Reaction and analysis
Let’s wrap it up here. England have won their opening game at the World Cup! They’ve beaten Tunisia! They’re going to win the World Cup! Thanks for reading and emailing tonight. There’ll be more football tomorrow. Isn’t that a marvellous thought? Bye!
England (3-3-2-2)
Jordan Pickford Only real test for the 24‑year‑old was penalty on 35 minutes to which he got fingertips. 6
Kyle Walker At fault for the penalty, with foul on Fakhreddine Ben Youssef. A soft decision but naive defending. Booked. 5
John Stones Should have scored with a header in first half and lost concentration at key moments. 6
Harry Maguire Assured passing but lost ball in dangerous areas and would have been punished by a better side. 6
Kieran Trippier Lovely balls whipped in from the right and caused Tunisia problems with pinpoint delivery from set pieces. 8
Jordan Henderson Preferred to Eric Dier and gave a good account of himself in so‑called midfield pivot role. 7
Ashley Young A few incisive deliveries into the box and oldest player in England squad set up the first goal. 7
Jesse Lingard A litany of missed chances as he failed to make Tunisia pay for England’s early dominance. 6
Dele Alli Tottenham forward looked lethargic at times, whether through injury or lack of fitness. 6
Raheem Sterling Sparky in the first half but the question mark over his finishing ability remains. 6
Harry Kane Kept cool to head in England’s winner – his second goal – and composed despite being repeatedly fouled in the area. 8
Subs Marcus Rashford (for Sterling 68) 6, Ruben Loftus-Cheek (for Alli 80) 7, Eric Dier (for Lingard 90)
Ratings by Martha Kelner.
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If you didn't celebrate like @GaryLineker are you even an England fan?#ENGTUN #bbcworldcup pic.twitter.com/nRFG4Znwi3
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) June 18, 2018
Gareth Southgate on Harry Kane: “All he hasn’t done now is score in August.”
“Perhaps the most encouraging thing of an overall encouraging night is Southgate’s comments after the game, that he would have been pleased with the performance regardless of the result,” David Wall says. “That’s the way it should be approached, rather than being prepared to chuck the plan in the bin if you’re desperate for a goal with twenty minutes to go, or if you lose or draw a match. I doubt it’s coincidence that the players remained calm and didn’t panic as the time ebbed away, like they have done in the past.”
On the website tomorrow:
- Scott Murray with coverage of Colombia v Japan at 1pm BST
- Barry Glendenning with coverage of Senegal v Poland at 4pm BST
- Paul Doyle with coverage of Russia v Egypt at 7pm BST
It’s such an important win for England. A draw would have opened up the possibility of them needing something against Belgium in their third game. Instead there’s a chance for them to qualify by beating Panama in Nizhy Novgorod on Sunday. It does look like they’re in a race with Belgium to finish first.
The match report has now been updated with Daniel Taylor’s on-the-whistle take. We’ll have more news and comment on the site soon.
I suspect there’s going to be a lot of discussion about Raheem Sterling’s place before the Panama game and many calls for either Ruben Loftus-Cheek or Marcus Rashford to start on Sunday. But wouldn’t it be great to see Sterling answer his critics with a match-winning display?
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From one captain to another.
Job done @England. Well done @HKane 👏🏴 #threelions
— Wayne Rooney (@WayneRooney) June 18, 2018
Have a look at the Golden Boot standings. Harry Kane is level on two goals with Denis Cheryshev, Diego Costa and Romelu Lukaku. Cristiano Ronaldo is top after his hat-trick against Spain.
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Kyle Walker says he got a shout from Kieran Trippier on the Tunisia penalty. “I’ve just tried to shield the ball. In the future I’d probably head it away.”
The situation in Group G is that Belgium and England are level on three points after the first game. Belgium are top on goal difference after their 3-0 win over Panama. Top spot is likely to come down England v Belgium on 28 June. Next up it’s Belgium v Tunisia on 23 June and England v Panama on 24 June
England should feel cautiously optimistic. For a start, it’s a game they probably wouldn’t have won in the past. They might even have found a way to lose it. But while they were a bit stale in the second half, they were completely dominant and kept pressing for the winning goal. Harry Kane delivered in the nick of time, which is so important - they’ll need him to keep scoring and he’s taken a bit of the pressure off his shoulders. The substitutes, Marcus Rashford and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, also impressed and England’s attacking play caught the eye in the first half. But it wasn’t a perfect night. Kyle Walker’s defensive frailties were exposed when he gave away the penalty, the second half was a slog and there were times when England lacked creativity. Still, they’ve won. It’s an open tournament and there haven’t been many convincing performances yet. There are a few teams who’d like to be in England’s position.
Gareth Southgate speaks! “Even though the clock was running down, we stayed patient. We waited for opportunities. We made so many clearcut chances in the first half. We were strong on set plays in the second half. Even if we had drawn the game I would have been proud of us. We’ll do well to make as many in a game in this tournament. Good teams score late goals. If you pass like that the opposition tire. It’s a night where it’s difficult to highlight individuals because it was a collective. The squad has been brilliant. The subs came on and it was great to have the impact they did. We felt that Raheem and Dele had caused huge problems for the opposition but maybe it was a good moment to put on a different threat. We’ve given ourselves a great platform to build from. There’s so much to be pleased about. But there’s a lot to work on. Panama will be a tough test in a different way. We’ve got to keep performing. Harry’s a top, top striker. I’m delighted for him because if he doesn’t score tonight it’d be questions about him not scoring in tournaments.”
This is what happens when Harry Kane isn’t on corners.
Harry Maguire speaks! “It was tough out there. The first half, we should have been out of sight. We gave away a soft goal. But we stuck to our shape and H has done it again.”
Yes, he called him H.
It’s England’s sixth win in their opening World Cup game. Celebrate it by looking at some pictures.
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Jordan Henderson speaks! “It’s a massive boost for us in the end. We kept going. We always said we’d keep going and fighting. Thankfully that paid off for us tonight with a big goal and a big win. Maybe we were thinking about the chances we missed. You can’t do that in a World Cup. The second half we kept going but we didn’t keep creating chances. They defended deeper. But we got the goal.”
Harry Kane, England’s two-goal hero, speaks! “It’s massive. So proud of the lads. I thought we played well, especially in the first half. I’ve not seen the penalty back but it didn’t look like one. Credit to the lads, we kept going. We’ve spoken a lot about togetherness. It’s nice to see it working on the pitch. We’ll be happy on the pitch tonight. There could have been a couple of penalties. We had so much joy from corners. They were trying to grab hold and stop us running. Maybe a bit of justice at the end. We’re just itching to play. The World Cup is tough. I thought we’ve done really well.”
That was a really smart header from Kane. He wasn’t far out but he had to swivel and use those neck muscles to power the ball past Ben Mustapha.
Here’s a quick match report.
Tunisia’s players look gutted. Understandably so. They worked so hard to get back into the game after a dire start and looked like they’d held England. Yet it’s going to be very difficult for them to qualify now. They’ll need to get something from their next game against Belgium to stand any chance.
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Gareth Southgate gives Harry Kane a big hug. England’s manager owes his captain. That had turned into a very awkward evening.
Full-time: Tunisia 1-2 England
England have won their opening game at a major tournament for the first time since 2006 thanks to Harry Kane’s double! Three Lions is blaring round the Volgograd Arena! It’s coming home*!
*Disclaimer: it might not be coming home.
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90 min+3: Eric Dier replaces Jesse Lingard. It’s England’s turn to go defensive.
Kieran Trippier - or Trippié, to quote Martin Keown - drives another corner into the middle from the right. Harry Maguire rises again, glancing the ball towards the far post, and the unmarked Harry Kane is there to head his second past Ben Mustapha from close range! England have surely won it!
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GOAL! Tunisia 1-2 England (Kane, 90 min+1)
The captain has done it!
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90 min: There will be four added minutes. Not five! Conspiracy. England have a corner. And...
89 min: Have England had a shot from open play in the second half?
88 min: Trippier slides a pass down the right to Loftus-Cheek, who cleverly checks back before finding Rashford. The striker dummies instead of shooting and Lingard’s tackled.
86 min: “Do you think Southgate can survive this, Jacob?” Simon McMahon says. “And is Big Sam in Russia?”
Gareth the Galoot has to go. He’s had enough time.
85 min: Tunisia make their final change, Wahbi Khzari making way for Saber Khalifa.
83 min: Rashford runs at Tunisia on the left and wins a corner. Ben Mustapha punches Trippier’s delivery away and takes a clattering from Stones. The goalkeeper goes down and earns a free-kick.
80 min: Ruben Loftus-Cheek replaces the lethargic Dele Alli.
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79 min: There’s a long delay while the referee sorts out some pushing and shoving in the wall. Then Young wafts a poor effort over the bar. Maybe that’s why he no longer hits them.
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78 min: Alli’s bundled over just outside the D. Free-kick to England. Ashley Young fancies making himself a hero. He used to hit them back in the day.
77 min: This is attack versus defence. But the defence is comfortably holding out. England have been clueless up front since half-time.
74 min: England have become very stodgy. “Something about the first half excitement just didn’t sit right,” Matt Dony says. “Now it feels like England at a major tournament...”
73 min: Tunisia make a defensive change, Mohamed Ben Amor replacing Naim Sliti. “I’m enjoying this England tribute to late model Spurs,” Joseph Harvey says. “Lots of good positive work, a good goal by Kane, all undone by Kyle Walker doing what Kyle Walker does best: losing track of his defensive responsibility and committing a howler. Other than that, brilliant match from England.”
72 min: Sliti shoots well wide from 20 yards.
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71 min: Henderson clips a ball over the top. Indecision from Syam Ben Youssef and Ben Mustapha almost lets Alli in but the goalkeeper gathers the ball in the end - and the flag was up for offside anyway.
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70 min: An excellent tackle from Syam Ben Youssef denies Kane.
69 min: Trippier’s low free-kick drifts harmlessly wide.
68 min: Meriah catches Kane 25 yards out after a scrappy piece of play. England make their first change but it’s not Dele Alli who’s coming off - it’s Raheem Sterling, who’s replaced by Marcus Rashford.
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66 min: Maguire gambols forward. Tunisia are very deep now. The ball reaches Trippier on the right. He tees up Henderson, whose cross isn’t good enough. Tunisia are starting to waste time. This half has become a slog. England are dominating possession but it’s been a long time since they created a chance. They’ve run out of ideas. This, you feel, is where their lack of a playmaker could hurt them.
64 min: An England attack breaks down when Young fails to read a Sterling backheel. “If you asked Southgate, what would he say the formation is?” David Flynn says. “Because it looks like 5-1-0-0-0-4.”
63 min: This is flat.
61 min: The referee urges everyone to cut out the wrestling before the corner’s taken. On it goes. Trippier’s delivery hangs in the air, Maguire heads it on, Kane turns it back before it loops behind and Tunisia clear their lines.
60 min: Henderson picks out Trippier on the right. His cross is deflected behind for another England corner. More wrestling please!
59 min: Tunisia are marshalling Kane well at the moment. The service from England isn’t great, though. Sterling, Alli and Lingard have to offer more in the final third.
57 min: Kane plays a cute pass down the right channel for Henderson, whose dangerous cross is just too high for Alli at the far post. That came from urgent pressing from England. They need to keep doing that. Otherwise this is going to drift away from them.
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56 min: This is a good point.
My view on the possible Harry Kane penalty via VAR:
— Dale Johnson (@DaleJohnsonESPN) June 18, 2018
John Stones clearly pushes his marker in the back right before the Kane incident. As that comes first it negates a penalty appeal that follows and therefore VAR would not review.
55 min: This is fairly drab at the moment. “I for one am enjoying the penalty box wrestling,” Niall Mullen says. “Mainly I’m happy that Martin Skrtel has found work as Tunisia’s defensive coach.”
53 min: Alli feeds Young on the left but the cross is poor. Sterling was unmarked in the middle.
51 min: England win possession after a long spell of Tunisia passing and Sterling goes on a surge down the right, only to lose momentum. Tunisia proceed to make life difficult for themselves, though, conceding a needless corner after a dismal backpass puts Ben Mustapha in a spot of bother. The goalkeeper can only boot it into the air. Trippier takes the corner and Meriah is wrestling Kane again. The referee isn’t interested. He just watches as Ben Mustapha saves Maguire’s header.
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49 min: It’s been low-key since the restart. England need to rediscover that early fizz. Tunisia are finding it difficult to cope when they’re attacking at speed. “If Walker could be so concerned by the presence of Ben Youssef, after such a one-sided game until that moment, how will he cope with the likes of Lukaku in the final game of the group...(and hopefully the following games)?” Simon Puccini says.
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47 min: “The refereeing is spoiling this competition,” David Seare says. “If incidents like Tunisia’s pen are fouls where are the penalties for full contact wrestling at every corner in every game? It’s in danger of ruining it. Where wa the VAR when Kane is wrestled down? Ridiculous.”
46 min: Tunisia get the second half underway. England have decided that Dele Alli is fine to continue despite a thigh niggle. Fabian Delph can get back to his tea.
“Can you explain how the rugby tackle on Kane wasn’t VAR reviewed?” Stuart Morphet says. “Clear penalty. I though var stopped this nonsense.”
It was reviewed. They’re reviewing all the time. They just didn’t think it was a penalty (or a clear and obvious error) - which is a different matter.
Fakhereedine Ben Youssef certainly made the most of the Tunisia penalty. “Sorry that’s not a blunder from Kyle Walker,” Luke Nicholas says. “It’s a dive it should not be penalty.”
Tunisia’s penalty was soft but Kyle Walker’s positioning was all wrong. He was facing his own goal. “Criminal,” Rio Ferdinand says.
Half-time: Tunisia 1-1 England
It was all going so well. Harry Kane got England off to a flying start, Tunisia were all over the place and then Kyle Walker’s blunder gifted Ferjani Sassi the chance to equalise from the spot. England will be very disappointed not to be ahead. They’ve made so many chances and haven’t been ruthless enough - at either end. See you in 15 minutes.
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45 min+2: Ali Maaloul goes down after being struck in the stomach by a Trippier pass. He’ll live.
45 min: There will be a minimum of three added minutes.
44 min: Trippier scoots to the right byline but his cross is too close to Ben Mustapha. England are sorting their heads out. They launch another attack, Trippier curving a brilliant pass round the left of the Tunisia defence to Lingard, who beats Ben Mustapha to the ball, only to see his poked shot dribble against the outside of the left post and behind for a goal-kick!
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43 min: England are threatening from almost every set-piece. Trippier pumps another free-kick into the Tunisia area. It’s flicked on to Maguire, who nods it down to Lingard. He seems poised to score but his shot’s deflected over for a corner.
42 min: Dele Alli is soldiering on with that thigh problem. Let’s hope he doesn’t exacerbate the injury.
40 min: There was another VAR check after that sequence - there was a suggestion that Kane was pulled down - but no penalty was awarded this time. As for the Tunisia penalty, it’s difficult to know what Walker was doing. He didn’t seem to know where F Ben Youssef was, turned and swung his arm into the Tunisia forward. It was fairly soft but it was naive defending. Questions will be asked after the game.
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39 min: A free-kick to England on the left. Dele Alli’s still on. Young hangs it high to the far post and Maguire causes more problems for Tunisia. His header leads to some flapping from Ben Mustapha and the ball loops up and almost drops over the line, with Alli making a nuisance of himself, before being bundled clear! Alli’s header actually hit the bar! It eventually comes to Stones, who should score from close range, but he completely miscues his effort and Tunisia survive after a comedy of errors!
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37 min: England are fretting now and they’re relieved when a Tunisia counter fizzles out after Khazri slips. These are troubling times. It seems that Dele Alli has tweaked something. Fabian Delph is getting ready to come on for the Tottenham forward. Gareth Southgate looks concerned.
GOAL! Tunisia 1-1 England (Sassi pen, 35 min)
Ferjani Sassi’s run-up is slightly reminiscent of Simone Zaza’s hopping at Euro 2016 - but his penalty is perfect, stroked into the bottom right corner and past Jordan Pickford’s dive! Tunisia have been second best for much of the half but they’re level thanks to one moment of madness from Kyle Walker.
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PENALTY TO TUNISIA!
33 min: Tunisia probe down the right. The ball’s pumped into the area and Kyle Walker’s penalised for catching Fakhreddine Ben Youssef with a stray arm! We have a VAR check but the decision stands! Walker’s booked.
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32 min: A little of England’s early intensity has faded. You sense that Tunisia might start to see more of the ball in some dangerous areas before this half’s finished. England’s defence might need to be alert.
31 min: A free-kick to England on the left, Bronn penalised for handball. Trippier drives a high ball to the right of the area and Maguire powers a header goalwards. Ben Mustapha dives to his left to save.
29 min: A contentious throw-in decision goes Ashley Young’s way. Nabil Maaloul jumps off his seat to berate the officials. VAR please!
27 min: Maguire dawdles near his own area, failing to realise that Khazri’s nearby. The Tunisia forward nicks the ball off him and almost carves England’s panicking defence open. England have dozed off here. Walker follows Maguire’s lead, taking too long to clear, and the ball comes to Sassi after good work from Sliti. Sassi’s shot from 20 yards deflects off Maguire and curves just wide of the right post. Nothing comes from the corner but Tunisia will be feeling better about themselves now.
26 min: Khazri tries to reach a pass through the middle but Pickford races out to deny his former Sunderland team-mate.
25 min: “I think one important difference right now is that Spurs are good,” Matthew Turner says. “Man City are good. Liverpool are good. And they all employ a chest-out, collective, attacking football. That means England are flush with players who have confidence and want to play. And there are some Manchester United players too.”
24 min: It should be 2-0. Young cuts back on to his right foot on the left and drifts a cross to the far post. England have men over and Lingard is completely unmarked. He’s usually a composed finisher but this sidefooted volley lacks conviction and bounces harmlessly wide. He really should have smashed home England’s second goal.
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23 min: Now Tunisia have an attack. Bronn charges down the right and it takes Sterling to stop him. Tunisia win a corner, though. Khazri takes it but it drifts over everyone. Sliti retrieves possession on the left, cuts inside and spanks a 30-yarder over The Motherland Calls.
22 min: Tunisia haven’t had an attack yet. “England, dare I say it, are playing some of the best football we’ve seen in this competition so far,” the BBC’s Martin Keown says. It’s going too well.
21 min: Pray for Danny.
These bugs are becoming a worry. pic.twitter.com/5BEdAgdAVa
— Daniel Taylor (@DTguardian) June 18, 2018
19 min: Many of you are pointing out that a grasshopper made friends with James Rodriguez rather than Javier Hernandez in 2014. Blame Charles Antaki.
18 min: England are swarming all over Tunisia. Trippier bursts down the right again, Sterling releasing him, but his cutback eludes everyone in the middle. The ball eventually comes to Henderson, who tests ben Mustapha with a powerful volley from 25 yards.
17 min: I was expecting a cagey, tight start. Shows what I know. England have been excellent. They’re using their pace effectively. Tunisia look a bit shellshocked.
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16 min: “Well done England and all that, but if Big Sam was still managing, Andy Carroll would be on a hattrick by now,” Robin Hazlehurst says. “Very disappointing.”
14 min: Mouez Hassen’s evening is over. Tunisia’s goalkeeper walks off in tears and Farouk Ben Mustapha will replace him in goal.
13 min: Hassen has gone down again. He’s clutching his left shoulder. Tunisia are surely going to have to make a change in goal.
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Ashley Young swings in a corner in from the left. John Stones rises, with no one bothering to challenge him, and nuts a header towards the top-left corner. Hassen somehow claws it out but he only manages to push the ball to Harry Kane, who crisply converts the rebound from close range for his first tournament goal! England are going to win the World Cup!
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GOAL! Tunisia 0-1 England (Kane, 11 min)
It’s been coming!
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10 min: Kane combines with Sterling, swerves to the right and shoots from 25 yards. His effort takes a deflection and Hassen can’t stop it from going behind for an England corner.
8 min: Ashley Young accidentally jabs an elbow into the face of a Tunisian. I missed which Tunisian. Sue me. It momentarily seems that the Colombian referee, who’s said to be card happy, might have a word with the England man. The Tunisian bench isn’t happy. In the end, though, play continues.
6 min: It briefly seemed that Hassen would have to come off but he’s back on his feet now. Watch this space, though. He’s still grimacing and holding his left shoulder. Farouk Ben Mustapha is warming up.
5 min: England are pouring forward at every opportunity and Alli’s involved again, jabbing a pass through to Lingard on the left. Tunisia have been prised open again and Lingard beats Hassen to the ball before cutting it across to Sterling, who scuffs wide of an open goal! Oh Raheem. His blushes aren’t really spared by the offside flag going up against Lingard. Meanwhile Hassen has stayed down. He seems to have banged a shoulder on the turf. He needs some treatment.
3 min: A clever ball over the top from Henderson pierces Tunisia’s ropey offside trap and sends Alli haring down the right. He has Sterling steaming into the six-yard box, waiting for a low ball, but his low ball’s cut out. Tunisia are all over the place, though. Alli wins the ball off Maaloul and it runs to Lingard, six yards out. He tries to sweep it home but his low drive’s saved brilliantly by Hassen! It was almost the perfect start for England and they threaten again from the corner, Maguire’s header clawed away by Hassen!
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2 min: There are a lot of empty seats in the Volgograd Arena. How odd. The atmosphere sounds a bit subdued. “The midges might be an omen for the game - buzzy, but small-bore, incoherently organised and ultimately irritating beyond belief,” Charles Antaki says. “How different from the giant alien grasshopper that landed on Javier Hernandez’ arm in Brazil. Now that was an insect.”
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Peep! Countdown Man does his thing and England, all in red, get the ball rolling. They’re kicking from right to left in the first half. Tunisia are in white. It’s a reversal from the 1998 game.
We’ve had the anthems. Both were respectfully observed. The players share the customary handshakes. It’s time to see
what England are made of
of what England are made.
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The teams, officials and midges emerge from the tunnel and are greeted by a fine reception. The temperature in Volgograd has dipped, which is just as well from England’s perspective. It must be a relief this isn’t being played in the afternoon.
Get your excuses in early.
“Yesterday, Brazil failed to win their opening World Cup game for the first time since 1958,” Geoff Phillips says. “Today, Sweden won their first Would Cup opening game since 1958. “Clearly the outcome of this match is also to be found in 1958, but I don’t know what it is, since England drew all their World Cup group games in 1958.”
Before losing a play-off to the USSR.
Gareth Southgate speaks! “I’m excited. You think about coming home from school to watch England in a World Cup and now I’m leading them into it. I’m really looking forward to seeing how the boys perform. We’ve got some really good characters, not only in the starting team but in the squad itself. It’s not just about tonight, it’s about three games to get through the group. If it’s what we’ve seen in the past, Tunisia will probably be 4-5-1. They were very organised against Spain. They use the ball well. It’s a very good challenge. The time for talking has finished. We’ve had a good preparation but we have to go and perform tonight.”
An email! “I don’t mean to bug you, but you’re so fortunate to be covering this match!” Peter Oh says. “The swarm of flies give you so much potential material to work with! Getting off to a flying start, swatting aside the opposition, defenders marking opponents like flies on... spraying passes across the field, an ambitious Raid into the box, and on an on. Also, the flies are a ready-made excuse for any underwhelming performances that may occur today. (e.g., “If a midge hadn’t flown up my nose at that very moment, I would surely have scored”, “No, it wasn’t a dive at all. There was clear contact with my leg. Have a look at this. Does this look like a midge bite to you?!”).”
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England haven’t won their opening game at a major tournament since beating Paraguay 1-0 at the 2006 World Cup. Since then their record reads DDLD. As for Tunisia, they haven’t won a World Cup game since 1978. That’s a run of 11 games without a win. Ouch.
In the BBC studio, Alan Shearer suggests that one problem for England used to be that stars were bigger than the team, pointing out that Paul Scholes was forced to play on the left of midfield. Sitting next to Shearer is Frank Lampard. Awkward. They’re also discussing whether club cliques used to hurt England’s chances. Lampard and Rio Ferdinand both say that the Chelsea and Manchester United players didn’t sit together during meals because the day job had made them so competitive with each other. Shearer counters that by saying that Spain managed do all right with players from Barcelona and Real Madrid. “They were better than us,” Lampard says.
Pre-match reading
Where’s Michael Ricketts?
A lot has been made of potential frailties in England’s defence, although another issue could be the attacking support players. It can’t be left to Harry Kane to come up with the goals. Raheem Sterling, who hasn’t scored for England for two years, needs to chip in and the same applies to Dele Alli. Otherwise England might find it a struggle to break teams down.
If you want to know more about England’s opponents, where better to look than this excellent article from Stevenage’s Tunisian manager, Dino Maamria?
Here’s a quick report on Belgium’s 3-0 win over Panama. It’s difficult to know what to make of that game. Belgium were poor in the first half but it was always likely that their class would tell as the game wore on. Panama were spirited but limited and they tired in the second half, conceding three times. It’s unlikely that Belgians will be too happy with their team’s performance but a win’s a win and they’ve put England and Tunisia under a bit of early pressure in what promises to be a tight three-way tussle for the two qualification places in Group G.
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England are as expected. They line with the back three that’s become so familiar under Gareth Southgate, with Harry Maguire preferred to Gary Cahill. Kieran Trippier and Ashley Young will provide the width and In midfield Jordan Henderson gets the nod over Eric Dier in the pivot role, while Dele Alli and Jesse Lingard will be tasked with supporting Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling.
Fifa’s teamsheet suggests that Tunisia will line up in a 4-3-3 formation, although that might morph into a 4-5-1 out of possession. Wahbi Khazri, who faded after a promising start at Sunderland, is likely to be a creative menace in the absence of Youssef Msakni and much is expected from Ali Maaloul at left-back.
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Team news
England: Pickford; Walker, Stones, Maguire; Trippier, Lingard, Henderson, Alli, Young; Sterling, Kane.
Tunisia: Hassen; Meriah, Syam Ben Youssef, Bronn, Maaloul; Skhiri, Badri, Sassi; Fakhereedine Ben Youssef, Khazri, Sliti.
Referee: Wilmar Roldan (Colombia).
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You might have heard that Tunisia were England’s opponents in their opening game at the 1998 World Cup. Alan Shearer and Paul Scholes scored in a comfortable 2-0 win. Here are some thoughts on that day from Darren Anderton, who played at right wing-back for Glenn Hoddle’s side.
Another feature of Volgograd: the flies. The midges are everywhere. It sounds pleasant. England players will be doused in fly repellent before taking to the pitch at the Volgograd Arena.
Have eaten so many bugs. None of them intentionally.
— Dominic Fifield (@domfifield) June 18, 2018
Midge update - I have been doused in a local repellant that made me choke and will possibly make my skin green. But if it stops me being swarmed I’ll happily shower in the stuff. I am live pitchside in an hour and will update on its effectiveness. Sure you’re all riveted.
— Natalie Pirks (@Natpirks) June 18, 2018
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There are memorials to the Battle of Stalingrad throughout Volgograd. There have been plenty of mentions about one of the most significant battles of World War 2 in the past few days, with travelling reporters taking every opportunity to tweet photos of The Motherland Calls, the city’s awesome 85m statue, in the past few days. “The history, it is what it is,” Harry Kane said. Barney Ronay arguably put it better in this piece about his grandfather.
The other game in Group G hasn’t finished yet. Belgium lead Panama 1-0 thanks to a stunner from Dries Mertens. Barry Glendenning has the latest.
Preamble
Hello. Perhaps the best way to sum up the past 15 years of English hubris is to recall Steve McClaren’s commentary for Sky Sports News in the moments before Iceland took the lead against Roy’s boys at Euro 2016. Even now it’s one of the great television moments. It had it all: the misplaced confidence, the swaggering ignorance, the dismissive attitude towards foreigners, the inevitable sucker punch, all hope and joy disappearing as McClaren watches the ball slither under Joe Hart’s desperate dive. He hadn’t seen it coming. The response, Steve said, had been perfect. “The only thing that they have got is the big boy up front,” he reassured viewers. “Sigurdsson… Sigthorsson ...” Sharp intake of breath. A groan. A goal. Tell us what’s happened, Steve. Oh Steve. Poor Steve. If you watch it in slow motion, you can actually pinpoint the second when his heart rips in half.
It was the culmination of so much nonsense and hype. It was the breaking point, the nadir. For years England had gone into tournaments with an unappealing sense of superiority, never learning their lesson, and the truth is it was probably always masking nerves and a debilitating inferiority complex. The Golden Generation went into the 2006 World Cup assuming they only had to turn up to be given the trophy, in 2010 we had the E-A-S-Y headline from the Sun, 2014 delivered the spectacle of the team leaving Brazil before they’d finished taking their anti-malaria tablets and Euro 2016 was all about Roy Hodgson enjoying a lovely boat trip down the Seine the day before the Iceland defeat. Honestly, some of the discourse in France two years ago was utterly absurd. There were people who genuinely thought that Wazziesta played well in midfield. Seriously. No joke.
Something had to change. England couldn’t carry on like that and, happily, the good news is that the delusions of grandeur have been replaced by a more realistic attitude under the likeable Gareth Southgate. There’s been no pomp, no ceremony, no jingoistic tub-thumping - instead, England have dropped the comical self-regard and look all the better for it. A more relaxed outlook has allowed everyone to loosen up, while Southgate’s decisiveness in making some difficult and at times ruthless calls has earned him the squad’s respect. England might not be one of the favourites but at least they appear to know what they’re doing.
Of course, that’s easy to say before they’ve got their tournament underway. While England have warmed up with promising victories over Costa Rica and Nigeria, the outlook could look less rosy later. Opening games aren’t easy – England have won five of 26 at major tournaments - and Tunisia aren’t to be taken lightly. The north Africans are likely to be organised and difficult to break down but Southgate has gone to great lengths to point out that they’re capable of playing some nifty football. They were impressive in a 1-0 defeat to Spain and a 2-2 draw with Portugal before the tournament and will back themselves to get a result here.
But with Belgium expected to rule Group G, England need a good start in Volgograd and while this is the era of self-deprecation, they don’t want to go too far. There are, remember, reasons for optimism about their chances of leaving an impression on an open tournament. There might be concerns about the defence, a lack of creativity and a youthful side’s inexperience, but this is also a team with a clear tactical plan, pace, skill and of the best strikers in the world in Harry Kane. I’ll stop there, otherwise I’ll say something like ENGLAND EXPECTS or LET’S WIN IT FOR MEGHAN. There’s no need to revert to the age of entitlement. Leave the cockiness at the door, sit back and enjoy the ride.
Kick-off: 7pm BST, 9pm in Volgograd.
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