Anthony Gordon and Harry Kane were on target as England bounced back from an opening defeat to beat 10-man Czech Republic 2-0 in their UEFA Nations League clash
England fell to a 3-2 loss at the hands of world champions Spain in their Nations League opener at Wembley the past weekend, but got a boost early on when the hosts were reduced to 10 men.
Pavel Sulc was sent off after only 25 minutes of the contest for a high challenge on Elliot Anderson, however, Czech Republic put up stubborn resistance and held firm until the halftime interval.
The deadlock was broken just two minutes after the break though when Trent Alexander-Arnold, making his first England start since October 2024, put in a brilliant delivery for Gordon to head home after 47 minutes.
The visitors continued to dominate proceedings with a goal to the good and a man advantage on the pitch, but failed to get the second goal until late on.
England’s pressure finally paid off with 20 minutes remaining when captain Kane found the back of the net from close-range after the home defence failed to clear their lines.
There was also time for head coach Thomas Tuchel to give an England debut to Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott, who was narrowly off target after a trademark surge.
England’s victory was fully merited and they now move on to face Croatia in Rijeka on Saturday.
