England are off to a winning start at Euro 2020, beating Croatia 1-0 at Wembley Stadium.
Gareth Southgate ruffled a few feathers in the build up to the game, with reports claiming Raheem Sterling would start and that Kieran Trippier would feature at left-back.
That was indeed the case, but Sterling justified his selection, scoring the game’s only goal in the second-half.
Kalvin Phillips drove forward in possession and slipped in the 26-year-old, who made no mistake.
It was not a great performance from England, and Croatia did not pose too much of a threat, but it was simply about getting the job done in the first game.
Part of the reason Croatia were poor was that the Three Lions were pretty solid at the back.
Southgate paired John Stones and Tyrone Mings together in a back four, and the pair answered all questions asked of them.
People have questioned Mings in an England shirt, and so there was perhaps some pressure on Stones to be the leader at the back, especially in Harry Maguire’s absence.
It was an assured performance from the 27-year-old.
He was typically fantastic in possession, completing 54/59 (92%) of his passes (Sofascore).
He also won 5/7 duels, and made two interceptions.
On social media, England fans made sure to praise Stones and the contributions he made:
John Stones though ☺️ #ENG
— Beth💚 (@bethxos) June 13, 2021
John stones was immense today
— Harri🏴 (@bfcharri) June 13, 2021
John Stones improvement in the past 18 months has been nothing short of sensational. #Eng #EURO2020
— Daniel (@d_loughins) June 13, 2021
John stones was solid 💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽 it’s coming home 100%
— WK1 🇲🇦⁶𓅓🇵🇸 (@WK1__) June 13, 2021
John Stones is a world class defender
— Alexander Rosen (@AlexanderBenRo1) June 13, 2021
Gareth Southgate deserves a ton of credit for playing a 4-2-3-1 as well. Especially without Harry Maguire, this English team can be exposed at the back, but John Stones and Tyrone Mings looked quite comfortable today. We’ll see if the manager sticks with the system going forward.
— Christian De Block (@ChristianDB122) June 13, 2021
Get in, John Stones controlled the defense
— George😅 (@GeorgeCFC2007) June 13, 2021
