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England Defence Hoping Good Days Are Ahead After Rare Clean Sheet vs. Portugal
Published: June 3, 2016
"We were thinking about Gareth Bale," the manager said, per BBC Sport. Unfortunately, his plan to test his side against the Welshman's Real Madrid team-mate, the similarly well-equipped Cristiano Ronaldo, fell apart as the latter was still recovering from his own Champions League final exertion.
England's defence did not get Ronaldo as Bale, denying them the chance to prepare specifically for their second group game against Wales. As it worked out, Bruno Alves' 35th-minute sending-off for a wild high boot near Harry Kane also denied them a more substantial challenge from their visitors.
Yet, as disappointing an exercise as the contest against the depleted Portuguese proved in these respects, it was not a completely worthless night for the team's rearguard. Centre-back Smalling scored (see above), right-back Kyle Walker won man of the match and collectively they recorded their first clean sheet since beating France on the same Wembley pitch last November.
Coming against a side short of attacking threat in names and numbers—that, as tallied by WhoScored.com, managed no shots on target—it may not feel like much.
England's lifeless overall performance did not provide the momentum-generating send-off everyone would have preferred. The purposeful, occasionally joyful play that has been glimpsed over qualifying and in the run-up to the European Championships was largely absent here.
In that context, a solid defensive display is not much to get excited about.
However, for a rearguard that has been much maligned for some time now, there were positives they can take forward. Their boss praised how "the back players took a lot of responsibility, on th...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - International Football
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