England vs Switzerland LIVE: Result, final score and reaction from international friendly
Follow all the action from Wembley as the Three Lions continue their preparations for the World Cup
If the purpose of these international friendlies in the no man’s land between qualifying and a major tournament is to experiment and learn lessons, then mission accomplished for England and Gareth Southgate. An old system including some new faces was tested and struggled against Switzerland, before changes were needed in order to come from behind and make a winning start to this World Cup year.
One thing these games are also useful for is a bit of stat-padding. Harry Kane is now level with Sir Bobby Charlton on 49 goals for his country, with only all-time leading scorer Wayne Rooney left to catch. The England captain completed the turnaround with an emphatically converted 78th-minute penalty, awarded against Steven Zuber for handball after a lengthy VAR check.
Breel Embolo had initially put Switzerland in front, capitalising on a Benjamin White error, and deservedly so. England were rough around the edges and mostly second-best until Luke Shaw’s equaliser on the brink of half time, after which the pattern of the game shifted with all the substitutions that come in these friendlies. To be honest, there was not much of a rhythm to the game before that either. Follow reaction to England’s win over Switzerland below:
England vs Switzerland: Mitchell could make debut off bench
Tyrick Mitchell has been named on the bench in Gareth Southgate’s side to play Switzerland this evening.
He had been asked about what it would mean to make his debut at Wembley. “It’s a dream come true for me and for my family,” Brent-born Mitchell said.
“I first lived in Wembley literally less than five minutes away from the stadium and then I moved a bit further out, but it was like 10-15 minutes away so the arch has always been there.
“I’ve always seen it. It’s always been something that when I’ve either been at school playing football or just literally out, I’ve always seen the arch.”
Mitchell still seems in shock about being called up and this chance to play at Wembley.
The 22-year-old said he felt “full of nerves but joy at the same time” as he made his way to St George’s Park for the first time to join a group that includes Palace team-mates Marc Guehi and Conor Gallagher.
Guehi and Gallagher will both start the match at the home of England football.
Full story:
Tyrick Mitchell excited at prospect of ‘dream’ England debut at Wembley
Injuries to Trent Alexander-Arnold and Reece James led England to draft in the 22-year-old Crystal Palace defender
England vs Switzerland
England have already named their team and now Switzerland have revealed who will go up against them.
They line-up as: Omlin, Widmer, Akanji, Frei, Embolo, Freuler, Xhaka, Steffen, Rodriguez, Vargas, Shaqiri
Will they be able to beat England at home? We will find out in just over an hour’s time.
Kane looking to take over Rooney’s record
Harry Kane has his sights firmly set on breaking Wayne Rooney’s England goalscoring record this year.
The Tottenham striker and Three Lions captain is currently five short of Rooney’s tally of 53.
England face friendlies against Switzerland today, and the Ivory Coast the following Tuesday, after which Kane could be within touching distance of the all-time record.
Do you think he will be able to break the record in the next week? Or will the captain have to wait a little longer to get his hands of the historic achievement?
Read the full story:
Harry Kane eyeing Wayne Rooney’s England goalscoring record
The Tottenham striker and Three Lions captain is currently five short of Rooney’s tally of 53
Is Italy’s loss haunting for England?
It was a shock to the football world when Italy were once again knocked out of World Cup qualification, especially as they are the reigning Euros champions.
Of course, the Italians defeated England in the final of Euro 2020 on penalties and so is Italy’s loss to North Macedonia haunting for England? A moment of what could have been?
Our reporter Jack Rathborn has taken a look at the question, writing: “If Gareth Southgate and everybody watching didn’t already know the Three Lions had spurned a glorious opportunity, they do now.
“Italy’s fluctuating form over many years, even if they did put together a 37-game unbeaten streak, further intensifies England’s regret, though it may fuel motivation to seize redemption later this year too. Their pain should also shine a light on Southgate’s ability to cruise through qualification, something that has routinely been under-appreciated.”
Read the full piece:
Italy’s World Cup heartache leaves England filled with more regret than joy
The Azzurri failed to qualify for the World Cup for the second consecutive time, leaving Gareth Southgate’s men to wonder what might have been
England vs Switzerland: Team news
England have gone slightly earlier than I expected with their team news but fans can dig into selection ahead of the match.
Jordan Pickford still gets the goalkeeper shirt despite his poor form at Everton with Mason Mount, Phil Foden and Harry Kane lining up in the front three.
Starting XI: Pickford; Walker-Peters, Guehi, Coady, Stones, Shaw; Gallagher, Henderson; Mount, Foden, Kane
I’ll bring you Switzerland’s team news as soon as I have it.
Bukayo Saka to not be involved
The team news for both England and Switzerland will drop around 4.30 but for those trying to guess who will be on the sheet you can cross off Bukayo Saka.
The youngster had to leave the England camp earlier this week after testing positive for Covid. He tweeted after saying he would support the boys from home in the friendly.
The Football Association said: “Bukayo Saka has left the England camp having tested positive for Covid-19. The Arsenal player had been isolating from the rest of the squad at St George’s Park since Wednesday and has now returned home.
“No further replacements are planned with a squad of 24 in place for the forthcoming fixtures.”
Read the full story:
Bukayo Saka out of England squad after positive Covid test
The Arsenal winger is the sixth player to drop out of the friendlies against Switzerland and the Ivory Coast
England vs Switzerland
More on Gareth Southgate as he has been asked tough questions about the World Cup being held in Qatar.
Boycotting the tournament would be the most drastic and powerful protest possible, from a group of players who have earned a reputation for speaking out on social issues, but Southgate cast doubt on whether it would be useful in bringing about change.
“I don’t really know what that achieves. It would of course be a big story but this tournament would go ahead,” the England manager said.
“The fact is unfortunately, the biggest issue that is probably non-religious or non-cultural is what happened with the building of the stadiums. There’s nothing we can do about that either sadly.
“I think as soon as we’ve entered the tournament that’s the point we decide. We’ve known for four years or eight years that this is going to be in Qatar.”
Read the full story:
England manager Gareth Southgate unsure about potential Qatar World Cup boycott
Southgate questioned what ‘complicated’ matter of boycotting World Cup would achieve
Gareth Southgate eyeing consistency as England kick off build up to World Cup
Gareth Southgate wants consistently high performances as England kick-off their World Cup preparations fresh from seeing Euro 2020 foes Italy showing what can happen if levels drop.
Now just a matter of days away from finding out their opponents in Qatar, the Three Lions are gearing up for the winter tournament with a Wembley double-header.
England will be without several key players for the friendlies against Switzerland and Ivory Coast but Southgate’s preparations have not been thrown off-kilter.
The 51-year-old has proven flexible during challenging moments during his reign and will use this break to help aid their approach to the World Cup.
“Always performance – we want good performances, consistent performances,” the England boss said. “We’re used to having to be adaptable and make changes so that doesn’t worry us.
“Normally, whichever team we put out, we get a consistent level from the players and that’s huge credit to them.
“When you lose players, it’s not that we sit and mope around, it’s just ‘OK, what’s the best solution and how do we adjust to the changes that we’ve got to make?’.
“We’ll do that for [these games], it’s an opportunity for everybody to get on the pitch.”
Full report:
Gareth Southgate eyeing consistency as England kick off build up to World Cup
The Three Lions are close to finding out their opponents in Qatar later this year
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