England lose 2-1 to Czechs in UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying match

The English football team's effort to qualify for the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament was cut short as they lost to the Czech Republic with a 2-1 scoreline. Meanwhile, forward, Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 94th international goal and 700 overall as Portugal thrashed Luxembourg with a 3-0 scoreline at the Estádio José Alvalade, a football stadium in Lisbon, Portugal.

A lackluster display by England

English captain and striker, Harry Kane, scored a penalty for his team early in the second half as fellow teammate, Raheem Sterling was fouled by Lukas Masopust in the first 5 minutes of the game but England witnessed a quick response from the Czechs as right-back, Jakub Brabec, scored his first international goal in the 9th minute of the game. 

Gary Southgate's misfiring England lost the match in a haunting defeat as debutant forward, Zdenek Ondrasek, scored 5 minutes from time and handed England their first-ever qualifying match defeat in a decade that had stretched to 43 matches. 

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While speaking to an international media outlet, Gary Southgate stated that his team was not up to the mark and that is why they tasted defeat against the Czechs. He further added that his players lost the ball way to often and did not play in a way that would have inspired a win for them.

Stronger than the setback 

England captain, Harry Kane also stated that it was entirely upon them to carry the team forward and falling short of fulfilling that promise, which cost them the match. He agreed to the fact that all of them were a bit sloppy and sluggish in their performance. Kane added that neither he or his teammates challenged or fought for the ball like they always did in every match.

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The performance picked up in the second half but was not enough for them to stop the Czech Republic from scoring two goals. He stated that this match should be a wake-up call for everyone even though there was nothing to worry about. England is stronger than the setback and will come back as a rejuvenated team capable of taking any challenge head-on. 

Even after a lackluster display, England is perched at the top of their group with 12 points in hand alongside the Czech Republic, who have played one game extra. 

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A win for France and Andorra

Meanwhile, current World Champions, France, were off to a winning start as they beat Iceland 1-0 with the only goal coming from striker, Olivier Giroud, in the form of a penalty. This inturn led France to the top of Group H with 18 points. 

Also, a drab draw between Bulgaria and Montenegro, eliminated both the teams in Group A while Andorra beat Moldova 1-0 to end their embarrassing run of 56 European qualifying match defeats.

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(With inputs from agencies)