68': Rashford on for Sterling
Just before an England free kick, Marcus Rashford comes in for Raheem Sterling. Sterling made a number of good runs today, but looked off every time he had the ball at his feet.
66': England Pushes Forward
England really pouring it on here. Center back Kyle Walker made a darting run forward, looking for the 1-2, and center back Harry Maguire found his way forward even though there was no set piece.
65': England's Options
English manager Gareth Southgate has to be thinking about which of his substitutes can unlock the Tunisian defense. Jamie Vardy? Marcus Rashford? Danny Welbeck?
61': More Opportunities, but No Goals
England is practically camped out in Tunisia's penalty box, but hasn't been able to get a clean shot on goal.
57': Tunisia Still Attacking
Tunisia surprisingly looks like they're interested in committing men forward for a second goal. Twice, Jordan Pickford has had to spring forward to clear a ball near the edge of his box, the most active he's been in this game since the penalty.
54': The Bugs Are Still Here
52': A Physical Set Piece
An England corner is headed directly at the Tunisian keeper, but the replay shows Harry Kane being wrestled to the ground, at least the second time that's happened. The referee is uninterested.
50': Battle of the Midfield
Compared to the pulsating first 45 minutes, the beginning of the second half has been tame, with the teams trading possession back and forth in the midfield.
46': Tunisia Will Try to Clamp Down
The second half is underway. Expect Tunisia to bunker down and protect their one point, while England will likely take another dozen shots. But will they get any of them to go in?
Halftime: England 1, Tunisia 1
The set piece-heavy World Cup continues. Harry Kane scored for England early off a corner kick rebound, but Tunisia equalized on a Ferjani Sassi penalty, their only shot on target in the half. England made every cross, cut back, through ball, knock down and killer pass, but couldn't finish a thing. Going into halftime even is a huge disappointment for the Three Lions.
Given the positions England took shots from in the first half, you would've expected them to score 2.18 goals. Instead they scored just the one. The good news is that, in many ways, creating good chances is more difficult than finishing them. The bad news, of course, is that they can't finish.
45': Oh, So Close for England
A through-ball puts Jesse Lindgard in a race with the on-rushing Tunisian keeper. Lindgard wins and taps the ball around Farouk Ben Mustapha, but is unable to catch up and can only wince as it rolls off the post but not in.
43': England Threatens
Harry Maguire, the English center back, is a menace in attack. His nice knockdown header sets up a good half-volley chance for Jesse Lindgard, but his shot is deflected out.
39': Everybody Shoots, Nobody Scores
A goalmouth scramble gives numerous England players an opportunity to put a shot on goal but they all whiff.
37': Was That Penalty Reviewed?
As Dr. Joe Machnick explained on the Fox broadcast, every single penalty decision is reviewed by the video assistant referee system, and despite the protestations of England, this one stood. If you need a refresher, here's how the VAR system works.
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33': GOAL! Tunisia.
Battling for a cross, Kyle Walker put his arm in the face of Tunisia attacker Fakhreddine Ben Youssef. As he fell, Colombian referee Wilmar Roldan called the penalty.
Ferjani Sassi calmly slots a penalty into the bottom left corner, past a diving Jordan Pickford. We're tied, 1-1.
Matthew Futterman: And there, Mr. Draper, is your England mistake! On cue...
No surprise, Volgograd Arena absolutely explodes as Ferjani Sassi converts the penalty. Tunisia doesn't get to the World Cup very much, and its fans have descended here in force. Whabi Khazri was wide open on the left and about to collect a pass in a dangerous spot when he slipped. If Tunisia could ever steal another goal and go into halftime with a lead, oh my...
31': England's Attack Slows Down
Harry Maguire heads a Kieran Trippier free kick on frame, but it's easily saved by replacement keeper Farouk Ben Mustapha. A few English players appealed half-heartedly for a penalty, believing Maguire was held, but the referee showed no interest.
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27': England Escapes
Sloppy defending by England leads to a chance for Tunisia, but a shot from the top of the box, subsequent corner, and speculative header all fail to seriously threaten. It is hard to imagine Tunisia scoring off of anything other than an English mistake.
23': Not Close, but a Shot at Least
Tunisia with their first shot! Unfortunately it comes from about 35 yards out, and is blasted about that high over the goal.
20': Tunisia Overwhelmed
This night might get worse before it gets better for Tunisia, as it's all one way traffic right now. England is finding plenty of space behind the Tunisian defense, slotting through balls and cutting beautiful passes back to the penalty spot.
Matthew Futterman: After 20 minutes Tunisia looks completely incapable of threatening England here with any kind of sustained attack. England's three-man back line is becoming a one-man back line because Tunisia can't seem to manage more than two passes in the middle of the field. If England can start connecting on all the sitters this game is going to get ugly.
15': Tunisia's Goalkeeper Exits
We have an extended stoppage as trainers surround Tunisian goalkeeper Mouez Hassen, who walks off the field holding back tears. He's being subbed out here, adding insult to injury for Tunisia.
Hassen went down once earlier in the match, but resumed and made a wonderful diving save on the John Stones header. It is unclear what is wrong with Hassen, but he has been replaced by Farouk Ben Mustapha.
11': GOAL! Kane Scores for England
The dam finally bursts! Off of a corner, John Stones's towering header is barely parried away by the Tunisian goalkeeper Mouez Hassen, but Harry Kane is right there to put away the rebound. A perfect poacher's goal.
9': Tunisia Gets the Ball
Tunisia gets their first extended spell of possession and works the ball into the final third, but an errant pass goes out for an England throw-in.
Matthew Futterman: So, England is dominating early but may have left its finishing boots in the hotel. If you are an England fan, you are either thinking this is great because the team has created three great chances at the goal in the first 10 minutes, or, here we go again, the major tournament hex continues.
6': Sterling's Chance
The last chance was Raheem Sterling in a nut shell. He did the hard part right, making a perfect late, looping run around three Tunisian defenders to get open for Lindgaard. But when the pass arrived, it somehow wrong-footed him, and bounced off his shins for a goal kick.
5': Lingard to Sterling ... Miss
Again England breaks forward, and again they can't convert. Jesse Lindgard slots a beautiful ball across to Raheem Sterling, but he is unable to get a solid foot on the ball to put it into the open goal.
3': England Has Chances Early
England is already assaulting Tunisia's goal. A ball over the top unleashed Dele Alli, but his square ball across the goal to Raheem Sterling was half cleared, and Jesse Lindgard's follow-up subsequently bundled out for a corner.
1': England in Red
We're underway! A couple of monochromatic squads, as Tunisia is wearing all white and England is in all red.
Bugs Invade Volgograd
It was close to 90 degrees this afternoon in Volgograd. And tiny bugs flying all around the arena in swarms. In other words. If things go south for England as they sometimes do on these big stages, there are some built-in excuses. — Matthew Futterman
England's Starting Lineup
No big surprises for England in the starting 11, and the formation looks to be the expected 3-5-2 (or 5-3-2 if you prefer). Leicester City defender Harry Maguire has beaten out Gary Cahill for the final center back spot, while Kieran Trippier and Ashley Young are the wing backs. In attack, Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling are supported by Dele Alli and Jesse Lindgard, with Jordan Henderson the only defensive-minded midfielder.
1. Jordan Pickford
5. John Stones
6. Harry Maguire
2. Kyle Walker
18. Ashley Young
12. Kieran Trippier
8. Jordan Henderson
20. Dele Alli
7. Jesse Lingard
10. Raheem Sterling
9. Harry Kane
Tunisia's Starting Lineup
22. Mouez Hassen
4. Yassine Meriah
2. Syam Ben Youssef
12. Ali Maâloul
11. Dylan Bronn
13. Ferjani Sassi
17. Ellyes Skhiri
9. Anice Badri
8. Fakhreddine Ben Youssef
23. Naïm Sliti
10. Wahbi Khazri
Some Pregame Reading
• Our soccer columnist Rory Smith talked to Tottenham star Dele Alli to figure out why this England team is ... different. Why it feels so ... happy?
• Raheem Sterling has been a frequent target of Fleet Street outrage ever since he burst onto the scene six years ago, with the latest furor over a tattoo with a gun. While some see an entitled young player, many others wonder if Sterling would be so heavily criticized if he were white.
Continue reading the main story
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