London (AFP)
England, despite a very reshaped team, quietly beat Ireland 3-0 in a friendly on Thursday at Wembley before facing Belgium in the Nations League on Sunday.
Gareth Southgate's training remained on a home defeat in mid-October against Denmark (1-0) in the League of Nations.
A setback that ended an invincibility of seven matches.
In their Wembley stadium again behind closed doors, the English have returned to success against the Irish, eighth finalists of Euro-2016, but absent from the next edition in June.
Faced with an English selection which flew over its qualifying group for this European meeting, Ireland was quickly overtaken on Thursday evening.
Like star striker Harry Kane, or goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, Southgate had yet chosen to spare a large part of his executives for the Nations League matches in Belgium on Sunday and against Iceland on Wednesday.
Promoted captain, Manchester United defender Harry Maguire showed the way by propelling the ball into the net (1-0, 18th) with his head, after a poor dismissal from the Irish defense.
On a new clearance error from the Irish, Borussia Dortmund striker Jadon Sancho, perfectly found by Jack Grealish, doubled the bet with a shot from the right after a hook (2-0, 31st).
The clear domination of the Three Lions continued in the second period with the third goal scored from the penalty spot by Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin (3-0, 56th), after a foul on Arsenal midfielder Bukayo Saka.
It is now an opponent of another caliber that awaits England: Belgium, N.1 in the Fifa rankings, leader of its League of Nations group with two points ahead of the Danes and the English and unbeaten at home since 2016.
© 2020 AFP