England top their group as Sterling’s goal sees off Czechs
ENGLAND progressed to the European Championship knockout phase as group winners thanks to Raheem Sterling’s early header in a 1-0 victory against the Czech Republic last night.
Having kicked off Group D by beating World Cup semi-final foes Croatia and then been booed off following the goalless draw with rivals Scotland, Gareth Southgate’s already-qualified side put in a controlled display.
Sterling headed home fan favourite Jack Grealish’s cross to seal a narrow win against the Czechs at Wembley, where England will return next Tuesday for a last-16 tie against France, Germany, Portugal or Hungary.
Facing the runners-up in the socalled group of death looks a tough ask but there is a lot to be said for home comforts - plus facing underdogs at the Euros does not always go well, such as Iceland five years ago.
There remains plenty for Southgate’s men to improve on after last night’s hard-fought victory, but England reacted well to a disrupted build-up that saw Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell forced into isolation.
The fallout to their interaction with Scotland’s Billy Gilmour, who tested positive for Covid-19, will rumble on, but Mount’s replacement Grealish impressed - as did fellow tournament full debutant Bukayo Saka.
The fearless pair were involved in the winning goal under the arch, where Sterling bounced back from hitting a post in the opening stages
to head home Grealish’s 12th-minute cross.
There were some nervy moments when the Czechs, who are also through to the last 16, settled and Harry Kane’s wait for his first Euros goal continues, but England professionally saw out a forgettable second half to wrap up qualification without conceding.
Meanwhile, Scotland’s hopes of winning through to the knockout
stages of a major tournament for the first time ended with a sobering 3-1 defeat by Croatia at Hampden Park.
The Scots, playing in their first major tournament since the 1998 France World Cup, needed a victory in their final Group D fixture to reach the last 16 but despite a big effort fell short again.
Attacker Nikola Vlasic drove in the opener for Croatia in the 17th minute before Callum McGregor gave
Steve Clarke’s side encouragement with a leveller three minutes from the break, his first international goal.
However, just after the hour mark, captain Luka Modric restored Croatia’s lead with a stunning strike from 20 yards before Ivan Perisic headed in a third in the 77th minute to seal the win and take the Croats through as group runners up, with Scotland finishing bottom of the section with just one point.