Invigorated by Saturday’s thrilling 3-2 international friendly win over world champions Germany, England tackle the Netherlands today seeking to sustain the feel-good factor ahead of Euro 2016.
Goals from Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy and Eric Dier saw an England team inspired by Dele Alli come from 2-0 down to beat Germany and while manager Roy Hodgson was quick to downplay the result’s importance, there was no disguising the ebullience of his youthful team’s display.
Today’s game is Hodgson’s last chance to experiment before he announces his squad for Euro 2016 on May 12 and with Daniel Sturridge, Danny Welbeck and Theo Walcott also candidates for attacking roles — not forgetting injured duo Wayne Rooney and Raheem Sterling — he has plenty of options.
Photo: Reuters
“I am sure he wants that,” said Tottenham Hotspur striker Kane, who took his international tally to four goals in nine appearances on Saturday. “He wants everyone on top form and applying themselves well. You want the best players to be on form come the Euros. I am sure it is a problem he enjoys having. All we can do is keep doing what we are doing, to keep playing, as we have great belief.”
“Wayne and Raheem are great players and I am sure they will be back in the squad. Everyone is fighting for places and it is what this country needs. It will only make us better players,” he said.
Hodgson always intended to make wholesale changes for the encounter with the Netherlands, who have not qualified for Euro 2016, and injuries have already forced his hand.
Fraser Forster is expected to start in goal, having come on as a substitute for Jack Butland in Berlin after the Stoke City goalkeeper — himself deputizing for the injured Joe Hart — fractured his ankle.
Vardy will hope to start after scoring his first international goal with a brilliant back-heeled equalizer against Germany and his Leicester City teammate Danny Drinkwater should win his first cap as a starter in central midfield.
Fit-again Liverpool striker Sturridge is also in contention for a place in the starting XI, having missed the entirety of England’s Euro 2016 qualifying campaign with a succession of injuries.
Meanwhile, Everton pair John Stones and Phil Jagielka could be given a chance to demonstrate that they can plug the defensive holes that almost proved England’s undoing at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.
The match is to feature a tribute to late Dutch great Johan Cruyff in the 14th minute — a nod to his iconic shirt number — with an image of the former Ajax and Barcelona star to be displayed on Wembley’s big screens, but play will not stop as it did during the Netherlands’ 3-2 loss to France on Friday last week.
The original Wembley held special meaning for Cruyff, for it was there that he won the first of his three European Cups with Ajax as a player in 1970-1971 and led Barcelona to their first European crown as manager in 1991-1992.
The Netherlands won 3-2 in their last game at Wembley in February 2012, courtesy of an Arjen Robben brace, and prevailed by the same scoreline against Wales on their most recent trip to Britain in November last year.
Robben also netted twice in Cardiff, but he is absent with a thigh problem and coach Danny Blind lost another stalwart against France when Wesley Sneijder succumbed to a hamstring injury.
Goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen and midfielder Davy Klaassen have also withdrawn from the squad — the former after breaking his nose in training, the latter after injuring his knee — with Michel Vorm and Marco van Ginkel called up as replacements.
Meanwhile, Daley Blind, the coach’s son, is a doubt with a hamstring problem of his own.
“My hamstring is stiff,” the Manchester United player said. “I didn’t want to take any risks in view of the upcoming games. We have to look how it goes.”
Aaliyah Edwards on Monday pulled off the stunner of the opening round of the Unrivaled one-on-one tournament, beating top-seeded Breanna Stewart 12-0. The tournament to be played over three days featured 23 of the WNBA’s 36 players. A few had other commitments and a couple others were out with injuries. Stewart got the ball first against Edwards and missed a contested layup. Edwards then hit a three-pointer from the corner and a jumper from the elbow to go up 5-0. The player who scores keeps the basketball. Edwards hit two layups and a three-pointer to seal the win. Stewart, a two-time WNBA Most Valuable Player,
SPEEDSKATER: Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s run at the Asian Winter Games without a medal since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990 Speedskater Chen Ying-chu yesterday made history as the first athlete representing Taiwan to secure a medal at the Asian Winter Games. Competing at the HIC Speedskating Oval in Harbin, China, Chen clocked 10.510 seconds in the women’s 100m event, finishing third behind South Koreans Lee Na-hyum and Kim Min-sun, who posted times of 10.501 and 10.505 seconds respectively. Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s drought at the Asian Winter Games since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990. This year’s Games mark Chen’s debut at the event. Previously excelling in roller speedskating, she won six medals at world championships before transitioning
Taiwan’s Lin Yun-ju and Kao Cheng-jui were defeated by their Chinese counterparts 3-0 on Saturday in the men’s doubles final at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Singapore Smash. Lin and Kao received their silver medals after being defeated by third-seeded duo Lin Shidong and Wang Chuqin of China 2-11, 4-11, 11-13. The Taiwan pair were left playing catch-up early in the match after the Chinese duo proved unstoppable in the first and second game. Although Lin and Kao picked up their pace in the third game and at one point took a 10-8 lead, they were crucially unable to take
Australia yesterday won two of four races on the first day of the SailGP Sydney event on Sydney Harbour to finish the day atop the points table ahead of Britain and a French team who made an outstanding return after missing the first two events of the season. Australia also had a third and a second placing, finishing the day with 37 points, ahead of Britain with 32 points and France with 27. Britain won the second race of the day and Switzerland, who won the first race, were in fourth place overall. Australia’s prowess in the start box was again the