Gareth Southgate’s students did not have much motivation when they received Malta at Wembley Stadium on November 17, because they were sure to qualify for the final round.

But the fact that a team with many good players had to wait until the 64th minute to hit the goal for the first time is difficult for the fans to accept, especially when the opponent is a team that has lost all the way from the beginning of the qualifying round.Despite running out of goals, England still entered the field with almost their strongest squad, missing only the player who just won the “Golden Boy” award Jude Bellingham, due to injury. The home team played lazily and almost conceded a goal at the beginning of the match, when Matthew Guillaumier stole the ball from Conor Gallagher and created a chance for Teddy Teuma.

Taking an early lead after Phil Foden passed to Enrico Pepe for an own goal in the eighth minute made England’s performance less serious. Southgate’s students held the ball a lot but played well. British media even wrote that if a team full of English First Division football players were to take on Malta, the host would probably have led by a few goals after the first half. England’s biggest highlight in the first half was Kane’s diving in a sensitive situation in the penalty area, leading to a yellow card.

After the break, Coach Southgate replaced Bukayo Saka and Kyle Walker, making England’s game better. It was Saka who assisted Kane to set the score 2-0 in the 75th minute. Three minutes later, Declan Rice also put the ball into Malta’s net, but the goal was canceled because of offside.

England’s sleepy performance left home fans dissatisfied. They continuously folded paper airplanes and threw them onto the field in the second half. When the referee announced there would be up to six minutes of extra time, many people in the stands left early, others sat back and “moaned”.

The bright spot for England probably comes from Cole Palmer. On his team debut, the Chelsea midfielder brought abundant energy when given the opportunity in the second half. This is the opposite of what Jordan Henderson brings. The veteran midfielder, who played 80 times in 13 years with England, was booed on his way off the field.

England is six points ahead of second place Italy, with only one match left in Group C. The ticket to the second final round in this group is the competition between Italy and Ukraine, who have the same 13 points. They will face each other in the final round, while England are away at North Macedonia on November 21.