Substitutes Jamie Vardy and Daniel Sturridge scored as England came from behind to beat Wales 2-1 in Thursday’s ‘Battle of Britain’ at Euro 2016.
Gareth Bale had put Wales ahead with a first-half free-kick, but Roy Hodgson’s half-time changes proved crucial as England roared back after the break.
Vardy smashed home on 56 minutes before Sturridge struck in injury-time to see England leapfrog their opponents to move top of Group B.
Vardy equalised, Sturridge scored the winner. The strikers were involved in the creation of both goals, too. So, yes, maybe Hodgson was a tad fortunate. Yet, equally, these were his risks, his chances. If only he had taken them against Russia, too, maybe England would have qualified by now. Instead, they still need to finish the job against Slovakia. That was a much better place than they looked to be at half-time, mind you.
Sturridge’s winner, like this win in fact, came from sheer persistence. Danny Rose started the move, feeding the ball to Sturridge, who played it into Vardy and continued his run. From Vardy to Rashford who got the ball in a tangle with his feet but still managed to return it to the Liverpool man, who defeated Wayne Hennessey at his near post.
It was brutal for Wales, who will also progress if they defeat Russia. And they should. They had been hanging on for much of the second-half, from the 56th minute in fact, when England started throwing the kitchen sink at it, and equalised.
It was a poacher’s goal, no more. Vardy gave the linesman the merest sideways glance, saw no reaction, and wheeled away in celebration. It was his third touch but it may yet save England’s tournament, and maybe even Hodgson’s job.
There was a light sprinkling of good fortune, too, as so often happens on these occasions. Sturridge hit the cross and Vardy was in a significantly offside position, but Wales captain Ashley Williams made a hash of dealing with it, and could only steer the ball into the Leicester man’s path. He turned, scuffed it, but got enough connection from his shin to divert it into the ground and past Hennessey. Wales protested, but fruitlessly. Williams had made Vardy’s position irrelevant.
It isn’t just Hodgson that will have felt an overwhelming wave of relief. England goalkeeper Joe Hart, too, will have had a thousand regrets over the way he failed to stop a long range free-kick from Bale.
He got good connection but could not stop the shot. That is two Bale has scored now and the goalkeeper has been blamed both times, but it cannot be coincidence.
Like all the greatest players, he finds a way to influence a game – and England have been undone by plenty of them before. Ronaldinho, Zinedine Zidane, Luis Suarez, all have stood in the way of progress before. But Bale is with a significantly weaker team and his goal was not enough.