Bulgaria 0-6 England: 3 Things we learned from the match | Euro 2020 Qualifiers

#1 UEFA's Three-Step Protocol needs a rethink to prevent deliberate efforts to abandon the game

The fantastic England supporters drowned out much of the negative chanting from Bulgaria

There were rumblings from certain sectors of the Bulgarian crowd even before the ball was kicked, but there was a definite spike in volume and animosity by the time England were two ahead.

It was clear that Bulgaria weren't going to get back into the match and their fans were more than aware of this fact, which is probably why they felt as if they had nothing to lose by disrupting the game.

The chanting and hollering was continuous throughout the first-half, despite two out of three warnings. The third would have forced the referee to abandon the match - but who does this punish? England, surely!

They would have to postpone the game and play at a later date, which is essentially a waste of everybody's time when you consider the gulf in quality between the two sides; there was only ever going to be one outcome as far as the result is concerned, so it would have been in Bulgaria's favour to have the game called off.

UEFA should instead consider a forfeit punishment as the third step. The team whose crowd persistently spout racist abuse should be penalised by the third step with an automatic loss, giving the other side (England in this case) a default 3-0 victory. It would be a powerful lesson for those who feel as if they have nothing to lose and certainly make them think twice before sabotaging their own side's result.

There is a lot of work to be done before this protocol is made perfect, of course, but I think we can all agree that it is heading in the right direction.