Slovakia vs England player ratings: Was match-winner Adam Lallana the star performer on Sam Allardyce's debut?

Slovakia 0 England 1: Lallana picked a perfect moment to break his international duck

Sunday 04 September 2016 19:32 BST
Comments

Adam Lallana ensured Sam Allardyce's reign as England manager got off to a dramatic winning start with a strike deep into injury time against Slovakia.

Allardyce had looked as though he would have to settle for a deeply uninspiring stalemate in Trnava - the hosts having held firm in the World Cup Group F qualifier despite Martin Skrtel's sending-off after a nasty stamp on Harry Kane.

However Lallana picked a perfect moment to break his international duck and seal a 1-0 success.

The Liverpool forward had already clattered the post when the ball broke for him inside the area, with seconds of the four added minutes left.

He showed neat footwork and got his shot away, then turned away in celebration as Matus Kozacik let the ball squirm between his legs and over the line.

The victory will be a huge tonic for Allardyce, and buys him a little extra time in his honeymoon period, but he will have seen plenty of familiar shortcomings.

Additional reporting by PA. See above for our take on England's display against Slovakia. Deliver your verdict in the comments section below.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in