'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
England beat Tunisia 2-1 in their opening World Cup 2018 Group G encounter at the Volgograd Arena in Volgograd on Monday night in what was a tense encounter until the very end.
Harry Kane gave the Three Lions the lead as early as the 11th minute but Ferjani Sassi equalised from the spot for Tunisia to make it 1-1. However, a late set-piece goal from Kane saw England bag all three points.
Here are the major talking points from the game.
#1 Electric start by England
When the game kicked off, one thing was apparent. England were up and ready for the game and looked to play in top gear right from the referee's first whistle.
Jesse Lingard could have given England a very early lead had Tunisia goalkeeper Mouez Hassen not stuck his foot out to make a save he didn't know much about. The quick combination play of Dele Alli, Lingard and Sterling saw them find each other with ease and only the offside flag (and Sterling's horrible miss) had kept it at 0-0 in the first few minutes.
Nevertheless, 11 minutes was all they needed to get on the scoresheet. A set-piece floated into the box saw Hassen make a save to deny a powerful John Stones header but who else was there to mop up but skipper Harry Kane to make it 1-0 to the Three Lions.
England were great to watch when they were on the ball in the first half. Unlike their teams of old, these players were constantly on the move and always available for a pass, never leaving a teammate in peril.
It was a very sprightly opening half hour for the Englishmen and the young average age of the squad had a lot to do with how they were constantly on the move.
Even their mature and intelligent tactical organisation all across the pitch showed Gareth Southgate has been able to make England a well-organised unit from back to front.
Tthe only complaint one can make of their start is that they did not capitalise on their domination. The first quarter of the game was played at a frenetic pace and England should have buried a couple of chances to pull away from their African opponents.
Unfortunately for Southgate's men, they allowed Tunisia to claw their way back into the tie.
#2 Early goalkeeper substitution sees Tunisia switch tactics
England's early inroads into Tunisia's box came at a price for their opponents as goalkeeper Mouez Hassen injured his shoulder when he went to ground attempting a save. Although the physios initially tended to him and he decided to carry on, the pain in his shoulder was unbearable after a certain point.
His substitution threw Tunisia's plans out the window as Hassen walked straight down the tunnel to receive more treatment and Farouk Ben Mustapha had to come on - a player who had not played in a long, long while.
His last international cap came in September 2014 despite playing in three African Cup of Nations tournaments. Always used to warming the bench in international matches, Mustapha was asked to warm up as early as five minutes into the game until Hassen came off.
On his part, Mustapha gave a good account of himself with a few confident claims. However, with one fewer substitutions to make, Tunisia did not make their changes as early as they would have liked.
Coach Nabil Maaloul had promised to approach this game without fear but his first planned substitution did not come until the 74th minute. The African side were pretty much on the back foot until then and were content to play for a draw with English goalkeeper Jordan Pickford rarely troubled in the second half.
Sadly Mustapha could do nothing about the late winner with Kane unmarked at the far post on a corner.
#3 Implementation of VAR rightly questioned
When Kyle Walker stuck his arm out to stop Ben Youssef from gaining an advantage in the box, little did he know that what works for him in the Premier League leaves him completely exposed at the World Cup.
It may have been a "soft penalty" in the Premier League - as a number of English fans and pundits claimed - but it is simply not done at the World Cup. The referee blew the whistle and pointed to the spot immediately while VAR confirmed it was indeed a penalty.
A look at replays show Walker had no right to stick his arm out and floor Youssef with his raised elbow. Ferjani Sassi stepped up and just about managed to beat Pickford with his penalty kick to make it 1-1.
Not every team in the World Cup knows that there are things you cannot get away from when there are dozens of cameras recording each and every incident on the pitch - especially if it occurs in the box.
Premier League players have had their brush with technology in officiating but that has been restricted to just Goal Line Technology. Video Assistant Referee (VAR) was only trialled in the FA Cup and English players are still coming to terms with it.
All it took was 35 minutes for England to throw away their dominance with a brain-fade from Walker. And he needs to understand that even if he had got away with it had the on-field referee not awarded a penalty, VAR would have intervened and informed the referee that it was indeed a penalty.
However, Harry Kane was also fouled in the box at the other end during a set-piece. The Tottenham Hotspur striker was practically wrestled to the ground when the ball was sent into the box.
But this time, even VAR refused to intervene and the referee hadn't seen it. A lack of protests from the English players who were too busy trying to pounce on the loose ball to shoot may have also deterred any possible call on the foul.
#4 Defensive solidity from both teams in the second half
Tunisia were pegged back in their own half for much of the second half. With only two more substitutions to make after they replaced their goalkeeper in the 15th minute, Tunisia looked to conserve energy and absorb English attacks.
When they did get the ball, though, England also defended well to win the ball back. The two wing-backs Ashley Young and Kieran Trippier dropped back into the defensive line to make it a 5-3-2 off the ball.
But it was Tunisia's defence that shone through against an onslaught of English attacks. And their biggest victim was Raheem Sterling. The Manchester City forward simply failed to get going when he received the ball and his decision-making in the final third left a lot to be desired.
Sterling was either crowded out or pushed into zones where there was a high risk of losing the ball. As a result, he was hooked off in the 68th minute with Marcus Rashford taking his place in the hope that his direct running would cause problems.
But it was a set-piece that proved to be Tunisia's undoing at the very end.
#5 England lacked the presence of a true playmaker
Since Southgate had gone with a 3-5-2 formation, there was no true no.10 playing between the lines. With Jordan Henderson in a deep midfield role, England had two no.8s in Dele Alli and Jesse Lingard.
While both players are two bundles of energy on the run and effective on coutner-attacks, they lacked the vision to split open Tunisia's defence in the second half when they were content to sit back and absorb England's pressure.
Alli tended to drift wide to the left in search of space while it was Sterling who dropped deep to receive passes from midfield in an attempt to advance the ball forward. Neither of the strategies worked as Kane was devoid of any real service.
Southgate did try to change things with 10 minutes to go when Alli was taken off for Ruben Loftus-Cheek. He didn't have enough time to make much of an impact but his positioning and movement did cause problems for Tunisia and he did create one good chance that was fluffed in the dying minutes of the game.
Nevertheless, it was another set-piece that allowed England to score the winner with Harry Maguire heading a corner to the far post where Kane headed home the winner.
