{"id":1286,"date":"2016-10-08T14:19:26","date_gmt":"2016-10-08T18:19:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonfootball.com\/?p=1286"},"modified":"2016-10-08T17:31:02","modified_gmt":"2016-10-08T21:31:02","slug":"england-2-malta-0","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2016\/10\/08\/england-2-malta-0\/","title":{"rendered":"England 2 Malta 0: Three Thoughts On Gareth Southgate’s First Victory"},"content":{"rendered":"

A calm and composed approach by England<\/strong> saw caretaker manager Gareth Southgate<\/strong> secure his first victory in charge of the Three Lions, with a 2-0 victory over Malta<\/strong> in FIFA World Cup<\/strong> qualifying on Saturday. Malta\u2019s defence and backline were organised and stubborn throughout the first half, as they were content to defend and attempt to strike on the counter-attack.<\/p>\n

England 2 Malta 0: Match Review<\/h3>\n

An injury to starting right-back Ryan Bertrand<\/strong> caused Southgate to go to his bench earlier than he had planned, as Danny Rose<\/strong> entered in the 19th minute. The visitors were doing a fine job of keeping the hosts from finding the opening goal at Wembley Stadium<\/strong> in the early stages.<\/p>\n

But England found the breakthrough in the 29th minute. Jordan Henderson<\/strong> sent a sensational cross into the box and Daniel Sturridge<\/strong> powered a header into the bottom left corner of the goal<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The build-up to the play was patient and Henderson\u2019s pass was accurate. Sturridge\u2019s placement on the shot left no chance for Malta goalkeeper Andrew Hogg<\/strong> to keep it out of the net.<\/p>\n

Pressure began to become increasingly steady from Southgate\u2019s 4-3-3 formation and England struck once more before half-time to double their lead.<\/p>\n

A perfect combination between Henderson and Dele Alli<\/strong> sliced through the Malta backline. The Tottenham<\/strong> star put a strong shot on goal that was saved by Hogg, but Alli quickly buried the rebound to make it 2-0<\/a>.<\/p>\n

England saw out a quieter second half with a dominant midfield and over 80% of the possession, as they now sit atop Group F<\/strong> in UEFA<\/strong> World Cup qualifying with six points.<\/p>\n

A measured approach<\/h3>\n

Gareth Southgate was bound to feel pressure in his first match in charge, even if it was against a Malta side that was expected to be defeated with ease. His tactics helped relieve some of this pressure by controlling the possession and tempo of the match.<\/p>\n

By keeping the ball and dictating much of the proceedings, England were able to overcome a stubborn Malta side by breaking down the defence with a steady attack.<\/p>\n

Defence prepared for Malta’s tactics<\/h3>\n

Malta and manager Pietro Ghedin<\/strong> understood that their best chance to upset England in this Group F match-up was to keep their defence solid and look for strikers Alfred Effiong<\/strong> and Andre Schembri<\/strong> on the counter.<\/p>\n

While not tested often, the Three Lions were prepared for this approach. England centre-backs Gary Cahill<\/strong> and John Stones<\/strong> had excellent performances in clearing out any dangers throughout.<\/p>\n

Henderson shines in midfield<\/h3>\n

Jordan Henderson earned Man of the Match honours in his central midfield role and was a key component to both goals on the evening. He registered an assist on Sturridge\u2019s opener and he linked up with Alli to help find England\u2019s second goal.<\/p>\n

Henderson\u2019s passing was crisp, accurate and his vision was crucial in the squad being able to dominate possession over Malta.<\/p>\n

England play their next match in Group F Tuesday in Slovenia<\/strong>, while Malta will travel to Lithuania<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

LINE-UPS<\/strong><\/p>\n

ENGLAND<\/strong>: Hart, Walker, Cahill, Stones, Bertrand (Rose 19\u2019), Henderson, Rooney, Alli, Walcott (Rashford 68\u2019), Sturridge (Vardy 73\u2019), Lingard<\/p>\n

Unused subs<\/strong>: Heaton, Forster, Keane, Smalling, Antonio, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Townsend, Dier<\/p>\n

MALTA<\/strong>: Hogg, Borg, Zach Muscat, Agius, Camilleri, Alex Muscat, Kristensen, Sciberras, Fenech, Schembri (Rowen Muscat 88\u2019), Effiong (Mifsud 76\u2019)<\/p>\n

Unused subs<\/strong>: Bonello, Failla, Scicluna, Scerri, Zerafa, Farrugia, Pisani<\/p>\n

REFEREE<\/strong>: Stefan Johannesson<\/p>\n

Main Photo<\/p>\n

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Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n