Southgate explains why he didn't make any substitutions against Poland

England

's fantastic run to World Cup qualifying ended with an injury-time equalizer earning 

Poland 

a 1-1 draw in Warsaw against Gareth Southgate's men.

Kane 

put England forward with a long-range strike from 30 yards in the 72nd minute, which looked to have sealed a big victory for Gareth Southgate’s side.

However, the Three Lions were unable to hold on as 

Damian Szymanski 

came off the bench to make it 1-1 for the hosts.

The Poles used all of their substitutes and ended strongly, while Gareth Southgate made no changes throughout the game and it was a decision left open for criticism.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, the coach defended his decision.

"We wanted to make substitutions towards the end, but when the goal went in we thought there was no point because we would be adding time on.

"We were playing well, we were in control. At those moments, it's not easy to come on as a substitute and we would be taking people off for the sake of it, frankly.

"We were in total control, there was no issue, why disrupt it when you're in control?"

Gareth Southgate became the first England manager since 1996 to not make any substitutions in 90 minutes.

Southgate also talked about the difficulty of their encounter with Poland and said he is happy with his side’s performance during the September internationals:

"It was no surprise that this was the hardest game in the group. Early in the game, we were a little slow to move the ball and Poland pressed us well.

"We got caught in our own half a few times but we recovered well and defended those situations well. As the half wore on we started to get a grip of the game and gain more control without making really any clear chances - other than Harry Kane's header at the far post.

"In the second half we controlled the game. If there's a criticism it's that we didn't create enough clear chances from that possession and we didn't get enough players in the box.

"While it's one-nil you run the risk of what happened at the end. We're clearly disappointed not to get the three points but I have to look at what the players have done across these three matches.

"Given that there was no way of telling how they would react after what happened in the [Euro 2020 final], I think their mentality and application has been really good."

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