Southgate’s strikers have little to Cro about
CROATIA .............. 0 ENGLAND ............. 0
GARETH SOUTHGATE’S strikers were silenced in an eerily empty stadium as England blew a golden chance to kickstart their Nations League campaign.
The visitors should have taken all three points against their World Cup semi-final conquerors behind closed doors in Rijeka.
After Spurs duo Eric Dier and Harry Kane had hit the woodwork, Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford missed two glorious chances in the second half to gain revenge over Zlatko Dalic’s stars.
But Dier claimed it was difficult for the players to adjust to the unusual circumstances.
He said: “It was strange, the first experience of it for all of us. A couple of fans got up on the hill but once the game started it was in the back of our minds.
“We could easily hear the ones on the hill, they were the only ones here. I will always give my best when I play, no matter what the formation or team selection.
“I thought I had scored and when I looked back I felt it was going in. It was unlucky and disappointing.”
England were the better side as Croatia, led by skipper and World Player of the Year Luka Modric, suffered more than the Three Lions in the surreal silence of the tiny stadium.
The Croatians had to play the game behind closed doors after crazy fans mowed a swastika into the pitch in Split before a Euro 2016 qualifier against Italy.
A handful of England fans beat the ban, perching on a nearby hillside to give their support to Kane and Co with a steady stream of chants from the darkness. Southgate was desperate for a win after watching his players lost their opening game of the competition against Spain at Wembley last month.
A draw isn’t a disaster – but it’s a missed opportunity with the team finishing bottom of the three-team group being relegated into a tougher Euro 2020 qualifying section.
And there was more bad news for Southgate with yellow cards for Jordan Henderson and John Stones ruling them out of England’s next game against Spain in Seville on Monday.