England 2-1 Tunisia
Harry Kane scored an injury-time winner to get Gareth Southgate’s young Lions off to a winning start at World Cup 2018.
England’s least experienced tournament team of all time took its bow in Russia and for 30 minutes they looked like world beaters. But after Kane’s early goal had put them in command, a Tunisia penalty gave England plenty more to do. And Captain Kane did it.
The two teams took the field in the knowledge that Belgium had already put on a clinical second-half performance to beat Panama, so the standard in Group G had been set.
Highlights
A plague of midges descended on the Volgograd Stadium, half an hour before kick-off, but they didn’t bother the Lions as England came out all guns blazing, and almost went ahead on three minutes when Jordan Henderson found Dele Alli and the Spurs man squared for Jesse Lingard, who saw his shot brilliantly saved by Mouez Hassen.
The big World Cup 2018 news in the England camp was the selection of Raheem Sterling ahead of Marcus Rashford, who had suffered a knock in training. And the Manchester City star was in the action soon. As England tore into Tunisia again, Lingard collected a pass down the left, teed up Sterling but he unbelievably missed an open goal, but to his immense relief the offside flag went up against Lingard.
Then on 11 minutes came a big moment from the big man. John Stones powered a header in from a corner and Hassen made another good save but Captain Kane was first to react and he smashed the ball home. It was a blistering start and if we see much more of this you’ll see the Sbobet odds on the Three Lions start to fall.
Hassen had been brilliant but on the quarter hour he went off in tears, having picked up an early injury, to be replaced by Ben Mustapha. And the reserve keeper was called into action straight away to save a Henderson pile-driver after Kieran Trippier had done well down the right flank.
Nabil Maaloul’s Tunisia is Africa’s highest ranking team and is comfortable on the ball, happy to play out from the back but they looked shell-shocked for half an hour. And midfielder Wahbi Khazri has had a successful season at Rennes and is a good dead ball specialist, but he pinged Tunisia’s first corner well wide of his attackers. But Tunisia had finally begun to pose a threat and Khazri’s next corner was well aimed, prompting a good defensive header from Harry Maguire.
Maguire then forced a save from Mustapha with another good header from a Trippier cross. But then, on 33 minutes, all England’s early work was undone when Tunisia was awarded a penalty after Kyle Walker tangled with Ben Yousseff. Up stepped Ferjani Sassi to slot the ball home. 1-1.
England should have gone in to half time two or three up and had another great chance when John Stones collected the ball amidst panic in the Tunisia defence but fluffed his lines. And then in the dying moments Lingard was so close, breaking through and touching the ball past the keeper but agonisingly against the outside of the post.
Tunisia began the second half with more confidence, but it was England who threatened again as Maguire headed on target to keep Mustapha on his toes. And as England tried to crank up the pressure Trippier was a constant threat down the right flank. But midway through the second period the momentum wasn’t there and England seemed to flag as a Mexican Wave spread around the stadium. That may have prompted Gareth Southgate’s first move and he replaced the tiring Sterling with Marcus Rashford.
Ben Yousseff was busy in defence and he got a crucial tackle in when Kane threatened to break through. Then with 15 minutes on the clock, England went up another gear but Ashley Young wasted a free-kick opportunity after Kane was fouled. And Rashford stretched the Tunisia defence to win a corner but Mustapha punched the resulting kick clear.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek came on to add some power and pace and put a dangerous ball in but Rashford dummied when he should have pulled the trigger. And then, in the first minute of time added time, ‘cometh the hour cometh the man’…again. The excellent Trippier fired a super corner in and Maguire flicked on for Kane to plant his header home to wild celebrations from the England fans.
Key Statistics
Harry Kane has scored in four internationals in a row and he is the key to England’s hopes this summer. And, with 60 per cent possession and 18 shots to six, this was a deserved win. All Jordan Pickford had to do was pick the ball out of his net.
The Three Lions kept eight clean sheets in qualifying so Tunisia did well to breach their defence. But we backed England and Belgium to go through this group and it’s so far, so good.
What’s next?
Tunisia faces Belgium in Moscow on Saturday and that will be a tough ask for Maaloul’s men. EPL and Serie A fans know Belgium’s side well, Manchester United’s Romelu Lukaku bagging another brace while Napoli’s Dries Mertens opened the scoring against Panama with a perfectly hit volley. World Cup 2018 betting fans have two possible winners from this group.
And then it’s off to Novgorod for England to take on Panama on Sunday. Harry Kane will be looking forward to that!
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