"?Chris Smalling's late header earned England a 1-0 win over Portugal on Thursday night, in a drab affair at Wembley ahead of Euro 2016.
GOAL: Smalling https://t.co/xMPdJ5FQE7
It was England's final friendly before their opening group stage clash with Russia on June 11, and manager Roy Hodgson had admitted in the build-up that he'd wanted to use the game as a trial-run to deal with a star attacker in preparation for Gareth Bale and Wales - clearly in hope that Cristiano Ronaldo would feature.
The Real Madrid man didn't travel though - he's still off resting in Ibiza - but another former Manchester United man in Nani took the captain's armband for the visitors in his place.
'Bruce Springsteen's playing Wembley soon. He's 66 and still got more energy than England'https://t.co/EPZuBQZeF0 pic.twitter.com/jiuqH7uwxv
Much of the focus went into how Hodgson lined up, and he went bold in terms of personnel. Wayne Rooney, Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy each started the game, with Rooney tipped to play at the head of a midfield diamond.
That's not quite how it turned out, as the national skipper played in what at times appeared to be a front-three with the two Premier League hotshots. Dele Alli, James Milner and Eric Dier featured in a narrow midfield three behind them for large spells of the first half, leaving large gaps for the likes of Kane and Vardy to cover down the wings.
Each of the two were being forced into wide areas because of Rooney's presence between them, and for the majority of the night it stifled the Three Lions in attack. There was very little to write home about in terms of dynamic play in the final third, but the biggest incident of the first half did actually involve Kane.
Unfortunately, the 22-year-old nearly had his head taken off by Portuguese centre half Bruno Alves, who went flying through the air studs-first in an attempt to win a loose ball, but caught Kane in the face. Even while Kane was quick to get to his feet - and even while this match was a friendly - the referee had little choice but to show a red card.
It turned out to be a frustrating night for the most part, as even while a man light, the visitors proved hard for England to break down. They created little in the way of chances despite a hefty amount of possession, but Hodgson's side did manage to secure another win as Smalling popped up with a goal four minutes from time.
Hodgson and England supporters may have been hoping for some more expansive football ahead of next weekend's huge clash, but the preparations are all but over now. The real thing is just around the corner.
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