Report and reaction
Here are some more quotes from Sterling and Callum Hudson-Odoi on the racist abuse that has soured England’s win:
“You’ve got to really do something that’s going to make them think twice. If their team can’t play with fans, it’s going to be difficult for them,” Sterling told Sky Sports.
“It’s a shame to see this keep going on in 2019. It’s now time for the people that are in charge to put a real stamp on it. You can fine someone, but what’s that going to do?
“We’ve got to leave it to the people in charge to make a proper stance on it. Just banning one or two people isn’t going to change anything. Even if it was England fans, I would say the exact same thing.”
Callum Hudson-Odoi, who was making his full England debut, confirmed that he and Danny Rose were subjected to monkey chants. “When you’re hearing stuff like that from the fans, it’s unacceptable,” Hudson-Odoi said.
“Hopefully, Uefa will deal with it properly. Hearing monkey noises ... we just had to keep our heads, have a strong mentality. It’s not right at all.”
Raheem Sterling has said he received racial abuse from home supporters during the game. “Best way to silence the haters (and yeah I mean racists) #2019 #getsomeeducation” Sterling tweeted shortly after the match.
The forward also addressed the issue in a TV interview after the game, calling for stadium closures as punishment for racial abuse. “Banning one or two people doesn’t achieve anything,” Sterling said.
Best way to silence the haters (and yeah I mean racists) 🙉😘 #2019 #getsomeeducation pic.twitter.com/ohhkOJtdey
— Raheem Sterling (@sterling7) March 25, 2019
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The alleged racial abuse towards Raheem Sterling and Danny Rose has obviously soured the mood. The good news is, Gareth Southgate has their back, which will hopefully allow both players to still enjoy the fruits of their talent. This was a fine win. England were superb to a man, and deservedly top the Group A table after scoring five goals in consecutive matches for the first time in nearly 35 years. Daniel Taylor reports from Montenegro ...
... while Paul Chronnell ran the rule over the team, player by player. Thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night.
Southgate moves on to the performance. “I am really pleased. The game was a simple one, in that our wingers were productive. Callum Hudson-Odoi showed what he’s shown us all week. The team, to recover from going behind, showed some good character. It was a good test.”
More on Raheem Sterling’s ear-cupping celebration. There are accusations that Sterling was the target of some racist chanting, and that Danny Rose was also abused towards the end of the game. Gareth Southgate explains: “I definitely heard some abuse of Danny Rose when he got booked at the end of the game. There is no doubt in my mind that that happened. We’ll make sure that it’s reported officially, it’s not acceptable. I’m not sure yet about Raheem. I had a quick chat with Danny because I heard what had happened there. I’ve not had chance to speak with Raheem. Whatever’s happened, we’ll report. I don’t want to speculate yet, but I know what I heard. We’ll definitely deal with it in the right way, and we’ve got to make sure we support our players.”
Elsewhere in Europe tonight ... some news that may give Ajax’s Champions League dream a little boost.
Two-goal hero Ross Barkley speaks! “It was a great night for myself, and a great result coming away from home. We showed character and put in a positive performance.”
Callum Hudson-Odoi, now the second youngest competitive starter for England after Wayne Rooney, adds: “Hopefully I did well. It’s not about me, it’s a team performance and we did well today. I made a mistake for the first goal, but we reacted positively. And if you make a mistake, you keep going. I’ll keep working hard in training, and hope to get a start for Chelsea.”
England were superb. This young team were asked a serious question, falling behind early in the first half, and they responded with panache. Ross Barkley, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Raheem Sterling were extremely impressive, though everyone contributed to a fine performance. It’s the first time England have scored five goals in consecutive matches since 1984, when Bobby Robson’s side beat Finland 5-0 and Turkey 8-0 in qualification for Mexico 86. The result puts England in control of Group A already, top with six points and a goal difference of +9. They’re four points clear of Bulgaria, who drew 1-1 in Kosovo tonight.
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FULL TIME: Montenegro 1-5 England
And that’s that! Savic is pictured in animated discussion with Gareth Southgate and Harry Kane. He doesn’t look particularly happy. But England will be very pleased with their evening’s work. There’s a lot of promise in this side, isn’t there.
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90 min +3: Not sure Henderson did much wrong there. Rose clearly thinks so, as he slides in harshly on the aforementioned Boljevic. A little retribution? It threatens to kick off again, but doesn’t.
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90 min +2: Henderson and Boljevic are booked, after Vukcevic yanks the England vice-captain’s shirt, then flicks his ear. The pair go nose-to-nose and the ref books the wrong Montenegro player.
90 min: There will be three added minutes. The full-time whistle can’t come soon enough for Montenegro.
89 min: Ward-Prowse harries well on the edge of the Petkovic, winning a ball he had no right to win. He lays off to Wilson, who shuttles the ball further right for Sterling. A cross flashes across the face of goal, but there’s nobody there to tap it home.
88 min: Henderson has been very neat and tidy since coming on. He combines well with Sterling down the left, then slips a pass down the channel for Rose, whose cross isn’t all that.
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87 min: Ward-Prowse glides down the right and slips a pass inside for Wilson, who earns a corner off Savic. Fine combination play by the two subs. Ward-Prowse takes the corner himself, but it’s easily cleared.
85 min: England stroke it around, some textbook game management.
83 min: ... then Callum Wilson replaces Harry Kane, who hands the captain’s armband to Jordan Henderson.
82 min: Sterling celebrated by cupping his ears at the crowd, a gesture that didn’t go down all that well. Not sure what sort of sorry abuse he’s been copping. We may hear more of this. Anyway, James Ward-Prowse comes on for Ross Barkley ...
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GOAL! Montenegro 1-5 England (Sterling 81)
Kane pressures Tomasevic into gifting Sterling possession, just to the right of the penalty box. Sterling drops a shoulder but can’t get a shot away. No matter! He’s coming straight back at the hosts. Henderson plays a lovely pass down the inside-right channel to release Sterling, who cuts inside past Stojkovic and slips the ball under Petkovic and home. A lovely calm finish by the in-form Manchester City star.
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79 min: So much for the scary atmosphere in Montenegro. England have almost silenced the home support. A few whistles as they stroke it around, nothing more. “I have to say that for the last decade or so a scoreline like this would bore me, because I would know that there was no way we would replicate it when it matters,” writes Steve Scott. “Now I believe that come next year (or come June) we are in with a shot to win which somehow makes watching these matches exciting.”
77 min: It’s all gone Training Session. England happy to sit back, with Montenegro going nowhere in particular.
75 min: Jankovic takes, aiming for the far post. Keane is forced to head behind for a corner. Nothing much happens at the set piece.
74 min: Before the free kick can be taken, Jovovic replaces Simic.
73 min: Stojkovic threatens to burst down the right and is clipped from behind by Rose. A cynical one, and Rose is fortunate not to go in the book. But it’s a free kick in a dangerous spot. A chance for Montenegro to load the box.
GOAL! Montenegro 1-4 England (Kane 71)
Ivanic strides through the centre circle. Henderson sticks a toe in to nick the ball from him. Barkley takes up possession and immediately sends Sterling scampering free down the right. Sterling would be within his rights to shoot, but Kane’s free in the middle, and so he rolls a perfect pass to his captain, who opens his body and flicks a left-footed shot into the bottom left. Game over. England have been excellent.
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70 min: The Montenegro goalscorer Vesovic is replaced by Boljevic.
69 min: ITV transmit super-slow-mo footage of Harry Kane effing and jeffing at the referee. Marvellous. A literal WTF moment.
67 min: Mugosa blooters the free kick witlessly into the wall. Danger over.
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66 min: Vesovic is bundled over clumsily by Sterling, while going nowhere down the inside-left channel. A free kick 25 yards out. Danger for England.
64 min: Dele Alli’s race is run. Freshly returned from injury, Gareth Southgate is using him sparingly, and once again he’s replaced after an hour of hard work. Jordan Henderson comes on in his place.
63 min: Sterling steps on the gas and dribbles his way into the Montenegro box from the right. For a split second it looks as though he’s going to go all the way, but the door slams shut just before he can take a shot. What an exhilarating run, though.
61 min: Beciraj won his 61st cap tonight, a joint record for Montenegro. But his big evening ends early, as he’s replaced by Jankovic.
GOAL! Montenegro 1-3 England (Barkley 59)
This is brilliant wingplay from Sterling, who twists and turns, shimmies and shakes, and reaches the byline to the right of the goal. He cuts the ball back for Barkley on the penalty spot. Barkley meets it first time and powers a shot into the top left. Never missing! What a night Barkley is having: two goals and an assist in the last 30 minutes of play!
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58 min: Vesovic considers belting a shot goalwards from 25 yards out, but hesitates in front of the bouncing ball and the chance is gone.
56 min: England take the sting out of the game by stroking it around the back for a while. All very professional. “A penny for Chelsea hierarchy’s thoughts,” begins Kelechi Dennar. “This kind of public showcasing of Hudson-Odoi’s talent pushes him closer to the exit door.”
54 min: Rose fannies around on the Montenegro left, allowing Beciraj to dribble his way into the area. Rose has another chance to clear, but faffs again, and Ivanic strips him, finding Beciraj on the left-hand corner of the six-yard box. For a second it looks like an equaliser is inevitable, but Beciraj can’t quite sort his feet out and slams his shot wide left. England - and in particular Rose - got away with one there.
53 min: Barkley’s second attempt is no good, but at least it meets the referee’s stringent processes. That’s what top-level professional sport is all about. Nothing off the cuff, please!
52 min: Sterling dribbles down the inside-right channel and is bowled over. A free kick and a chance to load the box. Barkley takes it quickly, and is booked by the referee for ignoring the order to wait for the whistle. The importance of administration, folks.
51 min: Kane, quarterbacking from deep, sends a pass wide left for Hudson-Odoi, who beats his man by moving inside with his first touch. Sensational! He George Bests his way across the face of the area, left to right, then shoots for the bottom right. A deflection takes his shot over the bar, and the resulting corner is a non-event.
49 min: Hudson-Odoi, out on the left, scoops a cross to the far post. It drops at the feet of Sterling who, surprised the ball got past Savic, hoicks wildly over the bar from a tight angle.
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48 min: Ivanic meets a dropping ball to the right of the D. He’s not got much time, so snatches at his shot, ballooning an effort intended for the top left miles over the bar.
47 min: A smidgen of space for Sterling, found out on the right by the quietly effective Rice. He whips a high ball to the near post, where Petkovic gathers with safe hands.
England get the second half underway. They pass it around awhile. Then Barkley and Vesovic get in a tangle, and both briefly consider throwing hands, but thankfully think better of it. That would have been an explosive start to the half.
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Half-time entertainment. To think there’s more than Callum Hudson-Odoi and Jadon Sancho in the pipeline. Here’s our man Stuart James on the under-21s.
HALF TIME: Montenegro 1-2 England
... nothing occurs. England come from behind to go in at the break ahead. It’s been an all-action debut so far from Callum Hudson-Odoi, while Ross Barkley has made one and scored one. England still high on life.
45 min: Mugosa flicks a lovely pass down the left to release Ivanic into space. Ivanic cuts back for Beciraj, who opens his body and shapes a shot towards the top left from the edge of the area. It’s deflected out for a corner, from which ...
43 min: Montenegro ping the ball around in pretty triangles down the left, Vesovic hovering dangerously. But Walker and Keane make sure there are no holes he can squeeze through. Eventually a pass is chipped down the channel, but Ivanic can’t get on the end of it and Pickford gathers.
41 min: This has been a fine response by England to falling behind. They looked shocked for a couple of minutes, but gathered themselves magnificently. Another step in this promising young side’s development.
GOAL! Montenegro 1-2 England (Barkley 39)
Callum Hudson-Odoi is 18 years old. He’s yet to start in the Premier League for his club. But he’s already an England sensation! He takes up possession on the left, then swans past Ivanic as though he’s not there. He shoots towards the bottom right, but Barkley sticks out a leg to divert the ball straight past Petkovic. No fairytale goal for Hudson-Odoi, but this is more than enough. He’s 18!
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37 min: More probing down the left from Hudson-Odoi, who is effervescent going forward. He slips a clever diagonal pass through the eye of a needle for Alli, who tries to trap and turn on the edge of the box. Nope. Montenegro clear.
35 min: Sheer brilliance from Hudson-Odoi, who rips past two men on the left and reaches the byline, scooping a cross towards Sterling at the far post. Sterling should go for goal but opts to look for Kane to his left instead. He can’t do that. The ball breaks back to him, and he tries to squeeze a shot into the bottom right, but there are too many bodies in the way.
33 min: Mugosa lashes at a bouncing ball, nearly 30 yards out on the left. He really catches it, and Pickford does extremely well to gather the dipping screamer before it Le Tissiers its way into the bottom left. That would have been some goal.
32 min: That was a glorious free kick by Barkley, who is having a very good international week. He’s seized the chance offered by the injury to Eric Dier at Wembley on Friday evening. Finally coming good on all that promise?
GOAL! Montenegro 1-1 England (Keane 30)
Walker is upended by Tomasevic out on the right. A free kick in a very dangerous area. Barkley takes and swings it to the far post, where Keane rises and plants a firm header back across Petkovic and into the bottom right. So simple! England are level, and Keane makes up for his role in the Montenegro goal. It’s his first for England.
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28 min: England have enjoyed 68% of possession so far, and that stat will have been even higher in the opening exchanges. But look at the scoreline. Montenegro seem quite content to sit back and wait for an opportunity to break.
26 min: Vesovic is sent scampering into acres down the left. He looks for Beciraj in the middle, but the ball’s backed clear. Walker gives Hudson-Odoi some beneficial advice in the passionate style. The young forward isn’t tracking back all the time, leaving the right-back exposed.
25 min: England aren’t quite as dominant now. Montenegro are winning more of the 50-50 challenges, and have renewed confidence in their ability to ping a few passes around.
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23 min: A little bit of space opens up down the inside-left channel again for Montenegro. Vukcevic can’t quite control. Had he gathered the ball, he’d have been romping towards the England box.
21 min: Hudson-Odoi lost his man while Montenegro were building up to their goal, but while his defensive inexperience showed, he’s looking good up the other end. A fine run down the right is followed by an excellent looping cross towards Kane at the far post. Kane’s winding his neck back to head home, but in steps Simic to concede a corner at the very last second. The set piece comes to nought.
19 min: The stadium is bouncing now. That goal came out of the blue. England look collectively shocked, though problems here are nothing new.
GOAL! Montenegro 1-0 England (Vesovic 17)
Montenegro finally string a few passes together ... and in their first attack, open England up! A long ball down the left. It’s not cleared by England, and Beciraj cushions the ball into the path of Vesovic, who glides inside, bursts past a half-challenge by Keane, benefits from a ricochet, and curls a glorious shot past Pickford and into the top right! That’s a fine finish, but poor from Keane.
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16 min: Rose turns on the jets and nearly bursts past Stojkovic on the left. It’s a fine run, but one that ends with his carelessly running the ball out of play. He had three white shirts in the middle to aim for, too.
14 min: Montenegro are struggling to retain the ball. England are hogging the thing. Right now it’s England versus two banks of four. The hosts keep their shape, if nothing else.
12 min: But England are immediately coming back at Montenegro. Sterling garrinchas his way down the inside-right channel, diddling three players with a wonderful dribble, then chipping into the centre towards Alli. A couple of red shirts get in the way, and they’re both bundled over by Alli, who can’t quite get to the ball. A free kick, and the pressure’s off the hosts. But that was lovely play from this confident English team.
11 min: A free kick for England out on the left. A little too far out for Barkley to consider shooting. Instead, he floats it towards Maguire by the right-hand post. Tomasevic is forced to head behind for a corner, a set piece that leads to nothing.
9 min: The home fans are making plenty of noise, but it’s not the intimidating atmosphere of a few years ago. To be fair, the match hasn’t been particularly rousing yet. Vukcevic goes off to get a sore hand attended to. The qualified medical doctors pour some water on it. Maybe they’re hoping he grows more fingers. He comes back on.
7 min: Barkley takes. Maguire rises highest, but slaps a miserable header over from eight yards. He was doing a bit of saucy shoving in any case.
6 min: Hudson-Odoi looks lively. He makes a step’s worth of space down the right, enough to whip a cross in towards Barkley. Savic is forced to bundle the ball behind for a corner on the right.
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4 min: Kane’s already dropping deep, as he loves to do. He sprays a diagonal pass, left to right for Hudson-Odoi, but there’s no space for the young man to work. England are seeing a lot of the ball, but Montenegro are holding their shape. Nothing open in the final third.
2 min: A period of sterile English possession is met by a cacophony of whistles. Everyone finding their feet right now.
And we’re off! The hosts get proceedings underway. A little head tennis in midfield, then Tomasevic launches long down the middle. Maguire strides up and deals with the situation comfortably.
The teams are out! England wear their famous white shirts. Montenegro are in the colours of Melchester Rovers. The compact stadium isn’t full, but there’s a cracking atmosphere as you would expect. The home fans waving a Scottish saltire by way of bait. The Montenegro anthem is scary, a soviet-style soundscape that gets right up in your grille, no messing. We’ll be off in a minute! “Are you sure it’s light petting that’s not allowed (7.11pm) as that wee Scottish terrier on the forbidden items sign can’t be that heavy surely?” Paul Fox, ladies and gentlemen. He’s here all week! Try the kačamak with cheese.
Gareth Southgate speaks to Independent Television. “Jordan had a slight issue during the week, so we thought we’d bring him to the bench. Jadon has had a lot of football. Callum is fresh, so we thought we’d freshen it up. But both of them are absolutely ready to play. Declan and Callum are both composed, have technical ability, and the mentality. So it’s a really good challenge for them and the rest of the team. What I’ve seen from Ross over the last 12 months is a real improvement in his play between our box and halfway. He’s a lot more consistent and secure in his build-up play. We want him to drive with the ball and do the things that make him a special player. We’ve got to be adaptable, every challenge is a different one and we have to embrace that. I’m looking forward to seeing how we cope tonight. There are things we won’t be able to control: the atmosphere, and maybe decisions will go against us. It’s how we respond.”
More pre-match entertainment. Here’s our very own Sachin Nakrani on the young man of the moment, Callum Hudson-Odoi.
Schadenfreude Corner: Max and the pals discuss, among many other things, Scotland. Oh Eck!
And no heavy petting, either. Their gaff, their rules.
Bringing this all back to the Premier League rumour mill, as we surely must ... Chelsea fans can be forgiven for fretting even more over the long-term future of Callum Hudson-Odoi. Their 18-year-old forward makes his first competitive start for England tonight; he’s not yet ticked off that box in the Premier League for his club. One for Maurizio Sarri to ponder as those links to Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Manchester United and Liverpool refuse to go away.
As for the hosts ... Montenegro’s star man, Stevan Jovetić of Monaco, is missing through injury. But another former Manchester City player, defender Stefan Savic, has passed a fitness test.
A tight squeeze in the Podgorica City Stadium dressing room. Just about enough room to hang the shirts, not quite enough to proudly display the commemorative pennant Harry Kane will be handing over before kick-off. Never mind, it all helps with team bonding.
“No you move over.” Photograph: Eddie Keogh for The FA/REX/Shutterstock
Gareth Southgate hands full debuts to Declan Rice and Callum Hudson-Odoi. They take the places of Jordan Henderson and Jadon Sancho, neither of whom are 100 percent after their runs out at Wembley. Danny Rose meanwhile comes in for Ben Chilwell.
The teams
Montenegro: Petkovic, Stojkovic, Savic, Simic, Tomasevic, Marusic, Ivanic, Vukcevic, Vesovic, Beciraj, Mugosa.
Subs: Mijatovic, Ljuljanovic, Boljevic, Kopitovic, Bakic, Jankovic, Djordjevic, Jovetic, Kajevic, Kosovic, Scekic, Radunovic.
England: Pickford, Walker, Maguire, Keane, Rose, Barkley, Rice, Alli, Sterling, Kane, Hudson-Odoi.
Subs: Heaton, Butland, Trippier, Henderson, Tarkowski, Chilwell, Ward-Prowse, Sancho, Wilson.
Referee: Aleksei Kulbakov (Belarus).
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Preamble
England are high on life at the moment. They were sensational against the Czech Republic on Friday night. Raheem Sterling proved he’s as dangerous as anyone in the world right now, Jadon Sancho, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ben Chilwell promised a bright future, while the likes of Harry Kane, Jordan Henderson, Ross Barkley and Harry Maguire were quietly and impressively dependable. Yay life!
But Montenegro have historically given England problems. The two countries have met on four previous occasions, and drawn three times. England won the other one, 4-1 at Wembley in 2013, but the Podgorica City Stadium hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for the three lions. In a qualifier for Euro 2012, Wayne Rooney was sent off in a 2-2 draw, England giving up a two-goal lead. Then in the qualifiers for Brasil 2014, the English again let slip an advantage in a 1-1 draw marred by unsavoury off-field nonsense. More on that here, courtesy of our very own Dominic Fifield ...
A big test of nerve awaits Gareth Southgate’s young team, then. Not least because Montenegro will be in fine fettle themselves, having put up a good show in Bulgaria on Friday, drawing 1-1. Can England stretch their lead at the top of Group A with another resounding win? Or will Montenegro once again frustrate them in Podgorica? Kick off is at 7.45pm GMT, 8.45pm local. It’s on!
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