Craig Bellamy made the point beforehand that a boxing promoter would not put these opponents in the ring together; the gulf in class was just too great. It was possible to remember the words of the Wales manager as England surged into a 3-0 lead inside 20 minutes. It felt like a technical knockout, this friendly over with indecent haste.
Thomas Tuchel had stood by the players who had ignited his England tenure in September with the 5-0 World Cup qualifying win against Serbia in Belgrade, the buildup dominated by his omissions of Jude Bellingham, in particular, and Phil Foden. The manager simply wanted his team to build on the momentum they had generated, the excitement they created.
