England 0-1 Belgium: Three things we learned

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KALININGRAD, RUSSIA – JUNE 28: The England players look dejected following their sides defeat in the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group G match between England and Belgium at Kaliningrad Stadium on June 28, 2018 in Kaliningrad, Russia. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images) /

Adnan Januzaj’s beautiful second-half effort proved enough as England were handed their first defeat at the World Cup. Here’s what we learned from the Three Lions’ lacklustre showing at the Kaliningrad Stadium:

The Second XI fail to make it count

Gareth Southgate’s actions hardly matched his words. Despite maintaining that England wanted to win their final group game irrespective of its bearing on the advanced stages, the England manager rang the changes – eight to be exact.

But none of them could do enough to create a doubt in their manager’s mind; in fact, they confirmed that England’s best players were all on the bench, and not on the field.

You could say that Danny Rose and Trent-Alexander Arnold were bright spots in particular, but the fact remains that even they didn’t make a strong case to warrant a place in the XI over Kieran Trippier and Ashley Young.

Expect Southgate to make eight changes against Colombia, too.