England vs Australia LIVE: Result and reaction as Ollie Watkins’ goal secures Three Lions victory

Australia have won one of their last five games in all competitions (one draw, three defeats), after having won four of their five games before this run (one loss).

They’ve shipped nine goals in these five games, as many as in their previous 10 combined.

Lewis Dunk earned his second England cap against Scotland in September, four years and 301 days after his first cap against the USA in November 2018.

It is the biggest gap between a player’s first two starts for England since Frank Lampard Sr. between October 1972 and May 1980 (7 years, 233 days).

England have won every single game when a Brighton player has featured (9/9), the most games to have featured a player from a specific club with the Three Lions winning every game.

You already know where the Euro 2028 final will be played. You don’t know know because it hasn’t been announced yet. But when I tell you that the UK and Ireland are hosting the tournament, and when I show you the list of 10 allocated venues, then you already know.

Wembley is the biggest stadium in the best-connected city of the largest host nation. It is the greatest revenue generator. It is the sort of stadium that assumes it will host a final, the sort that thinks other venues wouldn’t want all that pressure and attention anyway.

The English FA will pull rank here and that is understandable, to an extent. After all, Wembley can call upon history and experience, the site having hosted three European Championship finals before: one at the old Wembley in 1996, and both the men’s and women’s finals at the new Wembley in 2021 and 2022.

England are unbeaten in their last 17 games in all competitions at Wembley, with 13 wins and four draws, since a 1-0 defeat to Denmark in October 2020.

It is their best unbeaten run there since going 24 without defeat between September 1984 and May 1990.

Gareth Southgate said tonight’s match with Australia renews "one of the great sporting rivalries" and England must take the Socceroos seriously.

"Our mindset has got to be spot on,” he added, “Equally, we’ve still got a bit of work to do to qualify for a European Championship.

"We have good players and we need to give people opportunities to show what they can do."

Gareth Southgate has named a new look starting XI. Sam Johnstone starts in goal with Levi Colwill making his England debut while Ollie Watkins and Jarrod Bowen start in the forward line.

England XI: Johnstone, Alexander-Arnold, Tomori, Dunk, Colwill, Gallagher, Henderson, Maddison, Bowen, Watkins, Grealish

Australia XI: Ryan, Strain, Souttar, Burgess, Rowles, Baccus, Irvine, Metcalfe, Boyle, Duke, Goodwin

Australia are underdogs on Friday having beaten England only once in seven meetings, a 3-1 victory at Upton Park in 2003.

Their most recent meeting saw them lose 2-1 at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland in 2016.

The Football Association has been criticised by Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer for the “extremely disappointing” decision not to light up the Wembley arch in the colours of the Israeli flag before Friday’s friendly between England and Australia.

Following attacks by Hamas militants on the country’s territory last weekend, the British Government had written to UK sports bodies encouraging them to mark events in Israel appropriately.

The Hamas attacks have led to the Israeli government responding with airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, with a ground invasion also reported to be a possibility.

The FA has released a statement announcing how they are going to acknowledge the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine which has been in the news this week.

The statement reads: “On Friday evening, we will remember the innocent victims of the devastating events in Israel and Palestine.

“Our thoughts are with them, and their families and friends in England and Australia and with all the communities who are affected by this ongoing conflict. We stand for humanity and an end to the death, violence, fear and suffering.

“England and Australia players will wear black armbands during their match at Wembley Stadium and there will also be a period of silence held before kick off.

“Following discussions with partners and external stakeholders, we will only permit flags, replica kits and other representations of nationality for the competing nations inside Wembley Stadium for the upcoming matches against Australia [13 Oct] and Italy [17 Oct].

“The British Red Cross have also launched an emergency appeal to support the people affected by the humanitarian crisis in the region, and we will promote this appeal within the stadium on Friday.”