More reaction and analysis
David Hytner was at St James’ Park. His verdict has landed, and here it is! Thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night.
Gareth Southgate talks to Channel 4. “Our opponents were dogged and determined … physically it was a good workout … we had to be patient … we felt in the end we’d created the chances … I thought the scoreline reflected the performance … [Palmer and Eze] were very good … they both played with a freedom … [Eze] has lovely movement to go past people through the centre of the pitch … he’s got power … really happy with what he did … [Palmer] was trying to be a little too precise to open up the shot … maybe if he got his shot away a couple of times he could have had a shot himself … [Kane] will start on Friday … he’s trained all week, no problems … there were lots of individual things I was really pleased with.”
Harry Kane speaks to Channel 4. “A really good game for us … it’s been a good camp … good preparation … there’s been some things of course we can do better but it’s a good night for us … Cole Palmer has had an unbelievable season … we’re very happy to have him … delighted he got his goal … we’re going to need all of our players chipping in with important goals at the tournament, so the more people feeling good, the better … I’m feeling good, a lot of the end of the season was precaution … in the end it was a good chance to get a break at the end of a tough season … I should be ready to go come the group stage.”
Cole Palmer also talks. “It’s a great feeling … the first goal for my country … everyone wants to score for their country … when it went in I was buzzing … course [Kane, next to him grinning] would have took it, but it was just before he came on so thankfully I got to score! … tonight wasn’t my best game … hopefully I can go to Germany!”
England huffed and puffed in the first half, but they were much improved in the second. Cole Palmer demonstrated his cold side from the penalty spot to mark his full debut with a goal; Trent Alexander-Arnold pinged the passes around and scored a peach; Jack Grealish, supposedly at risk of losing his place in the tournament squad, came on and sparkled; Eberechi Eze’s first-half dribble was an ersatz hat-in-ring throwback to Gazza against the Czechs; and Harry Kane did what Harry Kane does. Ultimately, it was a comfortable 3-0 win, and if you can chalk up one of those when you’re far from your best, with plenty of players missing, it’s not a bad position to be in at all. Iceland next on Friday!
FULL TIME: England 3-0 Bosnia and Herzegovina
It wasn’t perfect, but there were plenty of plus-points as well, and 3-0 is 3-0 is 3-0. Hey, there’s no point in peaking too soon.
90 min +2: There will be four additional minutes. The first two slip by without incident. Another goal would be cruel on Bosnia and Herzegovina. Three is probably over-egging it already. They’ve worked hard and put in a staunch display. A lot of new caps and kids. The scoreline’s no good, yet there’s something in there for a future rebuild.
90 min: Bowen had his head in his hands momentarily, as Konsa inadvertently blocked his shot, denying him a first goal for England. But he quickly sees the funny side as Kane follows up. Branthwaite giggling as well. Good times. Team England with the team spirit.
GOAL! England 3-0 Bosnia and Herzegovina (Kane 89)
Grealish again cute on the left. He slips Maddison towards the byline. Maddison cuts back for Bowen, who shoots towards the bottom right. It’s heading in, but Konsa gets in the way. No matter, as the ball rebounds to Kane, who forces the ball home from close range.
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88 min: Gallagher has been impressive in his industry, too. He drives down the middle and space opens up for him. He threads a shot towards the bottom left. Corner. From which …
87 min: Alexander-Arnold had put on a passing masterclass in this second half. Well, Grealish paid him back for the glorious crossfield pass he received three minutes earlier. Grealish has been extremely impressive since coming on.
GOAL! England 2-0 Bosnia and Herzegovina (Alexander-Arnold 85)
Grealish makes a bit of space for himself to the left of the D, checks back, then loops a cross towards Alexander-Arnold on the right-hand edge of the six-yard box. Alexander-Arnold meets the dropping ball by steering it across Vasilj and into the bottom left. That’s a wonderful finish, with an assist to match.
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83 min: A double change for Bosnia and Herzegovina as Ahmedhodžić and Gigovic make way for Burnic and Muharemovic.
82 min: Alexander-Arnold plays a sensational swerving crossfield ball towards Grealish on the left. Grealish doesn’t have to break stride to take receipt, before sashaying infield and teeing up Maddison, who would surely bash home but for slipping as he shaped to shoot. That would have been a hell of a goal.
80 min: Grealish dances down the inside-left channel and upon reaching a bit of space just inside the box thinks about shooting, then defers to Kane. Bad choice. Kane is swarmed, then decides against trusting Gomez on the overlap. Attack over.
78 min: All of the substitutions have jiggered whatever rhythm this match had.
76 min: Branthwaite clatters agriculturally into the back of Gigovic and picks up his first booking for England, 14 minutes after coming on. A fair chance that will have amused Sean Dyche.
74 min: A triple-change by Bosnia and Herzegovina, as Bičakčić, Demirović and Gazibegović are replaced by Huseinbasic, Tabaković and Mujakić.
72 min: Kane spins down the inside-left channel and hits a screamer towards the top right. It’s oscillating wildly through the air, and Vasilj does well to parry it around the post. Nothing comes of the corner, Bowen’s header at the near post hitting Katić on the arm, but at such close range it never could be a penalty.
71 min: Grealish, Wharton and Konsa combine patiently down the left. Konsa eventually delivers, and Kane competes at the far post. Radeljić does enough to put Kane off, and the England captain – who had been handed the armband back by Trippier upon his departure – eyebrows harmlessly wide.
69 min: Kane takes his first whack of the night, striding down the right and earning a corner with a big, looping deflection. Maddison takes it, and Kane tries to flick home at the near post, but can’t wrap his boot around the ball. Goal kick.
67 min: Branthwaite, minutes into his England debut, competes for the corner at the near post but can’t connect. No matter, as England come again, Grealish curling in viciously from the left. Bowen can’t get a head on the ball, six yards out, and Kane isn’t able to recycle on the right.
66 min: Gallagher wins a corner down the right, but only after clattering into Radeljić earlier in the move. No foul, yet it could have been a booking. Maddison to take the set piece.
64 min: Gazibegović cynically brings down Bowen and goes into the book.
63 min: … with England also sending on Branthwaite, Grealish, Maddison and Wharton. Trippier, Guéhi, Watkins and Eze make way. Meanwhile for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Huseinbasic replaces Šarić.
61 min: That’s Palmer’s first goal for England and his last touch of the ball tonight. He’s replaced by Harry Kane, who must be wishing he’d have been sent on 60 seconds earlier. That’s not the only change, by the way. There’s a tranche of them and it takes a while …
GOAL! England 1-0 Bosnia and Herzegovina (Palmer 60 pen)
Palmer whistles the spot kick into the bottom right. Easy and simple as that. Vasilj went the right way, and may even have got a finger to it, but the penalty was hit so powerfully, there’s no stopping it!
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Penalty for England!
59 min: Yep, Tahirović had a handful of the back of Konsa’s shirt. He’s booked and the referee points to the spot.
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58 min: … but before it can be taken, VAR checks for a potential penalty. Did Konsa have his shirt pulled? The referee is heading over to the screen.
57 min: Gallagher wins a corner down the right. Alexander-Arnold swings it into the mixer. The ball comes back to Alexander-Arnold. Another corner. Take two. This one leads to a melee, Bowen’s effort flashing wide. Deflected, and it’ll be a third corner in a row.
56 min: Now it’s Gallagher’s turn to roll a lovely ball down the right flank. Bowen makes up ground before rolling infield for Palmer, who takes a touch just inside the area. He’s made himself space, but hesitates fractionally, and by the time he gets round to shooting, the chance is gone.
54 min: … nothing. But this is much better from England.
53 min: Alexander-Arnold is at the heart of everything right now. He flashes a pass down the inside-right channel for Palmer, suddenly in a bit of space on the edge of the box. His deflected shot earns a corner on the right, which leads to a corner on the left. From which …
51 min: England have certainly upped the tempo since the restart. Alexander-Arnold and Konsa combine down the right before the former sends a low cross in that’s deflected towards Vasilj at his near post. The keeper gathers.
49 min: Alexander-Arnold drops deep and, from the centre circle, floats a gorgeous ball down the inside-right channel for Watkins. Vasilj gets to it before Watkins can lob him with a telescopic leg, but only just, and only because the ball rears up off the turf. Had he managed to connect, that would have been a picture-book goal.
47 min: Palmer’s tenacity down the England right panics Radeljić into shipping possession. Bowen also swarms, and a corner is won. Alexander-Arnold swings it in from the right, and Watkins flashes a header over. If this instant burst of energy is anything to go by, England may have been given the what-for during the break.
England get the second half underway. No changes.
Half-time Euros-related entertainment. “Have you seen / heard this?” writes Simon McMahon. “I don’t think there’s an official song, but this ticks all the boxes, and knocks all that Three Lions nonsense into a cocked hat.”
It does indeed. On this very subject, let me humbly direct you to this piece from The Blizzard.
Half-and-half-time entertainment. “What’s the official beverage of today’s England match? The Alexander-Arnold Palmer?” – Peter Oh, who is here all week. Try the iced-tea-and-lemonade combo.
HALF TIME: England 0-0 Bosnia and Herzegovina
No goals, and one elegant Eberechi Eze dribble apart, nothing to get excited about. Bosnia and Herzegovina have been very comfortable.
45 min +1: An England shot! Bowen bursts in from the right and hits an unconvincing effort towards the bottom right. Vasilj gathers easily.
45 min: Bowen marches down the right and crosses deep. Trippier heads the ball back into the mixer from the other flank. Bosnia and Herzegovina hesitate but eventually clear their lines.
44 min: Other than that mistake, this half has petered out. It wasn’t exactly full-throttle in the first place.
42 min: Guéhi plays a blind Ian-Maatsen-in-the-Champions-League-final pass across the face of his own box, left to right. Hajradinović intercepts and shoots. His effort is deflected wide left with Pickford flailing. Nothing comes of the corner. England weren’t convincing in defence in the 2-2 draw against Belgium, and this is no better.
40 min: Palmer drops deep and attempts to find Watkins down the inside-right channel again. Goal kick. Nothing quite clicking for Experimental England yet.
39 min: England pass it around in the sterile style.
37 min: Data latest: according to Channel 4, Ollie Watkins has only had three touches so far. But to be fair, one of them was England’s only serious shot in anger, while another was an attempted flick goalwards from a corner, and he’s up against three centre backs.
35 min: Guéhi knocks a ball down the left flank and chases after it himself. Ahmedhodžić blocks him and catches him in the face. A free kick, and Ahmedhodžić is fortunate not to join his victim in the referee’s notebook.
33 min: Bosnia and Herzegovina are getting a foothold in the game. A couple more adventures in the England half. The crowd fall quiet as a result.
31 min: The home fans loudly trill the national anthem. Newcastle with a glorious socialist tradition as well.
29 min: Guéhi is booked for a clumsy slide on Gigovic, who is flipped into the air in the cartoon style, legs splayed and a look of shock on his face.
28 min: The resulting corner falls to the feet of Konsa amid a penalty-box melee. Konsa can’t sort his feet out properly and the resulting shot doesn’t have the required oomph to beat Vasilj.
27 min: Eze channels that Gazza-against-the-Czechs spirit with a sensational dribble down the inside-right channel. He beats three men in glorious style, and is upended by the D, but play is waved on because the ball breaks to Konsa, who shoots from a tight angle. Corner.
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25 min: Palmer twists and turns down the right before crossing deep to force England’s first corner of the evening. Palmer goes across to take it himself, finding Watkins on the left-hand edge of the six-yard box. Watkins can’t get a proper head to the ball, which floats harmlessly through to Vasilj.
24 min: … don’t worry, nothing happens. Pickford clears.
23 min: Dunk slices a simple clearance into the air, sparking off a chain of events that leads to Gazibegović winning Bosnia and Herzegovina’s first corner down the left. From which …
21 min: Nothing much to report. “I wonder when the last friendly international that mattered was?” wonders Niall Mullen, in lieu of meaningful action. “I reckon maybe the England-Czechoslovakia game in 1990 that booked Gazza’s seat on the plane to Italy. Maybe a similar fate awaits one of the England players tonight. Maybe Palmer or Eze?”
19 min: Eze and Trippier combine down the left. The ball’s cut back for Gallagher, who opens his body and aims for the top right from distance. Always wide and high. Gallagher raises his arm in apology, but there’s really no need.
17 min: Gazibegović is certainly back to rude health, and here he is barrelling after a long pass down the left. He reaches it before it goes out of play, but it won’t be an England throw near the corner flag, because another flag pops up for offside. A rare sortie by Bosnia and Herzegovina into England territory.
15 min: A bit of a lull, so here’s some more on that England kit, which [squints, adjusts pince-nez] “toes the line between established and unconventional … fusing together their classic reds and blues for purple … the graphic side panels feature seven different colours and pay homage to the country’s forward-thinking fashionistas.” And to think people used to reckon “looks good with jeans” was highfalutin.
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13 min: Gazibegović is down, claiming an elbow in the eye socket. Or maybe the ear. Or on the chin. Either way, it’s Bowen who whacked him, but it looked accidental. On comes the trainer, and play stops awhile. Then Gazibegović gets back up. He’s good to continue.
11 min: A great atmosphere at St James’ tonight. Who needs Wembley? “Regarding Džeko, I happened to be in Sarajevo in 2009 when Bosnia were playing Portugal in a play-off for the 2010 World Cup and he was an absolute folk hero already then, so fair play to him for still being around (does maths) 15 years later. Also I’ve always liked the name Headin’ for a big old target man centre-forward.” Jon Collin, ladies and gentlemen. He’s here all week. Try the Broon.
9 min: Palmer plays a cute ball down the inside-right channel to release Watkins into the box. Watkins outmuscles Katić, clambering all over him in a desperate but futile attempt to stop the striker, and bangs a shot goalwards. Vasilj blocks well. Great football all round.
7 min: … but then neither is England captain-for-the-night Trippier, and he clips the in-flight Šarić out on the right. Had this been a competitive fixture, he might well have gone into the book for that. The free kick is floated in from the right and gently eyebrowed by Demirović into Pickford’s arms.
6 min: Now Gallagher is skittled in the centre circle by Gigovic. Bosnia and Herzegovina clearly not in the mood to faff about.
4 min: Eze is quickly in the thick of things up the other end, and earns a free kick with an elegant dribble down the left. Ahmedhodžić checking him. Nothing comes of the resulting free kick but that’ll give Eze a boost minutes into his first start for England.
Bosnia and Herzegovina get the party started. Pickford, already none too popular with the locals due to his Sunderland connection, slices a simple clearance straight to Hajradinović. The keeper’s very fortunate the next pass, towards Demirović, is overhit. Goal kick. Relief for Pickford.
The teams are out! England will play tonight in purple change shirts, while Bosnia and Herzegovina wear white. A fun end-of-season, pre-tournament vibe at St James’ Park. We’ll be off in a minute!
Gareth Southgate speaks to Channel 4. “You can’t hide the fact that at this time of preparation, all these games are as big for individual players as well as the team … what we’re looking for is the work we’ve done on the training pitch to be carried out … we’re looking at how they embrace the principles of how we’re trying to play … we know what Trent Alexander-Arnold can do with the ball … we want to make sure he can do the work without the ball … against high-level opponents both sides of the game have to be right … what Cole Palmer has done all season is phenomenal … he has the freedom to pop up and cause problems … Jack Grealish was in a little bit later than the others, and we know less about Eze than we do about Jack … we’ve got four guys who have really good goalscoring records on the pitch … I’m excited to see how they combine together.”
Manchester City supporters will be hoping their old pal Edin Džeko comes off the bench tonight. Džeko is best remembered on these shores for scoring the first of the two late, late goals for City against QPR that dramatically secured the Premier League in 2012, very much that day the Stan Mortensen to Sergio Agüero’s Stanley Matthews. He’s scored 61 goals for his country, by far their leading marksman. The next cab on the rank, Vedad Ibišević, has a mere 28 to his name. Of the other players here tonight, Ermin Bičakčić has the next-best total with two. Džeko has some record all right.
The teams
England: Pickford, Konsa, Dunk, Guehi, Trippier, Gallagher, Alexander-Arnold, Bowen, Palmer, Eze, Watkins.
Subs: Ramsdale, Gomez, Branthwaite, Quansah, Rice, Toney, Grealish, Maddison, Kane, Jones, Wharton, Henderson, Trafford.
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Vasilj, Ahmedhodzic, Katic, Radeljic, Bicakcic, Hajradinovic, Saric, Tahirovic, Gazibegovic, Gigovic, Demirovic.
Subs: Hadzikic, Hadzikadunic, Huseinbasic, Tabakovic, Dzeko, Mujakic, Burnic, Sosic, Muharemovic, Piric.
Referee: Rohit Saggi (Norway).
Having Said That dept. Bosnia and Herzegovina have a very decent record against the other home nations. Since losing to Scotland in a qualifier for Euro 2000, they’re on a seven-game unbeaten tear-up against British sides, winning four and drawing three in matches against Wales (W2 D2) and Northern Ireland (W2 D1).
England have never played Bosnia and Herzegovina before. As one of the favourites for Euro 2024, they’ll be expecting to start a beautiful new relationship with a win; while Gareth Southgate’s side are currently three matches without a victory, Bosnia and Herzegovina are on a four-game losing run, having lost eight of their last ten, their only two victories during that sequence coming against Liechtenstein.
FULL TIME: Gibraltar 0-2 Scotland. England aren’t the only home nation warming up for Euro 2024. Scotland are preparing for Germany too, in more ways than one, and this afternoon they’ve started that process by beating Gibraltar 2-0 in the Algarve. Ryan Christie opened the scoring on the hour, and Che Adams added the second with five minutes left on the clock. Almost the perfect result for Steve Clarke’s side, as it breaks a seven-game winless run that stretched all the way back to last September, while adding nothing whatsoever in the form of hope or expectation. The sort of stuff that can addle the mind. Mess you up.
The England team has been announced, and as expected it’s an experimental one. Cole Palmer and Eberechi Eze make their first starts, while Trent Alexander-Arnold gets another run-out in midfield, and Ollie Watkins leads the line. With Harry Kane resting up on the bench, Toon hero Kieran Trippier is captain for the evening.
Tonight's team news...
— England (@England) June 3, 2024
First #ThreeLions starts for Cole Palmer and Ebere Eze! 👏 pic.twitter.com/ecHgnBPIGl
Preamble
Let’s not overthink or oversell this. It’s a pre-tournament warm-up with half the team missing. Kick-off is at 7.45pm BST. It’s on!
