Red card changes the night in Prague
England did not look like a team about to run away with anything. The first half in Prague was tight and scrappy, with the Three Lions passing sideways and the Czechs happy to let them. Then Pavel Sulc went in studs-up on Elliot Anderson. The referee checked the pitchside monitor, VAR agreed with the concern, and Sulc was gone before the break.
Even a man down, the hosts were not a soft touch. England had to be patient and Thomas Tuchel had to change something. He did it at half-time, sending on Eberechi Eze to add a runner between the lines.
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Gordon and Kane finish the job
The reshuffle worked within two minutes of the restart. Trent Alexander-Arnold picked out the back post with a cross and Anthony Gordon was waiting to convert in the 47th minute. Alexander-Arnold said afterwards he had told Gordon to make sure he got to the far side. Gordon returned the compliment: “Only a certain type of player has the technique and bravery to make that pass. Credit to Trent.”
Harry Kane made it safe in the 68th minute. His swept finish took a deflection off Ladislav Krejci on the way in, which is the sort of goal that rarely bothers a striker. It moved Kane to 87 international goals, and by the source count he has nine in 11 games this year.
What it means for Tuchel
The result gives England their first win of this Nations League campaign after an opening defeat to Spain on Saturday. Tuchel was measured about it. “We needed to be more dynamic. It was very professional,” he said, and that was fair: a numerical advantage and a half-time switch did most of the work.
There were late debuts in competitive football for Alex Scott and Rio Ngumoha, a small bonus on a night when the points mattered more than the performance.
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