Euro 2020: England and Scotland draw, Sweden beat Slovakia but Croatia held by Czech Republic
A review of Friday's Euro 2020 action, where a lacklustre England were held to a goalless draw by Scotland and Sporting Life readers were delivered a 7/4 winner.
England 0-0 Scotland
Lacklustre England were held to a goalless draw by Scotland as Steve Clarke’s well-drilled side gave their hopes of reaching the Euro 2020 knockout phase a much-needed shot in the arm.
International football’s oldest rivals locked horns for the 115th time in Friday’s eagerly-anticipated Group D clash at Wembley, where the crackling atmosphere belied the restricted attendance under the arch.
England knew victory against their fierce foes would seal progress to the round of 16 with a match to spare, but Scotland dug deep and gave Gareth Southgate’s side a few scares as they sealed a deserved 0-0 draw.
Having ended their 23-year absence from major tournaments with an underwhelming loss to the Czech Republic on Monday, Clarke’s men would have been in a perilous position had they lost to the Three Lions.
But the wounded Scots rallied well in London, where Stephen O’Donnell saw an excellent volley met by an equally impressive save by Jordan Pickford in a first half that started with John Stones rattling the woodwork.
England failed to muster a shot on target during the opening period and did not improve much after the break, with Southgate eventually substituting captain Harry Kane against a Scotland side who pushed until the end.
Croatia 1-1 Czech Republic
Patrik Schick continued his Hampden hot streak as the Czech Republic boosted their qualification hopes with a 1-1 draw against Croatia.
The Bayer Leverkusen ace lit up the Euros with two goals – including a 50-yard stunner – in Monday’s win over Scotland.
But it was a controversial penalty which saw him net again in Glasgow after Dejan Lovren was harshly penalised for catching the tournament’s top scorer with a high elbow.
However, the spot-kick was not enough to claim a second successive victory for Jaroslav Silhavy’s team as Inter Milan star Ivan Perisic levelled just after half-time for the 2018 World Cup runners-up.
The Czechs now have one foot in the second round but Croatia must beat Scotland on Tuesday to stand any chance of progressing.
Sweden 1-0 Slovakia
Sweden closed in on reaching the European Championship knockout stages for the first time since 2004 with a 1-0 victory over Slovakia.
The result also delivered a 7/4 winner for Sporting Life tipster Liam Kelly who backed Sweden to win to nil.
Emil Forsberg’s 77th-minute penalty settled an encounter which was low on chances and entertainment but lifted Jan Andersson’s side on to four points, leaving Slovakia likely needing to get a result against Spain in their final Euro 2020 Group E fixture to progress.
After their draw in the opener against Spain, in which they had just 15 per cent possession, Sweden were again content to concede the majority of the ball to their unambitious opponents.
It led to a dour game which only briefly sprang to life around the hour mark with a flurry of chances which culminated in Newcastle goalkeeper Martin Dubravka bringing down substitute Robin Quaison to allow Forsberg to end the team’s run of 365 minutes without a goal at the European Championship.