Anthony Gordon scored and Harry Kane added another as England bounced back from their defeat to Spain with a 2-0 win over 10-man Czechia in Prague.
Thomas Tuchel’s side arrived in the Czech capital looking for a response after their 3-2 Nations League defeat to world champions Spain at Wembley. They got it, although Czechia made life uncomfortable for England before Pavel Sulc’s first-half red card changed the game.
Job done in Czechia 🫡
Three #NationsLeague points for our #ThreeLions 🤝 pic.twitter.com/yG5Vb5jocG
— England (@England) September 29, 2026
The hosts threatened early, with Lukas Cerv and Pavel Sulc both testing an England defence that had been criticised after the Spain defeat.
England gradually found their rhythm and came close when Morgan Rogers cut inside and struck the post. Elliot Anderson and Bukayo Saka followed up, but both efforts were blocked.
The turning point came when VAR intervened after Sulc caught Anderson with a dangerous studs-up challenge. His yellow card was upgraded to a straight red, leaving Czechia with 10 men for the remainder of the match.
England immediately began to take control. Gordon tested Matej Kovar with a powerful angled effort before the Czech goalkeeper produced an excellent one-handed save to deny Kane as the first half drew to a close.
It took England just over a minute after the restart to finally break the deadlock. Trent Alexander-Arnold delivered an inviting cross into the box and Gordon timed his run perfectly, guiding a header into the bottom corner to put the visitors ahead.
Gordon then almost turned provider when he created an opening for Lewis Hall, but the full-back’s close-range effort went wide.
England continued to press for a second and were denied by the woodwork again when Ladislav Krejci got in front of Morgan Rogers and diverted Hall’s cross onto the post.
The second goal eventually arrived through England’s captain. Kane reacted quickest to a loose ball inside the box and fired past Kovar to give England the breathing room they needed.
Czechia still managed to create a few openings despite their numerical disadvantage, with James Trafford forced into action to keep out Adam Hlozek.
England had chances to add to their lead late on, with Rogers going close before Eberechi Eze was denied by another strong save from Kovar. Two goals were enough, though, as England secured their first points of the Nations League campaign and put the disappointment of the Spain defeat behind them.
Up and running in the #NationsLeague 🙌
Thank you for your support in Prague and back home! 🙏 pic.twitter.com/Zo4KTmlzNS
— England (@England) September 29, 2026
The result also ended Czechia’s hopes of recovering from their opening-day loss to Croatia, leaving them with two defeats from their first two Group A3 matches.
For Tuchel, the victory provides an important response ahead of another difficult test against Croatia on October 3, before England face Czechia again at Wembley three days later.
