Euro2020: Sterling says England are ready for anyone in last 16
England star, Raheem Sterling, has said they were ready to tackle whatever is thrown at them in the knockout stages of Euro 2020 after last night’s 1-0 win over the Czech Republic.
By finishing in top spot in Group D, England set up a last-16 game next Tuesday against the team that finishes as runners-up in Group F.
They will learn the identity of their opponents this evening, with France, Germany and Portugal all potential options.
Any of those sides would represent a significant step up from the level of opposition England have encountered so far, but after scoring last night’s winner with a header from a Jack Grealish cross, Sterling insists there is nothing to fear.
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“At some point you are going to have to face the best teams, that’s the whole point of being in the tournament which is to challenge yourself,” said the forward.
“Our objective from the beginning was to win the group. It’s tournament football and things are going to be difficult at times but we need to keep doing what we’re doing as a team which is being solid and taking our chances when we can.”
Sterling defended England’s pragmatic approach in the group, with the Three Lions one of only three teams in the tournament yet to concede a goal.
“If you don’t concede goals, you win football matches, and we’ve been doing that really well,” he said. “People are disappointed with the Scotland game a couple of days ago, we didn’t score but we didn’t concede and that’s the most important thing.”
Bukayo Saka impressed as he made his first tournament start last night, and the Arsenal winger feels remaining at Wembley is a big advantage.
“It’s important for us to be here at Wembley, we have played here a lot and won a lot,” he said. “We have a lot of confidence playing in the stadium, with our fans, it’s going to be a real boost to stay here,” as reported by northerecho.co.uk.