LIVE BLOG

90+2min: The final whistle goes with Sancho and Hudson-Odoi passing it short between themselves. Fitting, symbolic. Big win, easy day, onwards!

90min: Hudson-Odoi lands hard on his hip after an accidental collison with Vydra. Looks okay to carry on. 2 minutes added on for some reason.

88min: Hudson-Odoi still trying, running, pressing. Almost finds Henderson with a great ball on the underlap.

84min: A Chelsea player scores! But it’s Kalas into the back of his own net after Pavlenka made a good stop on Hudson-Odoi’s powerful drive. 5-0, ENGLAND!

82min: Matej Vydra misses a good chance to get a consolation goal. Skoda comes on for Schick in the game’s final change.

79min: CHO’s trying just a bit too hard. But it’s been easy for England all day.

72min: Barkley gets his head to a Chilwell cross. Wide.

70min: IT’S CALLUM HUDSON-ODOI TIME! Replaces the hat-trick hero.

68min: Sterling gets his hat-trick with a deflect shot after Barkley leads a counter. Making his own luck. 4-0, ENGLAND!

67min: A second change for England as Darida makes way for Masopust.

66min: Sancho and Barkley link up well, but the Chelsea man’s return ball doesn’t quite reach Sancho, who had slipped after running into a defender.

63min: Declan Rice makes his England debut, replacing Dele Alli.

62min: And there’s three. Walker bursts forward, finds Sterling in the penalty area with a bit of luck. Sterling stops, turns, and scores with his left. Easy as you like. 3-0, ENGLAND!

59min: Sancho denied a first goal after great work from Sterling and Kane once again, but Novak blocks the shot that was heading into the empty net. Dele’s effort on the rebound than floats over the bar.

54min: England wake up, string a few passes together, and almost get a third as Celustka blocks a Kalas clearance straight back towards his own goal. Goalkeeper makes a great save to keep it 2-0.

53min: Another shot from the Czechs, who’ve come out from the break with great intent. Pickford saves and holds on.

52min: England survive again as a corner falls to Pavelka but he shins his effort straight at Pickford.

51min: Czechs come close to finding a goal as England’s marking goes to pieces, but Soucek’s stopping header bounces just wide of the far post.

SECOND HALF: England get things going again. No changes from Southgate, but the Czechs introduce some attacking intent in Vydra for Jankto.

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45+1min: Sterling bursts into the box but is sandwiched by the two center backs as the goalkeeper collects. But the referee blows for a foul and it’s a penalty! Harry Kane steps up and blasts past Pavlenka. 2-0, ENGLAND!

44min: England continue to press for a second goal against the massed ranks. Barkley finds Kane with a through ball, but his shot is blocked for a corner, which is cleared, but only as far as a white shirt. The ball staying on the Czechs half almost constantly.

39min: England come close to doubling their lead as Maguire almost deflects a shot into the back of the net. Then a Barkley cutback goes to a red shirt as the Czechs survive.

32min: Barkley gives a foul away in a dangerous position, but the free kick just misses the head of Kalas. Decent chance.

24min: After several minutes of boredom, England finally turn it on. Barkley involved initially, but it’s all about the through ball from Kane to Sancho, and his great cross from the right, which is then turned in by a lunging Sterling at the far post. 1-0, ENGLAND!

16min: Dier’s day is done after all. And it’s not Rice who’s on, but Chelsea’s Ross Barkley! Here we go!

15min: Dier needing more treatment following that foul from a couple minutes prior. He seems okay to continue but Declan Rice has gone to warm up.

11min: England win a corner through Walker, but the flat driven effort just missed Dier and the Czechs eventually clear. It’s all England so far. Dier gets his toes trod on by Soucek, who will be playing against Chelsea soon in the Europa League.

6min: England pressuring and pressing well, but the Czech defense holding fast for now.

4min: England with the early possession and probing; Czechs looking to counter. Dier, Henderson both giving away early fouls in midfield.

KICK-OFF: No Chelsea player in the starting lineup, two on the bench; off we go! Czechs in red shirts and white shorts get us underway. England in white shirts, dark blue shorts.

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The 2020 European Championships will be the first held in UEFA are calling a “pan-European” format, which means that instead of a single host country, there will be a dozen countries and a dozen stadiums participating. Some will only hold group stage games, some will also host knockout rounds. One, a certain Wembley Stadium in London, will host both semifinals the eventual final. After a surprisingly great showing at the 2018 World Cup, England will hope to be there, in what would be a de facto “home” final.

That journey to Wembley begins here ... at Wembley ... as England take on probably the toughest opposition of the group stage, a far from glory days (i.e. 2004) Czech Republic.

Here we go!

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England starting lineup (4-3-3):
Pickford | Chilwell, Maguire, Keane, Walker | Henderson, Dier, Dele | Sterling, Kane, Sancho

Substitutes from: Butland, Wilson, Tarkowski, Trippier, Rose, Heaton, Ward-Prowse, Barkley, Hudson-Odoi, Rice

Czech Rebublic starting lineup (4-2-3-1):
Pavlenka | Novak, Kalas, Celustka, Kaderabek | Pavelka, Soucek | Jankto, Darida, Gebre Selassie | Schick

Substitutes from: Coufal, Kudela, Vydra, Kral, Kolar, Suchy, Frydek, Koubek, Dockal, Masopust, Zmrhal, Skoda

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Date / Time: Friday, March 22, 2019, 19:45 GMT; 3:45pm EDT; 1:15am IST (next day)
Venue: Wembley Stadium, London, England
Referee: Artur Soares Dias (Portugal)

On TV: ITV 1 (UK); ESPNEWS (USA); SONY TEN 2 (India); elsewhere
Streaming online: ITV Live (UK); WatchESPN; Univision Deportes En Vivo (USA); Sony LIV (India)

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Be excellent to each other, and party on, dudes.