Harry Maguire shines on return as Phil Foden fails audition

Thomas Tuchel rotated heavily for first of two international friendlies this month

Harry Maguire shines on return as Phil Foden fails audition
Harry Maguire shines on return as Phil Foden fails audition Photo: Evening Standard

Federico Valverde slotted in a 94th-minute penalty to earn Uruguay a 1-1 draw with England in an extremely forgettable Wembley encounter.

The friendly was predominantly played at walking pace, with no sign that either side were going to break the deadlock heading into the final ten minutes.

However Ben White, who was booed when he came on for his first England appearance since walking out of the World Cup in 2022, was on hand to bundle in from a yard out at the back post from a corner.

That should have been the winner, but White was rash in fouling Federico Vinas in stoppage-time and Valverde did the rest from the spot.

Matt Verri was at Wembley to rate the England players...

Guessed correctly with last-gasp penalty but could not get there.

Couple of careless passes out and was not as secure as in the Carabao Cup final.

Dealt well with crosses - overall an incredibly tame introduction to international football.

Inverted well at times and unlucky not to win a free-kick after one burst.

Uruguay were very aggressive on him but he largely stood up to the test well.

Calmly dealt with aerial test in playing the full 90 minutes.

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Caught under one long ball in the first-half when Uruguay should have made more of it.

Otherwise decent on the ball and not really tested by the visitors.

Dominant from corners in the early stages but those opportunities became increasingly limited.

Rock solid defensively and a sensational block deep in stoppage-time prevented a Uruguay winner.

Had a lovely burst down the left when dropping the shoulder.

Other poor moments on the ball, though, and his limitations on that wing showed when he kept checking back.

Uruguay had joy down his side too.

Offered nothing.

Tidy enough on the ball but made no real impact in possession.

Uruguay midfielders found it too easy to run off and away from him.

Replaced at half-time.

Solid senior debut.

Created four chances, by far the most of any player on the pitch, and also led the way for tackles with five.

Made more of his audition than most in an England shirt.

Full of direct running early on was a rare source of excitement for the England fans in attendance.

Concern though as he was clattered taking a shot and forced off before half-time.

Loose on the ball to lose it in midfield early on.

Tried to get England going by sweeping passes out wide, but influence was far too limited.

Left in a heap by an ugly challenge from Araujo that somehow went unpunished.

One brilliant run down the left wing as he skipped past three challenges and fired a ball across the face of goal.

Looked the most likely to make something happen in bright display.

Really bright in the opening minutes.

Dropped deep and linked up play nicely, and had a couple of decent deflected shots.

Faded after that and ultimately a frustrating night on a big occasion for him.

Worked tirelessly on the right wing but nothing to speak of in terms of moments in the final third.

Immediately added some bite to the midfield as he snapped into the challenges.

Passing didn’t always come off but at least he tried to be positive.

Superb cross to create big chance for Calvert-Lewin.

Committed defenders as he picked the ball up deep and ran with it.

Corner created the chaos for goal.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Solanke 56’) 5
First England appearance since 2021.

Should have marked it with a goal - awful miss when sending a free header wide from four yards out.

Bit frantic in moments when trying to force the issue.

More calmness was needed given the game state.

Tried to get forward to support the attack and Palmer nearly picked out his bright overlapping running.

Absolute rollercoaster.

Booed as he came on to make his England return at centre-back.

Superb moment for him to pop up with the goal, but far too rash to concede stoppage-time penalty.

Source: This article was originally published by Evening Standard

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