Written by Emillia Hawkins, sub-edited by Leon Imber.
England are set to host Wales this evening (Thursday 8th October) in the first football match to happen at Wembley Stadium since the start of the Coronavirus outbreak in March.
Gareth Southgate has already expressed his attitude towards the clash by saying that there is “no such thing as a friendly”, whilst Ryan Giggs has said that a match against the Three Lions is “Always a big game”. The last time the two sides met was back in France at Euro 2016, where England won the group game 2-1 following Daniel Sturridge’s epic winner in added time.
Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka are expected to make their senior debuts for England. Calvert-Lewin, 23, has already expressed his excitement to work with fellow England striker Harry Kane, whilst Saka, 19, has said ‘There’s a lot of good things that have happened to me in the last few weeks and months but this one was just something special, something different.’
Despite the friendly status of the game, both teams will be eager to get a win ahead of the upcoming Nations League matches. Emillia Hawkins reports the action as it happens.
Team News
Kick Off:
1: Wales kick off the game following a minute’s silence to remember the England fans and players who have passed away in the last year.
5: It’s Wales who win the first corner of the game as Tyler Roberts’ effort takes a deflection and heads behind.
7: An England corner by Jack Grealish is sent into the penalty area and meets the head of Michael Keane, however he is unable to control and Wales clear the ball.
12: A long ball is sent over to Dominic Calvert-Lewin who loses his balance after controlling, leading to Hennessey retrieving the ball.
Embed from Getty Images20: Roberts does well to carry the ball through the middle of the pitch, but is taken down by Kalvin Phillips on his way to goal. No cards given.
21: WIDE – Wales have the first proper chance of the game as the ball drops to Kieffer Moore after Bukayo Saka’s attempted clearance. Moore’s effort is sent just wide of the England goal.
26: Goal for England! Jack Grealish does well to cross the ball into the box, meeting the head of debutant Calvert-Lewin who puts it past Hennessey despite being under pressure from the defender. England have had a shaky start but this should definitely boost their confidence.
England 1-0 Wales
28: SAVE – Wales respond quickly as Jonny Williams sends in a corner which meets the head of Chris Mepham. The ball glides directly towards the middle of the goal and is comfortably saved by Nick Pope.
38: Kalvin Phillips sends a corner into the Wales penalty area, eventually meeting Connor Coady whose effort flies wide.
39: Substitution for Wales: Kieffer Moore appears to have picked up an injury to the foot and is replaced by Neco Williams.
42: Yellow Card: After a late challenge on Saka, Connor Roberts is booked by referee Bobby Madden.
Two minutes added on…
45+2: Wales claim the final chance of the first half as Neco Williams sends a fantastic cross into the box, but Roberts fails to get it under control and the ball heads out of danger.
Half Time England 1-0 Wales
Despite Wales appearing to be the more dominant side throughout the first half, they have failed so far to make the most of their chances and get off the mark. Goalscorer Dominic Calvert-Lewin is continuing his run of great form with his first goal for the national team, and Jack Grealish is also looking very lively on his first start for the Three Lions.
Kick Off: England resume the game for the second half.
52: Grealish is taken down by Ethan Ampadu and wins a free kick.
53: Goal for England! Kieran Trippier sends the ball into the box from a free kick out on the right, it lands at the feet of Conor Coady who smashes the ball into the back of the net.
England 2-0 Wales
58: Substitution for England: Tyrone Mings, Mason Mount and debutant Reece James come on for England to replace Joe Gomez, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Kieran Trippier.
62: Substitution for Wales: Will Vaulks replaces Ethan Ampadu.
63: Goal for England! And what a goal it is! A corner is sent into the penalty area and meets the head of Mings, who squares it to Danny Ings on the edge of the six-yard box, who then opens his England account with an excellent overhead kick.
England 3-0 Wales
68: This second half performance from England is a complete contrast to the first half, with the Three Lions looking much more lively and threatening. Meanwhile, the Wales defence is looking increasingly nervous.
Embed from Getty Images69: SAVE – Saka receives the ball just inside of the Wales penalty area and takes a touch before his shot, which is saved brilliantly by Hennessey in goal.
73: Substitution for Wales: Chris Gunter and Matthew Smith come onto the pitch to replace Connor Roberts and Jonny Williams.
76: Substitution for England: Ainsley Maitland-Niles, James Ward-Prowse and debutant Harvey Barnes come on to replace Bukayo Saka, Danny Ings and Jack Grealish.
81: Barnes is fouled by Mepham whilst on the turn, however nothing comes of the free kick.
83: CHANCE – Ings comes close once again as Maitland-Niles lays the ball off to him, his shot is saved by the fingertips of Hennessey after the ball was heading in the direction of the top right corner.
85: Maitland Niles drives with the ball into the penalty area, but Neco Williams does well to win the ball back for Wales.
2 minutes to be added on..
90+2: SAVE – James Ward-Prowse’s long range effort is saved and claimed by Hennessey in the final seconds of the game.
Full Time: England 3-0 Wales
After a shaky start to the first half, England managed to pull off a wonderful attacking display with Calvert-Lewin, Conor Coady and Danny Ings all opening their scoring accounts for the Three Lions. The Wales squad also looked very positive at times despite missing key players such as Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey and Hal Robson-Kanu. Now both teams face 2 competitive matches within the next week in the Nations League, where Wales will face the Republic of Ireland and Bulgaria, whist England play Belgium and Denmark.
