England qualify as group leaders as Sterling strikes again

faced the

in Group D’s last matchday on Tuesday. Both teams had already secured their last 16 spots, but the group’s top spot was still there to fight for. The Three Lions’ preparation for the match was rocked by the news that both Mason Greenwood and Ben Chilwell have to self-isolate after coming in contact with Billy Gilmour during England’s draw against Scotland. Having lost two of his players for the round of 16, Gareth Southgate decided to leave Phil Foden out of England’s lineup as he was already on a yellow card. The England manager also left Tyrone Mings and Reece James on the bench as he gave

and

their first Euro 2020 starts. The Czech Republic started the game with the same starting XI that drew 1-1 against Croatia last Friday.

England started the game with dominance and soon got their first chance to score.

ran behind two Czech defenders in the second minute and chipped the ball past

, but the shot was deflected after hitting the far post. However, Sterling didn’t have to wait for too long to score his second goal of the tournament. Following a precise cross by Jack Grealish, the Manchester City star scored the opener for England with a header in the 12th minute. The Czechs gained more possession after conceding the goal, but they were edged out by England’s solid defense.

The pace of the game dropped significantly in the second half as the Three Lions displayed little interest in extending their lead and the Czech Republic seemed to be more concerned with keeping their overall goal difference at +1. Following a series of mistakes by the Czech Republic defenders,

managed to double England’s lead in the 86th minute. However, the goal was disallowed for offside and the game ended in a 1-0 victory for the Three Lions.

England qualified for the round of 16 as Group D leaders. This leaves the Three Lions with mixed feelings as they will have to face France, Portugal or Germany in the next round, depending on how Group F finishes. Croatia finished as the group runner-ups by having a better goal difference than the Czech Republic, while the Czechs qualified as one of the best third-placed teams. In the other match of the group, Scotland finished their Euro 2020 campaign with a 3-1 defeat against Croatia.

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