England they got their first win of the nine UEFA Nations League campaign as second-half goals from Anthony Gordon and Harry Kane secured a 2-0 away win over 10 men. Czech.
The Three Lions lost a thrilling 3-2 defeat to world champions Spain on Saturday but bounced back comfortably in Prague, with their task made much easier after Pavel Sulc was sent off in the 25th minute.
Gordon, who scored England’s opener against Spain, continued his fine run of form for his country when he broke the Czech resistance shortly after the second-half restart, and Kane wrapped up the points in the 69th minute with his 123rd international goal.
Thomas Tuchel’s men visit Croatia on Saturday to take another step towards progressing from Group A3 and into the quarter-finals.
England defeat the Czech Republic by 10
The Czech got the better of the opening minutes, putting the English defense under pressure without troubling goalkeeper James Trafford too often, although Sulc forced him into action with what turned out to be the hosts’ best chance of the game.
England, however, survived that strong start from the Czech Republic and would have gone ahead in the 16th minute had Morgan Rogers’ effort on the turn not hit the post.
Gordon doubled after Lewis Hall won possession in the Czech half, before Sulc’s night came to a premature end.
Referee Halil Umut Meler initially showed Sulc a yellow card for a high challenge on Elliot Anderson but, after being ordered to go to the monitor for an on-field review, quickly upgraded it to red.
Gordon stung the palms of Matej Kovar soon after, and the Czech goalkeeper produced a fine save in first-half stoppage time to prevent Kane from breaking the deadlock.
But Gordon did just that with less than two minutes left in the second half, the Barcelona forward meeting Trent Alexander-Arnold’s superb right-footed cross with an angled header into the bottom right corner.
Hall spurned a chance to double the lead when he deflected wide after excellent link-up play down the left with former Newcastle United team-mate Gordon.
A low cross from Hall wreaked havoc in the Czech penalty area as Ladislav Krejci turned against his own post, but England’s breathing space came from a far more predictable source.
Kane didn’t need a second invitation when the ball broke to him after Rogers was packed in to try to latch on to Eberechi Eze’s pass, the Bayern Munich talisman finding the bottom corner with a pinpoint finish.
The Czech Republic threatened to find a way back into the game when Adam Hlozek was denied by Trafford after a quick counter but, after Rogers headed into the side-netting, the hosts had Kovar to thank to prevent the scoreline from going any further as he turned from Eze’s volley and thwarted Jude Bellingham in the closing stages.
