England 3-0 Cymru
- Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins and Bukayo Saka score first-half goals against Cymru
- Cymru were more competitive in the second half
- Neco Williams earns 50th cap
- The match was preparation for Cymru’s FIFA World Cup qualifier against Belgium
This match was effectively over as a contest as England went 3-0 ahead after just 20 minutes. Cymru would improve after half-time, and Craig Bellamy will be relieved that there are no immediate injury concerns for his players ahead of Monday’s match against Belgium.
However, the manner of the goals conceded will need to be addressed if Cymru are to make this a successful qualifying campaign.
England enjoyed the perfect start as captain Declan Rice delivered a corner to the back post inside three minutes. Marc Guéhi did well to keep the ball in play and Morgan Rogers made no mistake as Cymru failed to clear their lines. A similar situation arose after 11 minutes, and this time Ollie Watkins finished past goalkeeper Karl Darlow.
Bukayo Saka showed his world-class ability after 20 minutes as he made space for himself on the edge of the area and drilled a superb shot into the far corner of the net. England continued to dominate possession with Cymru shell-shocked from the situation they found themselves in.
Watkins should then have added a fourth just before half-time, but he failed to convert a cross from Elliot Anderson from close range and injured himself in the process.
Marcus Rashford replaced Watkins for the 2nd half, but it was Rogers who almost scored his second of the night a few minutes after the restart, but his effort rattled the crossbar. At the other end, England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford was called into action to deny David Brooks and substitute Chris Mepham.
Bellamy’s side enjoyed a lot more of the ball in the final quarter of the match as both teams made several changes. Cymru certainly made things more difficult for their opponents and had chances to reduce the deficit before the final whistle. However, England maintained their three-goal advantage to claim a comfortable victory.
Cymru cannot afford to dwell on this defeat with Belgium the visitors to the Cardiff City Stadium on Monday night for what is a crucial 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier. Bellamy will now need an immediate reaction and response from his squad after a difficult night at Wembley if his side are to complete this qualifying campaign on high.
