After England’s dispiriting defeat to Brazil on Saturday and Belgium’s goalless draw with Ireland last week, this friendly should serve as an excellent chance for both teams to showcase their true potential and play to their strengths. Expect an entertaining, high-scoring affair.
Kobbie Mainoo will hope to impress Gareth Southgate alongside Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham, while Jarrod Bowen and Marcus Rashford should start for England as well. In this article, we will discuss England vs Belgium footall matches.
England vs Brazil
At Wembley Stadium on Monday night, 135,000 fans witnessed an epic clash between two world-class teams as England suffered a 2-1 defeat against Brazil. While the final score may have been disappointing, Gareth Southgate’s side showed many promising signs. They created more chances than their counterparts while being dangerous on the break – players such as Jarrod Bowen, Ivan Toney, and Kobbie Mainoo all made their first national team appearance in friendly play and were not shy about taking risks on the ball.
England were comprehensively defeated by Brazil who scored two quick-fire second half goals from Ronaldinho’s free kick, with goalkeeper David Seaman misjudging its flight and leaving him helpless as it loops over his head and into the net. Four minutes later Jairzinho, one of England’s talismanic players, added another goal by finishing Tostao’s right-wing cross with an exquisite first-time finish for three goals in quick succession.
After the interval, England attempted to equalise. Mason Mount and Jude Bellingham both had close-range chances but their attempts went just wide; Kobbie Mainoo, who replaced Jeremy Piedmonte early in the second period, also came close, narrowly missing his target by volleying past the post.
Shortly thereafter, England’s hopes of making a comeback were dashed by Brazil. Gareth Southgate’s team remain on course for major tournaments this summer in Germany but their defeat at the hands of Selecao serves as a timely reminder that further work must be done if they are to realize their enormous potential.
England have suffered another blow due to Harry Kane’s injury, who will miss both international games this window due to a hamstring problem. On Sunday he withdrew from the squad along with Jack Grealish, Bukayo Saka, Sam Johnstone, and Kyle Walker; without Kane in front of goal they are left without their leading goalscorer for Euro 2024 friendlies and tournament play-offs.
England vs Republic of Ireland
Gareth Southgate had planned for England to face Belgium at Wembley as their final warm-up ahead of this summer’s European Championships, but due to an injury crisis within his squad his plans may be foiled somewhat. Kyle Walker and Harry Maguire remain unavailable, while Jack Grealish, Jordan Henderson and Trent Alexander-Arnold all remain out due to injury concerns.
Before meeting at Wembley Stadium for their showdown on September 12, Belgium have met twice before in competitive matches; winning one and England the other. Furthermore, both sides have met numerous times in friendlies prior to this Wembley match-up; Sports Mole takes a look at how both teams compare in advance of this important contest.
England: John Stones, Ben Chilwell, Jordan Pickford, Ezri Konsa, Jadon Sancho Kobbie Mainoo Ivan Toney Phil Foden are some of the key names.
Although England have suffered injuries this international break, their squad remains full of players looking to secure a place at Euro 2024. Mainoo and Toney may use this final chance before the tournament starts off to make their case. Bowen and Foden could finally earn their first caps here, while England have an opportunity to show they can compete with Europe’s finest, whilst facing physicality head on. If England cannot meet the threat posed by the world’s top side, their progress in the competition will be severely limited. To reach the semi-finals, they will require their defence to perform at its utmost. Otherwise, the team could quickly become chaotic. While it will be challenging for many of the current England players to meet this challenging goal, if they do so they will give themselves every chance at making history – an unquestionable achievement in itself!
England vs France
England will look to make up for their lackluster performance against Brazil in Tuesday’s friendly against Belgium. Although England are ahead in head-to-head meetings against their Red Devil counterparts, at major tournaments they can prove tough opponents – Sports Mole provides more insight into this contest before we head into Tuesday.
Gareth Southgate will use this game as a litmus test of England’s strength and depth as they prepare to qualify for Euro 2024 under Southgate. They currently sit second in their group but any defeat could see them battle for one final qualifying spot in Group B.
England are full of talent, and this international friendly against Belgium presents them with another chance to showcase it. Belgium have found form recently and scored four goals in each of their last two matches, while England are finding scoring difficult.
England are looking forward to welcoming a number of fresh faces into their ranks this season and expanding upon their impressive goal tally. Anna Davies, Isabel Rowe and Georgie Hetherington have made impressive international debuts so far; if they want to become serious contenders for inclusion in England’s starting XI, however, their finishing skills must improve drastically.
The match will take place at Wembley Stadium and begins at 7:30 PM BST. England are currently sixth in the world rankings and aim to secure a top four finish this year, while Belgium are seventh. Both nations hope that by participating they can establish themselves at this tournament.
England’s back four has been impressive, yet their lack of an attacking threat left them limited in early games. A more attacking-minded side should help open up opportunities but will need to increase defensive discipline to do so effectively.
England vs Spain
Gareth Southgate will use Thursday’s friendly between England and Belgium at Wembley as an opportunity to test his strongest team ahead of Euro 2024. However, due to injuries, Southgate was forced to make changes – Kyle Walker, Harry Maguire, Sam Johnstone are all sidelined and that leaves youngsters Ezri Konsa Jarred Bowen Kobbie Mainoo with an opportunity to make an impression.
Early chances for both teams go begging in the opening minutes. Lukaku’s header and Trossard’s final ball into the box both miss by considerable margins; and an incredible tackle by John Stones prevents Manchester United star Dele Alli from getting off a shot of his own.
England were dominant in the first half despite lacking quality upfront, creating multiple chances. Their best chance came shortly after halftime when Lamine Yamal burst through to set up Nico Williams who hit his effort into the bottom corner – but that momentary good fortune for England proved fleeting.
Second half started evenly and was an uneven contest until fatigue set in. Play was eventually suspended for four minutes to allow an ambulance crew to provide care to injured defender Rodri, who was quickly transported to hospital but is expected to make his comeback later this week.
After Spain attempted to seize control, Stones provided outstanding defense to prevent Dani Olmo from having clear access to goal. Thus, their home side held out and scored an impressive victory.
This result guarantees Spain a perfect run in this European Championship and sets them up well to defend their crown in Saturday’s quarterfinal matchup with Russia. England are left without progressing beyond the last eight since 1966 and will end the tournament as runners-up once more – finishing fourth overall out of all tournaments they’ve competed at. On this page is also detailed comparison between their head-to-head records as well as overall performances at major tournaments. To know more about sports like football, cricket, kabaddi, polo and many more just follow us: https://sportsbyte.co.uk/
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