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London. — Adam Lallana scored with the last kick of the match as England edged 10-man Slovakia 1-0 in Sam Allardyce’s first game as manager in World Cup qualifying yesterday.
Despite Slovakia having Martin Skrtel sent off in the 57th minute, Allardyce looked destined to become the first England manager since Bobby Robson in 1982 not to win his first game in charge.
But in the fifth minute of stoppage time at Trnava’s City Arena, Lallana squeezed a shot between Slovakia goalkeeper Matus Kozacik’s legs to get England up and running in Group F.
Allardyce, nicknamed ‘Big Sam’, succeeded Roy Hodgson after England’s humiliating Euro 2016 elimination by Iceland.
Kozacik’s gaffe enabled him to become the ninth England manager to start his tenure with a win.
Lallana’s goal spared England from a repeat of the result from their group-stage encounter with Slovakia at Euro 2016.
It also meant that captain Wayne Rooney finished as a winner on a night when he won his 116th cap to become England’s most-capped outfield player.
Allardyce had vowed that Rooney would no longer play as a number 10 on his watch, but the captain nonetheless lined up in midfield beside Jordan Henderson in a 4-1-4-1 system.
With Raheem Sterling hugging the touchline on the right and Lallana flitting infield from the left, it left lone striker Harry Kane isolated.
It took England until mid-way through the first half to present Kane with anything approaching a shooting chance and when Kyle Walker picked him out at the near post, the No 9 missed his kick.
Slovakia gave England a scare when Michal Duris robbed Danny Rose and flashed the ball across the six-yard box that narrowly eluded Dusan Svento.
The first half ended with Sterling flashing a shot wide, but England were toiling.
Allardyce shuffled his pack at half-time, switching Sterling and Lallana and pushing Rooney up-field, but it took the dismissal of Skrtel for the visitors to take the upper hand.
Booked in the first half for catching Kane with a flailing arm, the former Liverpool centre-back saw red after crudely stamping on the same opponent’s calf as he knelt on the pitch.
Rooney registered England’s first shot on target in the 65th minute, a weak curler that Kozacik pushed away uncertainly, before Sterling almost caught the Slovakia goalkeeper out with an improvised chip. — AFP.
Online Reporter