England 3–0 Latvia Player Ratings: The Three Lions Grab an Easy Win in the World Cup Qualifiers
England and Latvia faced off against each other at the full-packed iconic Wembley Stadium for the first time in the history of football in the European Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup 2026. Both the teams were placed at two contrasting positions in the FIFA Rankings, with England comfortably placed in the 4th position and Latvia struggling to keep themselves at 140th position. However, the Latvian coach during a presser before the game said that they were not stupid and they knew their value. ” We are not here to play, but to prove ourselves ” he added. Nevertheless, England were the favorites to win at their home.
Both England and Latvia entered the pitch with a wave of positive mindset, having secured victories in their previous matches, against Albania and Andorra respectively. Latvia aimed at continuing the momentum that would ensure that their path towards qualification became smooth and the Englishmen had the responsibility to maintain the record of not losing against a new opponent which they had kept since the late 1950’s.
England chose to adopt their usual 4-2-3-1 under the new leadership of Thomas Tuchel and Latvia chose to experiment with a 5-4-1 setup for the match. The game began with England’s kick and it was noticed that Latvia opted for a defensive approach against the English attack. The Latvian players collectively ensured that there were no gaps left by them for any white shirts to infiltrate.
The game continued and most of the play took place in England’s attacking third. Even though multiple attempts were made The three lions failed to reach any of them to the target. England kept possession and stayed resilient, however, the Latvians showed much more resilience and courage in keeping the deadlock.
The desperation of the Latvian defense led to them committing regular fouls and with over six minutes remaining in the first half Myles Lewis-Skelly won a free kick from 25 yards away from the goal. This chance was properly executed by England as Recee James, who donned the National Team jersey for the first time since September 2022 stepped in and shook the net through an absolute beauty of a freekick. The ball curled and dipped into the net making the goalkeeper just a mere spectator. The first-half whistle blew with England leading with a solitary goal.
The second half remained relatively the same where England constantly attacked and Latvia defended. However, about 20 minutes after the beginning of the second half the defence gave space to the English players which were exploited and properly executed. Declan Rice made a carpet cross to Harry Kane who tapped in to make the score 2-0 in favour of England
England again continued to attack and once again they capitalized on an open space created by the defence in the left wing which was properly dribbled by Eze who shot the ball from inside the box which hit the defender and went in and at full-time the score was 3-0 for England
Even though England has won the match they haven’t done it comfortably. The Latvians made the Englishmen struggle and the work done by them is commendable
Here are the England vs Latvia Player Ratings
England Player Ratings
GK – Jordan Pickford – 6.5/10
The lack of communication with Marc Guéhi in the initial minutes confused me and could have led to a potential goal. Was not challenged much throughout but in the few instances he was tested, he did what he was an expert for.
LB – Myles Lewis-Skelly – 7/10
Was a bit more aggressive than usual and did his best as a number six, a position where he plays for his club and is comfortable. Won a freekick at a dangerous position which led to England’s first goal.
CB – Marc Guéhi – 6.5/10
Had some confusion with the keeper in the first minutes. Played the role of a defensive midfielder for most of the time since attacking attempts from the Latvian side were very minimal. Made some good interceptions from the second third.
CB –Ezri Konsa – 6.5/10
Stood strong in the defense making blocks and tackles whenever required. For most of the game, he did not have much of an impact and was not put under pressure much.
RB -Recee James – 7.5/10
James who earned a spot in the national team after a gap of two and a half years scored an absolute banger from a freekick from over 25 yards proving his worth. Did not have much of a role in the defense. Rather than a right-back role, he was seen playing as a right midfielder where he created some movements.
CM – Declan Rice – 7/10
Controlled the midfield and kept possession. Was frustrated as he wasn’t able to contribute. His exasperation with himself motivated him to move further above which laid the foundation for his assist given to Harry Kane.
CM – Jude Bellingham – 6.5/10
Kept twisting and turning in the box during the first half but did not create an impact. The player was also seen frustrated which led to him committing rash fouls which could have led to a possible send-off. Had a disappointing day failing to make chances for the team.
LW – Marcus Rashford- 6.5/10
Was busy throughout the first half in the left flank but Savaļnieks and Jaunzems made his job difficult. Looked good with the ball until it came to the final ball.
AM – Morgan Rogers – 7/10
Made a few shots on target however the defensive wall and the keeper’s reflex denied his efforts. Provided a timely and clever pre-assist to Rice that led to the second goal.
RW – Jarrod Bowen – 7/10
Had an important role in providing crosses in the opposition box. Made a few dribbles that mounted pressure among the Latvian Players.
CF – Harry Kane – 8/10
Did not have an impressive first half as he failed to shoot past the defense. Had an open header opportunity that went above the crossbar. In the second half, he found space and infiltrated himself within the box to score the second goal.
Sub – Eberechi Eze – 7/10
Was the architect of the 3rd goal which he scored by finding space in the left flank, properly making a shot that deflected from a Latvian player to make it 3-0 for England.
Sub – Phil Foden – 6/10
Sub – Kyle Walker– 5.5/10
Sub – Jordan Henderson – 5.5/10
Sub – Curtis Jones – 5.5/10
Coach – Thomas Tuchel – 7/10
Though the gaffer was put under pressure in the initial minutes, he kept his calm, made timely substitutions, stuck with the strategy, and got the win.
Latvia Player Ratings
GK – Krišjānis Zviedris – 7/10
Made a point-blank save midway through the first half preventing the opponent from scoring their first one. Kept his calm and properly did his job by ensuring there were no fluctuations in the scoresheet.
LB – Andrejs Cigaņiks – 6.5/10
Had a decent role in stopping the England players from coming inside the Latvian box. Apart from that he did not create a great impact.
CB – Daniels Balodis – 6/10
Did not create a good impact other than making a few blocks during the first minutes. Was good when he was with the group but failed individually.
CB -Antonijs Černomordijs – 6/10
Stood strong in the first half but later failed to mark the players and also gave out a lot of space. This mistake was properly exploited by the England players.
CB -Raivis Jurkovskis – 6/10
Was there to help the team whenever required making important blocks and tackles. Stood as a wall during the first half blocking the English attacks
RB – Roberts Savaļnieks – 6/10
Did some commendable work by covering Marcus Rashford and not letting him enter the Latvian territory. However, was subbed off very early in the second half
LM – Jānis Ikaunieks – 6/10
The player was mainly focused on defence and did not contribute greatly to the attack.
CM – Dmitrijs Zelenkovs – 5.5/10
Attempted to make a few passes to the center-forward however, failed to reach the ball to the player.
CM – Aleksejs Saveljevs – 6.5/10
Made some very important interceptions in the midfield. Won some duels both Ariel and ground balls.
RM- Alvis Jaunzems – 6.5/10
Was involved in a few important tackles that resisted Bellingham from making crosses inside the box. Took a selfish shot from outside the box in the dying minutes of the first half which straight went to Pickford’s hands.
CF – Vladislavs Gutkovskis – 6/10
Missed an open net opportunity in the first quarter to register his name on the scoresheet. Had a few runs with the ball in the opponent’s half, but due to the lack of support none of them turned fruitful.
Sub – Vitālijs Jagodinskis –5.5/10
Sub -Eduards Daskevics – 5.5/10
Sub -Dario Sits – 5.5/10
Sub – Niks Sliede – 6/10
Sub – Deniss Melniks – 5.5/10
Coach – Paolo Nicolato – 5/10
Did his homework properly by crafting the 5-4-1 formation and adopting a defensive approach which made the Englishmen struggle. However, the night turned out to be disappointing for the gaffer
Sportsdunia Player of the Match is Recee James
What was the scoreline for England vs Latvia?
The scoreline for England vs Latvia was 3-0
Who scored the goals for England vs Latvia?
The goal scorers were Recee James, Harry Kane and Eze
Who was the best player for England vs Latvia?
Recee James was the best player for England vs Latvia
Who was the worst player for England vs Latvia?
Daniels Balodis was the worst player for England vs Latvia
