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LIVE BLOG:
FULL TIME: England lose, 2-1. LOL.
90+5min: There’s even time for a counter from the Czechs, which they waste 4-v-3.
90+4min: Not much else doing for England, as the Czechs defend en masse.
90+2min: Henderson gets booked for something, after clashing with Ondrasek on a ball in the air. Ondrasek stays down, holding his head. Replays show contact, but it’s an England free kick?
90+1min: England launching multiple crosses. Czech standing tall and heading clear.
90min: 4 minutes added on.
88min: Tammy Abraham on for Declan Rice as England search for a late-late equalizer.
87min: Rose getting checked for concussion after losing the aerial battle on the initial goal kick from Pickford that led to the chance and goal for the Czechs.
85min: GOALLLL!! CZECH REPUBLIC!!! No mistake this time for Ondrasek, who scores on his debut. Great cutback from the byline to find him all alone, standing in space by the penalty spot. 2-1, Czech Republic!
84min: Rose wins a foul on the left touchline. Barkley takes this one as well, but the goalkeeper gets to it first and catches it. At the other end, Ondrasek slips and falls just as he’s about to be in with a chance.
82min: Barkley wins a corner, takes the corner, but the Czechs head clear again and win a throw deep in their own defensive third. Jankto makes way for Kopic.
81min: Great ball in for Kane from Barkley on the deep right mid, but he can’t get the ball past Vaclik from a narrow angle!
80min: Sterling wins a free kick, wide right, level with the top of the area. Barkley swings it in, but Maguire can’t get to it and the Czechs clear to midfield.
79min: Barkley drives through midfield and the ball’s eventually worked wide to Sterling, but he’s crowded out by a couple defenders.
78min: Great 1-2 in the right channel for the Czechs and Kral tests Pickford at his near post. Solid save, corner. England defend it well.
76min: Sterling’s almost in, but can’t get past his man 1-v-1. Good defending from the Czech No.18.
74min: Half-hearted claims from the Czechs for a penalty as someone crumples to the ground. At the other end, Kane gives chase as the two defenders eventually manage to get a long ball under control.
72min: Ross Barkley and Marcus Rashford replaces Mason Mount and Jadon Sancho, respectively, as England add a bit of age to the lineup.
68min: Sterling pushes a defender off the ball, then plays on for another 20 seconds before collecting a yellow card for his troubles.
67min: Another corner for the Czechs, but England head clear this time and Mount ensures that a follow-up cross doesn’t happen.
65min: Henderson tries a long range shot, but it’s weak and powerless.
64min: Great ball in from Sterling, right-footed from the left channel, but having made the proper run to lose his marker, Kane cannot divert it past Vaclik. Decent chance, that. Schick makes way for Ondrasek in the meantime.
60min: Masopust reminds us that they’re still in the game as well, drawing a decent save from Pickford. Czechs cannot make the subsequent corner count.
57min: England starting to impose themselves now, as Vaclik makes a nice save on a Sterling effort, after he was put through by Kane.
52min: Soucek slices wide with a left-footed potshot.
51min: Sterling and Sancho almost combine for a chance, as England start better.
46min: Egnland get us back underway, switching apparently to a 4-3-3 with Mount and Henderson both playing up.
HALF-TIME: All even, a bit surprisingly. England not at their best.
45+1min: Mount takes the corner, Keane throws himself at the low ball, but can’t make any contact.
45min: Czechs win a corner as they try to run around Maguire. Jankto takes the inswinger, but Keane heads clear and England counter through Sancho. He beats his man, and wins a corner.
43min: Rose, Sterling, Mount try to combine on the left, but the latter’s fouled. England keep possession before Henderson gives the ball away and Sterling has to track back to give away a foul. No card.
41min: Czechs counter through Schick, who shows great pace down the left to put in a great cross, which runs to Masopust, who takes a touch, takes aim, and pulls his shot well wide of the far post. Terrible finish.
38min: England maintaining possession, as everyone watching falls asleep.
33min: England attack through Sancho and Kane, but his shot is blocked. Mount finds the rebound, but his shot under pressure poses no danger.
32min: Sterling gives away a foul on the touchline. The inswinging free kick is headed into the waiting arms of Pickford.
29min: Dogged running from Mount is eventually dealt with three Czech players. Their counter in turn runs into a few England players.
28min: England turn the ball over and the Czechs counter from midfield. A couple crosses from Masopust are headed clear, and England try to counter through Sancho, but the ball’s too long for him.
26min: Czech counter is stopped by Trippier, but he appears to twist his ankle in the process and stays down for treatment.
25min: Czechs slice through the England midfield with some slick one-touch passing, but no one attacks Jankto’s cross and the ball goes out for a goal kick.
24min: Boril tries his luck from distance, on his weaker foot. Poor effort and Pickford gathers easily.
23min: England’s turn for some aimless passing, before Mount’s first-time through ball is to no one, and he commits a foul on the subsequent high press.
21min: England letting the Czechs hog the ball in midfield and defense, without causing too much danger or trouble.
18min: Czech maintaining possession and almost create a chance through Coufal. The ball wide is just a little too long for the runner in the right channel.
16min: Czechs win a corner after a period of possession. England again fail to deal with it, and Schick just misses on a diving header after Czechs win the near post flick.
14min: England with a free kick this time; they try something fancy off the training ground but Sancho misses Sterling on the second ball.
10min: Rose into the book for a rash challenge. Czechs have a free kick in a decent position, but nothing comes of it.
9min: GOAL!!! CZECH REPUBLIC! England don’t deal with the corner, and Brabec puts in the second ball for his first international goal. 1-1!
8min: Kral takes aim from distance, it hits Keane on the arm, but apparently no call is coming. Rose then makes a big block before Pickford is called into action to prevent a goal and palm it over for a corner.
5min: GOAL!!! ENGLAND! Sterling fouled by Masopust in the area. Kane takes, Kane scores. Easy as you like. 1-0!
2min: Early chance for Schick as Keane misses a header, but Schick can’t control.
KICK-OFF: Czechs, in red shirts and blue shorts, get the game underway. England, in all white, line up in a 4-2-3-1 with Mount as the No.10.
Chelsea’s youth revolution has conquered Stamford Bridge, and now it has its eyes set on the England national team. Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham, and Fikayo Tomori have all been called up, while Callum Hudson-Odoi is likely to join them in the near future as well, as soon as he gets more game time following his Achilles injury. (See also in the less-near future: Ruben Loftus-Cheek.)
And sure enough, as rumored this week, Mason Mount gets the start!
Here we go!
Czech Republic starting lineup (4-2-3-1):
Vaclik | Boril, Brabec, Celustka, Coufal | Kral, Soucek | Jankto, Darida (c), Masopust | Schick
Substitutes from: Kolar, Pavlenka, Reznik, Kudela, Krejci, Ondrasek, Husbauer, Krmencik, Kalvach, Kopic, Zmrhal, Simic
England starting lineup (4-2-3-1?):
Pickford | Rose, Keane, Maguire, Trippier | Rice, J.Henderson | Sancho, Mount, Sterling | Kane (c)
Substitutes from: Pope, D.Henderson, Alexander-Arnold, Chilwell, Gomez, Mings, Tomori, Winks, Barkley, Rashford, Abraham
Date / Time: October 11, 2019, 19:45 BST, 2:45pm EDT
Venue: Sinobo Stadium (nee Eden Arena), Prague, Czech Republic
Referee: Damir Skomina (SLO) — referee of last year’s Champions League final, and Chelsea’s Europa League semifinal second leg, and many other high profile assignments.
On TV: ITV 1 (UK); none (USA); SONY TEN 2 (India); SuperSport 10, SuperSport 3, StarTimes World Football (NGA); elsewhere
Streaming: ITV Hub (UK); ESPN+, TUDNxtra (USA); Sony LIV (India), DStv Now, StarTimes App (NGA)
Be excellent to each other, and party on, dudes!