Sterling goal powers England to victory against Croatia

England started off their European Championships in style with a 1-0 victory over Croatia in the sunshine of Wembley. Raheem Sterling scored the winner for the three lions just before the hour mark after a superb piece of play from Kalvin Phillips which gave England their first-ever victory in their opening match at a European Championship.

This was an important stepping stone for Gareth Southgate’s side, as they took revenge against the team that knocked them out of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Semi-Finals in Russia. While this Croatia team are missing the presence of key players such as Ivan Rakitic and Mario Mandzukic, they still represented England’s toughest opponents at the group stage and this victory makes England favourites to top the group.

Much of the pre-match discussion was dominated by Gareth Southgate’s peculiar line-up, in particular the decision to play the right-footed Kieran Trippier at left-back ahead of Luke Shaw and Ben Chilwell. 

Buoyed by the home support at Wembley, England made a promising start and nearly took the lead inside 10 minutes – with Phil Foden cutting inside from the right and curling his strike straight onto the post. Croatia eventually grew into the game as the half wore on, with the sweltering heat taking a toll on England’s pressing. It was a tight affair, with challenges flying in from either side and neither keeper being tested with regularity.

The moment of magic eventually came in the second half after Kalvin Phillips evaded a couple of challenges before slotting in Raheem Sterling who bundled the ball into the back of the net to put England 1-0 in front.

The hosts nearly doubled their lead moments later, only for Harry Kane to blaze his shot wide from close-range before colliding with the post. Clearly feeling the effects of that blow, Kane was soon replaced by Jude Bellingham – who became the youngest player to feature at the European Championships at just 17.

England closed out the game without much difficulty and while all the excitement in recent weeks has been about their attacking players, what would please Gareth Southgate about their opening performance was their defensive solidity throughout the 90 minutes. England’s back four limited Croatia to only 2 shots on target throughout the match and the double pivot of Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips did well to shield the defence and control the centre.

The Leeds midfielder, in particular, was the standout player on the pitch, driving England forward and impressing with his excellent work rate and industry at the heart of the midfield. Along with Raheem Sterling, Phillips repaid the faith of manager Gareth Southgate for his place in the starting XI and helped provide England with the perfect start to the tournament.