ASSIVE OOST AT UROS
Wembley sensation Sterling is honour roll
WHAT a weekend
Raheem Sterling.
Awarded an MBE by the Queen on Friday for his services to racial equality, Sterling made history to get the Three Lions roaring yesterday.
The Manchester City ace finally scored for his country at a major finals to get Gareth Southgate’s boys off to a flier.
And England fans returning to Wembley for the first time since November 2019 absolutely loved Sterling’s second-half winner.
If you include the Nations League finals games, the 26-year-old had gone a staggering 14 matches at major tournaments without a goal.
His first, which finally unlocked stubborn Croatia, was enough to give England their firstever win in a Euros opening game.
It also completely vindicated Southgate’s controversial team selection, which left many scratching their heads before kick-off.
England No.2 Steve Holland had warned in the build-up that this isn’t “fantasy football” where you can put all your big guns out there and hope for the best.
And Southgate resisted the urge to go for broke, leaving out Jack Grealish, who is probably his most talented player.
But with Kieran Trippier starting at left-back, it still smacked of the kind of dull, safety-first thinking the England boss has a reputation for.
However, there was nothing dull about the way the home side started, with Phil Foden curling a brilliant shot off the inside of the post just five minutes in.
It all came from a Trippier throw-in passed on by Sterling and Foden’s shot had Dominik Livakovic beaten before coming back off the upright.
The Croatia goalkeeper then did well to stop a deflected effort from Kalvin Phillips, one of five England players making their tournament debuts.
But after a fast start England wilted in the heat and the visitors slowly crept back into the game, with Luka Modric becoming more and more influential.
Southgate’s side were it has been leading at half-time before it all went wrong against Croatia in the World Cup semi-final in Moscow in 2018.
This time it was goalless at the break, though the Three Lions had played all the football and kept their opponents almost totally at arm’s length.
Croatia made their intentions clear at the start of the second half when Mateo Kovacic was booked for absolutely thundering into Chelsea pal Mason Mount.
But Wembley erupted when Phillips, the man of the match, weaved past two challenges and slipped Sterling in for the breakthrough.
The City winger has not been at his liveliest recently and had a quiet first half here too but he pounced on his big chance and drilled it home off the keeper.
Harry Kane looked like making it two when Mount picked him out sweetly but Duje Caletacar somehow deflected it away.
And then Ante Rebic quickly sliced a good chance wide at the other end as England twice failed to clear their lines and the Croats finally woke up.
Sterling should have had another when Tyrone Mings, imperious at the back, nodded a free-kick down to him in space.
But this time he smashed it miles over the bar from 12 yards and immediately put his head in his hands.
In the end it did not matter as Croatia offered little until Mario Pasalic sliced wildly over in stoppage time.
By then Jude Bellingham had come on to become, at 17, the youngest player to appear at a European Championship.
We always knew the future looked bright for this young team.
But I tell you what, the present doesn’t look too bad either right now.