da dobrowin： England’s 2-1 win over Slovakia on Monday evening may have been a tense encounter for the many watching at home after the visitors went a goal up at Wembley on the three-minute mark.
da luck： But the Three Lions’ comeback highlighted how they can make up in character for what they often lack in quality, Gareth Southgate’s side digging deep and shaking off the Iceland-induced nightmares of last summer to seal a win that has all-but mathematically secured a place at the World Cup in Russia.
Crucial to that end were Eric Dier and Marcus Rashford, who ranked second and first respectively in FootballFanCast’s Man of the Match poll.
The Tottenham midfielder has developed a knack of scoring vital goals for England – the winner against Germany and the first goal at Euro 2016 – and his equaliser against Slovakia just before half-time was another, completely changing the complexion of the match.
Coming at the end of an incredibly poor opening 45 minutes, that was all about resilience – as were Dier’s five tackles and five fouls as he asserted his dominance in the engine room.
Rashford’s night too, had mental toughness at its heart. Many an England youngster have wilted after making big mistakes before but after naively squandering possession for Slovakia’s early opener, the Manchester United youngster dusted himself off and supplied Dier’s equaliser before eventually nabbing the winner.
Considering how spectacularly the Three Lions imploded at Euro 2016 and the 2014 World Cup, that resilience, toughness and bravery from Dier and Rashford will be vital to Southgate’s side arresting the tide of under-performing at major tournaments.