England beat Malta lightly on Southgate's debut day

Malta were a very weak opponent but England only had a modest 2-0 victory. This was clearly an unconvincing debut for coach Gareth Southgate. However, the Three Lions still maintained a perfect record after 2 matches.

In his first match as England manager, Gareth Southgate made a lot of changes to the starting lineup, especially in attack. According to Walcott, Jesse Lingard was surprisingly given a starting position. In midfield, Wayne Rooney and Dele Alli appeared together in a 4-3-3 formation. Looking at this arrangement, Southgate's intention was clear. By using both Walcott and Lingard, it was clear that Southgate wanted to increase the speed of the Three Lions' play.

It is true that the speed of the match was pushed up immediately after the opening whistle. Malta was too weak and the ball almost only rolled on the away team's field. Joe Hart only touched the ball once in the entire first half and the Three Lions' ball possession time was up to 76%. In the 7th minute, Wayne Rooney had a very strong shot near the penalty area but was blocked by goalkeeper Andrew Hogg. In the 21st minute, another stormy situation was created by the England team. Jordan Henderson's accurate cross created an opportunity for Dele Alli to head the ball very dangerously. After goalkeeper Hogg's effort to block, the ball bounced right to Daniel Sturridge but in front of an empty goal and at a distance of only 5m, the Liverpool striker kicked the ball into the sky very confusingly.

However, 7 minutes later, Sturridge made amends. In the 28th minute, the 26-year-old striker headed a dangerous shot into the far corner, opening the score for England. The goal helped England become even more excited. The match continued to be pushed up very high and by the 38th minute, the gap had doubled. This was a very beautiful goal by Alli after a quick attack combination that hit straight down the middle with Henderson.

In the second half, Southgate's players continued to maintain a high pace. However, the Three Lions' attacks were not very effective. They had no way to penetrate Malta's crowded defense. In a rather deadlocked situation, England used many high crosses into the penalty area but were not successful once.

With a 2-0 victory, England maintained their perfect record in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers. However, this was an unconvincing debut for Southgate. The Three Lions' attack did not play effectively against an opponent considered a "basket of balls" in Europe.

According to bongdaplus