Bukayo Saka, at 19 one of the current golden children of English football, is the one who this Wednesday has given the victory to the team led by Gareth Southgate in his friendly against David Alaba's Austria at the Riverside in Middlesbrough (1- 0). This is the Arsenal forward's first goal as an absolute international. But the game had its cross: Trent Alexander-Arnold was injured.
It was a test in which, although Southgate left him out of the final list of 26 for the European Championship, Jesse Lingard played as the starter. Also Alexander-Arnold himself, who did enter the call after being one of the great doubts.
When clearing a ball when the match was about to end, Liverpool's right-back suffered what points to a muscle injury. Alexander-Arnold left the pitch with the help of a member of the English team's medical team 11 days after the 'pross' premiere at the European Championship.
The truth is that Austria put the English team in difficulties, with many substitutes and that they could not advance on the scoreboard until the second half. Only Jordan Pickford, Alexander-Arnold and Harry Kane acted among the starters. It was the 57th minute when Saka scored when he took advantage of a ball that had been loose after a touch from Jack Grealish before the Austrian goalkeeper left.
Jack Grealish was, apart from Saka's goal, the English player who shone the most against Alaba's team, who acted in the left lane and for whom it was the first meeting since he became a Real Madrid player. England solved the lackluster match because they lacked creativity in attack.
At 1-0, Southgate awarded four other players who have been left out of the final list, Ben Godfrey, Ben White, James Ward-Prowse and Ollie Watkins.
England will play their last friendly before the Euro on Sunday against Romania also at the Riverside Stadium. The ‘pross’ debut in the finals against world runner-up Croatia on June 13. Austria, for its part, will also premiere on the 13th and against North Macedonia.
England 1-Austria 0
England: Pickford; Trippier, Mings (Godfrey, 62 '), Coady, Alexander-Arnold; Bellingham, Rice (Ward-Prowse, 62 '), Grealish (White, 71'); Lingard (Watkins, 61 '), Saka and Kane (Calvert-Lewin, 61')
Austria: Bachmann; Alaba (Schopf, 72 '), Friedl, Hinteregger, Dragovic, Lainer (Trimmel, 81'); Schlager (Baumgartlinger, 81 '), Laimer (Grillitsch, 62'), Baumgartner (Schaub, 62 '); Kalajdzic (Gregoritsch, 71 ') and Sabitzer
Goals: 1-0, Saka (57 ')
Spectators: 7,000 at Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough Referee: Lawrence Visser (Belgium). He admonished Schlager (20 '), Lainer (52'), Calvert-Lewin (66 '), Hinteregger (86') and Alexander-Arnold (88 ')