Rampant England destroy Norway to secure place in Last 16

Goals from Adam Lallana, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Leighton Baines secured England's place in the last 16 as they beat Norway 4-1.

England went into this game looking fresh and uplifted after beating Croatia in the first match week of Group E and they knew that a win here would see them go through into the Last 16 of Euro 2016 regardless of the result in the final match week of Group E against Bulgaria.

England XI vs Norway

(4-3-3) Hart; Clyne, Jagielka, Caulker, Baines; Jones, Ward-Prowse, Henderson; Lallana(c), Chamberlain, Welbeck.

Subs: Butland, Cahill, Barkley, Sturridge, Rooney, Walcott, Powell.

Norway XI vs England

(4-2-3-1) Nyland; Vilsvik, Strandberg, Forren, Rindaroy; Grindheim, Henrikson; Braaten, Eikrem(c), Berisha, Abdellaoue.

Subs: Hansen, Semb, Skjelbred, Johansen, Berisha, Hangeland.

---

First Half

Norway kicked off and had control of possession within the first few minutes, however they did not pose a threat to England who sat back and waited for a mistake to seize control of possession and build-up for an attack. The game however took a twist five minutes as Jagielka tripped on the ball leaving the space open for Abdellaoue to run into and the forward confidently fired past Joe Hart to give Norway an early and surprised lead.

Hodgson looked riled up at this point and went towards the touchline barking out orders to his players hoping for a response. They came close when Welbeck got possession in the final third and found Clyne, who was in an advanced position but the Southampton right-back misjudged his cross and the ball went behind for a goal-kick.

England then levelled the game up to 1-1 as Oxlade-Chamberlain collected a 40 yard pass from Henderson and flicked it over a defender before curling the ball past Nyland into the top corner. He collected the ball from the net and ran back into the centre circle which showed how determined he was to get England another goal to put them in the lead. He gave a few high fives to the other England players as Hodgson sat back down to contemplate what to do next.


England started to control the possession more, playing many passes around the half-way line trying to find a gap in the Norwegian midfield but they were unable to do so and carried on keeping possession so Norway couldn't counter before half-time. England eventually found Lallana, who made a run through Norway's defence but the Southampton and England captain misjudged his shot as it sailed over the crossbar.

The final few minutes of the first half were very boring for both sets of fans and soon enough the referee blew for the end of the first half with England fans hoping for an inspired Hodgson team-talk to encourage the team to turn it up in the second half and qualify for the Last 16.

---

Second Half

Both teams came out for the second half in which England kicked off and started to control the possession for the opening minutes of the second half. Henderson was a key part in the amount of possession England had, as he recycled the ball whenever Norwegian players tried to pressure him off the ball. Welbeck made a great run through the middle but Ward-Prowse was unable to find the pacey forward as Forren cleared the ball out of the danger zone.

England then turned up the pressure and won the ball further up the pitch as Forren made a huge mistake and let the ball roll forward ahead of him, Welbeck nicked the ball and turned past his challenge before finding Lallana, who knocked the ball forward into the path of Oxlade-Chamberlain who exchanged passes with Lallana who fired past Nyland into the bottom corner to give England the lead for the first time in the game.

Norway's alarms were ringing now as they gave away possession once more with Welbeck advancing forward with the ball once more and using his skills to his advantage as he now had a clear run at Nyland, however before he could shoot Standberg took out Welbeck and was automatically sent off, Baines stood up and smashed the ball down the centre of the net as Nyland dived left to make it 3-1.


Norway were stunned by this two goal comeback by England and they went more attacking despite being a man down. They just couldn't break down England at all and going into the closing moments of the game they had all of their players forward except Nyland and they were punished for taking a risk as Lallana stole the ball from Forren who was on the edge of the England box and Lallana ran at Nyland and emphatically chipped over the Norwegian to make it 4-1.

The referee then blew for full-time meaning England had qualified for the Last 16 without even playing their final game. They would need at least a draw to make sure they finished first in their group however it's been an easy tournament for Hodgson's men so far, with two wins out of two for his Roaring Lions.

---

Roy Hodgson's Post Match Comments:

"Yet another emphatic performance for our lads who are really showing how good they can be. We are a force to be reckoned with and I fully expect us the finish the group with 9 points. Adam (Lallana) played great today both as a player and as a leader, he's proving to be a great choice as captain. I'm hoping for a similar performance against Bulgaria and for the remainder of this tournament."

Great result and update, although it is to be expected from you

Great win against Norway, let's see how you go in the Knock-out stages

I 4-1 think that Norway shouldn't have even turned up.


I'll get my coat.

@Pompey: Haha thank you.

@Pokari: Thanks!

@Walt:

OFFICIAL: HODGSON TO RETIRE AFTER EURO 2016

The FA have confirmed that current England manager Roy Hodgson will retire after Euro 2016 after an impressive spell in charge of the Three Lions.

Hodgson, 68, began his reign as England manager in 2012, after Fabio Capello resigned from his post following an argument with the FA. He then took over England's Euro 2012 and lead them to a quarter final against Italy who they went out on penalties against.
He continued his role leading up to the 2014 World Cup and helped England achieve first place in their qualification group which meant they were heading off to Brazil.

Brazil was were Hodgson made a huge name for himself, leading the Three Lions to their first ever World Cup win since 1966 and became a national hero. He earnt himself a knighthood for his great performance at the World Cup. However Speculation arised then that he would resign and take a job in the Barclays Premier League, with Arsenal looking at hiring the former West Brom Head Coach.


Hodgson kept his role as England manager and aided the team once more in qualifying for Euro 2016 in France. He has currently got the team to progress from their group into the knock-out stages but will sadly leave and retire from Football after the tournament is over.

We'd like to thank Roy for all the work he has done for our national team and wish him the best for the rest of the tournament and for the rest of his life outside of Football. He has done a magnificent job for us which will be remembered for many years to come.

Sad times, I'm guessing this also means the end of the story, I am guessing. If it is, this is one of FM Scout's greatest

Obviously disappointing that you are going to call time on the story but its been an absolute great so hopefully you can go out on a high and do it justice by winning the Euro's!

As the other two said, a shame that this story has to finish but I guess all good things have to come to an end. Let's see you go out on a high note

You can't leave!! You'll be leaving Harry Redknapp in charge, or even worse, Sam Allardyce!!!

@Tallery: Who knows?

@Josh: Thanks man, as I said to Tall, who knows?

@Walt: Read my response to Tall.

@Qwerty: Heh xD. There may be some surprises in store.

I am really a big fan of england team i am sure they will win,,,

England finish first after routine victory

England finished first in Group E as they secured a routine victory against Bulgaria as Danny Welbeck and James Ward-Prowse got the goals.

Having already secured a place in the next round Hodgson's England team went to Nice to face the Bulgarian's who were already out of the competition having lost both games against Croatia and Norway. This was the chance for the Roaring Lions to finish in first place and round off a brilliant group stage performance.

England XI vs Bulgaria

(4-3-3) Hart; Clyne, Cahill, Caulker, Baines; Jones, Ward-Prowse, Henderson; Lallana(c), Walcott, Welbeck.

Subs: Butland, Jagielka, Barkley, Sturridge, Rooney, Chamberlain, Powell.

Bulgaria XI vs England

(4-2-3-1) Mihaylov; Manolev, Raykov, Ivanov, Milanov; Dyakov, Galchev; Delev, Milanov, Popov(c); Nedelev.

Subs: Illiev, Zhelev, Barthe, Jordanov, Bojinov, Popov, Kunchev.

---

First Half

The Bulgarians kicked off the match and adopted a defensive approach, keeping possession within the first ten minutes by passing it around the back. England were comfortable with this and pressed up the pitch, with Welbeck coming close to stealing the ball off Ivanov but the defender got lucky as the ball flicked off Welbeck's heel and away from danger.

England then got possession after Bulgaria needlessly gave the ball away and Henderson set off Walcott down the wing, who used his pace to beat Milanov. The Arsenal winger sent in a delicious cross towards Adam Lallana at the back post but the England skipper struck the post with his low shot and Raykov was there to clear the ball away from danger.

Bulgaria were then punished for losing possession as Welbeck nicked the ball off Milanov and started to run at the remaining defenders, he played a one-two with Lallana before getting the ball played back to him in an advanced position and coolly finished past Mihaylov to give England a well deserved lead.


Welbeck's goal then gave the England players much needed motivation to push on and get another goal to really put the game beyond doubt. Bulgaria were worried now as Walcott yet again found himself in space on the wing and delivered a pin point cross to Henderson who was denied a goal as Mihaylov pulled off a great save and parried the ball away from danger.

England made it 2-0 just before half-time as James Ward-Prowse hit the ball 30 yards to Lallana, who sold his man with some fancy footwork and pulled the ball back to the edge of the box where Ward-Prowsw appeared and the Southampton star fired the ball into the bottom left corner to double England's lead as both teams went in for half-time.

---

Second Half

England then kicked off the second half, with them showing no intention to be more defensive, as both midfielders advanced into Bulgaria's final third as Jones smashed the ball high into the box where Welbeck cushioned a header down to Henderson who put too much power on his shot and skied the ball over the crossbar.

However, England then scored their third and final goal as Welbeck was put through on goal by Henderson picking him out via a 40 yard pass and the Manchester United forward confidently curled the ball past Mihaylov into the top right corner to seal the win for England. Welbeck went over to Henderson and applauded him for his exceptional pass leading up to the goal.


England then kept it simple for the rest of the game, with Henderson and Jones holding up play and frustrated the Bulgarian forward who took out their frustration by making needless fouls and causing valuable minutes to be wasted. Hodgson instructed his team to keep hold of the ball and not take any risks.

The game then finally ended with England celebrations as they finished first in their group and will be facing Italy in the next round which will be a tough ask for England, however with Hodgson's guidance they could really pose a big threat to the Italians who failed to impress in the World Cup.

---

Roy Hodgson's Post Match Comments:

"I'm very pleased with this performance, we've been great throughout this group stage and I applaud each and every player for their contribution in the whole of this stage. We've got to prepare now for Italy who by no means are easily beaten, we will need to perform to the best of our ability and keep it tight at the back to get a good result."

Great write up, great layout and a comfortable victory too