England win first match under coach Southgate

The "Three Lions", at home, defeated Malta 2-0 in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers in Europe on October 8.

Coach Gareth Southgate tasted victory in his first match in charge of the England team. Photo: Reuters

Gareth Southgate was appointed as interim manager by the Football Association on September 29, after Sam Allardyce resigned due to a scandal set up by a group of journalists. 10 days later, the strategist born in 1970 made his debut at Wembley Stadium, and led the England team to defeat Malta.

The players who scored for the "Three Lions" in the match on October 8 wereDaniel Sturridge andDele Alli. Thanks to the 2-0 victory, coach Southgate and his team rose to the top of Group F of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers in Europe with six points.

England were superior to Malta, so right after the opening whistle, Southgate's team easily dominated the game. The ball was almost exclusively on the visitors' side. Against Malta's dense defense, England's central attack was blocked. They immediately switched to using high balls and succeeded.

In the 22nd minute, Jordan Henderson accurately chipped the ball into the penalty area for Alli to head in from close range. Goalkeeper Andrew Hogg made an excellent save in this situation but seven minutes later he was completely helpless against Sturridge's header.

Henderson was England's best player in the match against Malta. He was the one who provided the high pass into the box for Sturridge to open the scoring. And in the 39th minute, the Liverpool player assisted Alli to double the gap after two consecutive shots.

Against a weak opponent like Malta, England's two goals were not enough to meet the fans' expectations. Photo: Reuters

At Wembley, England goalkeeper Joe Hart had no chance to show himself. He seemed to "disappear" from the frame because the ball rarely entered the home team's penalty area. It was not until the 80th minute that the goalkeeper playing for Torino had to use his hand to block an opponent's shot for the first time, stopping Agius's shot from a tight angle.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the front line, Hogg had a hard day at work, continuously saving the home team. If he had not jumped to block Rooney's powerful free kick (minute 55) or defeated Walcott in a one-on-one situation (minute 63), Malta would have conceded another goal.

Winning all three points, but England’s victory did not really satisfy the fans. Playing at home, only having to face Malta, known as “Europe’s point treasure”, but coach Southgate and his team only scored two goals.

On October 11, the "Three Lions" will meet a more worthy opponent, Slovenia.

According to VNE