MY ACCOUNT
England slumped to their first defeat since the Euro 2020 final, losing 1-0 to Hungary away from home in their opening Nations League fixture.
The contest was due to be played behind closed doors, but around 35,000 fans were in attendance, with 30,000 of them children.
The game’s only goal came in the 66th minute as Dominik Szoboszlai slotted home from the spot after substitute Reece James conceded a contentious penalty.
That strike proved enough to see Hungary register their first victory over England in 60 years. We take a look at five talking points from the Three Lions’ defeat in Budapest.
Jarrod Bowen
Jarrod Bowen was one of two England debutants tonight, but the West Ham winger would have pictured a very different first game for his country.
Bowen’s application could not be faulted, but the Three Lions looked blunt and the 25-year-old failed to create a chance and connected with just 15 of his 22 passes (68%).
Furthermore, he only won four of his 10 ground duels and struggled to make an impact on the game.
The forward will be hoping to make a better impression when he next gets a chance.
James Justin
James Justin was the second England new boy, but he too struggled to stake his claim.
Despite the occasional bright moment, Justin was unable to affect the game greatly from his spot at left wing-back.
His first game for his country was curtailed prematurely at half-time, when the 24-year-old was forced off for Bukayo Saka due to a knock.
Given England’s left-back issues, Gareth Southgate will be disappointed that the Leicester defender did not make a more compelling case for himself in that position.
Out of ideas
Southgate’s most pressing concern in the aftermath of this game will be how slow and uninspired England looked in the final third.
Despite edging possession (57%), the Euro 2020 finalists managed fewer shots on target than Hungary (5-4) and rarely tested Peter Gulacsi.
Harry Kane, Mason Mount and substitute Jack Grealish all endured similar struggles to Bowen, failing to impose themselves on proceedings in a meaningful way.
Back to the drawing board?
It is possible that this display will cause Southgate to consider his tactical set-up ahead of the World Cup this winter.
His back three system provided England with a reasonable degree of defensive solidity, but there was a disconnect between the front line and the rest of the team.
Perhaps the Three Lions boss will consider reverting to a four-man defence, at least in games where England are the favourites, sacrificing some caution in favour of a more front-foot approach.
“We need to learn quickly”
Conor Coady, who played at the heart of England’s back three, insisted the team needed to reflect on their performance and learn from it ahead of their upcoming fixtures.
He said: “We’ve got a massive game coming up on Tuesday [against Germany]. We need to look at this performance and learn from it very quickly.
“I thought we started off quite well. We need to tidy up and bounce back. We need to look at how we performed and how we move forward because these are big games for us.
“We have lost and it’s important we look at ourselves.
“I think we were all a little bit shocked at first [when the penalty was awarded]. It was one of those where no-one appealed for a penalty.”
