Jacob Steinberg was at Wembley tonight. Here’s his verdict. Thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night / Good morning (delete according to which team you’ve been following).
A gravelly throated Australia coach Graham Arnold speaks, just about, to 4seven. “Sorry about my voice, I’ve been trying to out-yell 65,000! … I thought we did well … once again, we didn’t take our chances … when you play against a team at that level you have to take your chances … overall I was very happy with the boys … we miss Harry Kewell! [puts arm around Channel 4 pundit] … we don’t have the quality of players other teams have, so we try to be in the faces of the opposition and take away their strength … England have a fantastic team … since the World Cup I wanted to play difficult games … we played Argentina as good as [tonight] … we played Mexico in Dallas and drew 2-2, were up 2-0, should have won that … so it’s the small details … we’ve got a great cohesion and a great culture … it’ll come, it’ll come!”
More from Southgate, asked what it’s like to be tipped by folks from other countries for Euro 2024 success. “Four or five years ago, we weren’t quite at that level but we got to the semi-final in Russia and the final here … now the belief is there … there’s no more experiences they need to go through with us or their clubs … we have Champions League winners and league-title winners … the team when we’re at full strength play with that belief … we’re playing for England.”
Gareth Southgate speaks to 4seven. “We made a lot of changes and that made it really difficult for the players … it’s tough playing international football when you don’t have a lot of caps behind you, and it’s even harder when you’ve got a lot of players who haven’t played together … we weren’t cohesive … I gave them a really tough challenge and Australia were very good, athletic and well organised … so I am pleased with the win … to put the players in that position … they’ve had to show different qualities … there were some positives.”
Ed Aarons was at Wembley tonight. Here’s his report on the pre-match tribute that “remembered the innocent victims of the devastating events in Israel and Palestine”.
James Maddison speaks to 4seven. “Australia are a really good team, actually … we didn’t underestimate them … they’re a very good team, they showed that in Qatar … they made it difficult for us … you still have to come through and win the game and we did that … you’d hear players from England squads in past talk about maybe they’d lose that game … it’s important to keep that winning mentality, it’s infectious.”
Updated
Ollie Watkins talks to Channel 4. “It’s always an honour putting on the shirt … I’ve been waiting a long time … I was looking forward to it and wasn’t going to let this opportunity slip … I think Jack [Grealish] has gone to shoot and he’s dragged it, I don’t know if it’s going in … my first thought is that it was, but I took it off him … look, when you get the opportunity you have to grab it with both hands, I had to take it off him even if it was going in … I said [to Grealish] I didn’t know if it was going in … not sorry, but I was kind of looking at him saying I’m not sure! … I knew I wasn’t going to come off this pitch without a goal … I just had to keep arriving and knew I’d get a chance … before, there was a few times I got called up and didn’t think I deserved it … now I’m coming into the camp confident, knowing I deserve to be here … I wasn’t nervous, I just tried to enjoy playing in front of all these fans … it’s a good night.”
England sent out their second string. They didn’t play particularly well as a collective, though Sam Johnstone, Trent Alexander-Arnold, James Maddison and especially Ollie Watkins will be happy enough with their contributions. Nobody stank the place out. Australia meanwhile may consider themselves unlucky to be on the end of a narrow defeat, having given as good as they got. They had their chances. England go on to face Italy in the Euro qualifiers on Tuesday, while the Socceroos go to Brentford to take on New Zealand with the Soccer Ashes up for grabs for the first time since 1954.
FULL TIME: England 1-0 Australia
Put it this way, nobody will be talking about this England-Australia match in 20 years’ time.
90 min +2: … aaaassss dddoooessssss ttthhe secccconnddd …
90 min +1: The first of three added minutes drags by.
90 min: Metcalfe is replaced by Toure, the third Aussie to make his debut this evening. He gets involved immediately, combining with Mabil down the right. Mabil crosses deep, to nobody in particular, and it’s a goal kick.
88 min: Mabil wins another corner down the right. Already a sense that this guy should have been on much earlier, and he’s been on for what, four-and-a-bit minutes? He sends this one to the near post, where Souttar is unable to sort his legs out to shoot. A half-chance, that; not the time for Souttar to draw a treble clef with his legs.
87 min: Mabil takes the corner he’s just earned. Looped high into the mixer. A pinball game threatens to break out but Johnstone and Foden both intervene to make sure the ball doesn’t drop to a yellow shirt in the six-yard box.
86 min: Mabil makes good down the right and nearly finds Irvine at the near post. England are forced to concede a corner. That was a fine run by Mabil.
84 min: Mabil’s first act is to concede a corner under pressure from Rashford and Nketiah. But nothing comes of it.
Updated
83 min: Australia make a double change, replacing Rowles and Boyle with Mabil and Behich.
81 min: A belligerent run by Bos, who is never under control yet keeps on keepin’ on down the left and forces Stones into the concession of a corner. The set piece is hit long, and Metcalfe clanks a free header off the outside of the right-hand post. The flag goes up anyway, for some needless pushing and shoving, but Australia haven’t given this up yet. Like that’s breaking news: Australian sports teams don’t really do giving up, do they?
Updated
79 min: Irvine is booked for sledging the umpire.
78 min: Rashford looks dangerous every time he takes up possession. He tears off down the left at warp speed to reach the byline, leaving Miller in the dust. He cuts back for Nketiah, but the pass doesn’t quite come off.
76 min: The raft of substitutions has completely jiggered the flow of this match. Svennis would be proud.
74 min: A triple change for Australia. Goodwin, Strain and Duke are replaced by Bos, Borrello and another debutant in Lewis Miller of Hibs.
73 min: That’s Maddison’s last act of the evening. He goes off to be replaced by Foden, while Watkins, his work done, is switched out for Nketiah.
72 min: Phillips and Trippier combine well down the right. Bowen fizzes in a low cross. For the second time tonight, Maddison is a toenail away from poking home.
70 min: Baccus drops really deep and sprays a long pass down the right, nearly releasing Boyle. Colwell sticks to him like glue and forces him to turn tail. Australia come again, and so does Boyle, this time whipping in a cross that’s easily claimed by Johnstone.
69 min: … so about that England sustained threat. They’ve suddenly shifted down a couple of gears and everything’s gone very quiet.
67 min: Baccus drops deep in hope of influencing the game. A Quarter-Baccus, if you will. He strides into space and from great distance sends a Hail Mary wide left.
66 min: Nothing comes of that one, but England are beginning to turn up the heat now, offering a sustained threat for the first time this evening.
65 min: Rashford runs at Strain to win a corner down the left. Maddison’s corner falls to Watkins, who whistles a low drive towards the bottom left. Blocked. The ball ends up with Alexander-Arnold out on the right. He drives into the box and takes a whack. Deflected. Corner.
64 min: England play some keepball and force Australia to use up some energy.
62 min: … while Gallagher and Tomori make way for Phillips and Stones. Yes it took that long.
61 min: England make a quadruple change. Grealish and Henderson depart, the latter to a very mixed reception, to be replaced by Rashford and Trippier …
Updated
59 min: Australia try to hit back immediately, Goodwin racing after a flick-on down the left and forcing Johnstone to turn around the post. Nothing comes of the corner, but that’s a fine response to falling behind.
GOAL! England 1-0 Australia (Watkins 57)
… Alexander-Arnold picks up the loose ball on the right wing. He curls a delicious cross towards Grealish on the left-hand corner of the six-yard box. Grealish brings it down and creams a shot-cum-cross towards the far post, where Watkins pokes home!
Updated
57 min: Maddison tries to get something going by spinning Baccus down the left. Baccus can only bring him down. Free kick, which Maddison will get up to take himself. Everyone lines up along the front of the box … but the delivery is awful and headed clear easily by Souttar. No matter, though, because …
56 min: This has become a bit attritional. England too slow. Australia happy to sit back and stay in position.
54 min: Watkins barrels his way past Souttar down the left. He reaches the byline first and cuts back, forcing Burgess to knock behind for a corner. A short-played training-ground sequence falls to bits, and Australia clear their lines.
53 min: Alexander-Arnold sprays a pass wide left for Grealish, who nearly combines with the free-floating Maddison to open Australia up down the wing. But the visitors hold their shape well.
51 min: … Grealish deflects Alexander-Arnold’s long-distance drive wide right. Goal kick.
50 min: Alexander-Arnold fires a low pass upfield for Gallagher, who feeds Bowen on the right. Bowen reaches the byline before cutting back for Maddison, who spins and fires into the populated six-yard box. Souttar hacks out for a corner, from which …
48 min: Goodwin dribbles into the England box from the left and is nearly upended by Gallagher, who really wants to watch himself. He’s fairly fortunate that Goodwin stays honest and on his feet. Had he gone down, the referee would have had a decision to make about a penalty kick.
47 min: It’s possible that Gareth Southgate gave his starting XI the what-for during the break. Australia could have been leading; Gallagher could easily have been sent off for two bookable offences; there’s been an all-round lethargy. If so, they haven’t responded. Australia are seeing more of the ball during the early second-half exchanges.
Updated
Australia get the second half underway. No changes. Whatever will Sven be thinking?
Updated
Half-time entertainment. Whatever happened to that 17-year-old kid who came on for England against Australia at Upton Park in 2003? Barney Ronay has the latest!
HALF TIME: England 0-0 Australia
There’s no time to take the resulting corner. Australia would have taken this half-time scoreline before kick-off; they go off thinking they should really be leading. What a chance for the full debutant Ryan Strain just before the break!
45 min: Nothing come of the resulting corner. England go up the other end through the dribbling Watkins, who is cleaned out legally on the left-hand edge of the six-yard box by Souttar’s perfectly timed and executed take-everything tackle.
44 min: Baccus chases after a long pass down the inside-left channel. He spins Tomori on the edge of the D and rolls across for Strain, who only has the keeper to beat. He should put his laces through it, but instead attempts to steer cutely across Johnstone and into the bottom left. The faffing around, plus the weakness of the shot, allows Dunk to get back and hook off the line. Strain holds head in hand, as well he might.
43 min: Bowen has looked lively on a couple of occasions down the right, and he’s sent scampering into space again by Maddison, and wins a corner, England’s first of the evening. Up comes everyone. It’s played back up the wing to Alexander-Arnold, whose cross is met by a soft Bowen header. No Houchen he. Easy for Ryan.
41 min: Maddison swings a weak free kick into the Australia box. Souttar heads clear and Australia launch a counter. Nothing comes of it, but the visitors are holding their shape in staunch style, and England have yet to register a shot on target.
40 min: Strain becomes the fourth player to go into the book having hauled Grealish back by the shoulder.
38 min: Boyle advances on the England box and lashes a wild shot high and wide right. He had options either side, and neither of them are happy.
36 min: From the resulting free kick, out on the left, Goodwin finds Rowles with a raking diagonal. Rowles attempts to guide a header back across Johnstone and towards the top left, but doesn’t get enough on it and the keeper claims.
35 min: … and now so is Gallagher, who clumsily clips an in-flight Goodwin from behind.
33 min: Colwill and Baccus, both officially adults, take turns to shove each other in the chest after the former skittles Boyle to the ground. Both are booked.
Updated
31 min: Rowles throws long into the England box from the left. Some head tennis. Johnstone claims. The England defence is performing as an inexperienced, cobbled-together combo should.
29 min: … and so should Watkins. He’s sprung clear down the left by Maddison. He calmly rounds Ryan, only to send a bobbling shot across the face of goal and off the base of the right-hand post. Not sure how this game is still goalless. In a parallel universe somewhere, both teams already have a couple of goals to their name. It’s been fun.
Updated
28 min: A corner for Australia down the left leads to a game of pinball. England slip and slide about, and eventually the ball drops to Rowles, six yards out. He leans back and hoicks over. He should have scored.
Updated
26 min: On the left-hand corner of his own six-yard box, and with Watkins pressing from behind, Burgess passes back to his keeper at speed. Ryan does extremely well to adapt and volley clear, ensuring he’s not beaten at his near post by his own player.
24 min: Some komik kutz from Maddison, who beats Baccus down the left with ease. Such a smooth run into the box. As he drifts in from the wing, he’s got all the time in the world to shape a shot towards the top right … only to lash it straight ahead of himself, the ball sailing into the stand 30 yards upfield from the right-hand corner flag. The offside flag goes up to save his blushes … though had he not sliced wildly into the stand and hit the target, VAR might have got involved there.
Updated
22 min: Dunk lumps long in the hope of springing Bowen clear. Ryan comes to the edge of his box to claim. Australia go up the other end and so nearly score. Boyle curls in from the right. Duke shapes like Zidane in the 2002 Champions League final, attempting to steer a first-time volley into the top right. He connects and creams it, but the ball flies inches wide of the top right. Had that been on target, Johnstone had no chance.
20 min: Gallagher extends a leg and catches Burgess on the ankle. For some reason, that’s a free kick to England. Burgess fumes quietly when he gathers himself back up. Gallagher’s fortunate not to be booked.
18 min: A wee pause in play as a couple of players get some running repairs done. Then Grealish and Maddison combine to nearly open Australia up down the left. Not quite this time.
Updated
16 min: But the bottom line is, Alexander-Arnold is such a talent. He nearly releases Watkins with a clever pass down the middle – Ryan reads the danger well and comes out of his box to clear – then gets back to stop Goodwin’s cross coming in from the left. The resulting corner achieves nothing.
14 min: Alexander-Arnold sprays a pass down the right for Bowen, who gambols into the box only for his cutback to be intercepted. Australia clear their lines. The most promising attacks for both sides are happening on the far side of the pitch. Trent in microcosm?
12 min: … So Having Said That … (#2 in an ongoing series). Baccus curls a shot towards the top right from 25 yards. It flicks off Tomori, putting Johnstone in serious trouble. But the keeper extends fully to tip around the post. Wonderful save. Nothing comes from the resulting corner.
10 min: England are establishing a modicum of control now. Australia’s bright first few minutes already a thing of the past.
8 min: … so having just said that, they spring into life and should be leading. Bowen turns on the jets down the right and slips Gallagher in on the underlap. Gallagher whistles a low cross through the six-yard box and Maddison, leg extended, does his best Gazza-in-the-Euro-96-semi impression, missing the poke home by inches. Oh Gazza James!
Updated
7 min: It hasn’t taken long for Wembley to fall quiet. The weather is awful, to be fair. England have achieved nothing of note yet.
5 min: Metcalfe probes down the left and it requires the combination of Alexander-Arnold and Tomori to force him to turn tail. Meanwhile here’s a great idea courtesy of Charles Antaki: “As the camera pans along the lineups during the national anthems, you’d hope the director would ignore the players and just focus on the faces of the urchins lined up in front of them – you don’t get many chances to see unqualified joy. Especially not at the moment.”
3 min: Gallagher’s nervous header back towards Johnstone requires Alexander-Arnold to spin and hook clear under pressure from Duke. A fairly bright start by the Socceroos.
2 min: A slightly nervous start for Johnstone in England’s goal, as the first backpass that comes his way is whacked wildly out of play.
1 min: Watkins is fine to continue. It’s raining a lot.
Stéphanie Frappart of France becomes the first woman to blow the whistle for kick-off at a men’s international at Wembley. England lump the ball forward, and Watkins comes off second best in an aerial duel with Burgess. Ouch, he felt that smack on the lug.
Before kick-off, a period of silence in solidarity with the people of Israel and Palestine. The players wear black armbands. The silence is wonderfully, touchingly observed.
Updated
The teams emerge from the tunnel, despite the rain coming down in stair-rods. England in white and blue, Australia in yellow and green. As aesthetics go, it’s positively Ashestastic. Then a quick belt of Advance Australia Fair and God Save the King; may everyone advance and be saved. We’ll be off after a quick bit of school-days reminiscing from Chris Paraskevas: “I still remember the Upton Park boilover like it was yesterday. Our high school sports co-ordinator was football-mad and literally wheeled out a CRT television for students to watch in the morning before class started. (Back in the days before streaming, we huddled around things called ‘Televisions’.) 1-0. 2-0. Bedlam. At half-time the bell goes for morning assembly. We’re all hanging to know the result, unable to focus on the principal’s speech... Suddenly the sport co-ordinator bursts on stage, literally grabs the microphone and after a beat calmly says: ‘Final Score: England 1-3 Australia.’ Period 1 Mathematics Never went down so sweet.”
Before the teams arrive, there’s a moment of the sweetest and warmest applause in memory of former England internationals Trevor Francis and Francis Lee. Two genuine greats who served their country with distinction.
Pre-match postbag. “I mean, I’m not biased or anything,” begins Simon McMahon, who came on quite the malt-soaked journey with the MBM last night, “but just look at that Australian squad, for XXXX’s sake. Strain, Souttar, Rowles, Baccus, Irvine, Boyle, Behich. It’s like a Scottish League select. With added optimism and mateship.” Hope the VAR VAT 69 head has worn off by now, Simon.
Meanwhile David Wall adds: “It’s serendipitous that the match is on Channel 4 tonight as it’s pundit Joe Cole that i’ve been thinking about with the recent talk about Phil Foden moving into the centre of the pitch, rather than playing wide, at some point for both City and England.
“I remember it was always assumed that Cole would mature into a Continental-style trequartista in the mould of Deco, Zidane, or Roberto Baggio. Of course that never happened, it projected onto him skills and temperament that people wanted him to have rather than thinking about what he was really like. I wonder whether people are doing similar with Foden. It would be a shame if so as there always seemed a bit of disappointment about Cole, despite the fact that he had a really successful career, because he didn’t have the career many people imagined him having (see also Wayne Rooney).
“Wouldn’t it be nice if people could just appreciate and make the most of Foden’s actual ability rather than trying to fit him into something he might not be best suited to.”
Gareth Southgate speaks to Channel 4. “We’ve got opportunities for people to play tonight and need to find out about a few … we’ve got players who can use the ball well … but we’ve got to get the balance right against an Australia team that will work very hard and will cause us problems if our mentality is not right.”
He also talks up Levi Colwill and James Maddison, while revealing that Trent Alexander-Arnold will have some freedom to roam from the right-back position.
England hand a debut to Chelsea defender Levi Colwill. The two biggest lions start on the bench – Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham to come on later, no doubt – as Gareth Soughgate goes with Jarrod Bowen and Ollie Watkins up front. Jordan Henderson wears the armband in Kane’s stead, and the Al-Ettifaq midfielder will no doubt receive some beneficial careers advice from members of the crowd as he goes about his business.
The Socceroos also have a debutant in their ranks. A full debutant, that is. St Mirren right-back Ryan Strain, born in Coventry, starts for Australia for the first time, having already come on as a sub against New Zealand and Argentina. Strain’s grandfather Gerry Baker won the Scottish Cup with the Buddies in 1959, scoring in the final against Aberdeen, and a year later scored a club-record ten-goal haul in the cup during a 15-0 win over Glasgow University; Gerald’s brother Joe was a star for Hibs, Torino, Arsenal and Nottingham Forest during the 1960s. Oh, and if that’s not enough sporting legacy in one family, Strain’s mother Lorraine Baker finished fifth in the 800m at the 1984 Olympics.
The teams
England: Johnstone, Alexander-Arnold, Colwill, Gallagher, Dunk, Tomori, Grealish, Henderson, Watkins, Maddison, Bowen.
Subs: Trippier, Pickford, Maguire, Walker, Stones, Guehi, Rice, Rashford, Kane, Foden, Ramsdale, Phillips, Bellingham, Nketiah.
Australia: Ryan, Strain, Souttar, Burgess, Rowles, Baccus, Irvine, Metcalfe, Boyle, Duke, Goodwin.
Subs: Degenek, Bos, Silvera, Borrello, Mabil, Redmayne, O’Neill, Behich, Miller, Glover, Luongo, Circati.
Referee: Stéphanie Frappart (France).
Your #ThreeLions starting tonight! 💪 pic.twitter.com/1olbk0hfry
— England (@England) October 13, 2023
📋 Our Starting XI to take on England at Wembley! 🦁
— Subway Socceroos (@Socceroos) October 13, 2023
🏴 v 🇦🇺 - 14.10.23 - 5:45am AEDT
📱💻📺 Live on Channel 10, Paramount+, 10 Play#Socceroos #ENGvAUS pic.twitter.com/0R3a2gRvSr
Updated
Preamble
The last time England played Australia, this happened …
… but let’s be honest, this comedic masterpiece …
… is the one everyone remembers. It may be the only time the Socceroos have beaten the Three Lions in seven attempts, but it’s the game that instantly springs to mind: Harry Kewell’s verve, Wayne Rooney’s record-breaking debut, Sven Goran Eriksson subbing off his entire team at half-time, all that.
Few expect a repeat of Upton Park 2003 at Wembley tonight, with England flying at the moment, fourth in the Fifa rankings to Australia’s 27th. Then again, 20 years ago, England were ranked eighth to their visitors 50th, and look how that panned out. “We can win if the players have the belief they showed in the World Cup,” argues Socceroos assistant, ’03 veteran and erstwhile Middlesbrough star Tony Vidmar, words that carry weight when you remember the Aussies pushed eventual winners Argentina all the way in the round of 16 last year. So while England go into this game hot favourites, Gareth Southgate won’t take anything for granted. Kick off is at 7.45pm BST. It’s on!
