LUKE-Y STRIKE FOR GARETH
Shaw’s stunner fires 3 Lions to life after shaky start
LUKE SHAW does not score often but when he does for England they tend to be massively important. Last summer, here at Wembley, the Manchester United ace opened his Three Lions account by setting the Euros final alight with that wonder goal after just a minute and 56 seconds.
Well, yesterday, Shaw doubled his tally, courtesy of a pile-driver in the dying seconds of the opening period, which hauled England level against impressive Switzerland.
This one was also struck first-time – and into the same net – yet was, arguably, an even better finish than that goal in the final as it came from the edge of the penalty area.
Shaw (below) and England celebrated wildly – and, no wonder, given it helped rescue what must have been the worst 45 minutes produced by Gareth Southgate’s men in a very long time.
It sparked a vastly-improved display that was capped by skipper Harry Kane slamming in the 77th-minute winner from the penalty spot – his 49th goal for his country.
Defeat was harsh on the Swiss who, led by Arsenal midfielder
Granit Xhaka, showed they are no pushovers on the world stage.their FIFA ranking of 14 belies their ability to perform as a collective.
They are a team with a few household names but which together is a genuine force. Just ask poor Italy. Euro champions in July, they were pipped to automatic qualification for theworld Cup finals by the Swiss, who finished two points clear, before crashing out in Thursday’s play-off with North Macedonia.
All of which serves to underline just how fortunate England fans are that Southgate’s men cruised through to Qatar – undefeated once again.
In fact, coming into the first of two friendlies in four days – Ivory Coast are up next on Tuesday – they had not lost in 20 games over 90 or 120 minutes.
That undefeated sequence certainly warranted huge attention and credit, and emphasised why the hosts sit fifth in the world rankings. The last of those outings had been that ten-goal mauling of San Marino in the group qualifiers.
This, though, was a different England line-up, featuring two debutants in a three-man defence, with Crystal Palace skipper Marc Guehi and Southampton wing-back Kyle Walker-peters unveiled.
There was also a third cap for Arsenal’s Ben White, while Conor Coady and Shaw gave the rookie rearguard some experience.
And they were stretched all over the place during the opening period.
Jordan Pickford was by the far busiest of the two keepers, making superb saves to deny Xhaka on 20 minutes and then Remo Freuler.
In between, however, the England and Everton stopper was helpless to prevent Switzerland’s goal.
Phil Foden lost possession 30 yards out and Xherdan Shaqiri’s cross evadedwhite but not Breel Embolo, who headed in a beauty. It was almost disallowed but the VAR eventually decided Silvan Widmer had been offside in an earlier, unrelated, phase.
England only just survived falling two behind with seven minutes left in the half. Shaqiri hit the post directly from a corner and Pickford parried Ricardo Rodriguez’s follow-up.
Until then the only legitimate moment of danger at the other end had been Conor Gallagher’s 20th-minute shot that was cleared. So just how the Three Lions went in level at the break defied belief.
The equaliser arrived in added time. Walker-peters’ interception fell to Gallagher and, while his pass for Phil Foden was over-hit, it rolled into the path off Shaw to finish.
That gave England renewed optimism but it still took them another 20 minutes to finally confirm their secondhalf superiority.
And even then it neededvar to assist them and award the spot-kick for a handball.