England’s European Championship opens with a victory. At Wembley the National Three Lions won 1-0 over Croatia in the debut match in Group D thanks to the goal scored in the 57th minute by Sterling. Great start of the race for the hosts, at 5 ‘Sterling verticalizes for Boden who leaves from the edge a tracer that takes the inside of the pole before exiting the mirror of the goal. Three minutes after Phillips’ powerful shot from center-area, Livakovic pushes back with his fists. At 55 ‘conclusion from outside of Modric controlled by the goalkeeper. Two minutes later the game was released, Sterling served in the area by Phillips with a surgical right overtaking the Croatian goalkeeper from the height of the spot. Shortly after I lunge to the left of the English, Kean on the far post is anticipated by a whisker by Gvardiol.
At 65 ‘Croatia showed up, Brozovic’s shot was rejected by a defender, Rebic threw himself on the ball with the ball wide. A minute later free kick from the edge for the English with Mount touching the crossbar. In the 75th minute he headed into the area for the rushing Sterling, the volley was high. Rebic exits, inside Petkovic. Previously, Brozovic was released for Vlasic and Brekaro for Kramaric. Among the English ranks out Kane for Bellingham and Foden for Rashford. Perisic’s cross shot from long range, Pickford blocks in a high grip. Croatia plays the Pasalic card for Kovacic. After 4 minutes of recovery the Italian referee Orsato whistles the end of the hostilities. The classification of group D, awaiting Scotland-Czech Republic tomorrow, sees England at the top with 3 points, Croatia to zero.
Before the match, a loud blast of whistles, only partially covered by the numerous applause of the majority of the English fans present in the stands, followed the brief bow of the England players. In short, the appeals on the eve not to whistle the national team and his gesture of solidarity with Black Lives Matter were of no use, and the iconic football stadium has become the mirror of a political division. The same one that opposed Boris Johnson’s ok to the gesture to the harsh criticism of Nicolas Farage. As in the last two friendlies, against Austria and Romania, played in Middlesbrough, the choice of the English national teams in London, before the match, divided the fans.
And despite the numerous appeals in recent days by the players themselves, and by the coach Gareth Souhtgate, who did their utmost to try to strip the gesture of any political connotation, a part of the supporters, minority but no less noisy, objected the bow. In the intentions of the English team, bowing represents the fight against any kind of racial discrimination. In recent days, Premier Boris Johnson himself had expressed solidarity with the English national teams, hoping that the bow would not be whistled as a “legitimate peaceful protest”. Nevertheless, many British supporters continue to consider it an essentially political gesture, of the extreme left, to be traced back to the Black Lives Matters movement.