England beats Australia as Watkins’ hot streak continues with winning goal
LONDON (AP) — In the absence of Harry Kane, Ollie Watkins continued his scorching goal-scoring type on Friday to steer England to a 1-0 win in opposition to Australia at Wembley Stadium.
Watkins has already scored two hat tips for Aston Villa this season and seized his probability to make an impression forward of subsequent yr’s European Championship as Three Lions coach Gareth Southgate named an experimental workforce for the pleasant match.
In his first look for his nation in 19 months, he slid in to transform from shut vary within the 57th minute for the one objective of the sport as England warmed up for Tuesday’s Euro 2024 qualifier in opposition to Italy with a win.
“I knew I wasn’t going to come off this pitch without the goal, that was in my mind,” Watkins stated.
Southgate confirmed his appreciation by greeting the striker with a hug when he was substituted later within the match.
Watkins is one in every of a bunch of forwards hoping to make Southgate’s squad for the Euros, ought to England qualify for the event in Germany. Along with the likes of Callum Wilson, Eddie Nketiah and Ivan Toney, he’s competing to take up the function of understudy to Kane, England’s captain and all-time main scorer.
That is why video games like this, with Kane amongst a bunch of regulars rested, tackle further which means for the gamers who must make some extent to Southgate.
“It has been a long time coming. I have been waiting a long time for the next call up. I was looking forward to it and I wasn’t going to let this opportunity slip,” Watkins stated. “There’s so many good forwards around scoring goals and it is about taking your opportunity when you are on the pitch.”
Watkins had scored on his England debut in opposition to San Marino in 2021 after which once more on his first begin for his nation in opposition to Ivory Coast the next yr.
He hadn’t performed for England since then, however his spectacular membership type earned him a second begin and he was on the scoresheet once more for his third worldwide objective.
Watkins capitalized when Trent Alexander-Arnold’s diagonal ball into the field discovered Jack Grealish, who drove a low cross to the far publish. Watkins slid in to satisfy it, break the impasse and finally safe the win.
The 27-year-old striker has now scored eight objectives for membership and nation in 14 appearances this season. His England call-up got here after hat tips for Villa in opposition to Hibernian within the Europa Conference League and Brighton within the Premier League.
“There were a few times before I got called up and didn’t think I deserved it, but now I am coming in confident in myself off the back of good form,” he stated. “I was not nervous and just tried to perform in front of all these fans. I scored, it was a good night.”
Watkins was a part of a much-changed England workforce in opposition to Australia that included a senior debut for Chelsea defender Levi Colwill. Sam Johnstone, Lewis Dunk, Fikayo Tomori and Jarrod Bowen had been additionally named within the lineup as Southgate benched lots of his regulars.
Watkins might need added one other objective when he was fractions away from opening the scoring within the first half after taking the ball round Australia goalkeeper Mathew Ryan and hitting the publish.
Australia then got here near taking a halftime lead, however Dunk cleared Ryan Strain’s shot off the road.
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