Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
FOOTBALL & RACING
ENGLAND produced one of their worst displays under Gareth Southgate to suffer a surprise Euro 2020 setback.
He looked shell-shocked as England fell to their first loss in ANY qualifier in 10 years. Needing a win to book their ticket to next summer’s finals, it looked a formality when Harry Kane opened the scoring with an early penalty. But Jakub Brabec soon took advantage of shambolic defending to equalise and subsitute Zdenek Ondrasek scored a deserved late winner
for the Czech Republic. While England are still long odds-on favourites to qualify, it could now go down to the last doubleheader in November.
And they certainly cannot afford to slip up against Bulgaria in Sofia on Monday night.
England had either won or drawn their previous 43 qualification games for European Championships or World Cups.
But that run came to an end with a toothless, clueless performance in the Sinobo Stadium.
And only several high-class saves from Jordan Pickford (below) prevented the hosts from registering a more emphatic win. England’s much-vaunted attack produced a pitiful FOUR shots on target and the game against the Bulgarians – who drew 0-0 in Montenegro last night – has suddenly taken on unexpected importance.
Southgate’s men had previously swept all before them in Group A.
But despite that great start, England looked nervous in possession and shaky at the back and eventually they paid the price.