Grit and Goals as the Home Nations Set the Tone
England steady the ship, Scotland stand firm, Wales nick a priceless away win, Northern Ireland dare to dream, while Europe crackles with shock results
Here we are again, the first whistle of September still ringing in our ears and the home nations all elbowing for position on the long road to North America. It was a window that brought grit more than glamour, a fair share of relief, and a couple of thunderclaps from the continent that will echo into next week. For It was always...Football, this is how I saw it.
England get the job done, even if the needle barely twitched
Villa Park under a late summer sky should stir the soul, yet England’s meeting with Andorra felt more invoice than inspiration. Thomas Tuchel’s side kept their perfect record intact with a two nil win, a Christian Garcia own goal breaking the deadlock before Declan Rice’s firm header ended any threat of an upset. The numbers look tidy enough, four wins from four, four clean sheets, top of Group K, but little here caught fire. Noni Madueke was direct and busy, Elliot Anderson’s debut brought a neat calm in midfield, and Reece James delivered with quality from the right. Harry Kane toiled in heavy traffic and the tempo rarely lifted above a jog. Results matter in qualifying, of course they do, and this was one of those evenings when getting home safely counted for more than any charge of the light brigade.
Tuchel’s appointment still feels new enough to be judged in moments rather than months, and he will know the examination sharpens in Belgrade. Serbia are next, and a clean sweep of early fixtures would park any murmurings after the June friendly wobble. England are building a platform, even if the paint is not dry yet.
Scotland’s point in Copenhagen felt like something more
If you want your pulse to quicken, go and earn a shutout away to the top seeds. Scotland did just that with a draw in Denmark, a match that demanded discipline, courage, and the occasional blast of Angus Gunn’s handling to steady the house. Steve Clarke set his team up to be stubborn and they were exactly that, organised without the ball and punchy enough on the counter to remind Denmark they were in a contest. It was not pretty and it did not need to be. A point there is a nugget of value at the very start of a campaign and it gives Monday some shape, with Belarus to come in an empty stadium in Hungary. If Scotland bring the same street sense, this window can end with a grin.
Wales, one road win that might be priceless by November
Astana always asks awkward questions. On that artificial pitch, under a roof that seems to squeeze the air from your lungs, Craig Bellamy’s side took three points that could end up being the hinge on which a group swings. Kieffer Moore, on his fiftieth cap, jabbed in the only goal, the sort of close-range finish that becomes folklore if qualification is sealed later. The closing minutes tried Welsh nerves, Kazakhstan smacking the woodwork at the death, but the line held. Top of the group for now, the performance not perfect, the outcome exactly what was required. Sometimes a campaign is carried by days like this.
Northern Ireland find their stride, then stare down Cologne
Michael O’Neill could not have asked for a better start. A three one win away to Luxembourg set the tone, Jamie Reid opening up early before second-half strikes from Shea Charles and Justin Devenny pushed the door wide. The travelling Green and White Army sang in the rain and went home happy. Now comes the climb, Germany in Cologne on Sunday, and that fixture suddenly carries the scent of possibility after a seismic result in Bratislava. Slovakia put two past Germany without reply, and the pressure has spiked around Julian Nagelsmann before a ball is rolled in the RheinEnergie. Northern Ireland will not fear the noise.
A wider lens, a few shocks, and a milestone night in Yerevan
The European picture crackled this week. Germany’s defeat in Slovakia was historic, their first away loss in World Cup qualifying, and the inquest was immediate and unforgiving. It is not often you see a giant rocked this early, yet the tape does not lie. That result adds steel to Sunday for both sides, one trying to steady, the other trying to seize.
France began with a win and a landmark. Michael Olise’s opener and Kylian Mbappé’s clincher against Ukraine made it a calm start for a team that looks untroubled by the moment. Mbappé’s strike tied Thierry Henry on the all-time list for Les Bleus, another line in a book that fills quicker than most. Italy’s new era under Gennaro Gattuso came with a slap of authority, five without reply against Estonia. Belgium did what strong sides do, six at a canter in Liechtenstein. The Netherlands were held by Poland, Greece thumped Belarus, and Serbia edged Latvia to keep the chase in England’s group honest. This is the section of qualifying where patterns are sketched, and this week’s sketches felt bold in places.
Then there was Yerevan. Portugal walked out beneath a minute of silence and a swell of tributes to Diogo Jota, who remains in all our thoughts, and proceeded to play with a simple clarity that was hard to resist. Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice, Joao Felix twice, Joao Cancelo with the other, five nil and a statement that was emotional as well as emphatic. Ronaldo moved to one hundred and forty international goals, a number that almost does not make sense, and still he looks hungry for more. For those of us with Liverpool hearts, the evening was tinged with both sadness and pride.
What it all says about the home nations, and what comes next
England are learning to live with their new manager’s rhythms. The control is there, the platform is strong, and the attacking snap needs time. Belgrade feels like the right test at the right time. Win there and the air clears. Drop points and the debate warms again. Tuchel will care less about the chatter and more about the distances between lines, the speed of circulation, the simple business of turning possession into chances. Clean sheets stack belief, and belief is a currency you spend later in a campaign.
Scotland’s point in Copenhagen will age well. Steve Clarke sets targets in quiet rooms and his players hit them. The spine looks settled, the shape dependable, and you can sense a group that has learned how to navigate tricky away nights without fuss. Belarus behind closed doors should favour Scotland’s cool heads. Anything more than a point and this window becomes a launchpad, not a holding pattern.
Wales know their margins are tight. That is why Astana matters. Craig Bellamy has already stamped a little edge into this side, and the blend of familiar lieutenants with new energy feels promising. There will be bumps ahead, Belgium remain the looming figure in the corridor, yet the table is friendlier when you steal a road win in the hard places.
Northern Ireland have momentum and a free hit. Cologne could be the night of their year or a lesson they bank for the autumn. Germany are wounded, dangerous on paper, yet light in conviction. O’Neill will send his side out to make it irritating, to contest every metre and punish any wobble. You do not get many windows where the heavyweights look heavy-legged. You take your swing when you can.
The small details that stick
Elliot Anderson’s debut for England stood out, not because of any fireworks, but for how unhurried he looked. There is a habit of the international stage shrinking players; Anderson seemed to expand into it. Madueke ran at people and reassured on the right, James delivered a reminder of what true quality looks like from full back. If you insist on the centre-forward doing centre-forward things every minute of every match, you will find reasons to mutter, but Kane’s quiet nights are never the story unless points are dropped.
In Copenhagen, Scotland’s organisation deserved the clean sheet. Those are the evenings when you learn as much about a team as you do in victory, the distances patched, the half-spaces guarded, the jams escaped with smart fouls and cooler heads. Gunn’s handling and decision making had authority, and the back line looked like a unit that trusts the plan.
Wales had heroes without headlines. Moore will keep the cap and the goal, yet the tone was set by the graft around him and the calm at the back when the walls closed in. These are miles that count twice when the leaves turn.
And then there is Germany. We have seen giants stumble before, this felt like a stumble with a twist of self-doubt. That is partly why Northern Ireland’s task is fascinating. Slovakia showed a way. It is on Michael O’Neill’s men to test whether that door is still ajar.
The road map for the next few days
There is enough left in this window to keep everyone honest. England go to Serbia on Tuesday, Scotland face Belarus on Monday, Northern Ireland have Germany on Sunday, and the Republic of Ireland’s path is already under strain after falling behind early to Hungary before a midweek trip to Armenia. Portugal welcome the same Hungary side next week in a fixture that already looks like a group decider. Mark your notebooks and keep the kettle handy.
When the dust settles on this break, it might not be the window that fills the end-of-year montages. It felt more like laying bricks. England did not sparkle, Wales came home with something valuable rattling in the suitcase, Scotland drew breath and stood firm, Northern Ireland dared to dream a little. Across the water, France were efficient, Italy enjoyed the new manager bounce, and Portugal turned a night of remembrance into one of release. For a few days in September, that is enough to sit back, sip something warm, and admit we have missed this.