Malta v England as it happened: Comfortable victory for Three Lions
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90+3' That's all for today as the game is over.
90' 3 additional min. will be played.
87' The referee stops play so that a substitution can be made and Juan Corbalan (Malta) replaces Cain Attard.
87' The corner from Trent Alexander-Arnold (England) is cleared away by the defence.
84' 0 - 4 GOAL! Callum Wilson (England) takes a real chance, but his penalty strike right into the middle of the net fools Henry Bonello in goal.
83' Callum Wilson (England) is going to take the penalty!
82' The England players are happy as the referee awards a PENALTY after the VAR review!
82' Referee Igor Pajac makes the VAR signal and is going to check whether it’s a penalty for England. Let’s see what happens!
82' That looked a certain handball by Steve Borg (Malta) inside the box, but the ref wasn't having it and just played on. NO penalty!
78' Marcus Rashford (England) strikes the ball towards goal, but it fails to reach the target after being well blocked by one of the defenders.
76' Substitution. Jurgen Degabriele (Malta) in, Jodi Jones out.
75' The England players are exchanging some short passes.
73' The corner is swung in but England can’t take advantage as a defender sweeps the ball away.
73' A fine lofted pass into the box, sent by Marcus Rashford (England), is intercepted by the opposition's defence. The ball goes out for a corner. England can continue in their attacking effort.
69' James Maddison comes off the pitch to be replaced by Eberechi Eze (England).
67' That's unlucky! Callum Wilson (England) beautifully controls a pass and from the edge of the box drills a shot in on goal, but it's inadvertently blocked by a defender and cleared.
64' Neat passing move from Malta in order to create new attacking opportunities.
62' James Maddison (England) performs a sliding tackle but catches his opponent's legs. The referee blows his whistle for an infringement.
60' It will be a substitution. Alexander Satariano (Malta) is ready to enter the pitch as Kyrian Nwoko walks off.
60' Substitution. Nicky Muscat (Malta) on for Bjorn Kristensen.
60' Callum Wilson (England) joins the action as a substitute, replacing Harry Kane.
60' Here is a change. Luke Shaw is going off and Gareth Southgate gives the last tactical orders to Tyrone Mings (England).
60' It's time for a substitution. Marcus Rashford (England) comes on in place of Jordan Henderson.
59' Harry Kane (England) starts an individual run, not looking to pass to a teammate, and easily weaves through the defence to get deep inside the box. He shoots low, but misses the goal by a whisker! The ball goes out of play and Malta will have a goal kick.
59' The current number of shots on target for both teams is 0:7.
55' Phil Foden (England) tries to find James Maddison, but he puts too much power on the through ball.
50' Some great controlled play and passing in the middle of the pitch from England.
49' Bjorn Kristensen (Malta) is given a fully deserved yellow card.
49' Harry Kane (England) slaloms his way past challenges, but an opposing player does well to get the ball away.
48' James Maddison (England) tries to find Phil Foden, but he puts too much power on the pass.
46' We are about to witness a substitution. Yankam Yannick (Malta) is replacing Matthew Guillaumier.
46' Gareth Southgate has decided to make a change. Phil Foden (England) replaces Bukayo Saka.
46' Everything is set for the start of the second half.
45+2' The referee blows his whistle for half-time, bringing to a close the first 45 minutes of the match.
45+2' The referee blows his whistle for half-time, bringing to a close the first 45 minutes of the match.
45+1' 2 min. of stoppage-time to be played.
45' Teddy Teuma (Malta) manages to dispossess his opponent of the ball, but he commits a foul in the process and the referee blows his whistle.
44' Bukayo Saka (England) sends a cross into the box, but the opposition's defence clears the ball to safety.
43' 7:4 – this is the current number of fouls committed by both teams.
38' Bukayo Saka (England) hasn't suffered any serious injury which would see him leave the pitch. He's back in the game now.
37' Bukayo Saka (England) is writhing in pain and can now receive medical treatment after the referee signals for the physio to come onto the pitch.
36' Harry Kane (England) plays a lovely through ball to Bukayo Saka, but he can't beat Henry Bonello and loses the ball.
34' Malta enjoy a period of possession as they are exchanging some passes and waiting for an opportunity to strike.
31' Goal! Harry Kane (England) puts the ball into the middle of the goal past the outstretched arm of Henry Bonello.
31' Harry Kane (England) is heading towards the penalty spot to take it.
29' Matthew Guillaumier (Malta) tackles a bit over-zealously and Igor Pajac blows for a foul. PENALTY to England! Almost the entire opposition team is gathered around the referee and complaining. However, the decision has been made and it's final.
28' 0 - 2 Goal! Trent Alexander-Arnold (England) picks up the ball from a rebound and from the edge of the box he unleashes a shot into the top left corner. 0:2.
27' The England players keep the ball and are exchanging a combination of passes. They are waiting for gaps in the defence to open up.
24' Shots on target – 0:2.
23' James Maddison (England) stands over the resulting free kick from long range and fires a shot towards the left side of the goal, but the goalkeeper pulls off a stunning save to deny him.
22' Great team play by England as they control the ball with a lot of short passes. Patience is the key if they want to find a gap in the defence to score.
20' Jordan Henderson (England) dinks a cross into the box in an attempt to find one of his teammates, but the defence manages to clear.
18' Kyrian Nwoko (Malta) trips an opposition player and Igor Pajac signals a foul.
17' Trent Alexander-Arnold (England) clips an inviting cross into the box, but there's no one in a position to get on the end of it.
16' England are bossing possession at the moment by exchanging some precise passes from player to player.
14' 29:71 – the ratio of ball possession.
13' Bukayo Saka (England) latches on to a precise pass on the edge of the box, but miskicks his shot and the ball goes high over the bar. Poor effort! The ball is off of the pitch and it's a goal kick for Malta.
11' The England players are exchanging some short passes to try and open up the opposition’s defence and hit them swiftly on the break.
9' 0 - 1 An unfortunate own goal is conceded by Ferdinando Apap (Malta), who attempted to block the ball after a cross, but instead he sends it into the roof of his own net.
8' The ball is cleared after Bukayo Saka (England) attempted to dribble past an opposing player.
6' Trent Alexander-Arnold (England) takes the corner, but the opposition's defence is ready and clears the ball to safety.
4' Marc Guehi (England) breaks past challenges inside the box, but puts too much pace on his pass to Trent Alexander-Arnold.
1' England seem to be finding their feet as they enjoy some possession. They are waiting for the right moment to create new attacking opportunities.
1' The referee blows his whistle and we are underway.
Let us introduce today's referee to you, and it's Igor Pajac.
Starting line-ups
Match preview
Michele Marcolini believes Malta can pull off the mother of all giant killings as they look to get their unlikely dream of reaching a first major tournament off the ground.
The manager saw his side narrowly lose to North Macedonia and Italy in their opening UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers, but he insists the “unpredictable” nature of football means they can be the “protagonists of an extraordinary tale” against England.
The Falcons can perhaps draw confidence from their recent 1-0 friendly victory over Luxembourg, as well as a run of six wins from their last 13 outings (D1, L6).
However, their record in European Championship qualifying leaves a lot to be desired, with the minnows losing 11 fixtures in a row over the last four years and tasting success only once in 41 games since 2006 (D5, L35).
England are therefore heavy favourites to repeat the hammering they dished out to Malta when the two sides last met in 2017, when Harry Kane netted twice in a 4-0 victory.
Gareth Southgate’s side have responded well to their FIFA World Cup quarter-final exit at the hands of France in December by winning their opening two games in Group C, beating Italy and Ukraine earlier this year.
That means the Three Lions arrive in Ta' Qali sitting pretty at the top of Group C, a position they have become accustomed to having finished in first place in their last three European Championship qualifying campaigns, losing just once in the process (W22, D3).
That continues a remarkable trend for Southgate, who has an incredible record in qualifiers for major tournaments, winning 24 of his 29 matches since replacing Sam Allardyce in 2016 (D4, L1).
Players to watch: Kyrian Nwoko, Malta’s match-winner against Luxembourg, is unbeaten in the four internationals in which he has scored (W3, D1), netting the first goal on each occasion.
Looking to outdo him may be striker Callum Wilson, who hasn’t played for England since the World Cup, but finished the season by netting 11 goals in 12 appearances for Newcastle, winning six of the seven matches in which he scored (D1).
Hot stat: Ten of England’s last 11 European Championship qualifiers have contained at least three goals.
