England beat Bosnia-Herzegovina in first of two Euro 2024 warm-up games
Palmer, Alexander-Arnold & Kane score for Three Lions
Wharton & Branthwaite on for England debuts in second half
England play Iceland in final friendly at Wembley on Friday
Euro 2024 begins on 14 June, with England's first group match against Serbia
FT: England 3-0 Bosnia-Herzegovina
England are heading back south after a night out in Newcastle.
We're just days from finding out who is going to Euro 2024 - and the seven who will be left behind.
Next stop is Wembley on Friday for a friendly with Iceland.
It's Gareth Southgate's final game before the serious stuff begins.
See you then!
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty ImagesFT: England 3-0 Bosnia-Herzegovina
Leon Osman
Former Everton and England midfielder on BBC Radio 5 Live
I think James Maddison did everything he could do tonight.
If you are looking at the squad and if everyone is fit you would probably say all the players that are not here will go.
Before this I would say Adam Wharton is just starting his career, but that was a really good performance and cameo.
FT: England 3-0 Bosnia-Herzegovina
England
Image source, Getty ImagesEngland's Trent Alexander-Arnold, speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live: "I think it was a positive night and it was a good one. A foundation laid and one to build on. After not playing for two weeks it was always bound to be a slow start.
"We built into it as a team and we found our feet in the second half. We made adjustments and penetrated through the lines - we can take a lot of positives.
"I love playing football and it was one I have been excited for. I was itching to get out there, I love playing for my country."
On playing centre midfield: "I have had a conversation with the manager and potentially that is where he sees me.
"In my head I am not fussed at all where I play. I just want to play as much football as I can over the summer."
FT: England 3-0 Bosnia-Herzegovina
Words you love to hear from a player on the eve of a major tournament: "I love playing for my country."
Step forward Trent Alexander-Arnold.
FT: England 3-0 Bosnia-Herzegovina
Leon Osman
Former Everton and England midfielder on BBC Radio 5 Live
On Eberechi Eze and Adam Wharton...
That is why they have got into the squad because of what they have done for their club.
Eze is unique. He can glide with the ball and he can beat four players at a time. There is not many players that can do that, they are the types of players you need to unlock the door.
With Adam Wharton he played with such confidence in a vital area of the pitch.
FT: England 3-0 Bosnia-Herzegovina
England
England's forward Eberechi Eze, speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live: "Grateful to God to have this opportunity and I tried to express myself and to try enjoy it.
"I felt like that has been my mindset to keep going with momentum and to keep enjoying my football.
"Again I feel like for me I am grateful to God to be in the position now and to come from so many different challenges. To be in this position is a huge blessing - I am grateful."
On Crystal Palace team-mate Adam Wharton: "Adam Wharton is an incredible player and playing with him at Palace I have got used to him - he is a joy to play with.
"He is calm, composed and a cool guy. For someone so young he is very mature and very wise."
FT: England 3-0 Bosnia-Herzegovina
Phil McNulty
BBC Sport chief football writer at St James' Park
Image source, PA MediaOne of the big pluses was the display of Eberechi Eze, who will be one of the players trying to force Gareth Southgate's hand, or prompt a late change of mind, before he trims his squad back to 26 following the Iceland game.
Other than that, there were few big takeaways for Southgate, few stand-out performances, leaving much still up for grabs in that Wembley friendly.
Southgate's selection for that game will reveal a much clearer picture of where his thoughts are heading as he targets another tilt at glory in Germany, where he and England will try to shed their 'nearly men' tag and end a barren sequence for the men's team stretching back to the 1966 World Cup.
FT: England 3-0 Bosnia-Herzegovina
Jonathan Woodgate
Former England defender on BBC Radio 5 Live
With Adam Wharton he went onto the pitch and he believed he could do it.
With every pass he played it forward, he had the confidence to do it.
When he got on he showed no nerves whatsoever.
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Gareth Hollyman: Sadly we have got to leave a few lads behind. For me, they would be Shaw, Trafford, Quansah, Dunk, Wharton, Jones and Watkins.
FT: England 3-0 Bosnia-Herzegovina
Image source, PA MediaOf Harry Kane’s 63 goals for England, tonight’s was just his fifth as a substitute, and his first such goal since September 2021 against Andorra. Indeed, he’s now netted 12 goals in his last 12 international appearances.
FT: England 3-0 Bosnia-Herzegovina
England boss Gareth Southgate, speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, on Harry Kane: "He had the audacity to ask to come on and to score the penalty which was never going to happen!
"The plan for him today was to have half-an-hour and then he will start on Friday."
FT: England 3-0 Bosnia-Herzegovina
England
This is great.
Substitute Harry Kane instantly asked Gareth Southgate if he could go on and take the spot-kick when England were awarded a penalty.
Southgate said no. Kane stayed on the bench and Cole Palmer slotted home his first England goal.
FT: England 3-0 Bosnia-Herzegovina
England
Image source, Getty ImagesEngland boss Gareth Southgate, speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live: "I thought the intensity of the game was good.
"We had players that needed minutes and we needed a competitive game. The opposition was dogged so we had to be patient and keep probing - we felt our quality would tell.
"There was some good individual performances and hopefully we have come through with no issues."
On Trent Alexander-Arnold: "We know his qualities we don't need to go over too much of what we know. It is a beautiful finish - he made a difficult finish look very straight forward."
On Eze and Cole Palmer: "I thought Cole linked the game well for us.
"Lovely for him to get his first goal and then with Eze he was really pleased. He played with that freedom and swagger. It is great to see a young players come into this environment and do that."
On Adam Wharton: "He trains as he plays. He receives it well and he is very composed, that sounds simple but it is not a simple thing to do.
"He can see a picture when the ball arrives with him."
And finally on the result: "Winning and clean sheets are good habits to have."
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Stuart Beal-Collins: What a pass by Grealish, that was sensational and we take him for granted. Has to be on the plane.
AC Tcg: Jack Grealish gets in the squad all day long btw.
FT: England 3-0 Bosnia-Herzegovina
Image source, Getty ImagesCole Palmer became just the fifth England player to score his first senior goal for the national team via the penalty spot after Tommy Lawton (1938), Alf Ramsey (1951), Allan Clarke (1970) and Ivan Toney (2024).
FT: England 3-0 Bosnia-Herzegovina
Leon Osman
Former Everton and England midfielder on BBC Radio 5 Live
Gareth Southgate must be so pleased because it doesn't seem that anyone has picked up an injury.
It seems the team have got through the game and picked up some good minutes.
FT: England 3-0 Bosnia-Herzegovina
England
England manager Gareth Southgate to Channel 4: "They were an opponent that were dogged, determined. Physically, it was a good workout but in the end, a good performance. The scoreline reflected the performance."
On Bosnia: "We had a lot of fresh players to bring in. Once you break that resistance then it starts to come. A lot players didn't have many caps that started so it was going to be a sticky start."
On Eberechi Eze and Cole Palmer: "I thought they both played with the freedom. Ebere has got lovely movement to go past players, he's got power. A couple of times, Cole was being too precise and if he got his shots away earlier maybe he could've got a couple."
On Harry Kane: "Our plan today was half an hour and he'll start on Friday."
On injuries: "The great thing is we've got through the last few days with no new problems. That's really important. We needed to get through these first matches to get a clearer picture and the guys rehabbing have done well."
More headaches tonight?: "A little bit but that's a good thing. I would rather have good performances than poor performances."
FT: England 3-0 Bosnia-Herzegovina
Image source, Getty ImagesTrent Alexander-Arnold, who created five chances this evening, has now been involved in six goals in his last nine appearances for England (2 goals, 4 assists), netting his third goal for the national team (Malta 2023 and USA 2018 also).
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Wehearsirens: I feel like Adam Wharton isn't getting the credit he deserves. Looked calm, assured and composed on the ball 100% pass completion. I would have him on the plane to Germany.
Image source, Getty ImagesFT: England 3-0 Bosnia-Herzegovina
A reminder of what happens next...
England will head back down south to prepare for Friday's farewell friendly against Iceland at a sold-out Wembley - their last match before Euro 2024.
England also have to submit their final 26-man squad to Uefa before midnight on Friday before it is revealed on Saturday.
Their first game of the tournament is against Serbia on 16 June in Gelsenkirchen.
Gareth Southgate: England boss 'spinning a lot of plates' before naming final Euro squad
Cole Palmer marked his first England start by setting Gareth Southgate's side on their way to victory against Bosnia-Herzegovina at St James' Park as the countdown to Euro 2024 continued.
England's much-changed side struggled to find any rhythm for long periods in a scrappy affair but finally broke the deadlock on the hour when Palmer drove in a penalty after Ezri Konsa was pulled back at a corner.
Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold made sure of the friendly win with a fine volley at the far post five minutes from time, with Harry Kane later pouncing from close range to give the scoreline a convincing appearance.
Crystal Palace's Eberechi Eze, also making his full debut, was a bright spark until he was substituted, giving manager Southgate food for thought as he prepares to finalise his squad for the tournament in Germany after Friday's friendly against Iceland at Wembley.
In a game of few opportunities before England's late rally, Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins was denied by an early save from keeper Nikola Vasilj while Alexander-Arnold showed flashes of his range of passing in a midfield role.
Southgate took the opportunity to make more changes after the break, which saw Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite and Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton getting their first full caps.
The England manager now has one more look at his side before the serious action starts in Germany and the meeting with Serbia on 16 June.
Cole Palmer celebrates after putting England ahead from the penalty spot
England's line-up understandably carried an experimental air with so many first choices either unavailable or left on the bench, and it showed in a disorganised, uninspired first hour.
In the end, however, England made up for that poor start with a strong finish, even though it took the late goals from Alexander-Arnold and Kane to give their superiority an emphatic look.
Palmer's penalty, scored with his customary aplomb, will have delighted the 22-year-old forward who was surely on the plane to Germany even before this game.
His goal set the seal on a remarkable campaign that started at Manchester City before he left to become Chelsea's stand-out performer.
He has now scored in the Premier League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup, European Super Cup, Community Shield and now international football in a stellar campaign.
Alexander-Arnold's goal, struck crisply from Jack Grealish's cross, demonstrated what he can offer in attacking positions and made up for a poor first period, when he was surprisingly wasteful in possession. He showed his full range of passing after the break.
One of the big pluses was the display of Eze, who will be one of the players trying to force Southgate's hand, or prompt a late change of mind, before he trims his squad back to 26 following the Iceland game.
Other than that, there were few big takeaways for Southgate, few stand-out performances, leaving much still up for grabs in that Wembley friendly.
Southgate's selection for that game will reveal a much clearer picture of where his thoughts are heading as he targets another tilt at glory in Germany, where he and England will try to shed their 'nearly men' tag and end a barren sequence for the men's team stretching back to the 1966 World Cup.
Trent Alexander-Arnold celebrates his goal for England
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Manager: Gareth Southgate
Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1
Manager: Sergej Barbarez
Formation: 5 - 4 - 1
Manager: Gareth Southgate
Formation: 4 - 2 - 3 - 1
Manager: Sergej Barbarez
Formation: 5 - 4 - 1
Friendlies
All competitions
This is the first ever meeting between England and Bosnia and Herzegovina in any competition. It’s the first time the Three Lions are facing a European nation for a first time since they won 5-3 against Kosovo in 2019.
Bosnia and Herzegovina are unbeaten in their seven games against the British home nations this century (W4 D3). Their last such defeat was against Scotland in a EUROs qualifier in 1999.
This is England’s first match at St James’ Park since March 2005, when they won 2-0 against Azerbaijan in a World Cup qualifier. The Three Lions have won their last four games at Newcastle United’s home without conceding a goal since losing 2-1 to Wales back in 1933.
Bosnia and Herzegovina have lost their last four matches, conceding 13 goals across these games. They haven’t lost more consecutively since losing eight in a row between August 2007 and January 2008.
England are unbeaten in their last 11 friendly matches against European nations (W8 D3) since losing 3-2 away at France in June 2017.
England have conceded the first goal in each of their last three matches (D2 L1), as many as in their previous 14 games combined. They haven’t conceded first in four games in a row since across four matches in May and June 1985.
Bosnia are winless in their last 26 matches against the nations currently in the top-10 of FIFA’s world rankings (D6 L20), with their last such win coming against Belgium back in April 2009.
Bukayo Saka has been involved in 10 goals in his last 13 England appearances (7 goals, 3 assists), twice as many as he managed in his first 19 games for the Three Lions (5).
