross is headed clear by Klimavicius.
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74 min: Townsend comes on for Barkley.
73 min: Vardy finds himself in acres down the right, but can’t search out a team-mate with his dinked cross.
72 min: Attack versus defence. Lithuania are sitting back, happy to hold a line on the edge of their own area. Pass, pass, passity, pass. Then suddenly Alli, in from the left, slides the ball to Ings, who fires a low shot towards the bottom left. Arlauskis, who has been highly impressive tonight for a keeper who’s scored an own goal and let one in at his near post, parries brilliantly. Lithuania hack the ball out for a corner, and deal with the resulting set piece.
69 min: It’s not much of a spectacle, now, this. The crowd almost silent. A training-ground atmosphere.
67 min: England make their second change. Dele Alli, who got a couple of minutes of England action under his belt against Estonia on Friday, will see more of the action tonight. He replaces Lallana, who set up the second goal beautifully, but otherwise did his usual act of flattering to deceive.
66 min: Shelvey loses the ball on the edge of his own area, allowing Slivka to drift inside and look for the top left. His shot is all over the place, but that was a little sloppy by England.
63 min: Novikovas - who a couple of minutes went down on one knee like an NFL quarterback running down the clock and, near the England fans, was pelted by a couple of programmes and a toilet roll for his trouble - limps off injured. The former Hearts man is replaced by the Nottingham Forest youngster Deimantas Petravicius.
GOAL! Lithuania 0-3 England (Oxlade-Chamberlain 62)
Walker slips a ball down the inside-right channel for Oxlade-Chamberlain, who enters the area in plenty of space. Oxlade-Chamberlain opts for power, blasting a riser into the top right. Arlauskis was beaten at his near post there, but the shot was so venomous you can’t blame the keeper. A fine finish.
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61 min: Shelvey, down the left, swings a ball wide right for Ings, who cushions the ball to Oxlade-Chamberlain. The Arsenal man cuts inside, past a couple of challenges, and a little space opens up. Enough time for a shot, but Oxlade-Chamberlain can’t quite set himself and the effort dribbles weakly to Arlauskis.
59 min: No goal for Kane tonight, then. He’s replaced by debutant Danny Ings.
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58 min: Oxlade-Chamberlain skedaddles down the right. Zulpa comes across and shoves him off the ball in a very basic style. The most obvious free kick you’ll see in a while. England make no fuss, and there’s no yellow card, though Zulpa has the chutzpah to look incredulous. Lallana’s whipped ball in is easily cleared.
56 min: Shelvey has a dig from 25 yards down the inside-right channel. It flies harmlessly high and wide to the left.
54 min: Spalvis attempts to slide a pass through the middle of the England back line for Cernych, but Jagielka steps in to intercept calmly. Spalvis considers tangling with Jagielka in a robust manner, throwing an arm around the England captain’s neck, but doesn’t commit totally to the gesture. Jagielka looked primed to respond if he was pulled back by the neck. He’s lively, is Spalvis.
52 min: Oxlade-Chamberlain zips down the right and slides the ball into the area for Kane, level with the right-hand post, ten yards out. Kane should score, but his shot towards the right is saved by Arlauskis. A brilliant parry, but the ball bounds back to Kane. Who really should score the second one, but his weak hoick towards an unguarded net is hacked away by Mikuckis. Barkley meets the corner and sends the ball towards the bottom right, but Arlauskis - who has been excellent, Watford fans will be pleased to note - saves again.
49 min: Novikovas is late on Lallana as the England midfielder looks to retrieve a Gibbs throw near the corner flag. The free kick’s whipped into the mixer, where Shelvey and Kane both try to get shots away from the left-hand corner of the six-yard box. A scramble, with Arlauskis again denying the Spurs striker, and the ball’s knocked out for a corner, from which nothing comes.
47 min: Walker embarks on a power dribble down the inside-right channel. He’s eaten up nearly half the pitch. But once he enters the area, the ball takes a flyer off the wet surface and out for a goal kick. He had plenty of options in the middle there.
And we’re off again!
No changes. England get the ball rolling again. “Can you have daisycutters (40 min) on an artificial pitch or is that what a 3G pitch provides over earlier generations?” wonders Colin Tuff, not without reason. Yes, I didn’t think that through, did I.
Half-time entertainment: Jūra (The Sea) by Lithuanian polymath Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis.
Not a million miles away from Debussy’s take on the big blue vagueness, only a tad more hectic.
HALF TIME: Lithuania 0-2 England
There’s time for Vardy to pick up possession to the left of the area, found in space by a lovely pass from Gibbs. Vardy cuts inside and looks to unleash a spectacular curler into the top right. Three rugby points, and that’s that for the first half. England in complete control, even if they’ve needed a deflection and an own goal to score. They’re 45 minutes away from completing a perfect qualification campaign.
45 min: Novikovas, who is limping slightly, tries to curl one into the top-left corner from the best part of 40 yards. Full marks for ambition.
43 min: Just seen replays of England’s second, and that’s definitely an own goal. Poor Kane. Poor Arlauskis. But I’ve underplayed the contribution of Lallana, whose involvement in the one-two was a delightful little backflick.
42 min: Barkley, on the left-hand corner of the Lithuanian box, rolls a ball across the face of it, into the path of Shelvey, who looks for the bottom-left corner. Not enough venom in the shot, and Arlauskis is able to smother.
40 min: Novikovas cuts in from the right with purpose. He should be stopped by Vardy, but is allowed to make it as far as the left-hand corner of the England D before whizzing a half-decent daisycutter wide right of goal.
38 min: Kane is unstoppable right now. He’s been England’s best player by some distance. He twists and turns in the middle, surrounded by yellow shirts. He’s got no right to get a shot away, but manages it, a powerful low effort fizzing just wide of the left-hand post. Lithuania are hanging on here, and that 100% record looks nailed on already.
GOAL! Lithuania 0-2 England (Arlauskis 35 og)
Six caps and four goals for Harry Kane! Or is it? He exchanges passes with Lallana down the inside-left channel and is free in the box. A lovely brisk one-two. He lashes a shot towards the bottom left corner. And in it goes. But on second viewing, that looks to have come off the bottom of the post and onto the back of the keeper before going in. Kane deserves the goal for the brilliance of the move and crispness of the strike, but I’m not sure he’s going to get it.
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34 min: Cernych flicks a ball down the left for Spalvis, who strides into the area and lashes confidently for the right-hand portion of the goal. Butland, at full stretch, tips the ball round for a corner, which comes to nothing. That’s better from the home side, who have been non-existent in attack. And a very fine save for Butland, who has had nothing whatsoever to do, and must be bloody cold.
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33 min: Lallana is sent crashing by Andriuskevicius as he scampers after Oxlade-Chamberlain’s pass. Free kick, which he hoicks into the area with a view to his captain crashing a header home. Jagielka can’t connect.
31 min: Gibbs chips a ball down the left for Vardy, who hooks it over Freidgeimas and romps into the box. His low cross nearly finds Kane, but Arlauskis is out quickly to ensure the ball doesn’t reach the England striker.
GOAL! Lithuania 0-1 England (Barkley 29)
There’s not much going on. And then suddenly Barkley is given the ball by Kane down the inside left. He drops a shoulder to move inside, and on the edge of the D takes a whack at goal. It clangs into the back of Mikuckis and curls at pace onto the left-hand post, before nestling in the back of the net. A stroke of luck there, but Barkley did wonderfully well to make himself some space to shoot, and hit that shot with enough venom that any deflection was always going to cause all sorts of trouble.
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27 min: Lallana dances down the inside-right channel, making himself a little space but then shanking a poor effort well right of the target from a not particularly tight angle.
25 min: Gibbs feeds Vardy down the left. Vardy loops a cross into the middle. A bouncing bomb, it rears up off the surface and over Kane’s head on the penalty spot. For a second it looks like the ball might fluke its way into the bottom-right corner, but the ever-alert Arlauskis is there to sort things out.
23 min: Kane again makes good down the left channel and whistles a shot towards the bottom-left corner. Arlauskis is down to parry. Vardy should be first at the scene, ready to slap the rebound home, but he’s rocking back on his heels, and Mikuckis can batter clear. Kane has been magnificent so far.
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22 min: Effin’ and jeffin’ latest: turns out Roy Hodgson was annoyed at the presence of a television camera in front of the England dugout, room in this stadium being at something of a premium. Gary Neville has wandered off elsewhere to train his angry peepers on the match unhindered.
20 min: A much-needed period of possession for the hosts, who stroke it around the back awhile, just to catch their breath. They’ve been on the back foot for the majority of this match. By way of illustration, England have completed 136 passes to Lithuania’s 45.
18 min: Lallana twinkletoes down the right and sends a cross in towards Vardy, who rises, his presence winning a corner. Yet again the set piece isn’t up to much, and Arlayskis claims a high ball.
17 min: It’s all England at the moment. Lithuania are holding their shape just about. “ITV keep banging on about the pitch in commentary like its a Martian surface,” reports Jeremy Dresner. “Our women in Canada never had an issue with them.”
14 min: See 11 min, though this time Kane ghosts in from the right, picking up a Lallana pass and battering a Shearer-style shot goalwards from a tight angle. Arlauskis turns the ball around the post. The corner is a non-event.
13 min: Oxlade-Chamberlain picks up possession in the middle of the park and slides a pass down the inside-left channel. It zips away for a goal kick, with Vardy unable to reach it. The hosts a little ragged at the back.
11 min: Kane glides in from the left wing and unleashes a dangerous shot towards the bottom left. It’s swerving and bouncing. It’s either hitting the post or creeping in, so Arlauskis does marvellously well to fingertip the ball round the post. The corner is easily snaffled by the goalkeeper, who earned his corn right there.
9 min: Roy Hodgson is given a stern lecture by the referee. He’s been on the talk in the trenchant style. The referee’s not happy, and effectively informs him that one more word and he’ll be sent to the stand. Gary Neville is far from impressed. Eyes as lasers at the ref. You wouldn’t fancy getting in his way right now. I wonder who taught him that look?
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8 min: A couple of gentle thrusts from England. First Lallana goes on a power meander down the inside right before being abruptly stopped in his tracks. Then Kane goes on a walk down the same wing before lifting a diagonal ball across to Vardy, who again can’t keep it in play as he tries to make ground down the left flank.
5 min: Barkley, in the centre circle, plays a first-time pass down the left to release Vardy into space. Vardy fancies himself in a footrace with the full back Freidgeimas, and would probably have won it had he not severely overhit the ball he played to scamper after down the wing. Goal kick.
3 min: Slivka, in a bit of space down the inside-right channel, has a whack at a dropping ball. The effort is sliced well wide right of the target. He has the good grace to look a little sheepish.
2 min: The mist comes down on Spalvis after a minor tangle down the left with Gibbs. For a second it looks like it might kick off in a rather amusing and totally unnecessary style, but the referee steps in to remind Spalvis that he’s a grown adult. England get on with things, switching the play to the right, Oxlade-Chamberlain finding a bit of space near the area but unable to find a man in the middle. Arlauskis, the Watford reserves in the Lithuania goal, gathers.
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And we're off!
Lithuania get the ball rolling. Slivka to Spalvis. A wonderful atmosphere being whipped up by the small crowd. Nothing’s riding on this - not really, that 100 percent record isn’t the be all and end all - but you wouldn’t know it.
The teams are out! Lithuania are in their first-choice yellow shirts, while England will be running hither and yon in their white tops. It’s a gorgeous stadium, the LFF stadionas. There’s only room for around 5,000 fans, but it’s a pretty little place, trees lining one side, overhanging the stand. Shades of the Estádio Nacional in Lisbon, where Celtic won their European Cup. Only colder. The anthems are belted out by both sets of players, cold vapour forming around their mouths like comedy beards. And here, the Lithuanian crest is lovely. Shades of the Soviet Union badge from days gone by. We’ll be off in a second or two!
Roy talks turf. Or the lack of it. “As artificial pitches go, it’s a good one. It’s not quite the latest but one of the later ones, but I’m sure it will play true. Lithuania are more used to playing on it than our boys, but I’m not that concerned about it, and I think they’ll deal with it.”
Temperatures are set to drop below freezing in Vilnius this evening. You know what would be handy on a night like this? A half-and-half scarf, that’s what. A memento of your day out, they annoy the hell out of pompous purists, and you won’t catch your death. You’re three in the hole. Sadly they don’t appear to be on sale at the LFF stadionas tonight. The local entrepreneurs have failed to mobilise it would seem. Either that or the local photographers can’t be bothered taking snaps of merchandise stalls, which is fair enough.
The full team-sheets
Lithuania: Arlauskis, Freidgeimas, Mikuckis, Klimavicius, Andriuskevicius, Novikovas, Panka, Zulpa, Cernych, Slivka, Spalvis.
Subs: Zubas, Slavickas, Cesnauskis, Vaitkunas, Matulevicius, Petravicius, Pilibaitis, Kuklys, Veliulis, Baravykas, Cerniauskas.
England: Butland, Walker, Jones, Jagielka, Gibbs, Barkley, Shelvey, Lallana, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Kane, Vardy.
Subs: Heaton, Smalling, Walcott, Clyne, Bertrand, Townsend, Ings, Sterling, Alli.
Referee: Kenn Hansen (Denmark)
While England’s two leading goalscorers in this campaign, Wayne Rooney (seven) and Danny Welbeck (six) sit it out injured, Lithuania can call on their two top scorers: Arvydas Novikovas, once of Hearts, and Fiodor Cernych have two apiece. The home team will still be up against it, mind you. England and Lithuania have met seven times in various Uefa competitions across the age groups, and the English have won five of the matches, drawing the other two. The one full international between the countries ended 4-0 to England this March, the aforementioned Rooney and Welbeck chipping in, Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane also on the scoresheet.
Your England starting XI: Butland, Walker, Gibbs, Jones, Jagielka, Shelvey, Barkley, Lallana, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Vardy, Kane.
So England boss Roy Hodgson has given his team a good old shoogle, much as expected. Only three players who started against Estonia on Friday retain their place: Harry Kane, Ross Barkley and Adam Lallana. Phil Jagielka captains the side in the absence of the injured Wayne Rooney, and with normal deputies Gary Cahill and Joe Hart back at home with the feet up and cigars on. Jack Butland and Kyle Walker become the 31st and 32nd players to be used by England in this qualification campaign; if substitute Danny Ings gets a run-out, it’ll be 33 up.
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Good evening England!
France in 1992. Czech Republic in 2000. France again in 2004. And Germany and Spain in 2012. Only five teams have qualified for the European Championship finals with a perfect record in their group. England could make it six tonight.
England should make it six tonight. They’ve done all the hard work, beating Switzerland, Slovenia, Estonia and San Marino home and away, and seeing off tonight’s opponents Lithuania 4-0 at Wembley earlier this year. A 100% record is theirs for the taking.
Not that Roy Hodgson is that desperate for it. He’ll resist the temptation to wheel out the big guns in order to secure this particular prize. Phil Jagielka takes over the captaincy from the injured Wayne Rooney. Gary Cahill, who has a sore back, will be left out as a precaution. James Milner and Michael Carrick have been packed off home. Joe Hart will be rested in favour of Jack Butland. Jonjo Shelvey will get another run-out in the middle, Dele Alli is expected to join him, and Jamie Vardy is tipped to be thrown on up front at some stage.
Roy’s message? A 100% record would be lovely, and all that, but the “prestige friendlies” coming up in November against Spain and France are more important. “This was really the last game I could give people a chance to show what they can do. Everyone knows they’ve got to be fighting for a place in what I consider to be my first XI when we put out a team to play Spain.”
So tonight, then ... well ... enjoy, enjoy! The action, with England already qualified and Lithuania already out, kicks off at 9.45pm at the LFF stadionas in Vilnius, which translates as 7.45pm back in Blighty. Don’t miss a kick!
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