(Football news) At Old Trafford, England thrashed North Macedonia 7-0 thanks to an incredible Bukayo Saka hat trick. In addition, Harry Kane notched two goals as England continued its unblemished start in Group C with 12 points after four games, breaking the previous record of 58 goals for the nation. In addition to Kalvin Phillips, Marcus Rashford also scored. With elegance, Saka recorded the first hat trick of his career, and manager Gareth Southgate later disclosed the forward had been injured before the match.
“He’s had a slightly sore Achilles and it’s another one where it would have been easy to pull out of the camp and miss out on a night like this that I’m sure will live with him forever,” Southgate said. At the near post in the first half, Saka unleashed an unstoppable shot that found the top corner. A solitary moment of brilliance came two minutes after the break when he beat North Macedonia goalie Stole Dimitrievski with a dipping effort from the edge of the box. He broke through on goal and finished coolly four minutes later.
“It’s a feeling I can’t put into words. I’m so happy,” Saka said. “It’s been a really long season. It’s the end of the season now. I couldn’t have ended it in a better way.” Fresh off a 4-0 victory against Malta on Friday, Southgate’s men put on an even more convincing display at Manchester United’s stadium. England started to play well after Kane’s goal in the 29th minute, which was assisted by Rashford and Luke Shaw. After a right-handed pass from Kyle Walker in the 38th, Saka first doubled the advantage.
After Jordan Henderson’s left-side assist, Rashford increased the score to 3-0 in the 45th minute. After the break, Saka quickly added two more goals to complete his hat trick, with Kane and Trent Alexander-Arnold providing the assists. Five minutes after coming on as a replacement, Phillips scored from close range in the 64th, and Kane scored a penalty after John Stones was fouled by Egzon Bejtulai in the area in the 73rd.
Just over a year has passed since Southgate and England were booed off the pitch by supporters following a 4-0 Nations League defeat at home to Hungary. After being eliminated in the quarterfinals of the World Cup in Qatar, England is feeling more certain that Euro 2024 would bring them their first trophy since the World Cup of 1966. “Post World Cup I think we’ve hit a sweet spot where there is a hunger to go further than we’ve been and a desire to keep pushing forward,” Southgate said. “That’s a good place to be.”
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