England v Wales: Morgan Rogers shines as no.10 as Craig Bellamy’s gamble fails

England laid down another marker by swatting aside Wales 3-0 at Wembley as they build towards a World Cup challenge next summer.

Although it was visiting boss Craig Bellamy who insisted there is no such thing as a friendly with England, it was Thomas Tuchel’s side who had the competitive edge, racing into a 3-0 lead after 20 minutes.

Things are beginning to click for Tuchel ahead of next summer, with England possibly able to secure qualification against Latvia on Tuesday.

Following on from September’s statement win over Serbia, a strong side showed they meant business as early goals from Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins and Bukayo Saka gave England fans a rare treat – an exciting, dynamic friendly performance.

Rogers roars on

The Aston Villa man scored his first international goal after just 130 seconds when he clipped home from inside the area and then set up his club team-mate Ollie Watkins to double the lead in the 11th minute.

He linked up superbly with Bukayo Saka and Anthony Gordon throughout the evening as England continually sliced Wales open.

Bellingham will still be favourite to start England’s first World Cup game, but Rogers is giving Tuchel something to think about.

Saka’s stunner

Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka missed last month’s camp with injury and saw Noni Madueke shine in his absence.

But Saka reminded everyone that he is the number one man for the right side with a virtuoso display, capped by a stunning goal.

With England already 2-0 up, he brought Wembley to its feet in style as he received the ball just inside the area, cut inside and curled an unstoppable effort into the top corner.

Risks and little reward for Wales

Wales were pretty much close to full strength four days from their World Cup qualifier against Belgium.

Boss Craig Bellamy wanted to challenge his players ahead of that vital Cardiff clash, but there was no shortage of risk attached to his selection.

Wales fans had questioned this fixture ahead of Belgium and those fears came to fruition as morale took a first-half battering.

The game plan was torn apart inside three minutes and Wales struggled to land a meaningful blow.

Wembley’s powerful moment

England and Wales players walked out with football fans living with dementia ahead of kick-off.

The match has been designated as the Alzheimer’s Society International, the fourth edition since the partnership between the charity and the Football Association began in 2021.

The 22 adults were nominated from across England and Wales to represent the different types of dementia – an umbrella term for a number of illnesses associated with an ongoing decline in brain function – and they replaced the traditional child mascots.

The 22 people stood beside the players during the national anthems and received a warm reception from the sold-out Wembley crowd.

In keeping with previous Alzheimer’s Society Internationals, the players wore shirts without names on the back during the second half to highlight memory loss, a key symptom of dementia.