Wembley: England and Scotland played out 0-0 draw at Wembley on Saturday (June 19). An underwhelming English side failed to shine as the Group D matched rolled on.
In another encounter, Ivan Perisic equaliser helped Croatia keep their slim hope for knockout qualification intact, as Czech Republic held them to a 1-1 draw. On the other hand, Emil Forsberg’s penalty helped Sweden win 1-0 over Slovakia in Saint Petersburg and take a step further towards knockout qualifications.
England had their most promising chances in the first half, created by John Stones through a header and Mason Mount whose shot went wide within the opening twenty minutes of the play. A solid show from the Scottish defence urged both the teams to settle with a point each.
England coach Gareth Southgate said after the match, “I think it was a frustrating night, we know we can play better. Got to give Scotland credit they defended valiantly and played well. We didn’t do enough to win the game but after that the thing we have to worry about in tournament football is that we had to make sure we didn’t lose it.”
The three lions, were booed by the fans as the team’s performance lacked the intent given their squad strength and depth and the kind of names on the list. The underwhelming performace puts Southgate under pressure, although they are in a good position to qualify for the next round.
Croatia faced a setback as Czech Republic was awarded an penalty when Dejan Lovren fouled Patrick Schick in the box. Schick converted the penalty on 37 minutes and gave his team the lead they were hoping for. Although Perisic scored the equaliser at the 47th minute mark.
The Croatian received a ball on left side of the channel, cutting inside he fired a stunning shot inside the top corner. Croatia with just 1 point so far face Scotland next, and Czech Republic with four face England with a good shot at entering the knockouts.
In an otherwise dull match between Sweden and Slovakia, Alexander Isak put forward another bright performance. He set up his fellow Swedish teammate Robin Quaison who was eventually brought down in the area. The penalty was converted by Emil Forsberg, helping his team secure a temporary top place in their group.
