England vs Australia LIVE: Result and reaction as Ollie Watkins’ goal secures Three Lions victory
The Three Lions kick off their October matches with a friendly against the Socceroos at Wembley
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Your support makes all the difference.England edged past Australia in an international friendly at Wembley to keep their recent winning run alive and give them a touch of momentum heading into a crucial Euro 2024 qualifier against Italy next week.
After Gareth Southgate named an inexperienced starting XI to take on the Socceroos, the Three Lions took their time to settle. The controlled possession but failed to make much of an impact in the first half with Ollie Watkins - leading the line in the absence of Harry Kane - missing two great chances.
At the other end of the pitch, Australia should have gone ahead through Ryan Strain whose shto from the right side of the box was beautifully kept out by a back-tracking Lewis Dunk.
After the break things were different. England upped the tempo and operated higher up the pitch. Trent Alexander-Arnold found Jack Grealish in the box and the Man City man picked out Watkins at the far post who tapped in the winner.
Relive the action from Wembley and get all the latest odds and tips for the match right here:
GOAL! England 1-0 Australia (Watkins, 57’)⚽️
57 mins: What do I know?
James Maddison whips free kick into the box that gets headed back out to Trent Alexander-Arnold. He delivers a simple cross back into the middle and finds Jack Grealish.
Grealish sends the ball to the far post inside the six-yard area where Ollie Watkins pops up to tap the ball home.
England 0-0 Australia
54 mins: England have been more positive since the restart but they’re still not linking very well in the final third. They’ve created very little to threaten Mat Ryan in goal.
England 0-0 Australia
51 mins: James Maddison curls a corner ball into the box but Harry Souttar is on hand to nod it away. Trent Alexander-Arnold collects the loose ball and shoots from range.
His effort strikes Jack Grealish in the back and the ball deflects wide of the target.
England 0-0 Australia
48 mins: Levi Colwill takes hold of the loose bal in the middle of the pitch and drives it forward. He attempts to slip Ollie Watkins into the box but just ends up giving the ball away.
Australia transition it to the other end of the pitch nicely and pass the ball out to Craig Goodwin on the left wing. He twists and tricks his way into space before a cross is booted into the stands by Fikayo Tomori.
Second half! England 0-0 Australia
Australia get the match back underway. No changes made by Gareth Southgate or Graham Arnold at the break. Will we see the deadlock broken soon?
HT England 0-0 Australia
Despite only having 33% of possession in that first half, Australia created seven chances on goal, more than double the amount England had.
Ryan Strain’s effort right at the end of the half was probably the best of those but Lewis Dunk came to the rescue.
Half-time! England 0-0 Australia
45+1 mins: The first half comes to an end with things still goalless. Australia have created a few decent chances but the big moments have fallen to Ollie Watkins.
He missed an early opportunity to put the Three Lions in front before having another effort cleared off the line. An increase to the tempo of play will work well for Gareth Southgate’s side.
There are things to improve after the break.
England 0-0 Australia
45 mins: Chance! A threaded pass from Australia sees Martin Boyle played in behind the England line. He holds the ball up on his way into the box before releasing it into space for Ryan Strain.
Strain takes a touch then shoots but Lewis Dunk gets back in time to make a vital block for the hosts.
England 0-0 Australia
42 mins: England’s first corner of the game is knocked short to Trent Alexander-Arnold who whips a first time cross into the box. Jarrod Bowen lunges to get to the ball with a full-length dive and flicks it towards the target with his head.
The ball loops into the air and is no trouble for Mat Ryan to cling on to.
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