Sancho at the double for five star England
JADON Sancho netted his first two goals on the international stage, but England made hard work in battling past minnows Kosovo at the St Mary’s Stadium in Southampton.
The Borussia Dortmund star scored both goals late in the firsthalf which, along with strikes from Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane, and an own goal from Mergim Vojvoda, helped Gareth Southgate’s men to a 5-3 win that maintains their 100% record in their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign.
Kosovo, ranked 120th in the world, had taken the lead after just 45 seconds when Valon Berisha opened the scoring, and they battled back after falling 5-1 behind through Berisha’s second and a penalty from Vedat Muriqi.
Kane, who tied Bryan Robson in the scoring charts with his 26th international goal, had a second-half penalty saved, but it did not matter as England maintained their threepoint lead at the top of Group A.
just half-way through qualification, England seemingly only need one half of football to win games.
Raheem Sterling, meanwhile, seemingly just needs a moment’s opening to show he is very much in his prime. The Manchester City star, in his latest masterclass, brought the brilliantly refreshing Jadon Sancho along with him by setting up both the Borussia Dortmund forward’s goals.
Kosovo’s mild second-half comeback to make it a mere 5-3 illustrated that they are indeed a better team than everyone else in this group, but you wouldn’t have guessed it from the first half.
Goals from Sterling (8’minutes), Kane (19’minutes), Vojvoda (38’minutes og) and that Sancho double (44’minutes, 45’+1minutes) was the response to Berisha’s first minute goal.
England led 5-1 at half time before Berisha scored again and Muriqi added a penalty. Kane later missed a penalty. That opening 45 minutes was probably England’s best spell of football under Southgate beyond that opening Nations League period away to Spain.
One of them was also the cenNOW
tre of what might be the idealised England goal, which here made it 4-1.
It was the perfect combination of individual brilliance, understanding and collective co-ordination.
As Sterling again just surged through the Kosovan half — just
as he’d done minutes earlier for Kane’s supreme strike — the captain again peeled off to the left, Sancho to the right.
Arijanet Muric’s defence didn’t know where to go, meaning Sterling knew precisely where to put it.
He played in Sancho, who then just changed it up in such dazzlingly disorientating fashion.
Sheer pace was followed by measured precision, as Sancho so calmly slipped it in.
England, after just four games, have done most of the work as regards qualification.
And last night a new star was born with Sancho’s superb performance as future looks bright for Southgate and his England team.