West Ham United captain Jarrod Bowen notched his first England goal with his first touch to help the Three Lions secure an emphatic 5-0 win over the Republic of Ireland that sealed top spot in UEFA Nations League Group B2 and automatic promotion to League A.
In Lee Carsley’s last match in interim charge, England went into the final match of their Nations League campaign with their fate in their hands at the top of the group rankings, but were unable to break the deadlock by the half-time whistle.
A Liam Scales red card six minutes after the break, for a second bookable offence that also saw the Wembley hosts awarded a penalty, proved the key turning point in the game however, and Harry Kane duly made it 1-0 from 12 yards.
Jarrod Bowen:
Touches - 1
Goals - 1 #ITVFootball | #ENGIRL pic.twitter.com/KYYYvsCPmN— ITV Football (@itvfootball) November 17, 2024
It was 3-0 to England fewer than six minutes later, with Anthony Gordon and Conor Gallagher also getting off the mark at senior international level to put their side in firm command ahead of the hour.
Bowen was introduced as one of three 75th-minute substitutes and made an instant impact on his 14th cap, peeling off the Irish defence and finishing off a well-worked free-kick move first time with his left foot, from just inside the 18-yard box.
Despite the already heavy scoreline there was still time for a fourth home player to claim the first England goal of their career - for the first time in the same game since 1930 - as debutant Taylor Harwood-Bellis headed past Caoimhin Kelleher eleven minutes from the end.
The result sees England complete this season’s Nations League with five wins and 15 points from their six outings, having been defeated just once at home to Dinos Mavropanos’ Greece, who finish second due to their inferior head-to-head record against the Three Lions.
Following their 3-0 defeat to Bowen and the rest of Carsley’s charges last time out, Greece bounced back with a 2-0 win away at Finland in their sixth Nations League fixture, with Mavropanos completing the full 90 minutes and contributing to a clean sheet.
Second-half goals from Tasos Bakasetas and Christos Tzolis proved the difference in Helsinki, rounding off a strong run of games for Greece, who will now contest a promotion play-off tie in March to try and earn a spot in League A.
In U21s action, Sean Moore made his second appearance for the Republic of Ireland, coming on for goalscorer Rocco Vata in the final half-an-hour as James Crawford's men beat Sweden in an international friendly by 3-2.
