Despite conceding a goal early on, England got themselves back into focus and sealed a shaky 2-1 win against opposition Slovakia at Wembley on Monday, with the Three Lions all but securing their automatic qualification for 2018 World Cup.
Celta de Vigo midfielder and Slovakian international Stanislav Lobotka pounced early on in the third minute which gave the away side the lead and it was not until Eric Dier and Marcus Rashford stepped up to the plate with goals of their own to lead England to victory.
England performance on Monday certainly wouldn’t have silenced any of their critics despite the victory. At times, the home side looked uninspired and directionless – a huge shame as they were playing inside Wembley Stadium filled with their fans cheering them on.
Regardless, the Three Lions finished their job in the end and managed to get one foot in towards automatic qualification. Indeed, they currently sit atop Group F with 20 points, five points clear of nearest rivals Slovakia.
Had England fell short of expectations on Monday, they would’ve relinquished the top spot to the away side.
Slovakia started the game off in spectacular style, immediately going on the attack and forcing an early foul from left-back Ryan Bertrand. This led to the away side winning a free kick which started off a brilliant passing play that ended with a goal scored by Lobotka in the third minute.
From there, England would try to get themselves back in the game, but certainly had difficulty. Slovakia were defending well and had good control of the ball. Dele Alli and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain would get chances at goal but to no avail.
England would eventually get there after a cross from Marcus Rashford forces the ball to land on Eric Dier’s feet inside the six-yard box. The Spurs midfielder would then kick the ball in towards the back of the net for the equaliser on the 31st minute.
And while it seemed the two sides were on a stalemate – of which they were come half-time – the Three Lions found themselves in the lead with Rashford the hero as the Manchester United striker drove the ball from outside the box to the bottom left corner with precision and power.
👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/EXvcPYYipD
— England (@England) September 4, 2017
Slovakia would try to grab another goal since then but it was not meant to be, and England close out the game as gritty 2-1 winners.
Truly, the result could’ve gone either way and England will need to focus and ensure they win their last two qualifying games against Lithuania and Slovenia come October or they risk missing out on automatic World Cup qualification.