England recorded a 2-1 win over Tunisia on Monday night in their opening game of the 2018 World Cup.
Gareth Southgate’s team started the match brightly, taking an early lead through Harry Kane. They appeared to be in complete control of the Group G encounter, creating several opportunities in the opening 25-minutes and would have added to their opening goal with a little bit more composure. They were then made to pay for their missed chances when the referee awarded Tunisia a penalty after 35-minutes.
Ferjani Sassi dispatched it and England ran out of ideas. Throughout the second-half, they struggled to create goalscoring chances and Tunisia appeared to be heading for a hard-fought draw. Yet, Kane popped up again in stoppage time to win the match with a header at the back-post and Gareth Southgate’s side went behind Belgium in the group.
It wasn’t pretty, but England got the job done eventually and look on course for a place in the last-16. On the night, Kieran Trippier impressed at right wing-back and their captain Kane got the goals. Otherwise, few players stood out. Jordan Henderson, in particular, was not overly impressive, especially in the first-half.
The Liverpool captain played one dangerous ball over the top for Dele Alli, but, otherwise, he didn’t have much impact. There were times in the first-half, particularly when Tunisia came back into the game, that Henderson just wouldn’t show for a pass or demand the ball. When he did get the ball, his passes were often sideways or backwards, and England struggled to get up the pitch.
Henderson wasn’t terrible, and he improved after the break – it’s also not as if Eric Dier, his direct competition for a starting spot, is any more ambitious on the ball. But it’s difficult to see how he warranted the praise he received on BBC following the game.
Gary Lineker, Frank Lampard, Alan Shearer and Rio Ferdinand were full of praise for the Liverpool midfielder. You can watch them here:
