England tops Scotland in feisty anniversary friendly
England beat Scotland 3-1 on Tuesday in the 150th anniversary of a friendly between the two teams. The matchup is currently the oldest international fixture in world soccer. The Three Lions grabbed the victory thanks to goals from Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham, and Harry Kane.
While it may officially be just a friendly, England and Scotland are bitter rivals. In fact, a majority of the home Scottish fans booed God Save the King prior to the fixture. England fans then countered with boos during a moment of silence for former Scottish manager Craig Brown.
England dominated possession early in the match on Tuesday. However, the Three Lions could not quite break down the stingy hosts. Despite having plenty of possession, Scottish goalkeeper Angus Gunn was not seriously tested in the opening 20 minutes or so. Scotland also had a few chances on the counter-attack as well, but could not muster a shot during this timeframe.
Three Lions score two goals in three minutes
Nevertheless, the visitors grabbed the breakthrough goal in the 32nd minute of the match. Marcus Rashford first picked out Kyle Walker inside the box. The defender then sent a fierce low pass toward Foden. The Manchester City midfielder guided the ball into the back of the net with a clever touch just a few yards from goal.
Bellingham then doubled England’s lead less than three minutes later. Scotland’s Andrew Robertson failed to clear the ball to safety inside his box. Instead, the Liverpool defender played an accidental pass to Bellingham. The dynamic midfielder finished the play off by sending a strong shot by the helpless Gunn.
Scotland makes friendly against England interesting
While Scotland failed to register a shot in the opening half, they did manage two attempts on goal inside the first five minutes of the second period. Neither shot, however, forced a save from Aaron Ramsdale. Nevertheless, the hosts would later grab a goal back after an own goal by English defender Harry Maguire in the 67th minute. Robertson sent a cross toward the box, but the center-back deflected the ball beyond Ramsdale.
The Three Lions regained their two-goal cushion in the 81st minute thanks to a goal by Kane. Bellingham, however, created the score with a pirouette around a Scottish defender and a perfect through ball to his teammate. The Bayern Munich striker then slotted his shot into the bottom corner of the net.
Scotland will now regroup as they look to qualify for the 2024 Euros. They are currently leading Group A at the moment after dominating the qualification phase so far. Much like their rivals, England is also flying high in the Euro qualifiers. The Three Lions are atop group C after extending their unbeaten run at the weekend.
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