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[monks data]
England national football team
Euro Champ Qualifying | Group Stage
Jun 19, 2023 at 7.45pm UK
Old Trafford
North Macedonia national football team

England
7 - 0
N. Macedonia

Kane (29', 73' pen.), Saka (38', 47', 51'), Rashford (45'), Phillips (64')
Rice (41'), Phillips (77')
FT(HT: 3-0)

Bejtulai (72')

Gareth Southgate delighted for "exceptional" Bukayo Saka after first hat-trick

Southgate delighted for
© Reuters
England manager Gareth Southgate heaps praise on "exceptional" attacker Bukayo Saka following his hat-trick in their 7-0 Euro 2024 qualifying win over North Macedonia.

England manager Gareth Southgate has lavished praise on "exceptional" attacker Bukayo Saka following his maiden career hat-trick in their 7-0 win over North Macedonia in Euro 2024 qualifying Group C.

Despite having to come off at half time in Friday's 4-0 triumph over Malta due to a blow to the ankle, Saka was passed fit to start at Old Trafford alongside Harry Kane and Marcus Rashford.

On the back of his best-ever goalscoring season for Arsenal, in which he struck 15 times in all competitions, Saka earned a slice of personal history with his first-ever senior hat-trick at the Theatre of Dreams.

The 21-year-old opened his account for the evening with an arrowed finish into the roof of the net before doubling his tally two minutes into the second half with a stunning half-volley into the top corner from Trent Alexander-Arnold's long ball.

Saka completed his hat-trick in the 51st minute, slotting home into the bottom corner from Kane's through ball to become the first Arsenal man to net an England treble since Theo Walcott against Croatia in 2008.

England manager Gareth Southgate before the match on June 19, 2023© Reuters

The Hale End graduate was given a standing ovation by his teammates and supporters as he came off just before the hour mark and claimed that he would remember his first hat-trick for the rest of his life.

Speaking to the press after the demolition job, Southgate revealed that Saka had been struggling with an Achilles issue for the past few weeks and was overjoyed to see the winger push through the pain to enjoy a memorable evening.

"I am delighted for him. He's had a slightly sore Achilles – for a few weeks – and it's another one where it would have been easy to pull out of the camp and miss out on a night like this that I'm sure will live with him forever. When you have one of the best nights of your life it's a reminder to everyone to go through these things," Southgate said.

When asked if Saka could soon be classed as an "elite" footballer, the England manager responded: "I think he is already there.

"He broke into a team [Arsenal] having a difficult time and performing at a high level, then when the team was playing well he's still performing. That says everything. He's exceptional to work with.

Bukayo Saka celebrates scoring for England on June 19, 2023© Reuters

"For [all of] the players to have the mentality they have to work, at the late stage of this monster of all seasons, there was every excuse to do that and they've not done that."

Saka's hat-trick was not the only first for England on Monday night, as Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips came off the bench to open his account for the Three Lions in the second half.

Kane also scored for the sixth England game running with a brace of his own at Old Trafford, while Rashford made the net bulge at his home ground in the first half.

England's crushing win sees them remain top of Group C with 12 points from four games against Italy, North Macedonia, Malta and Ukraine, the latter of whom are six points behind in second place with a game in hand.

Southgate's side will reconvene in three months to face Ukraine on September 9, three days before they meet Scotland at Hampden Park in a 150th anniversary fixture.

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How you voted: England vs N. Macedonia

England
80.0%
Draw
9.4%
North Macedonia
10.6%
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England attacker Bukayo Saka pictured on June 19, 2023
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Group A

TeamPWDLPTS
1 Cyprus Cyprus00000
2 Georgia Georgia00000
3 Norway Norway00000
Q Scotland flag Scotland00000
Q Spain Spain00000

Group B

TeamPWDLPTS
Q France France00000
2 Gibraltar flag Gibraltar00000
3 Greece Greece00000
Q Netherlands Netherlands00000
5 Ireland Rep. Ireland00000

Group C

TeamPWDLPTS
Q England flag England00000
Q Italy Italy00000
3 Malta flag Malta00000
4 Macedonia N. Macedonia00000
5 Ukraine Ukraine00000

Group D

TeamPWDLPTS
1 Armenia Armenia00000
Q Croatia Croatia00000
3 Latvia Latvia00000
Q Turkey Turkey00000
5 Wales flag Wales00000

Group E

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Albania national flag Albania00000
Q Czech Republic Czech Republic00000
3 Faroe Islands Faroe Islands00000
4 Republic of Moldova Moldova00000
5 Poland Poland00000

Group F

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Austria Austria00000
2 Azerbaijan Azerbaijan00000
Q Belgium Belgium00000
4 Estonia Estonia00000
5 Sweden Sweden00000

Group G

TeamPWDLPTS
1 Bulgaria Bulgaria00000
Q Hungary Hungary00000
3 Lithuania Lithuania00000
4 Montenegro Montenegro00000
Q Serbia Serbia00000

Group H

TeamPWDLPTS
Q Denmark Denmark00000
2 Finland Finland00000
3 Kazakhstan Kazakhstan00000
4 Northern Ireland flag N. Ireland00000
5 San Marino flag San Marino00000
Q Slovenia Slovenia00000

Group I

TeamPWDLPTS
1 Andorra flag Andorra00000
2 Belarus Belarus00000
3 Israel Israel00000
4 Kosovo flag Kosovo00000
Q Romania Romania00000
Q Switzerland Switzerland00000

Group J

TeamPWDLPTS
1 Bosnia Bosnia H'vina00000
2 Iceland Iceland00000
3 Liechtenstein flag Liechtenstein00000
4 Luxembourg flag Luxembourg00000
Q Portugal Portugal00000
Q Slovakia Slovakia00000


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