Second-half goals from Anthony Gordon and Harry Kane lifted England up to second in 2026-27 UEFA Nations League A3 with a 2-0 win over ten-men Czech Republic in Prague.
Gordon nodded England in front from Trent Alexander-Arnold’s 47th-minute cross, before Kane sealed victory with a 69th-minute strike.
A goalless first half saw Czech Republic reduced to ten men in the 25th minute as Pavel Sulc was red carded following a VAR review, having brought down England’s Elliot Anderson with a reckless tackle.
Speaking to ITV post-match, Gordon felt that Thomas Tuchel’s Three Lions dominated and could of won by a larger margin, but feels that there is room for improvement.
“I think it was good, quite dominant. We should’ve had more goals in the end, probably enough quality around the final third. A couple of things to work on – we need to be dominant, go for the throat and really put games away.”
England now sit second in League A3 after Croatia lost 4-1 to leaders – Spain, which dropped the 2018 FIFA World Cup runners-up to third, whilst Czech Republic remain bottom of the group.
Having made a sloppy start in their eventual defeat to Spain in their Nations League opener, England enjoyed a more solid start against Czech Republic in an opening phase of little chances as the hosts’ Lukas Cerv rifled wide on the volley from a blocked cross.
Tuchel’s Three Lions almost took a 16th-minute lead after Gordon teed up Morgan Rogers on the cutback, yet Chelsea’s £117m signing hit the right post on a half-turn before Anderson and Bukayo Saka saw follow-up shots blocked.
Gordon then curled wide of the right corner in the 22nd minute, before his next attempt on the half-hour mark was saved by Matej Kovar.
Czech Republic however found themselves reduced to ten men in the 25th minute after Sulc was red carded for a reckless lunge onto the right leg of Anderson.
The hosts’ woes nearly got worse in the 37th minute after Gordon’s low cross was flicked on by Robin Hranac towards Adam Karabec, and the winger almost fumbled his touch into his own net if not for Kovar’s quick reaction to gather possession of the ball.
England though couldn’t capitalise before half time as Rogers put a 43rd-minute header wide from Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cross, before Kovar tipped Kane’s shot over the bar in the first of two additional minutes.
Czech Republic’s resistance eventually broke barely a minute into the second half as a side-way pass was intercepted by a back-tracking Alexander-Arnold, who crossed into the box from the right flank for Gordon to nod into the right corner to break the deadlock.
Gordon almost turned playmaker in the 51st minute as he cut back to his former Newcastle teammate, Lewis Hall, but the left-back fired wide of the far-bottom right corner.
England continued to pile the pressure on Czech’s defence and found a second breakthrough in the 69th minute after Kane picked up possession inside the box, from which he bent a tightly-angled shot into the far-bottom right corner to double the Three Lions’ lead.
Czech Republic’s evening could of finished even worse if Rogers hadn’t headed Gordon’s cutback cross wide in the 80th minute, before Kovar tipped Eze’s shot over the bar two minutes later, whilst substitute – Alex Scott blazed a 87th-minute shot over the bar on his first international senior cap.
What’s Next?
Czech Republic face a difficult away trip to Spain at Estadio Carlos Tartiere, Oviedo, on Saturday 3 October at 8:45pm CEST.
England meanwhile head to Rijeka to face Croatia in a behind-closed-doors clash at 6pm CEST on the above date,
Teams
Czech Republic: Matej Kovar, Stepan Chaloupek, Robin Hranac, Ladislav Krejci, Jiri Slama, Lukas Cerv (Macek 80′), Pavel Sulc, Michal Sadilek (Kral 56′), Matej Radosta (Ambros 57′), Adam Hlozek (Vasulin 80′), Adam Karabec (Lingr 45′)
Substitutes: Lukas Ambros, Paval Bucha, Lukas Hornicek, Antonin Kinsky, Ondrej Kricfalusi, Alex Kral, Ondrej Lingr, Roman Macek, Michal Sacek, Daniel Vasulin, Martin Vitik, Ondrej Zmrzly
England: James Trafford, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Trevoh Chalobah, Marc Guehi, Lewis Hall, Elliot Anderson (Ngumoha 70′), Myles Lewis-Skelly (Eze 46′), Bukayo Saka (Ngumoha 71′), Morgan Rogers, Anthony Gordon (Gibbs-White 81′), Harry Kane (Bellingham 71′)
Substitutes: Jude Bellingham, Jarrad Branthwaite, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Eberechi Eze, James Garner, Morgan Gibbs-White, Ezri Konsa, Jordan Pickford, Jarell Quansah, Alex Scott, Jason Steele
Referee – Halil Umat Meler (Turkey)
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