England 1-0 Croatia: Player ratings as Raheem Sterling fires Three Lions to comfortable win

England got their Euro 2020 campaign off to the perfect start as a Raheem Sterling strike fired them to a dominant 1-0 victory over Croatia.

Gareth Southgate's men enjoyed a hot start and nearly took the need after five minutes when Phil Foden's effort came back off the post. England kept the tempo up for a while and enjoyed a number of half-chances, but they could not find a way through before the break.

England's pressure was rewarded with a goal in the 57th minute as the excellent Sterling slotted home from close range, and the Three Lions remained on top for the remainder of the game, controlling possession and watching the clock tick down.

ENGLAND PLAYER RATINGS

1. Goalkeeper & defenders

Jordan Pickford (GK) - 6/10 - A very quiet day. Didn't have a lot to do but was alert whenever he was called upon.

Kyle Walker (RB) - 5/10 - Put in some of the worst passes you've ever seen in the first half. Really struggled with his link-up play but made up for it with some solid defending.

John Stones (CB) - 7/10 - Looked very comfortable dealing with Kramaric. Didn't have anything too difficult to do but did all the basics very well.

Tyrone Mings (CB) - 8/10 - Had a monstrous first half, winning everything that came his way both in the air and on the ground. Showed an impressive turn of pace and added some impressive passes as well.

Kieran Trippier (LB) - 6/10 - Not really sure why Trippier started on the left. Didn't really do a lot, apart from smashing a free-kick into the wall after the commentators hyped him up as a specialist because of one goal three years ago.

2. Midfielders

Declan Rice (DM) - 6/10 - Did his defending well enough but disappointed with his lack of willingness to receive the ball. Forced the centre-backs to go long a little too often.

Kalvin Phillips (CM) - 9/10 - His inclusion was mocked on Twitter but Phillips was actually unreal. Pushed a little further forward than most expected and used his energy to drive around the field. Involved in a lot of positives for England and his passing was sublime. Great assist for Sterling.

Mason Mount (CM) - 7/10 - Some excellent passing and movement from Chelsea's talisman. Had Frank Lampard beaming in the pundit's box.

3. Forwards

Phil Foden (RW) - 7/10 - Started really hot and could have easily opened the scoring. Struggled to keep that tempo up but did look threatening throughout.

Harry Kane (ST) - 5/10 - Barely even touched the ball. Did well to drop deep and create space for the wingers, but Kane isn't in the team because of his movement. Brought off with ten minutes to go.

Raheem Sterling (LW) - 7/10 - Was England's target man for the most of the game. Pumping long balls up to a small winger isn't exactly a great tactic, but Sterling made it work. Fully deserved his goal.

4. Substitutes

Marcus Rashford - 6/10

Jude Bellingham - N/A

Dominic Calvert-Lewin - N/A

CROATIA PLAYER RATINGS

5. Goalkeeper & defenders

Dominik Livakovic (GK) - 6/10 - Didn't have many challenging saves to make but got his hands on almost everything that came his way. Needed some help from the post for Foden's early strike.

Sime Vrsaljko (RB) - 6/10 - A lot of fun to watch going forward, but wasn't on it at the back. Sterling found a way through him far too often.

Domagoj Vida (CB) - 6/10 - Looked to struggle dealing with Sterling at times but didn't get too much wrong.

Duje Caleta-Car (CB) - 7/10 - Kept Kane in his pocket throughout. Had a few shaky moments with Sterling and Foden but did his job by keeping Kane off the ball. Pulled off a worldie tackle to deny Kane on the hour mark.

Josko Gvardiol (LB) - 5/10 - Looked exactly how you'd expect a centre-back playing out on the left to look. Found it hard to keep up with Foden early on but slowly started to regain his composure as the game progressed.

6. Midfielders

Marcelo Brozovic (DM) - 5/10 - Didn't do enough to shield his defence. Got forward a few times but didn't have the cutting edge that his teammates had.

Luka Modric (CM) - 7/10 - Took a little while to get going but had some flashes of brilliance once he settled down. Some great movement and the same close control we've grown accustomed to seeing.

Mateo Kovacic (CM) - 5/10 - Flirted with the idea of threatening with some good movement but clearly lost his composure when it came to the final ball. Didn't defend well either.

7. Forwards

Andrej Kramaric (RW) - 4/10 - Surprisingly used as a right winger, despite being one of the Bundesliga's star strikers. Found it very hard to get into the game.

Ante Rebic (ST) - 4/10 - Silent for the first hour, sliced an awful shot and then went back to being silent.

Ivan Perisic (LW) - 5/10 - Croatia's best attacker, but that's not a compliment. Had one or two half-chances but never really looked like scoring.

8. Substitutes

Nikola Vlasic - 5/10

Josip Brekalo - 5/10

Bruno Petkovic - 5/10

Mario Pasalic - N/A

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