Wolverhampton: England national team Gareth Southgate has taken responsibility for the worst home defeat of the Three Lions since 1928 as Hungary won a 4-0 victory over Wolverhampton on Tuesday. Southgate’s men are staring at relegation from the top tier of the Nations League without winning four games in a row. However, he called on his fans to stand by the players five months later, ahead of the World Cup.
“I fully understand that tonight is a tough experience,” said Southgate, who was the target of most of the anger coming from Molino’s stand. “I would like to say that the players in this group are incredible to the country and they will remain strong, so it is important that people are with them.”
England surpassed all expectations of reaching the 2018 World Cup semi-finals and boosted it by reaching the major tournament finals for the first time in 55 years at Euro 2020 last summer. “I don’t have time to panic,” said England captain Harry Kane. He rejected his proposal that Southgate should be dismissed. “It was a night to forget, but we have to put it on our chin. We have to move forward.” We are preparing for the big World Cup. That is the most important thing. “
England toothless
Hungary won its first victory over England for 60 years in Budapest 10 days ago, and has won its first victory in England since the famous 6-3 success at Wembley in 1953. Daniel Gazdag kept Marco Rossi’s side to reach the Nations League final next year. Hungary will not head to the World Cup after finishing fourth in the qualifying group after England.
However, they are one point ahead of Germany in the Nations League Group A3, and European champion Italy is two more games behind. England has three points at the bottom of the section and should be revived in September to the Italian and German homes to avoid demotion. But a bigger concern for Southgate is how he will rally the team in two more games before the World Cup campaign will face Iran on November 21st.
The fatigue at the end of the long season, which began just weeks after losing to Italy in the Euro 2020 final, is blamed on England’s dull form. Southgate changed his side significantly in four games this month, admitting that his decision backfired. “The result is my responsibility,” Southgate added. “We chose a young team with energy. It started to look like that when the game started to oppose them.
“That’s ultimately my responsibility. I felt I needed to go to the game in half time. I made changes to have more aggressive propulsion, but then we’re more open too. Southgate lamented Harry Kane’s dependence on Raheem Sterling’s goals, and Kane’s penalty is the only goal scored in four games this month. However, there are also major defensive issues that Southgate should address before the World Cup. John Stones ended the miserable night with a second yellow card in the 8th minute.
Manchester City centre-backs also failed the opening goal as they turned a free kick into a Sarai pass. Sarai’s shot was too powerful for Aaron Ramsdale. Sarai created another deadly finish to double the Hungarian lead 20 minutes after latching on Martin Adam’s inch-perfect pass that fired between Ramsdale’s legs. Nagy fired a powerful shot from the edge of the area and definitely got the result. The Stones were then given his march order before Gazdag was clearly broken to rub salt on British wounds.
Dutch thrilling victory
Memphis Depay won the injury just seconds after Gareth Bale caught up with Wales as the Netherlands won the 3-2 Nations League on Tuesday. With the victory in Rotterdam, Louis van Gaal’s men are at the top of Group A4, three points away from Belgium, who beat Poland 1-0 in Warsaw. Noa Lang fronted the Dutch in the 17th minute with his first international goal, and Cody Gakpo quickly scored two goals. Brennan Johnson completed the three-goal spell in eight and a half minutes by pulling back one before Bale got off the bench and took a 92-minute penalty.
However, the Netherlands won three wins in four tournament games, even though there weren’t a few first-choice players from the beginning, so Depay, the home substitute, had the final say. It was a dramatic encounter between the two teams that participated in the World Cup in Qatar later this year. “It’s hard to take, but I’d rather hope this happens now, and we’ll deal with it more than it happens at the World Cup,” Welsh Captain Vale told the S4C. “We need to improve and improve with these Nations League matches.”
Club Brugge forward Lang turned the Welsh defense, evading goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey and shooting a powerful shot, giving the host a fast lead on a great individual strike. Gakpo scored a goal after blocking his first effort, doubling his advantage in the middle of the first half. However, Wales counterattacked in less than three minutes, with Dan James winning the ball and giving Nottingham Forest’s forward Johnson a second goal in four days. Hennessy was saved from Gakpo shortly after half-time, but Johnson was rejected by Jasper Cillessen at the other end. – AFP
