Seasons2020-21Everton News
Calvert-Lewin bags a brace for England
England 5 - 0 San Marino

Dominic Calvert-Lewin struck twice in his first competitive outing for England as they got their 2022 World Cup qualifying campaign off to a comfortable start against San Marino.
The Everton striker played just over an hour for Gareth Southgate's side, enough time to score a goal in each half before making way for Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins.
James Ward-Prowse had got England off the mark with almost a quarter of an hour gone and Calvert-Lewin doubled the lead in the 21st minute when climbed well to head Reece James's cross into the bottom corner.
Raheem Stirling bagged the third with a deflected effort just before the interval when Southgate made some changes but Calvert-Lewin stayed on and though he squandered other chances, he scored his second goal with a routine finish from Jesse Lingard's assist less than 10 minutes into the second half.
Watkins's debut goal came seven minutes from time but not before Ben Chilwell, Mason Mount, Lingard and Ward-Prowse had seen efforts saved by Elia Benedettini in the San Marino goal.
Reader Comments (42)
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2 Posted 25/03/2021 at 20:07:36
3 Posted 25/03/2021 at 20:17:53
4 Posted 25/03/2021 at 20:36:35
England?
I think that is down to the coaching and mentoring at Everton, not England.
5 Posted 25/03/2021 at 20:39:19
7 Posted 25/03/2021 at 21:00:13
8 Posted 25/03/2021 at 22:10:41
9 Posted 25/03/2021 at 22:17:00
This was really a nothing game and a waste of time.
Teams like San Marino should play in a qualification round with all the other piss poor teams and then only one of them should move forward to the quality round.
I honestly think Accrington Stanley could have provided better opposition to England.
10 Posted 25/03/2021 at 22:18:00
But again, this was against San Marino. Back to my point, why? Should international football not adopt more of an FA Cup style format? As in the "Premier League" et al, don't enter until the qualification and preliminary rounds are done? That could have been embarrassing tonight and of no benefit or enjoyment to anyone.
11 Posted 25/03/2021 at 22:28:21
12 Posted 25/03/2021 at 22:34:56
13 Posted 25/03/2021 at 22:44:21
A population of 30k means San Marino are a village pub team. England not getting double figures might not be a reflection of the players wages but it deffo represents the paltry gap in quality
14 Posted 25/03/2021 at 22:53:43
15 Posted 25/03/2021 at 23:24:14
16 Posted 25/03/2021 at 23:27:32
17 Posted 26/03/2021 at 00:34:44
Playing devils advocate, San Marino is a state so if you cut them off or have preliminaries, where do you draw the line? Is it based on population? Kazakhstan has a population six times the size of Croatia. Luxembourg has twice the population of Iceland. And yet performances defy those stats. Is it based on past performance? Norway were a joke until they faced Taylors England. Iceland were a joke until five years ago. Austria and Hungary were the best of the best until they dropped off a cliff in the 60s. So where would the cut off be for weak teams? Didnt Michael ONeill go about two years without a win for tiny N Ireland until they qualified for the last Euros? Thats the tricky bit. Do I expect San Marino to have their day? No but the similarly sized Faroes Islands are competitive with the likes of Greece who were Euro champs not that long ago
18 Posted 26/03/2021 at 00:44:36
19 Posted 26/03/2021 at 00:49:31
20 Posted 26/03/2021 at 02:21:50
“Wales and Scotland” youre a brave man
21 Posted 26/03/2021 at 02:27:39
Wales minnows? Ranked 18th in the World, only lost 1 competitive fixture in last 11.Semi finalists at last Euros. Just been promoted to Nations league Division A, same as England. Used to be terrible but can mix it with the best of them now.
22 Posted 26/03/2021 at 06:21:02
I just think it should have more of an FA Cup feel to it based on positioning and ranking.
Thats one way of skinning it but I wouldn't have an "all in" approach personally.
Then again, I'm contradicting myself as I don't really care too much for international football other than watching it because it's a game of football. Not something I get too passionate about, just an observation.
23 Posted 26/03/2021 at 07:09:05
24 Posted 26/03/2021 at 08:14:07
Like others above, I was disgusted by Sterling, who seems to have become more greedy with the armband. I would have thought it might have made him see the collective merit rather than his individual success.
Domenic showed that he can get into the right positions and he also showed that he is a little clumsy, oh and that man-bun perhaps stopped his back-header from going in!
Listened to the sour Lee Dixon sticking the boot in on DCL as soon as he missed his first chance.."Kane would have scored that" or words to that effect. Has he never seen Kane miss a sitter?
I do detect a snidey edge to many of the established pundits towards anything connected to us.
25 Posted 26/03/2021 at 08:46:24
If based on population size - then the cut off at 48 Countries would debar:-
Greece - 87th in world population - Former Euro winners
Portugal - 89th in world population - Former Euro winners
Croatia - 130th in world population - World Cup Finalists 2018
Uruguay - 134th in world population - Former W C winners - x 2
Included would be Nations that have not yet shown any inclination towards adopting Association Football as a national game e.g.
India - 2nd in world population
Indonesia - 4th in world population
Pakistan - 5th in world population
Bangladesh - 8th in world population
Also included in the top 20 are:-
Ethiopia
Philippines
Vietnam
Thailand.
It would be better, I think, to leave these matters to the "experts" at FIFA.
26 Posted 26/03/2021 at 09:48:10
No Red Shite, no United, no Spurs. All those darlings who have struggled for form get a little helping hand as usual.
No way can I throw my support at that false set up and its not like last night was the first favour either.
27 Posted 26/03/2021 at 09:55:12
Have they got a bigger game coming up? Id be surprised if he left out regular international players ( who lets be honest usually play for the “big” clubs ) if they were playing Italy or Germany in a meaningful fixture. But Im not into the national game so could be just naive. UTFT
28 Posted 26/03/2021 at 10:09:19
Also, I think my 'plan' has more to do with cutting down on the numbers of International games and breaks.
29 Posted 26/03/2021 at 10:25:42
30 Posted 26/03/2021 at 10:25:43
31 Posted 26/03/2021 at 10:43:51
32 Posted 26/03/2021 at 10:44:09
Who are you - or we, to deny them that?
As for "cutting down the numbers of international games and breaks", I am with you on that.
However, I would have thought enlarging the numbers of automatic qualifiers for a major completion would also automatically cut down on the number of pre-qualification games necessary thereby achieving your aim by a different means?
33 Posted 26/03/2021 at 10:50:43
Considering Sterling is the first or second name on his big game list and has been ever present all season.
Then it dawned on me, City aren't liked or struggling like Liverpool an Spurs and theres nothing they'd like more than Chelsea being pipped to top 4 by them 2 clubs.
34 Posted 26/03/2021 at 11:30:18
35 Posted 26/03/2021 at 12:18:41
We have some great talent, but we have been here before and its a question of whether Southgate can get the blend the formation right and not also having to exclude talent.
Ward Prowse would be a great long term replacement for Sigurdsson but at what price.
36 Posted 26/03/2021 at 12:31:25
37 Posted 26/03/2021 at 12:38:46
Kane - 17 goals 102 shots - 16.7% conversion
Salah - 17 from 87 - 19.5%
Bamford - 14 from 91 - 14.4%
Watkins - 10 from 77 - 10.3%
DCL - 14 from 64 - 22%
38 Posted 26/03/2021 at 12:42:15
Thats 5 for him in 20 games for Holland. It probably helps that they play him in his best position. See Gullits comments today.
39 Posted 26/03/2021 at 13:06:48
40 Posted 26/03/2021 at 13:07:55
41 Posted 26/03/2021 at 13:40:00
42 Posted 26/03/2021 at 14:26:32
Commence operation Bramley Moore
Commence operation Bramley Moore.
Some good news for Evertonians. 👍
43 Posted 26/03/2021 at 15:13:55
He's actually a very intelligent and good player in the right team and setting. It just didn't work for him at Everton.
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1 Posted 25/03/2021 at 19:51:54
As Dominic fluffs his lines!