England v USA: WC 2022 – live | WC 2022
Key events
76 min: England has absolutely stopped the flow of all these American attacks. They don’t achieve much at the other end, but baby steps and all that. Meanwhile Jeremy Gostick writes: “On the basis of the Pickford/Bradford comment I think you mean ‘Notts County’s Jack Grealish’.” My mistake. I humbly apologize.
74 min: Grealish makes his presence felt out on the left. A couple of dribbles down the flank. It almost ends with him finding Kane in the box with a cutback, but the English captain is swarmed by blue shirts and the ball is cleared.
73 min: It is good to continue. The game restarts.
72 min: Dest requires a spot of treatment after bumping into Shaw. “It’s fortunate that England have got the Iran game out of the way, because if you went by their respective performances today, you’d expect the latter to beat the former,” notes Kári Tulinius. “Football is a funny old sport.”
70 min: Grealish dances in from the left and invites a tackle that doesn’t come. He eventually runs out of the way just inside the box, but that got England’s blood pumping for the first time in a while.
69 min: Kane and Saka try to unlock the US in the right channel, but Musah slams the door and clears.
68 min: England make a double change. Sterling and Bellingham off, Grealish and Henderson on.
66 min: England does very little to respond to this American pressure. “A game of this magnitude, you’d think England would have played Kane and Sterling.” Paul Pooley, ladies and gentlemen, he’s here all week. Try machbūs.
Photo: Matthew Ashton/AMA/Getty Images
64 min: Wright wins another American corner down the left, beyond Stones. Pulisic takes, and curls long. For a second it looks like the ball is going to fly over his head and into the top right, but Pickford from Bradford out for a corner to the right this time. Zimmerman also tore in, so that’s a doubly important intervention. Nothing comes off the next corner.
63 min: The US continues to dominate. Their fans give it a lot. On the sidelines, Gareth Southgate has the goodness to look worried.
61 min: Robinson goes down the left and wins another American corner. One leads to another, and from that Pulisic is found in a piece of space just inside the England box on the left. He should take a shot, but overextends and drops a shoulder to hit Shaw, who refuses to budge. England finally clear their lines.
59 min: Pulisic cuts in from the left and gets past four men too easily. His shot is deflected wide to the left. Bradford City’s Jordan Pickford gives his defenders what-for. The resulting corner is headed clear by Maguire, under pressure from Zimmerman.
57 min: Weah cuts back from an advanced position on the right and almost finds the inbound Musah. Bellingham reads the danger and intercepts just before the American midfielder can shoot. “Be aware of the Guardian house style,” begins Matt Tempest, formerly of this ward and therefore well trained in finger-wagging. “At all times England’s goalkeeper must be referred to as ‘Bradford City’s Jordan Pickford’, due to his one season at Valley Parade, on loan from Sunderland, in 2014-15. A game I saw. It’s not often you see a future England are playing at Valley Parade.”
55 min: The game restarts. All good. Meanwhile, here’s a bit more pessimism from over the top, courtesy of Peter Donley: “I feel the American team is being played with by the dominant English side. I’ve seen more compassion for my family cat playing with a trapped mouse.”
54 min: Play is halted for a moment while Weah receives some treatment, his foot having been accidentally stepped on by Shaw.
53 min: A chance for Mount to run into space in the middle. He miscontrols and lets the ball sail through to Turner, who drops a shoulder to see off Sterling before going clear.
51 min: Pulisic races down the left and has a chance to send Musah free down the touchline, but his pass is not good. The US has continued where they left off. More of the same. England must wake up fast.
49 min: Space for Pulisic down left. He lays off to Wright, whose shot is blocked by Stones. The ball breaks to McKennie, who blazes wildly over the bar. More calm and Pickford would have had some work to get on with.
48 min: A slow start to the second half. No obvious rise in England’s energy.
46 min: Meanwhile, back home at Wembley Way, the FA have made their own One Love gesture.
The USMNT is underway with the second half. No changes made by either side at the break.
Halftime Postbag O’Pessimism. USA supporter Liisa Sletzinger writes: “Proclamations that the USMNT is dominating right now feel grossly exaggerated. We seem to be trying our best (and still can’t shoot for crap) and England have yet to let loose.”
England fan John Davis adds: “The best part of that half of football was finding out my local people do two-pinters of Ghost Ship for £4.40. This continues and Wales can knock us out on Tuesday.”
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HALF TIME: England 0-0 USA
The whistle blows after an extremely old-fashioned period of added time: just one minute. The US has been the better side. England head in to receive some tactical advice / a good classic rollocking.
45 min +1: Shaw rolls a pass in from the left for Sterling, who immediately flicks it down the channel for Mount. A first-time shot whizzes down to the left. Turner turns it around the post, then takes the corner.
45 min: A bit of space down the right for Bellingham to sashay in. His long cross is chopped clear. Shaw picks up possession and comes down the left. He reaches the byline and cuts down for Saka, who improvises a flick that sails over the bar. Half a chance, that.
44 min: Shaw looks for Kane with a long diagonal from the left flank. Turner – confidence restored, the first minute wobbles an awful long time ago – comes out to claim without fuss.
43 min: Dest whips in from the right. Pulisic heads harmlessly wide to the left. Pickford shepherds the ball out for a goal kick. England could do with hearing the break.
42 min: Dest tears ready on the overlap down to the right. He drops a shoulder to cut into the box and looks for the top left. His shot deflected off Maguire, who stuck to the task well. Maguire beats Pulisic’s corner clear.
40 min: Place for Wright on the bottom right. His cross is too long and high for Pulisic, who was in some space in the middle. For what it’s worth – and what it’s worth is 0p (0¢) – the US wins this on points.
39 min: McKennie throws far into the England box from the right. Wright spins and tries to tackle Maguire near the byline. He doesn’t get past, but Maguire is forced to stick out for a corner. Nothing comes of the set-piece, but the USA has the upper hand now.
38 min: The US look determined to catch England cold on the turn. McKennie takes a super quick throw down the right wing and almost misses Weah. A simple gambit, but it almost works. England get some questions here.
36 min: Shaw crosses low from the left. Bellingham tries to sweetly wave towards goal, but doesn’t make contact. Turner finally takes control and hoovers wide towards Pulisic down the left, who is just barely beaten to the ball by Stones, running over from the middle. A decisive intervention from the Stones. Without it, Pulisic was free and England were in all sorts of trouble.
34 min: Maguire on the left wing again. This time he can’t control, the ball clinks off his leg. Inner Garrincha is completely gone!
33 min: McKennie does well down the right. Musah flicks the ball to the left to Pulisic, who drops a shoulder to gain time and space before sending a rising shot towards the left corner. It beats Pickford but crashes off the post and out for a goal kick. USA gains confidence!
