Cole Palmer keeps his cool for England breakthrough in victory over Bosnia
Gareth Southgate decided to make his move. The hour had passed and although his experimental England team was getting closer, he wanted to introduce the big gun, his captain Harry Kane, from the bench – plus four others including James Maddison and Jack Grealish.
Kane had taken off his tracksuit but there would be one last action because the VAR had spotted something amiss inside the Bosnia and Herzegovina box as they defended a corner. It soon became apparent that the defender Benjamin Tahirovic had a hold of Ezri Konsa’s shirt. It was a clear penalty and Kane had to be licking his lips at the prospect of getting on to take it for his 63rd England goal.
Instead, he was held back and the responsibility fell to a player at the other end of the international experience spectrum – Cole Palmer, on the occasion of his full debut. Palmer is famously cold from the spot and he was never going to pass up this one, his first England goal a special moment.
Southgate’s team had flattered to deceive in the first half, save for a few flashes from another full debutant, Eberechi Eze, plus a few more by Palmer. The penalty settled them, liberated them ahead of the Euro 2024 kick-off against Serbia on Sunday week.
There would be further tonics. Trent Alexander-Arnold had been moved from the right central midfield role to right-back after the mass substitutions but how he affected the game from there. One long diagonal over to Grealish took the breath and almost saw Maddison score but not as much as Alexander-Arnold’s volley for 2-0, fizzed into the far corner with glorious nonchalance from a tight angle. It was Grealish with the floated assist, a major boost for him.
Conor Gallagher went close to 3-0, denied by the goalkeeper, Nikola Vasilj after a surging run, before Kane, inevitably, did gloss the scoreline with a close-range finish after smart approach work that featured Grealish, Maddison and Jarrod Bowen.
Southgate’s selection was the big thing. It always is on these kind of nights, the main event fast approaching along with the deadline for the submission of the final 26-man squads. That is late on Friday night.
It was worth mentioning who Southgate could not call upon here from his 33-man provisional squad, starting with the injured Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire and taking in Bukayo Saka and Anthony Gordon, who were also not fit. John Stones had joined up too late after his involvement in the FA Cup final. Kyle Walker, Phil Foden and Kobbie Mainoo are not yet with the group after that game. Jude Bellingham has been given time off after the Champions League final.
It was hard not to feel when the teamsheets dropped that it was a bad sign for Grealish that he was named among the substitutes, despite reporting early last week after the cup final. Maddison was also only on the bench as Southgate started with an experimental line of three behind the striker. It was, from right to left, Bowen, Palmer and Eze, opportunity knocking loudly for each.
Eze looked assured at the outset, so easy on the ball, that lovely balance to the fore. He will beat you from a standing start. Premier League fans know that and the small contingent of Bosnia and Herzegovina fans, up in the St James’ Park gods, quickly realised it.
Palmer had a few moments from the No 10 role, ushering in Ollie Watkins with a nice pass for the first chance. Watkins had Nikola Katic grappling with him, he had the position on him and, were he to have gone to ground, the referee, Rohit Saggi, might have had to consider the award of a penalty. Watkins stayed on his feet and shot straight at the goalkeeper, Vasilj, from a tight angle.
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The atmosphere was subdued for long spells, apart from when Kieran Trippier, the Newcastle hero and England captain for the night, got on the ball from left-back. Or when Jordan Pickford did likewise. The Sunderland boy heard boos from the locals, although the England die-hards who had travelled from further afield chanted his name.
England gave the crowd very little to get excited about before the interval. They did not move the ball with sufficient zip and against big, physical opponents, set up in a rigid 5-4-1, it was all a little clogged. Bowen wanted to get in behind up the right but Eze’s inclination was to drift inside from the left. Trippier was never going to get up and outside from left-back.
Quick GuideGermany miss chances in Ukraine stalemate
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Euro 2024 hosts Germany missed scores of chances and dominated for much of the game against Ukraine on Monday but could not find a winner as their penultimate warm-up game before the tournament ended 0-0.
Germany, without Real Madrid and Dortmund players in the lineup following Saturday's Champions League final, started at a fast pace and with high pressing.
Ilkay Gündogan should have put them in the lead in the 16th minute, but failed to connect properly with Pascal Gross' cross.
Julian Nagelsmann's side came close again early in the second half but Kai Havertz [pictured] headed wide in the 53rd minute. Substitute Maximilian Beier came even closer with his first touch, hitting the crossbar from a tight angle and then forcing a save from goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin. Reuters
Eze burst away from three challengers in the 27th minute – a breathtaking and isolated incision – the ball spinning for Ezri Konsa, who won a corner. From it, Konsa again got a break and stabbed low for goal. Vasilj saved smartly. Bowen would shoot low at the goalkeeper on 45 minutes and that was that for the first half, Bosnia offering little. Haris Hajradinovic did see an effort deflect wide after a loose Marc Guéhi pass. The England centre-half was also booked for clattering Armin Gigovic after being sold short by a Trent Alexander-Arnold pass.
The home crowd tried to rouse England after the restart. The noise levels went up significantly, consistently. They implored the team to bring more against the nation ranked 74th on the Fifa list. It worked. Palmer flickered, seeing one shot deflect wide after a trademark shoulder drop, almost creating a yard for himself on another occasion following a low Bowen cut-back.
It felt as though the goal was coming. When Eze worked the ball wide after a corner, Bowen banged in a low shot and watched it deflect for a corner. Kane and the raft of replacements were stripped; the replacements including Jarrad Branthwaite and Adam Wharton ready for their debuts. England would strike before they got on.