England made a positive start to their Euro 2020 campaign as they notches up a 1-0 win over Austria in their first warm-up match. Southgate named his final 26-man squad for the Euros and this provided a perfect opportunity to test his players ahead of the marquee competition.
The English coach named a fairly strong lineup while deciding to rest the players who were recently involved in the Champions League final on 30th May. Harry Kane, Jack Grealish, Arnold all started for the Three Lions and the coach gave starts to the youngsters as well and they eked out a 1-0 win over the Austrians.
Alexander Arnold’s injury will be monitored for the next 24-48 hours : England coach, Gareth Southgate
A lack lustre first half saw the goalkeepers hardly tested in goal, with Harry Kane coming closest around the half-hour on a close-range shot that was saved by Austria’s keeper as the opening 45 minutes ended scoreless.
Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka finally the scored in the match in the 56th minute, slotting home from a tight angle after the ball fell to him at the far post from and England counter-attack.
The match ended 1-0 for the hosts at the Riverside stadium where fans were in attendance to see their stars before the European Championships.
However, the win came at a cost and Gareth Southgate has suffered his first setback in the tournament, as his chosen right-back Arnold hobbled off the pitch in the dying moments of the match. The injury looked bad on first viewing but the extent of the injury has not been confirmed yet from the English camp.
Gareth Southgate confirmed the same after the match, “It’s not a good sign to see him have to walk off as he did. We’ll know more in the next 24-48 hours. Let’s see how Trent is first and then we’ll go from there.”
