England 5-0 Czech Republic: 5 Hits and Flops

Sterling and co celebrate one of England's five goals vs. Czech Republic in their EURO 2020 Qualifier
Sterling and co celebrate one of England's five goals vs. Czech Republic in their EURO 2020 Qualifier

#3 Flop: Tomas Kalas

It was certainly an evening to forget for the defender, on-loan at Bristol City from Chelsea
It was certainly an evening to forget for the defender, on-loan at Bristol City from Chelsea

It was certainly a night to forget for Tomas Kalas, who found himself left exposed as England broke with speed on numerous occasions. Despite the hosts' dominance though, the 25-year-old's own goal typified an eventful night for all the wrong reasons from a Czech perspective.

Overrun, outsmarted and crucially outplayed, they only had themselves to blame. Infrequent flashes of danger - mainly from set-pieces - were few and far between, while their defending was often either last-ditch or poorly timed.

The fact that between their four-man backline only one tackle was made speaks volumes in itself, but Kalas in particular stood out. Considering his dependable Championship displays this season are attracting interest elsewhere, he struggled under Wembley's bright lights here.

No tackles nor interceptions completed, he made seven clearances, won three aerial duels and made a block but it ultimately wasn't enough to help his teammates keep the scoreline more respectable. His reactions were slow and he failed to sort his feet out quickly enough to avoid scoring in his own net after Hudson-Odoi's effort was parried into his path by Pavlenka.

For his sake, he'll be hoping prospective scouts are compassionate with their feedback after a defensive showing like this.

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