England Crush Bulgaria 6-0 Amid Racist Abuse from Fans in Euro 2020 Qualifier

England returned to winning ways in UEFA 2020 European Championship qualifying on Monday with a 6-0 victory over Bulgaria at the Stadion Vasil Levski in Sofia.

The Three Lions took control of the match with early goals from Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford and Chelsea's Ross Barkley.  

The match was temporarily halted midway through the first half with fans warned to stop racist abuse, and England added a third goal from a Barkley header when play resumed.

Another break in play followed shortly before half-time, with play only resuming following discussions between the referee and England manager Gareth Southgate and his players.

Captain Harry Kane then set up Raheem Sterling for England's fourth of the night in stoppage time at the end of the first half.

England continued their dominance after the break and wrapped up an emphatic win with goals from Sterling and Kane to move a step closer to qualification.  

Rashford gave the Three Lions the perfect start by smashing a rising shot past goalkeeper Plamen Iliev for the opening goal on seven minutes after cutting in from the left.

Match of the Day noted his fine form for the Three Lions:

England did not have to wait long for their second which came after a flowing team move. Sterling finished things off by skipping into the penalty area and slotting a low cross for Barkley to tap home.

The game was then paused and a message relayed to supporters about racist chanting, as shown by Squawka News:

Play resumed with England extending their lead through Barkley's second of the night. Kane swung in a cross for the Chelsea midfielder to nod past the goalkeeper:

Yet the game had to be halted again on 43 minutes, and a number of fans were seen leaving the stadium, per Sam Wallace at the Daily Telegraph:

The game resumed with England adding a fourth before half-time. Again Kane was the provider, setting up Sterling for an easy finish to hand the visitors a healthy lead at the break.

ITV Football showed how the off-field events played out in the first half:

England continued their dominance after the break as they strolled to an emphatic victory. Kane picked up his third assist of the night by sliding a pass to Sterling to slot a cool finish home.

The England captain then got his name on the scoresheet with five minutes of normal time remaining, beating the goalkeeper at his near post with a precise finish.

Victory keeps England at the top of Group A, three points ahead of the Czech Republic, but the game was overshadowed by the racist incidents that caused the game to be halted twice.

What's Next?

Bulgaria's final group game is against the Czech Republic on November 17. England host Montenegro on November 14 and conclude their campaign three days later against Kosovo.