Saka gem helps England ease past Wales as Scotland keep World Cup dream alive
by The 42, https://www.thejournal.ie/author/the-42/ · TheJournal.ieThe 42
Updated at 22.28
BUKAYO SAKA’S STUNNING strike and a first international goal for Morgan Rogers inspired England in a comprehensive 3-0 win over out-classed Wales in last night’s friendly.
Thomas Tuchel’s side delivered their second successive dominant display to maintain the feel-good factor after their 5-0 rout of Serbia in a World Cup qualifier last month.
Rogers put England ahead early in the first half at Wembley, and the midfielder’s Aston Villa team-mate Ollie Watkins increased their advantage soon afterwards.
With England carving open the hapless Welsh defence at will, Arsenal winger Saka scored the goal of the night with a superb long-range rocket.
It was exactly the kind of swaggering performance that former Bayern Munich and Chelsea boss Tuchel had promised when he replaced Gareth Southgate.
The German struggled through a spluttering start to his reign, but England are finally starting to hit their stride.
England’s place at next year’s World Cup is already all but confirmed after five successive wins in Group K.
They could book their spot with a victory in Latvia on Tuesday, depending on other results over the next few days.
The Three Lions need to travel for the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico with genuine belief they can win a major trophy for the first time since 1966.
When listless England were beaten by Senegal in a friendly in June, few would have thought that was likely.
To his credit, Tuchel has managed to revitalise his team since their first-ever loss to an African country.
While far sterner tests lie in wait at the World Cup, they appear to be heading in the right direction after a sixth win from seven games under Tuchel.
He will be encouraged that England beat Wales so easily without injured captain Harry Kane, while Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish were all left out of the squad.
- Rampant England -
Wales, who face a vital qualifier against Belgium on Monday, are in the hunt to reach the World Cup after losing just twice in 12 games since boss Craig Bellamy took charge.
But they had only beaten England once at Wembley in 1977, prompting Bellamy to insist they weren’t coming to the national stadium as “tourists”.
Bellamy’s defiance fell on deaf ears as England took the lead after just three minutes.
With the Wales defence flat-footed inside their own penalty area, Marc Guehi alertly pounced on the loose ball before it could roll out of play.
Guehi quickly guided his pass into the six-yard box, and Rogers applied the finishing touch.
England had scored in 17 consecutive matches for the first time in 34 years, and Watkins added to the blitz in the 11th minute.
Wales were guilty of more sloppy defending as Rogers was granted time and space to loop his cross towards Watkins, who poked home from close range for his sixth international goal.
Tuchel’s team were monopolising over 80% of the possession, and it was no surprise when they struck again in the 20th minute.
Saka did it all on his own, cutting in from the right flank and curling a sublime finish past Wales keeper Karl Darlow into the top corner from 25 yards.
It was the first time that England had scored three goals in the first 20 minutes since 1987 against Yugoslavia.
England were rampant and Watkins should have scored his second before half-time, but he crashed into the post after failing to convert and had to limp off injured.
That was the signal for England to take their foot off the gas in a low-key second half, with preserving fitness for the trip to Latvia clearly Tuchel’s top priority.
Meanwhile, Scotland roared back to beat Greece 3-1 yesterday to boost their hopes of direct qualification for the 2026 World Cup, while Cody Gakpo inspired the Netherlands to a 4-0 win in Malta.
The Greeks took the lead in Glasgow early in the second period through Kostas Tsimikas, before Scotland hit back through Ryan Christie, Lewis Ferguson and Lyndon Dykes to secure a second win from three Group C qualifying matches for Steve Clarke’s side.
Scotland are looking to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1998.
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“Massive win. We’re not naive enough to know we weren’t at our best tonight. The reaction to going 1-0 down was brilliant,” said Christie.
“Two massive games — that’s one ticked off and now onto Sunday (when Scotland take on Belarus).”
Tsimikas, on loan at Roma from Premier League champions Liverpool, gave Greece a deserved lead on 62 minutes as he stroked home a breaking ball from the edge of the six-yard box.
But Hampden Park roared two minutes later as Christie bundled in from close range to level for the hosts — the goal finally validated after a lengthy VAR check for offside.
A deflected Che Adams effort in the 75th minute bobbled narrowly wide as the home side woke up.
The decisive goal came five minutes later as Ferguson opened his account for Scotland, blasting in after the Greeks failed to clear an Andy Robertson free-kick.
Angus Gunn made a fine save to keep Scotland ahead in injury time, before Dykes pounced on a goalkeeping error at the other end to seal the win.
Denmark top Group C, though they are level on seven points with Scotland and four ahead of Greece, courtesy of a handsome 6-0 win in Belarus.
Napoli striker Rasmus Hojlund continued his fine vein of form as he netted twice for the Danes.
Liverpool’s Gakpo converted two spot-kicks either side of the break and set up Manchester City midfielder Tijjani Reijnders for the Netherlands’s third goal, with Memphis Depay also netting late on.
A fourth win in five matches for Ronald Koeman’s side leaves them top of Group G on 13 points, three clear of second-placed Poland.
Finland sit third — also on 10 points, albeit having played one match more than the Dutch and Polish — after a 2-1 win at home to Lithuania.
Croatia and the Czech Republic remain locked level at the summit of Group L after playing out a goalless stalemate in Prague; however, the 2018 World Cup runners-up have a game in hand.
Faroe Islands secured a third win in six outings in the group, beating Montenegro 4-0 in Torshavn, to sit four points behind the pair.
In Group H, Austria thumped San Marino 10-0 at home as Marko Arnautovic grabbed four goals, while Bosnia and Herzegovina drew 2-2 with Cyprus in Larnaca.
Cyprus’s 97th-minute equaliser from the spot condemned Bosnia to second place in the pool, two points behind the Austrians, who also have a game in hand on the Bosnians.
Elsewhere, Mohamed Amoura scored twice as Algeria beat Somalia 3-0 yesterday to become the fourth qualifier for the 2026 World Cup from Africa after Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt.
The Wolfsburg striker volleyed a Riyad Mahrez cross into the net on six minutes, then the former Manchester City winger slammed a loose ball into the net midway through the opening half.
European 2026 World Cup qualifying results:
Group C
Scotland 3 (Christie 64, Ferguson 80, Dykes 90+3) Greece 1 (Tsimikas 62)
Belarus 0 Denmark 6 (Froholdt 14, Hojlund 19, 45, Dorgu 45+6, Dreyer 66, 78)
Group G
Finland 2 (Kallman 48, Marhiev 55) Lithuania 1 (Sirvys 25)
Malta 0 Netherlands 4 (Gakpo 12-pen, 49-pen, Reijnders 57, Depay 90+3)
Group H
Austria 10 (Schmid 7, Arnautovic 8, 47, 83, 84, Gregoritsch 24, Posch 30, 42, Laimer 45, Wurmbrand 76) San Marino 0
Cyprus 2 (Laifis 45+1, Pittas 90+7-pen) Bosnia and Hercegovina 2 (Katic 10, Michael 36-og)
Group L
Faroe Islands 4 (Sorensen 16, 55, Roganovic 36-og, Frederiksberg 72-pen) Montenegro 0
Czech Republic 0 Croatia 0
Written by AFP and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.