Hungary vs England LIVE: Nations League result, final score and reaction as Hungary beat Three Lions
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England begin their Uefa Nations League campaign today as they take on Hungary in Group A3. Germany and Italy are the other teams in England’s group so Gareth Southgate will want to kick off the Three Lions’ run with a positive result this evening.
The game was originally supposed to be played behind closed doors but the Hungarian FA have allowed 30,000 schoolchildren in to witness the clash after the hosts exploited a loophole against their punishment for racist behaviour. England beat Hungary in their World Cup qualifier on the road but drew at Wembley in their most recent encounter.
Southgate could potentially hand debuts to James Justin and Jarrod Bowen as four Nations League games will be played in quick succession, meaning changes to line-ups and personnel are expected to be commonplace over the next two weeks. The England manager’s main priority will be to utilise these matches to finalise who will be in his squad for this year’s World Cup, making performances more valuable than results in some cases as players stake their individual cases for inclusion. He’ll also be hoping England can keep up their recent record of challenging for honours in whichever competition they are taking part in.
Follow all the action as Hungary host England in the Nations League:
Hungary vs England
FULL-TIME! Hungary 1-0 England
66’ - GOAL! Szoboszlai scores penalty to put Hungary ahead (1-0)
HALF-TIME! Hungary 0-0 England
Game being played ‘behind closed doors’ but around 35,000 schoolchildren and acocmpanying adults in attendance
England players jeered for taking the knee despite stadium ban
Full-time: Hungary 1-0 England
18:56 , Michael Jones
90+5 mins: It’s a defeat for England! Dominik Szoboszlai’s penalty kick is the difference between the sides. England’s Nations League campaign gets off to the worst possible start after a lacklustre performance from Gareth Southgate’s men.
Hungary 1-0 England
18:52 , Michael Jones
90+2 mins: Hungary substitute Martin Adam bursts forwa on the counter-attack and has a shot from range stopped by Jordan Pickford.
Time is running out for England.
Hungary 1-0 England
18:50 , Michael Jones
90 mins: Five minutes of added time to play at the Puskas Arena. That’s more than enough for England to get an equaliser.
Hungary 1-0 England
18:48 , Michael Jones
87 mins: More changes for Hungary as they attempt to take some time out of the game. It’s been 60 years since Hungary beat an England team and they’re just a few minutes from an historic victory.
Grealish dances his way into the box and rolls the ball to Kane who shoots and belts one into the side netting!
Hungary 1-0 England
18:46 , Michael Jones
84 mins: Callum Styles has come on for Hungary. He was born in Bury but the Barnsley midfielder qualifies through his grandparents.
Is he going to see Hungary over the line? Probably.
Hungary 1-0 England
18:42 , Michael Jones
81 mins: Kleinheisler has been brought on for Hungary and has the chance to seal the win for the hosts. Szoboszlai dinks the ball over to him as he runs into the box from the right. Kleinheisler’s brings the ball inside of Stones before shooting and forcing Pickford to parry it away. He sends it to Schafer who then boots his rebound over the crossbar!
Hungary 1-0 England
18:39 , Michael Jones
78 mins: Gareth Southgate’s final change sees Kalvin Phillips come on to replace Conor Coady. That should signal a switch to a back four for England with Bellingham pushed up to play just behind Harry Kane.
Hungary 1-0 England
18:36 , Michael Jones
75 mins: Bowen takes a knock from Szalai and goes down wide of the Hungarian box. This is a chance to whip the ball in from a set piece.
Reece James with the delivery and he picks out Conor Coady who turns his header wide of the back post!
Hungary 1-0 England
18:32 , Michael Jones
72 mins: Chance! What an opportunity for Jarrod Bowen. Hungary aren’t putting any pressure on the ball now and have decided to try and hold onto their lead. That allows England to float a long ball into the box as Bowen runs off the shoulder of Szalai and meets it on the volley but sends his left-footed effort into the hands of Gulacsi.
Hungary 1-0 England
18:29 , Michael Jones
69 mins: England have a lot of work to do now. They haven’t lost in 22 matches - excluding that penalty shootout versus Italy - and there’s a real chance that run is about to come to an end.
Just over 20 minutes left to play and England have still only had two shots on target. One in either half.
GOAL! Hungary 1-0 England (Szoboszlai, 66’)⚽️
18:26 , Michael Jones
66 mins: It’s a confident penalty from Dominik Szoboszlai who fires it right into the bottom left corner as Pickford leaps to his right. He can’t get to the ball and Hungary take the lead!
Penalty to Hungary!
18:24 , Michael Jones
Hungary 0-0 England
64 mins: Reece James bundles Zsolt Nagy over as a diagonal ball comes into the box. The referee immediately blews the whistle and points to the spot.
James also goes in the book. What a moment in this game!
Hungary 0-0 England
18:22 , Michael Jones
63 mins: Just after the hour mark and England make a treble change. Kyle Walker, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mason Mount are all taken off with John Stones, Reece James and Jack Grealish come on.
They’re all like-for-like changes and shouldn’t affect England’s formation much.
Hungary 0-0 England
18:20 , Michael Jones
60 mins: England’s fluid forward line sees Kane drift out wide and receive the ball from Bowen. England’s captain puts the cross in this time and wins a corner.
Alexander-Arnold fizzes it over to Maguire who arrives and heads the ball wide of the target.
Hungary 0-0 England
18:18 , Michael Jones
57 mins: Close! England have been pushed deep in their own half but some calm defending from Kyle Walker keeps Hungary at bay before the Three Lions launch a counter-attack of their own. A clearance comes up to Bowen who feeds the ball to Kane. Mount is free on the overlap and Kane finds him before his cross is deflected wide of goal.
Hungary 0-0 England
18:15 , Michael Jones
54 mins: Nego fires one at goal from range but his effort is blocked by Harry Maguire. He keeps his arm tight to the body but the ball strikes him on the elbow and one or two of the Hungarian players appeal for handball.
VAR is in action this evening but they aren’t overly interested in this one and the game goes on.
Hungary 0-0 England
18:12 , Michael Jones
51 mins: Chance! Bukayo Saka’s first foray into the opponent’s half sees he dribble his way into the left side of the box. He shifts it wide of Adam Lang before shooting from a tight angle and drawing a save out of Peter Gulacsi who sticks out his left leg and turns it away.
Hungary 0-0 England
18:09 , Michael Jones
48 mins: On a few occasions now Nego has been given loads of space to run into on Hungary’s right side and he’s forced England to scramble in defence to keep the cross from coming in.
Roland Sallai makes a decent run off the ball in between Alexander-Arnold and Walker before winning it in the air and nodding the ball down to Zsolt Nagy. He snatches at a shot from range and pulls it well wide of the back post.
Second half: Hungary 0-0 England
18:05 , Michael Jones
Kick off: Bukayo Saka is ready to come on for England, it looks as though he’ll replace James Justin who seemingly picked up a knock in the first half.
No other changes from Gareth Southgate as the Three Lions restart the match.
Hungary 0-0 England
17:57 , Michael Jones
How long will it be before Gareth Southgate thinks about making some changes? There are five substitutes allowed to be used and England have more than a few creative players on the bench.
Will we see Jack Grealish or Raheem Sterling in the second half?
Hungary 0-0 England
17:52 , Michael Jones
Half-time: Hungary 0-0 England
17:49 , Michael Jones
45+1 mins: Not a great deal for England to cheer about but Jarrod Bowen has impressed on debut as has James Justin. The Three Lions have found it tricky to break Hungary down and have created a few decent chances of their own.
Nothing to separate the teams though.
Hungary 0-0 England
17:48 , Michael Jones
45 mins: One minute of added time to play. England are playing for the break.
Hungary 0-0 England
17:47 , Michael Jones
41 mins: As half-time approaches Hungary are seeing more of the ball with England content to keep men behind it and keep out the home side.
Conor Coady clears a cross into the box and England win a throw in.
Hungary 0-0 England
17:43 , Michael Jones
38 mins: The last time England played here it took them an hour to open the scoring before going on to win 4-0. They’ve only had one shot on target though and Hungary look confident going forward.
Hungary 0-0 England
17:40 , Michael Jones
35 mins: Another counter-attack from Hungary who work the ball up to Adam Szalai. He carries it into the final third before feeding it across to Nego on the right. Nego hangs a cross to the back post but Szoboszlai tussles with Walker to get to the ball but neither man wins it. Instead they go to ground and Pickford tidies up.
Hungary 0-0 England
17:37 , Michael Jones
32 mins: Walker guides the ball over to Bowen on the right side. He dances into the box and shifts the ball around Szalai before pulling it into the middle where Adam Lang hoofs it away.
Bowen’s looked good so far on his debut.
Hungary 0-0 England
17:33 , Michael Jones
29 mins: Save! England are caught in the press and two quick passes from Hungary send the ball over to Zsolt Nagy. He’s closed down by Kyle Walker but no before drilling a shot at goal from the edge of the box and forcing Jordan Pickford to beat the ball away with a leap to his left.
Hungary 0-0 England
17:30 , Michael Jones
26 mins: Nego picks up Hungary’s first corner of the game and sends the ball across to Szoboszlai who stops the ball dead before losing possession. England run it out of danger before Kane switches the play over to the left wing. James Justin is up the pitch and brings the ball under control before knocking it into the box for Mount. He’s forced wide and no amount of shimmying can help him get the ball into the middle.
Hungary 0-0 England
17:25 , Michael Jones
23 mins: Andras Schafer goes in the book for a foul on James Justin after Harry Kane looks to slide him into the left side of the penalty area.
England have a free kick in a dangerous area and Bowen flicks it over to the back post but Harry Maguire can’t get to it.
Hungary 0-0 England
17:23 , Michael Jones
20 mins: Close! Pickford fizzes the ball out to Alexander-Arnold on the right wing who feeds it down the line to Kane before carrying on into the box. Kane crosses one into the middle and the ball bounces up nicely for the arriving Mason Mount who can’t head it towards goal.
Hungary 0-0 England
17:20 , Michael Jones
17 mins: Lovely hustle from Bowen to hold get to the dropping ball in the box then hold off Adam Lang long enough to win England another corner.
Alexander-Arnold curls it in again but picks out Conor Coady this time and the defender fires his header high and wide.
Hungary 0-0 England
17:17 , Michael Jones
14 mins: Close! Conor Coady to the rescue for England as Hungary switch the play out to the right where Nego brings it down and fizzes an early ball into the box. Dominik Szoboszlai sprints past the England defence and gets to the ball but he’s losed down well by Pickford. The ball squeezes under the goalkeeper though and looks to be rolling over the line before Coady arrives to belt it away!
Hungary 0-0 England
17:14 , Michael Jones
11 mins: Chance! A good from Jarrod Bowen sees his effort at goal blocked behind by Attila Szalai. Declan Rice did well to win it in midfield and quickly guide the ball up to Kane who heads it into the box. Bowen arrives from the right and whips his left-foot at the ball to win the corner.
Bowen gets another chance after Hungary defend the corner as Alexander-Arnold flicks one in from the right only for Bowen to volley his effort straight at Peter Gulacsi.
Hungary 0-0 England
17:11 , Michael Jones
8 mins: A cross field pass over the top almost drops for James Justin’s run down the wing but Loic Nego intercepts it in the air and chests it out for England’s first corner.
Trent Alexander-Arnold takes it for the Three Lions but whips it over everyone and out for a goal kick.
Hungary 0-0 England
17:07 , Michael Jones
5 mins: There’s an early sighter at goal for Harry Kane after he’s played down the line by Jude Bellingham. He brings the ball into the left side of the arena, cuts inside of Willi Orban then curls his effort wide of the far post.
Hungary 0-0 England
17:06 , Michael Jones
3 mins: Conor Coady feeds the ball down the inside right channel and finds Harry Kane who attempts to flick it over the top of the defence to play in Jarrod Bowen on the right wing. Instead Attila Szalai shuffles across and wins the ball in the air nodding it out of play.
At the other end of the pitch England give the ball away and it’s collected by Roland Sallai. He drives towards the box and shoots forcing a low save out of Jordan Pickford that he fumbles but manages to recover.
Kick off: Hungary 0-0 England
17:03 , Michael Jones
England’s countdown to Qatar begins in Budapest tonight as they take on Hungary in the Nations League. England take the knee and are disappointingly booed by the schoolkids.
Hungary then get the match started.
Hungary vs England
16:56 , Michael Jones
Here come the teams. The noise is loud inside the Puskas Arena. Kids under 14-years of age are using vuvuzelas to make themselves heard and it’s working.
Southgate’s thoughts on the Nations League
16:54 , Michael Jones
“We are preparing for a World Cup, but we are also wanting to develop players and we are also wanting to do well in this competition and try to win it,” says the England boss.
“We work in the right way to get the best possible performance on the field.”
Bowen’s domestic record
16:51 , Michael Jones
Jarrod Bowen is set to make his England debut against Hungary having become just the second player to register at least 10 goals and 10 assists in a Premier League season for West Ham (12 goals, 10 assists), after Paolo Di Canio in 1999-00 (16 goals, 13 assists).
Hungary vs England
16:48 , Michael Jones
England have named at least two West Ham players in their starting XI (Declan Rice & Jarrod Bowen vs Hungary today) for the first time since March 2010 vs Egypt (Matthew Upson & Robert Green).
England warming up
16:45 , Michael Jones
The warm-ups are done and dusted for England. The last time they played here they were met with a barrage of abuse both verbal and physical but rose above it to win the game 4-0.
Can they do so again tonight?
Pre-match thoughts from the boss
16:40 , Michael Jones
England boss Gareth Southgate, spoke to Channel 4 to give his thoughts before kick off saying: “It’s a very different type of atmosphere. These games can be so beneficial.
“You have got to test yourself against the best teams and we have three different types of tests coming up over the next two weeks.”
He also spoke about Jarrod Bowen and James Justin making their debuts adding: “They have got to do what they do every week for their clubs. You can’t put everyone in at once.”
Behind closed doors
16:35 , Michael Jones
In June 2021 Uefa ordered Hungary to play three games without fans and fined them £85,000 as a result of racist behaviour by their supporters during Euro 2020.
The Hungarian FA have found a loophole in the ruling which allows children to attend these games with an adult. That means around 30,000 school kids are expected in the stadium for tonight’s game.
Most have got horns and instruments to create an atmosphere so the match won’t feel like a closed-doors game.
The children have just booed the English team on for their warm-up (genuinely).
— Miguel Delaney (@MiguelDelaney) June 4, 2022
Hungary to have 30,000 fans at ‘behind closed doors’ game with England
16:30 , Michael Jones
England’s Nations League fixture against Hungary will be played in front of a half-full stadium in Budapest - despite the hosts serving a stadium ban for racism offences.
The Three Lions travel to the Hungarian capital to open their Nations League campaign on Saturday evening.
Their last visit to the 67,000-seater Puskas Arena, a 4-0 World Cup qualifying win last September, was marred by racist chanting from home supporters - landing the Hungarian Football Federation a two-match stadium ban from Fifa.
Hungary to have 30,000 fans at ‘behind closed doors’ game with England
‘I feel free’: Harry Kane finally has clear head as summer of football begins
16:25 , Michael Jones
England captain Harry Kane has revealed he is coming into this summer of football with a clear mind, free from the distraction of his own future being undecided.
Kane is part of the Three Lions squad who play four Nations League games in 10 days, kicking off with a trip to Hungary on Saturday.
The 28-year-old is in buoyant mood having helped Tottenham gatecrash the top four and book Champions League football under Antonio Conte.
It is a far cry from last summer when he joined up with his country for the Euro 2020 campaign with his club future up in the air, having expressed his desire to leave Spurs.
‘I feel free’: Harry Kane finally has clear head as summer of football begins
Kane chasing Rooney’s record
16:20 , Michael Jones
Harry Kane is on 49 international goals, only four behind Wayne Rooney’s England record of 53. The Three Lions play four matches during this international period and it is likely that the captain will become England’s leading goalscorer.
"I’d love to break it as soon as possible," he said of the record. "I’d like to score as many goals as possible in the next four games.
"It seems like a long time ago I made my debut. It’s still one of the best feelings, playing for England and pulling on the shirt. Back then it wasn’t a number I had in my head.
“It all goes so quickly with the games and major tournaments. It’s great to be nearer 50, although, still a few behind Wazza."
England’s winning run
16:14 , Michael Jones
England are unbeaten in their last 22 games, winning 18 and only conceding six goals - their longest ever unbeaten streak.
On top of that, Hungary have not beaten England in the last 15 attempts, since the 1962 World Cup.
The hosts have been ordered to play games without crowds after repeated racist behaviour by their supporters but due to a Uefa regulation, children can go accompanied by an adult, so there may be 30,000 in attendance tonight.
'These games are important’ says Kane
16:10 , Michael Jones
England captain, Harry Kane, say that these four Nations League matches are important for the squad as they are the only games the Three Lions will play before the World Cup opener against Iran on 23rd November.
Kane said: "It makes every training session and game important. There will be rotation in the squad and five subs in the games.
"Every time I step on the pitch I want to impress Gareth [Southgate] and there are only six games to the World Cup so not a lot of preparation time.”
England’s Nations League fixtures
16:04 , Michael Jones
After tonight’s opening affair in Budapest, Gareth Southgate’s men head off to Germany before back-to-back games at Molineux. Here’s England’s Nations League schedule:
Today at 17:00, vs Hungary, Puskas Arena, Budapest.
Tuesday, 7th June, vs Germany, 19:45, Allianz Arena, Munich.
Saturday 11th June, vs Italy*, 19:45, Molineux, Wolverhampton.
Tuesday, 14th June, vs Hungary, 19:45, Molineux, Wolverhampton.
*to be played behind closed doors.
Three Lions arrive at Puskas Arena
15:59 , Michael Jones
Kick off for England’s opening Nations League fixture is just over an hour away. The players have arrived at the Puskas Arena and Gareth Southgate has named his starting XI.
Jarrod Bowen and James Justin have been handed debuts, can the Three Lions get their campaign underway with a win?
England World Cup 2022 squad: Who’s on the plane, who’s in contention and who has work to do?
15:54 , Karl Matchett
England will be aiming to go one better than last year and win their first major international tournament in 56 years at the World Cup in Qatar.
Gareth Southgate’s side will play the United States, Iran and the winner of a play-off between Wales and Scotland in the group stages.
This month’s Nations League fixtures against Hungary, Germany and Italy will provide Southgate with a valuable opportunity to assess his options ahead of the tournament, which begins in November.
It is yet to be confirmed whether squad sizes will be expanded to 26 players - up from the usual 23, but in line with last summer’s European Championship.
Here, The Independent takes a look at who could be included in Southgate’s final selection...
England World Cup 2022 squad: Who’s on the plane and who has work to do?
Harry Kane feeling liberated as he hunts down Wayne Rooney’s England goal record
15:48 , Karl Matchett
The time when Harry Kane was simply a goalscorer was consigned to the past amid a series of defence-splitting passes. He came to look the footballing quarterback when he released Tottenham’s wide receiver Heung-Min Son with a series of inch-perfect passes. His sporting horizons have broadened. “I guess the ideal career would be a World Cup, a Super Bowl and maybe a Masters green jacket, if I am lucky to do that,” the England captain said. A year ago, the answer might have involved winning the Champions League under Pep Guardiola. Now it has changed.
If Kane has voiced an ambition to become a kicker in the NFL, the golfing aside was not said completely seriously. He flew over to Augusta for the last round at the Masters, the day after Tottenham’s win at Aston Villa. He spent Thursday watching the cricket on television, first heartened by England’s bowling, then disappointed by their batting. The country’s footballers were watched in training by Marcus Smith, the rugby union international, while Kane openly admits to having picked Tom Brady’s brains about keeping cool under pressure.
And yet, amid the sporting crossover, his defining feats relate to the trait that brought him to prominence: a capacity to put the ball in the back of the net. As Kane said: “My first thought is football.” And he might soon rank first for goals. He already has a World Cup Golden Boot. He could add England’s goalscoring record in the next two weeks. A player with eight goals in his last four games now has four matches to come, even if Hungary, Germany and Italy promise to be tougher opponents than Albania and San Marino, who permitted him seven goals in four productive November days.
Harry Kane feeling liberated as he hunts down Wayne Rooney’s England goal record
Fikayo Tomori primed for England chance after patience in Milan and Zlatan Ibrahimovic ‘team talks’
15:43 , Karl Matchett
Fikayo Tomori watched England’s penalty shoot-out defeat to Italy last summer in a hotel in Milan. He had spent most of the tournament back in London, cheering his international team-mates on for the quarter-final against Ukraine with friends at the Boxpark in Shoreditch. But he returned to the city that he now calls home a few days before the European Championship final.
“I remember when they scored, I just kind of had a face on and didn’t want to look too down, like we were going to lose,” he recalls. “Being there when they won, I couldn’t get out of there fast enough.”
Tomori walked out by the duomo, past Italians celebrating in the cathedral’s piazza. “I was right in the middle of it,” he says, “but I just got home as quickly as I could.”
Tomori has fully embraced Italian life and culture since joining Milan on loan from Chelsea last season and making enough of an impression to earn a £25m permanent move. His Italian is coming on well – “sometimes, in the changing rooms, I find myself thinking in Italian instead of English,” he admits – and he is known to have acquired a taste for sfogliatelle, a shell-shaped pastry with a sweet filling.
“I’m enjoying it and I’m really happy. I think that when I went abroad there was talk around English players doing this, but I’ve just tried to embrace it as much as I could,” he says. “One thing I found is that when I’m in Italy I’m not thinking ‘I wish I was in England’. I feel really comfortable there; I’m not in a rush to come home if I have a day off. I’m settled and relaxed about being in Italy.”
Fikayo Tomori ready for England after Milan glory and Zlatan Ibrahimovic influence
England Under-21s top Euros qualifying group after win in Czech Republic
15:39 , Karl Matchett
England Under-21s went top of their European Championship qualifying group after beating the Czech Republic 2-1 in Ceske Budejovice.
Emile Smith Rowe’s stunning opener and a second goal from Aston Villa’s Jacob Ramsey put the Young Lions in control before Czech substitute Daniel Fila’s superb late effort set up an anxious finale.
But Lee Carsley’s side held on without further scare and remain firmly on course for next summer’s finals in Georgia and Romania.
England, who have won six and drawn one of their first seven group fixtures, leapfrogged the Czech Republic into top spot in Group G, level on points and with two games in hand.
England Under-21s top Euros qualifying group after win in Czech Republic
England starting line-up
15:35 , Michael Jones
England XI: Pickford, Walker, Coady, Maguire, Alexander-Arnold, Bellingham, Rice, Justin, Bowen, Kane, Mount
Your #ThreeLions to take on Hungary! 👊 pic.twitter.com/pnVI0fM8bP
— England (@England) June 4, 2022
Harry Kane consults rival players over World Cup protest against Qatar’s human rights record
15:34 , Karl Matchett
Harry Kane has consulted with players from other countries as he and the England team try to decide how they are going to highlight Qatar’s human rights record at the World Cup.
The 2022 hosts have been criticised for their treatment of migrant workers, women and the LGBTQ community with Amnesty International calling last month for Fifa to provide at least $440m (£350m) in compensation for migrant workers who have been wronged.
England players were given a briefing in March by FA chief executive Mark Bullingham about Qatar’s record of human rights abuses which vice-captain Jordan Henderson described as “shocking, disappointing and horrendous.”
And while Kane said they have not yet decided upon a course of action, he has conferred with members of other international teams. While he did not reveal who, one of his Tottenham team-mates is France’s World Cup-winning captain Hugo Lloris.
The England skipper said: “I have spoken to some of the other players around the team and a couple of the other players from some European countries. Once we have come to a conclusion on that we will let everyone know but it is still an ongoing conversation and nothing is set in stone.”
Harry Kane consults rival players over World Cup protest against Qatar human rights
Gareth Southgate’s ruthless streak offers new England faces both an opportunity and a warning
15:30 , Karl Matchett
Gareth Southgate has brought up his century. Go on alphabetical order and James Justin is the 100th player he has called up for England. Name defenders before attackers and Jarrod Bowen is.
Either way, he had picked 98 footballers in his squads after the March internationals. Then the Leicester full-back and the West Ham winger got maiden call-ups.
Each was a reward for fine form but also an example of Southgate’s ethos. He can be England’s polite revolutionary. He has brought change from the off, dropping Wayne Rooney and Joe Hart soon into his reign.
A more recent omission is the out-of-form Marcus Rashford, one of his regulars. Eric Dier was an early favourite and has enjoyed, in Harry Kane’s opinion, perhaps his best season for Tottenham this season. Southgate still preferred to go with younger options, in Fikayo Tomori, Marc Guehi and Ben White, even if injury means none will play in Budapest on Saturday.
Full report from Rich Jolly:
Southgate’s ruthlessness offers new England faces both an opportunity and a warning
Joe Cole backs West Ham forward Jarrod Bowen to shine for England
15:26 , Karl Matchett
Joe Cole has backed West Ham forward Jarrod Bowen to flourish in an England shirt.
The 25-year-old has shone for David Moyes’ Hammers this season and would have been called up by the Three Lions in March was it not for a foot injury.
Bowen scored 18 goals in all competitions and provided 13 more during a memorable campaign that is set for an unforgettable conclusion, having been included in the England squad for the first time.
Ex-West Ham star Cole is excited to see his debut in the upcoming Nations League fixtures and believes the former Hull man has the attributes to succeed at international level.
“For Jarrod Bowen and James Justin, I think it’s going to be a massive moment for them in their respective journeys,” he told the PA news agency.
“They’ve come a long way, Jarrod in particular. He’s come from Hull to West Ham and he’s been outstanding this year. He really, really deserves it.”
More here on the potential debutants:
Joe Cole backs West Ham forward Jarrod Bowen to shine for England
Nations League provides crucial test for England with Qatar World Cup on horizon
15:19 , Karl Matchett
England on Saturday start a mammoth international break, with a seemingly interminable four games, and yet the most important match will still be one they are not involved in.
Gareth Southgate’s squad will gather to watch Sunday’s play-off between Wales and Ukraine that decides the last place in their World Cup group. It will be welcome given the amount of down-time the players have over these two weeks, which is why it could also offer the opportunity to provide some education on the more problematic side of Qatar 2022.
It is fair to say that more than a few of them have been echoing Kevin De Bruyne’s comments asking why they have to face four matches at the end of such a long season. Some of that is because of the change to the calendar enforced by Qatar, but it also means that the World Cup – for all the charm of the Nations League – is what this break is really all about.
Its length represents that of a rugby-style international camp, so Southgate can properly work on what he wants, and any new ideas he might have.
Read Miguel Delaney’s full match preview here:
Nations League provides crucial test for England with Qatar World Cup on horizon
