What everyone noticed: Dominic Calvert-Lewin, one of the 4 debutants tonight, doesn’t need much to score. After less than half an hour for his country, he headed a perfect cross from Jack Grealish against the net.
Calvert-Lewin is hot in England. For league leader Everton, he already scored 6 goals in 4 match days, good for a 12 to 12. 0-1 was the halftime score. He added 3 more in 2 League Cup matches, which meant that his goal was already his 10th of the season tonight.
After the break, a perfect cross from Kieran Trippier reached defender Conor Coady for the 2-0. Just after the hour Danny Ings set the final score with a bicycle kick.
Southate was satisfied: “The players have pulled their strings very well. It is so difficult for a completely new team – with little experience – to play together.”
“In the beginning our game did not go so smoothly, but in the course of the match they have found solutions to the tactical problems that Wales posed us with their pressing. And I think we finished very strong.”
England opened the Nations League in September with a narrow 0-1 win over Iceland. This was followed by a 0-0 in Denmark. Belgium did not fail on the first 2 match days in Denmark (0-2) and at home against Iceland (5-1).
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