The Three Lions became the first European team to win all eight World Cup qualifiers without conceding a goal. Only Yugoslavia had done so in 1954. However, the qualifiers then consisted of only four matches. This was also the first time England had won 11 consecutive matches.
Having already secured a World Cup ticket, coach Tuchel made seven changes to the starting lineup compared to the victory over Serbia. However, England still completely dominated the game from the first minutes.
Declan Rice, one of four players retained, soon tested goalkeeper Strakosha with a dangerous shot in the 4th minute. Possessing 75% of the ball possession in the first 20 minutes, England dominated but could not make a clear difference.
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England struggled against the Albanian defense. |
With a defense that has only conceded 3 goals in the previous 7 matches, Albania also showed their discomfort. The home team even almost opened the score after Hysaj's chance.
The second half started dangerously for England as Hoxha twice threatened Dean Henderson's goal. But after a few moments of escape, the visitors regained control of the game. In the 74th minute, Harry Kane shone with a chance after a messy situation.
The captain continued to shine with an accurate header in the 83rd minute after a pass from Marcus Rashford, sealing a 2-0 win and completing a perfect qualifying campaign.
While England extended their 11-match winning streak, Sylvinho's Albania will have to enter the play-off round with many worries after their first defeat after 9 unbeaten matches.
Source: https://znews.vn/tuyen-anh-lam-nen-lich-su-post1603335.html
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