England vs. Portugal: Score, Reaction from 2016 International Friendly
Chris Smalling scored the only goal in England's 1-0 in over Portugal on Thursday at Wembley Stadium in the Three Lions' final international friendly in preparation for the UEFA Euro 2016 tournament starting June 10.
The Manchester United man powered home a close-range header with minutes to spare, ensuring England enter the tournament with the wind in their sails.
The first half passed without any major incidents until Bruno Alves was sent off for a horrible tackle on Harry Kane, handing momentum to the hosts entering half-time. England did little with the advantage, as the second half was a drab affair, but Smalling's late goal added a positive twist to the night for the Three Lions.
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England will start their Euro 2016 campaign on Saturday, June 11, when they take on Russia. Portugal will be play one more friendly against Estonia on Wednesday.
As shared by the team's official Twitter account, England manager Roy Hodgson made wholesale changes to the starting XI he fielded against Australia, with only Smalling keeping his spot:
Meanwhile, there was one glaring absence for Portugal, as Bleacher Report UK checked in with what Cristiano Ronaldo was up to:
Portugal immediately took possession of the ball from the opening kick-off, but the match came to a halt after just two minutes, as Rafa Silva was caught by Smalling and needed some treatment.
While the ball quickly moved up and down the pitch, clear-cut chances were rare early. Both teams pushed forward with intensity, but the final ball was often lacking.
The Blizzard's Jonathan Wilson wasn't too entertained and instead cast his eye on the rather unusual kits both teams were wearing:
As the half wore on, England started getting the better of play. Dele Alli was a lively force in midfield, and Kyle Walker frequently got involved in the attack.
The first chance fell to Wayne Rooney, who fired a volley straight at goalkeeper Rui Patricio, but the flag had already been raised for offside. On the other side of the pitch, Nani tried his luck from distance, sending a shot well over Joe Hart's goal.
Rooney again found an opening, this time after a strong run and a good cross from Walker, but once again, the Manchester United man took aim straight at the goalkeeper with his header.
Meanwhile, Bleacher Report UK had noticed Hodgson chose an odd set-piece tactic:
One of his first corners went straight at a Portuguese defender, leading to plenty of hilarity on social media and pundits calling to cut the experiment short.
Ricardo Carvalho headed Portugal's best chance up until that point over the bar after 28 minutes, and Harry Kane was shocked when a wild shot from Danny Rose deflected into his feet, not giving him time to turn and fire.
Spurs team-mate Walker also took aim from distance, narrowly missing the target.
The first half appeared destined to finish without any major chances or incidents until a brief moment from Alves changed the match. Kane beat the centre-back to a loose ball down the sidelines and tried to head it past his marker, and the defender reacted by jumping up and kicking the Spurs star in the face.
William Hill Betting illustrated what happened like this:
While the Portuguese player pleaded with the official, urging him not to draw a red card, there was no question Alves had to be sent off. To his credit, Kane immediately got back up after the challenge.
The man advantage saw England push up the pitch and apply more pressure on Portugal's defence, and Rooney fired a weak shot into the arms of Patricio. Kane nearly found himself on the end of a great cross from Rooney, only for Carvalho to clear just in time before the official brought an end to the half.
Portugal made a positive start to the second half, despite being a man down, as substitute Andre Gomes brought some balance to midfield. England didn't do much with their advantage, with James Milner's deflected shot the only noteworthy chance early in the second half.
Telegraph Football were not impressed:
Eric Dier joined his Tottenham team-mates in trying to shoot from distance. But like most, he failed to find his mark, and Gary Cahill's header took a deflection of Jose Fonte instead of landing in the back of the net.
England once again increased the pressure. Rooney had just wandered offside when Alli played him in, and the youngster nearly picked out Kane with a through ball. Despite the persistent pressure, Portugal survived comfortably.
Squawka Football also started to complain:
Fote did well to intercept a cross from Rose before it could reach Kane—before a shot from the striker hit Ricardo Quaresma in the arm. But England weren't even given a corner. Substitute Daniel Sturridge recorded his first shot with 10 minutes to play, firing it well wide.
Patricio made an easy save to deny the Liverpool man before Quaresma went close, beating two defenders before curling a shot just over the bar. The action improved in the final minutes, and Smalling finally opened the score after 87 minutes, converting from close range after a lovely cross from Raheem Sterling.
Some late pressure from Portugal amounted to nothing, as England shut the door and held on for the win.
Post-Match Reaction
Per BBC Sport, Hodgson didn't understand why some people weren't happy with how England played on Thursday:
The team's lack of creativity and intensity once Portugal went down to 11 players has to be a concern, however. The midfielders in particular struggled creating space for Kane and Jamie Vardy, and a Portuguese team with Ronaldo would have taken advantage of some of the gaps they left.
There's no reason to panic for England, but it's odd to see Hodgson experimenting with formations less than 10 days before the start of Euro 2016.
