Jacob Steinberg was at Wembley tonight. Here’s his verdict. Thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night / Good morning (delete according to which team you’ve been following). A gravelly throated Australia coach Graham Arnold speaks, just about, to 4seven. “Sorry about my voice, I’ve been trying to out-yell 65,000! … I thought we did well … once again, we didn’t take our chances … when you play against a team at that level you have to take your chances … overall I was very happy with the boys … we miss Harry Kewell! [puts arm around Channel 4 pundit] … we don’t have the quality of players other teams have, so we try to be in the faces of the opposition and take away their strength … England have a fantastic team … since the World Cup I wanted to play difficult games … we played Argentina as good as [tonight] … we played Mexico in Dallas and drew 2-2, were up 2-0, should have won that … so it’s the small details … we’ve got a great cohesion and a great culture … it’ll come, it’ll come!” More from Southgate, asked what it’s like to be tipped by folks from other countries for Euro 2024 success. “Four or five years ago, we weren’t quite at that level but we got to the semi-final in Russia and the final here … now the belief is there … there’s no more experiences they need to go through with us or their clubs … we have Champions League winners and league-title winners … the team when we’re at full strength play with that belief … we’re playing for England.” Gareth Southgate speaks to 4seven. “We made a lot of changes and that made it really difficult for the players … it’s tough playing international football when you don’t have a lot of caps behind you, and it’s even harder when you’ve got a lot of players who haven’t played together … we weren’t cohesive … I gave them a really tough challenge and Australia were very good, athletic and well organised … so I am pleased with the win … to put the players in that position … they’ve had to show different qualities … there were some positives.” Ed Aarons was at Wembley tonight. Here’s his report on the pre-match tribute that “remembered the innocent victims of the devastating events in Israel and Palestine”. James Maddison speaks to 4seven. “Australia are a really good team, actually … we didn’t underestimate them … they’re a very good team, they showed that in Qatar … they made it difficult for us … you still have to come through and win the game and we did that … you’d hear players from England squads in past talk about maybe they’d lose that game … it’s important to keep that winning mentality, it’s infectious.” Ollie Watkins talks to Channel 4. “It’s always an honour putting on the shirt … I’ve been waiting a long time … I was looking forward to it and wasn’t going to let this opportunity slip … I think Jack [Grealish] has gone to shoot and he’s dragged it, I don’t know if it’s going in … my first thought is that it was, but I took it off him … look, when you get the opportunity you have to grab it with both hands, I had to take it off him even if it was going in … I said [to Grealish] I didn’t know if it was going in … not sorry, but I was kind of looking at him saying I’m not sure! … I knew I wasn’t going to come off this pitch without a goal … I just had to keep arriving and knew I’d get a chance … before, there was a few times I got called up and didn’t think I deserved it … now I’m coming into the camp confident, knowing I deserve to be here … I wasn’t nervous, I just tried to enjoy playing in front of all these fans … it’s a good night.” England sent out their second string. They didn’t play particularly well as a collective, though Sam Johnstone, Trent Alexander-Arnold, James Maddison and especially Ollie Watkins will be happy enough with their contributions. Nobody stank the place out. Australia meanwhile may consider themselves unlucky to be on the end of a narrow defeat, having given as good as they got. They had their chances. England go on to face Italy in the Euro qualifiers on Tuesday, while the Socceroos go to Brentford to take on New Zealand with the Soccer Ashes up for grabs for the first time since 1954. FULL TIME: England 1-0 Australia Put it this way, nobody will be talking about this England-Australia match in 20 years’ time. 90 min +2: … aaaassss dddoooessssss ttthhe secccconnddd … 90 min +1: The first of three added minutes drags by. 90 min: Metcalfe is replaced by Toure, the third Aussie to make his debut this evening. He gets involved immediately, combining with Mabil down the right. Mabil crosses deep, to nobody in particular, and it’s a goal kick. 88 min: Mabil wins another corner down the right. Already a sense that this guy should have been on much earlier, and he’s been on for what, four-and-a-bit minutes? He sends this one to the near post, where Souttar is unable to sort his legs out to shoot. A half-chance, that; not the time for Souttar to draw a treble clef with his legs. 87 min: Mabil takes the corner he’s just earned. Looped high into the mixer. A pinball game threatens to break out but Johnstone and Foden both intervene to make sure the ball doesn’t drop to a yellow shirt in the six-yard box. 86 min: Mabil makes good down the right and nearly finds Irvine at the near post. England are forced to concede a corner. That was a fine run by Mabil. 84 min: Mabil’s first act is to concede a corner under pressure from Rashford and Nketiah. But nothing comes of it. 83 min: Australia make a double change, replacing Rowles and Boyle with Mabil and Behich. 81 min: A belligerent run by Bos, who is never under control yet keeps on keepin’ on down the left and forces Stones into the concession of a corner. The set piece is hit long, and Metcalfe clanks a free header off the outside of the right-hand post. The flag goes up anyway, for some needless pushing and shoving, but Australia haven’t given this up yet. Like that’s breaking news: Australian sports teams don’t really do giving up, do they? 79 min: Irvine is booked for sledging the umpire. 78 min: Rashford looks dangerous every time he takes up possession. He tears off down the left at warp speed to reach the byline, leaving Miller in the dust. He cuts back for Nketiah, but the pass doesn’t quite come off. 76 min: The raft of substitutions has completely jiggered the flow of this match. Svennis would be proud. 74 min: A triple change for Australia. Goodwin, Strain and Duke are replaced by Bos, Borrello and another debutant in Lewis Miller of Hibs. 73 min: That’s Maddison’s last act of the evening. He goes off to be replaced by Foden, while Watkins, his work done, is switched out for Nketiah. 72 min: Phillips and Trippier combine well down the right. Bowen fizzes in a low cross. For the second time tonight, Maddison is a toenail away from poking home. 70 min: Baccus drops really deep and sprays a long pass down the right, nearly releasing Boyle. Colwell sticks to him like glue and forces him to turn tail. Australia come again, and so does Boyle, this time whipping in a cross that’s easily claimed by Johnstone. 69 min: … so about that England sustained threat. They’ve suddenly shifted down a couple of gears and everything’s gone very quiet. 67 min: Baccus drops deep in hope of influencing the game. A Quarter-Baccus, if you will. He strides into space and from great distance sends a Hail Mary wide left. 66 min: Nothing comes of that one, but England are beginning to turn up the heat now, offering a sustained threat for the first time this evening. 65 min: Rashford runs at Strain to win a corner down the left. Maddison’s corner falls to Watkins, who whistles a low drive towards the bottom left. Blocked. The ball ends up with Alexander-Arnold out on the right. He drives into the box and takes a whack. Deflected. Corner. 64 min: England play some keepball and force Australia to use up some energy. 62 min: … while Gallagher and Tomori make way for Phillips and Stones. Yes it took that long. 61 min: England make a quadruple change. Grealish and Henderson depart, the latter to a very mixed reception, to be replaced by Rashford and Trippier … 59 min: Australia try to hit back immediately, Goodwin racing after a flick-on down the left and forcing Johnstone to turn around the post. Nothing comes of the corner, but that’s a fine response to falling behind. GOAL! England 1-0 Australia (Watkins 57) … Alexander-Arnold picks up the loose ball on the right wing. He curls a delicious cross towards Grealish on the left-hand corner of the six-yard box. Grealish brings it down and creams a shot-cum-cross towards the far post, where Watkins pokes home! 57 min: Maddison tries to get something going by spinning Baccus down the left. Baccus can only bring him down. Free kick, which Maddison will get up to take himself. Everyone lines up along the front of the box … but the delivery is awful and headed clear easily by Souttar. No matter, though, because … 56 min: This has become a bit attritional. England too slow. Australia happy to sit back and stay in position. 54 min: Watkins barrels his way past Souttar down the left. He reaches the byline first and cuts back, forcing Burgess to knock behind for a corner. A short-played training-ground sequence falls to bits, and Australia clear their lines. 53 min: Alexander-Arnold sprays a pass wide left for Grealish, who nearly combines with the free-floating Maddison to open Australia up down the wing. But the visitors hold their shape well. 51 min: … Grealish deflects Alexander-Arnold’s long-distance drive wide right. Goal kick. 50 min: Alexander-Arnold fires a low pass upfield for Gallagher, who feeds Bowen on the right. Bowen reaches the byline before cutting back for Maddison, who spins and fires into the populated six-yard box. Souttar hacks out for a corner, from which … 48 min: Goodwin dribbles into the England box from the left and is nearly upended by Gallagher, who really wants to watch himself. He’s fairly fortunate that Goodwin stays honest and on his feet. Had he gone down, the referee would have had a decision to make about a penalty kick. 47 min: It’s possible that Gareth Southgate gave his starting XI the what-for during the break. Australia could have been leading; Gallagher could easily have been sent off for two bookable offences; there’s been an all-round lethargy. If so, they haven’t responded. Australia are seeing more of the ball during the early second-half exchanges. Australia get the second half underway. No changes. Whatever will Sven be thinking? Half-time entertainment. Whatever happened to that 17-year-old kid who came on for England against Australia at Upton Park in 2003? Barney Ronay has the latest! HALF TIME: England 0-0 Australia There’s no time to take the resulting corner. Australia would have taken this half-time scoreline before kick-off; they go off thinking they should really be leading. What a chance for the full debutant Ryan Strain just before the break! 45 min: Nothing come of the resulting corner. England go up the other end through the dribbling Watkins, who is cleaned out legally on the left-hand edge of the six-yard box by Souttar’s perfectly timed and executed take-everything tackle. 44 min: Baccus chases after a long pass down the inside-left channel. He spins Tomori on the edge of the D and rolls across for Strain, who only has the keeper to beat. He should put his laces through it, but instead attempts to steer cutely across Johnstone and into the bottom left. The faffing around, plus the weakness of the shot, allows Dunk to get back and hook off the line. Strain holds head in hand, as well he might. 43 min: Bowen has looked lively on a couple of occasions down the right, and he’s sent scampering into space again by Maddison, and wins a corner, England’s first of the evening. Up comes everyone. It’s played back up the wing to Alexander-Arnold, whose cross is met by a soft Bowen header. No Houchen he. Easy for Ryan. 41 min: Maddison swings a weak free kick into the Australia box. Souttar heads clear and Australia launch a counter. Nothing comes of it, but the visitors are holding their shape in staunch style, and England have yet to register a shot on target. 40 min: Strain becomes the fourth player to go into the book having hauled Grealish back by the shoulder. 38 min: Boyle advances on the England box and lashes a wild shot high and wide right. He had options either side, and neither of them are happy.