Path to the Euros
England’s qualifying journey was near flawless, seeing the Lions pick up 20 points out of a possible 24 points to win Group C, which included Italy, Ukraine, North Macedonia, and Malta. After pouring in 22 goals and allowing just four, they were the only country in Group C to go undefeated, winning six games and drawing two. The eight games gave Manager Gareth Southgate plenty of opportunities to tinker with squad selection and tactics throughout qualifying – but with long club seasons intertwined with international breaks, injuries and poor form and fitness has seen the squad leading up to this summer modified here and there.
England 2-1 Italy - March 23, 2023 (Naples, Italy)
England’s first step towards qualifying for Euro 2024 was one of their most memorable victories in recent years. By defeating Italy 2-1 on Italian soil, the Lions secured their first win in Italy since 1961. Combine that feat with Harry Kane’s goal in the 44th minute – making him England men’s all-time leading scorer – and the win meant much more than just 3 points. In Euro 2020, England fell to Italy in the final on penalties, so opening their qualifying with an away win against Italy was crucial, both mentally and to open group play by grabbing 3 points. A goal by Declan Rice in the 13th minute got England off to a fast start, with Kane’s penalty in the 44th minute sending the Lions into the halftime locker room looking far and away the better side. The second half was much dicier, with Italy’s Mateo Retegui – making his international debut – finding space in the England box and slotting one home to cut the deficit in half in the 56th minute. Luke Shaw then picked up two yellow cards in the span of 54 seconds, being sent off in the 80th minute and only adding to a sloppy second half for England. The Lions held on to secure their first competitive victory over Italy since 1977. Notable chances elsewhere came from Jude Bellingham and Jack Grealish in the first half as well, but 2 goals was enough for England to kick things in their qualifying path off to a great start.
England 2-0 Ukraine - March 26, 2023 (London, England)
In the Lions’ second match of qualifying, they again were the dominant side for much of the game. A tie which saw England hammer 18 shots and 8 shots on target while holding Ukraine to just 3 shots and 0 shots on target resulted again in 2 first half goals and a relatively smooth 3 points. Ukraine managed to keep England off of the score sheet for the first 35 minutes, as forward Harry Kane missed two relatively routine chances from close range. His third was a volley from within the six-yard box in the 37th minute, and just a few moments later, winger Bukayo Saka curled one in from the edge of the box to double the lead in the 40th minute. Ukraine would apply a decent amount of pressure in the second half but never truly threatened the 3 points. Meanwhile, the control that the Lions had allowed Gareth Southgate to bring on forward Ivan Toney for his international debut, while the other substitutes featured were winger Jack Grealish and midfielder Connor Gallagher, both of whom missed chances late in the contest.
England 4-0 Malta - June 16, 2023 (Ta’Qali, Malta)
In their second road tie of qualifying, England were able to thrash Malta, pouring in four goals, three of which came in the first 31 minutes of play. The star of the game was far and away Trent Alexander-Arnold – the Liverpool man who is a quasi-defender and midfielder – who was featuring in his first international game in a year. Being slotted in at right midfield by Gareth Southgate for this game, Alexander-Arnold’s first major involvement saw his sweeping cross down the line for Bukayo Saka eventually end up in an own goal on Malta’s defender Ferdinando Apap, as Saka collected the ball from Alexander-Arnold and dish a cross on the ground past the goalkeeper into a helpless Apap and into the back of the net in the 8th minute. Then in the 28th minute, Alexander-Arnold collected a bouncing ball around 20 yards out and fired a strike into the left corner of the goal to make it 2-0. The remaining two goals came from the penalty spot, as forward Harry Kane converted for his 56th international goal in the 31st minute while Callum Wilson slotted his kick home to make it 4-0 in the 83rd minute. The main takeaway from England’s third straight win in qualifying had to be Alexander-Arnold’s position in Southgate’s squad. Alexander-Arnold has struggled to maintain a starting position but with his first international goal and two passes eventually leading to goals, he made his case clear to Southgate for his offensive prowess and fit amongst the surefire starters of Kane, midfielder Declan Rice, and winger Bukayo Saka, to name a few.
England 7-0 North Macedonia - June 19, 2023 (Manchester, England)
A Bukayo Saka hat trick and goals from Marcus Rashford, Kalvin Phillips, and of course Harry Kane gave England’s 7-0 win over North Macedonia a training grounds feeling as they picked the visitors clean apart from start to finish. “This is just a feeling I can’t really put into words. There’s nothing I can say to describe it. I’m just so happy,” Saka said when asked what the performance meant to him. Kane started the scoring off in the 29th minute finishing off a cross at the back post, then was followed by Saka scoring three of the next four goals in a total of 13 minutes. Saka’s first goal came in the 38th minute, when he smashed home a shot into the near post. Rashford added a third in the 45th minute, then Saka’s second arrived just after halftime. His second was by far the best of the night and potentially of all qualifying, as he controlled a half-field cross from Trent Alexander-Arnold on the run, chested it down, and smashed a half-volley with his left foot into the top left corner of the goal in incredible style. To round off the hat trick, Saka calmly found space on the run and beat the keeper one-on-one to secure his very first career hat trick. Phillips and Kane added goals in the 64th and 73rd minutes, respectively. The hat trick and display of skill in the game from Saka came as an exciting microcosm of the talent that this golden generation has to offer. With the win, the Lions stacked up their fourth-straight victory to open qualifying as they hit the halfway mark of their games to play, and looked as dominant as ever against a rather vulnerable North Macedonia side.
England 1-1 Ukraine - September 9, 2023 (Wroclaw, Poland)
England battled back from down a goal for the first time in their qualifying journey, showing resolve after defender Oleksandr Zinchenko passed the ball into the back of the net in the 26th minute. The Lions answered Zinchenko’s tally with a goal from a defender of their own and former club teammate of Zinchenko’s at Manchester City as Kyle Walker controlled a lofted pass from Harry Kane and fired the ball home to knot the score at 1-1 in the 41st minute. The Ukrainian defense stood tall in the second half, as England had 69% possession and 11 shots but could not find a way through. Bukayo Saka did hit the crossbar with an effort early into the second half, but after not much else tangible arose for the Lions. Substitutions of James Maddison and Jude Bellingham for Phil Foden and Marcus Rashford tried to change the offensive structure and energy late in the second half but different looks didn’t seem to thwart Ukraine’s higher press. While a 1-1 draw isn’t what fans expected or wanted, much of the English squad was pleased with a hard fought performance on the road in an emotional environment with everything that Ukraine as a country had been going through. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the Ukrainian side have not played at home. Instead, the game was played at Tarczynski Arena in Poland, where Ukrainian support still completely engulfed the air. England remained firmly at top of Group C’s table with 13 points through five games despite dropping points for the first time in their qualifying run.
England 3-1 Italy - October 17, 2023 (London, England)
Harry Kane again proved to be the figurepiece of the England attack in a comeback victory that clinched a spot in Euro 2024 for the Lions. Alongside brilliant play in the midfield from Jude Bellingham, England was able to fight back from an early 1-0 deficit and take down Italy by a score of 3-1 for their second victory over the Italians in qualifying. Just 15 minutes in, forward Gianluca Scamacca scored off of a cross from defender Giovanni di Lorenzo to give the visitors a one goal lead. But Bellingham’s play in offensive pockets proved critical, as he was tackled by di Lorenzo in the box and awarded a penalty. Kane slotted home his 23rd goal at Wembley Stadium to draw even with Italy. Bellingham was involved again in the second England goal, sending a ball into the box for winger Marcus Rashford to fire into the bottom corner and secure the lead in the 57th minute. Another Kane goal in the 77th minute all but sealed the win and was another huge moment for the team to grab their fourth win out of five qualifying games. Southgate oozed over Bellingham, emphasizing that “his mentality is incredible for his age. To have such an impact at such a young age, to show such maturity but also humility. We’re very lucky to have him.” The win saw the English lineup quick on the ball, efficient with their passing, and disciplined in defense.
England 2-0 Malta - November 17, 2023 (London, England)
On the tails of a second straight win against Italy which saw the Lions secure a spot in Euro 2024, England came out looking emotionally uninvested in the game. Only an 8th minute own goal by Malta defender Enrico Pepe separated the two sides until a 75th minute goal by forward Harry Kane ensured the victory and the 3 points. The Lions had just three shots on goal despite managing 75% possession. The squad selection from manager Gareth Southgate was much less aggressive, with few first-choice players starting the game and the likes of defenders Kieran Trippier and Fikayo Tomori and winger Marcus Rashford being thrust into the starting squad. A stressful soundbite from Southgate is all fans and media needed to know about how the Lions performed in front of a home crowd against a Malta team who had lost all seven of its qualifying matches entering the game. “[We’re not at] the level we want to be at,” he remarked after the game. His other comments danced around essentially not needing to provide the level of effort against Malta like his squad needed against Italy or Ukraine. But without a shadow of doubt, injuries and mental slips prevented England from dominating a weak Malta side which many did not expect. From a collision between teammates Rashford and Trent Alexander-Arnold, to an errant pass out of defender Harry Maguire in his own half, and a giveaway by Conor Gallagher, the English side looked disjointed and sluggish.
England 1-1 North Macedonia - November 20, 2023 (Skopje, North Macedonia)
The end of the qualifying campaign came as a slight disappointment for the Lions as a 1-1 draw with North Macedonia was certainly not in the cards for England’s final qualifying game. While England had already qualified for Euro 2024 and secured first place in their group, several first-team starters featured in this game – not a full squad of academy call-ups making their debuts – which manager Gareth Southgate will surely not be excited about. Regardless, forward Ollie Watkins was allowed to start and defender Rico Lewis made his international debut. Yet Watkins had just 11 touches on the ball and was substituted off for Harry Kane in the 58th minute while Lewis surrendered a penalty which led to a goal for midfielder Enis Bardhi in the 41st minute. Down 1-0 at the half and needing a draw to be in the pot for top seeds in the tournament, England came out of the halftime dressing room with a would-be goal by midfielder Jack Grealish only to be ruled offside by VAR. Kane’s introduction in the 58th minute instantly changed the dynamic of the game, as his header from a Phil Foden cross karemed off of midfielder Jani Atanasov into the goal in the 59th minute. The full-time whistle sounded and the draw against North Macedonia was the first time since 2016 that England failed to defeat a team ranked as low as 66th in the FIFA rankings. With qualifying over, England largely performed at expectation level – and now the coming weeks and months will tell what Southgate and the rest of the staff do in terms of squad selection and placement to put England’s best foot forward for the competition.