England got a 0-0 result against Slovenia, on this Tuesday's 2018 World Cup Qualifier Football match. The game was played in the Stožice Stadium, in Ljubljana, the Slovenian capital. This was the first time in three years that the English did not win a qualifying match. However, the maths of the Group F at UEFA World Cup Qualifiers were not really compromised. Not only did England took a point and blocked a Slovenian win, but Scotland suffered their first defeat in the group to Slovakia, by 3-0. England are still 2 points ahead of her main rivals, who are now Lithuania and Slovenia.
Take a look on how the British and someinternational press viewed the game.
SkySports underlined "five talking points" about the game: the english frailty; the superb game by goalkeeper Joe Hart; the fact that Wayne Rooney's was not the main problem, as in his absence the team delivered a fragile exhibition; the good performance by central defender John Stones; and the lacklustre one of winger Theo Walcott.
ESPN said that England owe this Qualifier point to Joe Hart, with a set of very nice saves, pushing away a likely defeat. The sports media added that, in spite of the two previous wins over Slovakia and Malta, the team seems not to have improved significantly after the "embarassment" of Euro 2016.
The Telegraph underlines some declarations of Gareth Southgate, the interim manager after Sam Allardyce departure, where he says that he "inherited a mess".
The Daily Star gave low ratings to three players: Walcott, Dier and Henderson. The journal underlined Dier's bad moment at 10th minute, when a clumsy move forced Hart to the first of his "in extremis" saves.
Of Henderson, the newspaper said that "he was just busy" but not effective, and Arsenal's Walcott was just not in the game.
Eurosport blatantly said that Joe Hart saved England from defeat. The European channel remembered its audience that the national team's keeper is playing in Torino (Italy), on loan from Manchester City, after failing to convince manager Pep Guardiola.
In France, the Sport declared that England was put in check and asks if taking out Wayne Rooney was the best option. L'Équipe took a declaration from Gareth Southgate, saying that England "could be better", to illustrate the general disappointment about the team's performance. However, the French newspaper stated clearly that the manager thanked Joe Hart for the point snatched in Ljubljana.
