England secured promotion back to League A in the UEFA Nations League after thrashing the Republic of Ireland 5-0 on Sunday evening.
UEFA Nations League
Report: England 5-0 Republic of Ireland
Date: 17 November 2024
Venue: Wembley Stadium
Captain Harry Kane returned to the Three Lions line-up after starting on the bench against Greece, while Tino Livramento made his debut for the time at right-back.The two nations met in Dublin during the September international break, where England ran out 2-0 winners thanks to goals from Declan Rice and Jack Grealish.
The Three Lions dominated possession in the early stages of the first half, but they struggled to carve out any clear-cut openings with Ireland sitting quite deep in their own half.
That proved to be the trend for the rest of the opening 45 minutes, as England were unable to register a serious effort at Caoimhin Kelleher's goal while Ireland barely got out of their own half.
That all changed six minutes after the break, as England were awarded a penalty after Jude Bellingham was brought down by Liam Scales, who was sent off after picking up his second yellow card. As a result, Kane stepped up and calmly dispatched the spot-kick.
The lead was doubled in the 55th minute when Livramento's cross deflected into the path of Anthony Gordon, who volleyed home from close range for his first-ever international goal.
The third goal arrived three minutes later as Conor Gallagher got his first goal for the national team by poking home at the far post after getting on the end of Marc Guehi's flick on.
It was a day of first for the home side as substitute Jarrod Bowen got in on the act after 78 minutes when he turned home Bellingham's cross with his first touch to register his first goal at international level.
The fairy-tale evening continued as defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis marked his England debut with a goal by sending a powerful past Kelleher after getting on the end of a cross from Bellingham, who registered a third assist.
