The hour had passed and although his experimental England team was getting closer, he wanted to introduce the big gun, his captain Harry Kane, from the bench - plus four others including James Maddison and Jack Grealish.
Kane had taken off his tracksuit but there would be one last action because the VAR had spotted something amiss inside the Bosnia and Herzegovina box as they defended a corner. It soon became apparent that the defender Benjamin Tahirovic had a hold of Ezri Konsa's shirt. It was a clear penalty and Kane had to be licking his lips at the prospect of getting on to take it for his 63rd England goal.
Instead, he was held back and the responsibility fell to a player at the other end of the international experience spectrum - Cole Palmer, on the occasion of his full debut. Palmer is famously cold from the spot and he was never going to pass up this one, his first England goal a special moment.
Southgate's team had flattered to deceive in the first half, save for a few flashes from another full debutant, Eberechi Eze, plus a few more by Palmer. The penalty settled them, liberated them ahead of the Euro 2024 kick-off against Serbia on Sunday week.
There would be further tonics.
Trent Alexander-Arnold had been moved from the right central midfield role to right-back after the mass substitutions but how he affected the game from there. One long diagonal over to Grealish took the breath and almost saw Maddison score but not as much as Alexander-Arnold's volley for 2-0, fizzed into the far corner with glorious nonchalance from a tight angle. It was Grealish with the floated assist, a major boost for him.
This story is from the June 04, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the June 04, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
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