SO which was the real England – the one which demolished Iran or the one made to look bang average by the United States? We will find out in the knockout stage and the good news is that Gareth Southgate’s men are effectively through to the last 16 now.
England failed to beat USA in a real mood-dampener following their 6-2 win over IranCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
Gareth Southgate was unable to rally his troops in an uninspiring performanceCredit: Getty
Harry Maguire and John Stones kept a clean sheet but England were woeful in attackCredit: Getty
Christian Pulisic nearly gave the USA the lead in the first-halfCredit: AFP
Harry Kane looked off the pace despite being passed fit for the match following a knock to the ankleCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
Because however sloppy and uninspired England were here, they are not bad enough to lose 4-0 to Wales and that is what would be needed for the Three Lions to fall at the first hurdle.
With the exception of Harry Maguire, outstanding as he won his 50th cap, and Declan Rice, who prevented England from being overwhelmed in midfield, this was dismal.
But England usually throw in a stinking 0-0 in a group stage – remember Algeria, Slovakia, Scotland?
And in tournament football, nobody plays like the Harlem Globetrotters every time.
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Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Raheem Sterling, all so sparkly against Iran, were flat here.
Harry Kane, who has been nursing an ankle problem, looked shy of peak sharpness.
Full-backs Kieran Trippier and Luke Shaw showed little adventure.
And for long spells of both halves, the States were the better side.
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Southgate is too level-headed to get angry about it – it wasn’t as if Jordan Pickford had to make a single save of note.
It was the sort of game previous England sides might even have lost.
And it will dampen down the elements of over-optimism which crept in after that 6-2 hammering of Iran.
England arrived at the Al Bayt Stadium – a giant circus big top in a lunar landscape miles from anywhere – buoyed by that opening battering, a result which looked even better after the Iranians had dispatched Wales earlier in the day.
Southgate named an unchanged starting line-up – how couldn’t he? – but England made a sluggish start.
There was nothing like the same rapid pass-and-move football which overwhelmed Iran.
Aside from one pleasing rat-a-tat-tat move involving Kieran Trippier, Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka and ending with a Harry Kane shot being blocked, England looked leggy and lacking in inspiration.
After the ensuing corner, Harry Maguire improvised a dribbling routine and soon after Bellingham was showing his enthusiasm by shoulder-barging Saka to collect one pass.
But as the first half progressed, the States began to believe.
First, Haji Wright flashed a header wide from Weston McKennie’s cross, then McKennie volleyed over with the England defence static.
McKennie, the Juventus man with the rainbow hairdo, was beginning to boss the midfield – fast, brave, direct, everything that England were not.
The next time the American went forward, Christian Pulisic was afforded the space to thunder an angled shot against the crossbar.
As Southgate pointed out on the eve of the match, England had never beaten the States at a World Cup – a stunning defeat in 1950 and a miserable draw, to kick off a miserable campaign, in South Africa 12 years ago.
Was that sequence going to continue? It looked like it. England were sloppy in their passing and tentative on their attitude.
The Yanks were loving it.
“It’s called soccer, it’s called soccer!!” taunted their supporters. And their players continued to tease England’s defence.
Next, full-back Sergino Dest cut inside on a darting run and Maguire needed to halt him with a smart block.
Only in the final moments of the first half did England regain the initiative.
Luke Shaw bulldozed through and cut back for Saka who couldn’t find enough space and shot wide under pressure.
Jordan Henderson was introduced late in the game to help wrestle back control in midfieldCredit: Reuters
Harry Kane attempted a spectacular overhead kick but failed to make a connectionCredit: AP
It was the first time England had come close to threatening the American goal.
Soon though, from a cute Sterling pass, Mason Mount lashed a shot and Matt Turner plunged to his right to push round the post.
It was the only save of the opening period. The euphoria from that Iran performance had evaporated. America had been the better side, England had looked bang-average.
The second half began in the same vein. All the snap and crackle belonged to the Americans.
Any time England had a sniff of an opening, they made a poor decision or took a heavy touch.
Bellingham had been as diffident here as he’s been dominant on Monday. He’s only 19 and it will happen but Southgate might easily have withdrawn him earlier than he did – midway through the second half.
Jordan Henderson replaced the young Brummie, in the hope that England might gain some control in midfield and Jack Grealish arrived in place of Sterling, who had suffered a frustrating night.
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There was little improvement once the subs arrived though – Kane headed well wide from a Shaw free-kick in injury-time.
But this was one to forget, to chalk up to experience. More
