With Wales registering a win early on in the day, the onus was on both England and Russia to deliver. Roy Hodgson and Leonid Slutsky’s men were at it right from the start in what turned out to be a tightly contested affair. On more than occasion, Igor Akinfeev kept Russia in the hunt as they eventually snatched a late equalizer and a point. Eric Dier’s opener was canceled out by Vasili Berezutsky stoppage time header. The game finished 1-1 with both teams sharing the spoils.
Here’s looking at the five key points from the game.
#1 Vardy’s absence is baffling
Leicester City forward Jamie Vardy was a constant feature in England’s qualifying campaign and the friendly games that the side played recently. Yet on Saturday, England boss Roy Hodgson did not include the forward in the starting eleven.
Vardy is coming to the competition on the back of a spectacular season having scored plenty of goals and also having won the English Premier League title. Under such circumstances, it would certainly have made sense to field an attacker who is high on confidence and is raring to go. Further, Vardy has paired up with the likes of Harry Kane and Wayne Rooney in the past and it has produced some marvelous results for the Three Lions.
Had Vardy started the game, Kane would have had an able partner and that certainly could have produced more goals for England.
#2 Akinfeev saves the blushes
The CSKA Moscow custodian was the star performer for the Russians in their game against England. Right from the start, he was kept busy by the likes of Harry Kane, Wayne Rooney, Adam Lallana, Raheem Sterling and Dele Alli. There were some powerful shots hit down the middle which Akinfeev dealt with quite effectively.
The Russian defence comprising the likes of Berezutsky and Ignashevich were efficient all night but even when they faltered, Akinfeev was right there to help out. Crucial saves in the first half kept Russia in the game as they aimed to snatch three points and get a foothold in the group. Sadly he couldn’t keep out the Eric Dier’s effort.
Akinfeev has been consistently doing well for club and country for quite some time now and it is really surprising to see that a big European club hasn’t yet come calling for his services.
#3 Rooney and the left wing!
One is likely to get confused seeing the title of this slide but be rest assured, we will certainly not be discussing the England captain’s political ideology here. It is just that Rooney’s position affected his side’s performance down the left wing.
The pre-match graphic depicted that the Manchester United man will be playing down the left. However, that is certainly not what happened. He was playing down the middle and did do a good job. But the fact of the matter remains that in his absence, the left wing failed to flourish. Dele Alli was also operating down the middle and hence that part of the English midfield appeared a bit crowded.
Had Rooney operated down the left, then the likes of Rose and Sterling would have had an able companion and that could have led to England doing well.
#4 The lone strikers disappoint
Both sets of strikers disappointed big time. Harry Kane was off colour tonight and hardly had an impact on the game. The nerves were evident as he was caught offside on quite a number of occasions and failed to make the impact that the Tottenham Hotspur man is capable of. English fans can take heart from the fact that Kane usually requires some time to get into his stride. But in a tournament such as this, poor results could eventually result in elimination.
On the other side of the pitch, Zenit man Arten Dzyuba was disappointing as well. Dzyuba is also coming to the competition on the back of a decent domestic season. He scored a few goals in the Champions League as Andre Villas-Boas’ men made the round of 16 of the competition. On Saturday though, he cut a lonely figure upfront and could not contribute much. His only effort in the 62nd minute just went wide of the post. If Russia are to progress, Dzyuba has to be at his very best.
#5 England start slow, once again
In the recent past, the Three Lions have started slowly in all major international competitions. And that is the case this time around as well.
Having scored from a free-kick, Dier and co. thought that the game was well and truly won. However, Russian captain, Vasili Berezutsky was there to spoil the party as he headed in a goal in stoppage time to share the spoils.
For England, the slow start has come back to haunt them in major competitions. They lost the first game in the 2014 World Cup and they drew the opening encounter at the 2012 European Championships. A poor result in the first game puts a lot of pressure on the side as they look to ensure qualification from a group in which they were expected to top.
