Player Ratings: England 0-0 Scotland

England arguably hold possession to one of the strongest ranges of attacking options out of any nation competing in the European Championships this summer, however, Scotland’s resilience shone through as they denied their rivals with only one recognized centre-back on the pitch.

Jordan Pickford: 7/10

The England goalkeeper enjoyed a dominant display against a team who also failed to score in their first match of the tournament. The Sunderland academy graduate was forced into an impressive save late into first half stoppage time as opposition full-back Stephen O’Donnell caught a volley sweetly on the edge of the area and was destined for the back of the net. His distribution also impressed as he looked to force his team forward with a pass accuracy of 83% — successfully making two punches, four saves. and two clearances.

Reece James: 7/10

The young Chelsea full-back was handed his first minutes of the tournament by Gareth Southgate as his attacking influence in the final third was preferred to Manchester City’s Kyle Walker. Despite this, it was his defensive instincts that came to England’s rescue as he reacted swiftly to a Scotland shot to get back and clear the ball off of the line. denying rivals Scotland from making the breakthrough. The Champions League winner endured the highest pass percentage of anyone on the pitch (98%), making two key passes along the way and saw his shot arrow narrowly over the bar from distance towards the full-time whistle.

Tyrone Mings: 7/10

The Aston Villa man found himself in the starting line-up for consecutive games alongside John Stones as he kept his tenth clean sheet in twelve appearances for The Three Lions. Dominating possession with seventy-one touches, the centre-back heavily influenced the attacking transition forward with his quick thinking on the ball.

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John Stones: 7/10

Gareth Southgate’s style of play was on display at Wembley as both centre-backs opted for a long, floated pass in which bypassed the midfield into the channels for the wide players to run onto and supply a cross into the box. John Stones was successful with his three attempted long balls (Mings was successful with four out of nine completed), supplying Phil Foden and Raheem Sterling the licence to attack the opposition full-backs.

Luke Shaw: 7/10

The Manchester United full-back found himself preferred to Ben Chilwell and Kieran Trippier due to his natural left footed ability. With two key passes and four aerial duels won, he supplied Gareth Southgate with plenty of decisions to make heading into the final group stage game next week.

Declan Rice: 6/10

The West Ham United midfielder followed in the centre-back’s footsteps by favoring a long ball into the attacking channels with four out of five finding a teammate. However, with the role of anchor, he conceded possession on seven occasions and allowed Scotland to form a swift counterattack in to the final third.

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Kalvin Phillips: 6/10

After gaining plaudits for his ‘Pirlo-like’ performance against Croatia, it was not to be replicated the second time around. Being partnered alongside Rice allows the Leeds United midfielder license to roam forward, providing another threat in attack. However, Scotland midfielder John McGinn denied Phillips said opportunities with his relentless pressure and movement off the ball, leading to the midfielder losing possession on thirteen occasions.

Mason Mount: 6/10

From a defensive nature, Mount got the better of opposition rivals, winning ten out of fifteen attempted ground duels and drawing multiple fouls in the attacking third. However, the Champions League winner also conceded possession on seventeen occasions, undoing his hard work and with only one shot (off target), he failed to produce the necessary cutting edge that would give his side the moment of magic required to claim all three points.

Phil Foden: 7/10

The Manchester City midfielder was the first to be withdrawn from action around the hour mark after enjoying a progressive hour of play. From a fan’s perspective, it was clear that the midfielder was slowly getting his bearings on the game, continuously trying to supply Harry Kane with the necessary chances to put England in front. However, Gareth Southgate believed he had seen enough and took him off after completing three successful dribbles into the final third, with his lone attempt on goal being off target.

Raheem Sterling: 6/10

After scoring the winner for England in the previous game, the Manchester City forward’s goal scoring touch was not to be continued as he found himself frustrated against a resilient Scotland defense. With only forty touches of the ball, he was to lose possession on twelve occasions, conceding two fouls in frustration after having been tackled and having a chance ruled out for offside. It was an evening to forget for Raheem Sterling.

Harry Kane: 5/10

Having come into the tournament as the firm favorite for the golden boot, the Tottenham Hotspur striker completed his 180^th minute of football at Euro 2020 without finding the back of the net, leading to him surprisingly being substituted with as many as fifteen minutes still left to play. With a pass completion rate of 65% and a mere nineteen touches of the ball throughout the game, it’s pretty clear as to why Gareth Southgate chose to remove the captain, however, it only takes one chance and if you were to want the ball to fall to someone in the opposition’s box, you would want it to be him.

Removing him from the action all together also removes the possibility of that chance being coolly taken in which also goes without mentioning the leadership that he supplies to his team mates, hence being given the captains armband.

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Jack Grealish (SUB): 7/10

Marcus Rashford (SUB): 6/10

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