Saka scores as fringe players shine in England win

Bukayo Saka, Jack Grealish and Jude Bellingham all shined as England’s fringe players stepped up in a 1-0 warm-up win over Austria at the Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough.

A slightly lethargic England performance saw 17-year-old Bellingham given the most responsibility in midfield, and lived up to expectations, as he always does, giving Gareth Southgate plenty of food for thought ahead of the Euros next weekend.

Jack Grealish brought exactly what his Aston Villa performances promised, bringing skill and unpredictability to an England squad often lacking in it, while a makeshift backline had little to do despite things failing to tick up top.

England eventually found the breakthrough their sterile dominance almost deserved, starting with Jack Grealish finding Harry Kane for a fast break on the halfway line. Kane’s pass eventually found its way back to Grealish via Jesse Lingard, but the Villa captain was tackled, allowing the ball to fall to Saka for his first England goal.

There was some bad news to come for Southgate as Trent Alexander-Arnold left the pitch injured, but he will have been pleased to see his extra forward options show up.

Elsewhere…

Scotland continued the good vibes around their camp with a 2-2 draw against The Netherlands, while Germany struggled once more, drawing with Denmark, and France racked up a comfortable 3-0 win over Wales. 

Superb from @ben6white on his #ThreeLions debut! ⛔️pic.twitter.com/hJwWTXfWB9

— England (@England) June 2, 2021