England v Portugal Live Commentary & Result, 02/06/2016, Friendlies

It wasn't the best of nights for England, who, despite playing against 10 men for almost an hour of the game, didn't look quite as sharp in front of goal as they have done in recent months. Portugal largely did well to sit deep and frustrate the hosts by closing down the space available to them and forcing them into playing the ball sideways. In the end, however, the Three Lions were finally able to find a way through, as a lovely cross from Sterling perfectly picked out Smalling and gifted the centre-back with a great opportunity to win the game for his side with just a few minutes left to play. It's one that he took, and one that means England head into Euro 2016 with three wins from three warm-up games.

FULL-TIME: ENGLAND 1-0 PORTUGAL

90' + 3' Free header for William Carvalho! Vieirinha charges down the right wing before firing a curling cross off the chest of Rose and out for a late corner. The set-piece is wonderfully hit and finds the midfielder in acres of space over at the far post, but he ends up wasting a great opportunity to score and instead sends his bullet header flying a few yards over the top of the crossbar. That will surely prove to be Portugal's final chance of the evening.

90' + 2' Portugal try to work the ball around on the halfway line, but they end up losing possession due to good defending by Rose. The left-back quickly looks up and sends a lofted pass over the top of the visitors' defence and into the path of Sturridge, but the striker is unable to direct his header towards a teammate and it ends up bouncing into the hands of Patricio.

J. Henderson

D. Alli

90' Meanwhile, England have replaced Alli with Henderson for the final few moments.

Éder

Ricardo Carvalho

90' Portugal have decided to make a late, and attacking, alteration, with Eder coming on to replace Carvalho as they try to find a way back into the game.

90' The fourth official has indicated that there will be three minutes of added time.

88' It's all England at the moment as they try to find a second goal of the game, one that would surely confirm the victory. They initially do well to get forward before Lallana tries to beat Eliseu down the right wing, but he's unable to do so and ends up losing possession before Portugal are awarding a free-kick just outside of their penalty area for a foul.

R. Sterling

Assist

86' That was a lovely cross by Sterling, who perfectly picked out Smalling, but the winger was left in far too much space by the Portugal defence, who were slow to react and left him alone for far too long before trying, and failing, to close him down.

C. Smalling

Goal

86' GOAL! England have finally taken the lead! They do well to win themselves a free-kick midway inside the Portugal half of the pitch, but Walker's cross is punched away by Patricio and into the feet of Wilshere. The midfielder quickly picks out Sterling, who is left in acres of space down the left flank and whips a wonderful cross into the heart of the penalty area, and Smalling jumps high before beating Patricio with an excellent close-range header.

84' And now Quaresma goes close! The winger, who has seen very little of the ball since coming on to the pitch, breaks down the left wing on a great run before cutting into the England penalty area. He twists and turns past two defenders before trying to beat Hart with a curling shot over to the top right-hand corner of the net, but it ends up flying just a yard or so wide of its intended target after beating the hosts' goalkeeper.

82' Another chance for Sturridge! Lallana breaks into the right-hand side of the Portugal penalty area before doing well to poke the ball back to Alli, who quickly moves it on to Sterling. The Manchester City winger does a step-over before teeing up Sturridge, who then tries to set up Walker before shooting from close range. In the end, his deft pass ends up trickling away from the defender before trickling into the hands of Patricio.

80' Sturridge peels off from his marker and finds himself in a pocket of space just outside of the Portugal penalty area. He skips to the left ever so slightly before trying to beat Patricio with a thumping, long-range strike, but, off balance, he ends up sending his effort flying comfortably wide of the far post and out for a goal-kick.

A. Lallana

W. Rooney

78' Meanwhile, Rooney has made for Lallana. It looks as if England will switch to a 4-3-3, with Sterling and Lallana on either wing and Sturridge in the middle.

D. Sturridge

H. Kane

78' Sturridge becomes the latest player to come on to the pitch, and it will be Kane that makes way for the final 12 minutes of the game.

77' Kane steps up and unleashes a shot from the set-piece, but it takes a deflection off the arm of Quaresma before bouncing out of play. The replays show that it certainly hit the Portugal winger, but the referee instead awards a goal-kick to the visitors, much to the bemusement of the Tottenham striker.

Danilo Pereira

Yellow Card

76' Danilo is slightly too heavy-handed as he tries to deal with Rooney, and he ends up bringing the England captain crashing to the ground with a late sliding challenge that results in a yellow card for the defensive midfielder and a free-kick for the hosts in a dangerous position 35 yards away from goal.

75' Vital interception by Fonte! Rose bursts into life and breaks down the left flank on a great run as he beats Sanches with ease before cutting inside. He reaches the edge of the Portugal penalty area and then tries to pick out Kane with a low cross into the middle of the box, but the Southampton centre-back is there to cut out the danger with an excellent sliding block.

74' Sanches immediately comes on and muscles his way past Sterling and Rooney as he charges down the right flank. He shows great strength to beat both before trying to penetrate the England half of the pitch, but the Manchester City winger darts back before fouling him before he can do so. The resulting free-kick is taken quickly and sent towards the 18-year-old, but his run forward is mistimed and results in him being flagged offside.

William Carvalho

João Moutinho

72' And the second is William Carvalho, who replaces Moutinho in the centre of midfield.

Renato Sanches

Adrien Silva

72' Portugal have decided to make a double change with just under 20 minutes left to play. The first player to come on is Sanches, who takes the place of Adrien Silva.

71' Wilshere and Alli link up well on the edge of the Portugal penalty area before the latter tries to tee up Kane. The striker, who is now playing more centrally than he was earlier in the evening, breaks into the box on a great run as he tries to latch on to the pass, but it's slightly too heavy and fails to reach him before Patricio cuts out the danger.

70' After spending the past 15 minutes or so firmly on the back foot, Portugal are finally able to push forward on an attack of their own as they momentarily penetrate the England half of the pitch. Moutinho gets himself into a good position before trying to thread a pass into the path of Quaresma, but there's far too much power behind the ball and it ends up missing the forward before rolling safely into the hands of Hart.

68' England quickly push forward on an impressive attacking move, with Rooney finding plenty of space down the left wing before swinging a dangerous cross into the heart of the Portugal penalty area. The pass is well dealt with by Fonte before Alli picks up the ball just outside of the box, but his attempted through-ball towards his captain finds the Manchester United man in an offside position, much to his frustration.

J. Wilshere

J. Milner

66' Meanwhile, Wilshere has come on to take the place of Milner in midfield.

R. Sterling

J. Vardy

66' England have decided to make a double substitution, with Vardy, who has struggled this evening, making way for Sterling in their first change.

65' Milner muscles his way down the right wing before seemingly losing the ball, but Walker is there to pick up possession before charging towards the edge of the penalty area. He's clumsily fouled before he can enter the box, however, resulting in a free-kick for England in a very dangerous position. Kane steps up and whips a dangerous cross into the middle of the box that pinballs over to Cahill, but the centre-back's headed effort ends up bouncing off Fonte and away from danger.

63' England patiently try to work their way down the right wing, with Walker attempting to beat Gomes and Eliseu before spinning and finding Alli. The Tottenham midfielder is camped just outside of the Portugal penalty area and quickly spins before teeing up Dier, but the defensive midfielder's thumping strike from 30 yards out is overhit and clears the top of the crossbar by quite some distance.

Ricardo Quaresma

Nani

61' Portugal have made their third change of the night, with Nani, who has had a tough night, making way for Quaresma for the final half an hour.

60' An attempted clearance from Vieirinha can only fly out of play for an England throw-in deep down the left flank. The first quickly results in a second, which is worked over to the right wing, but Walker is quickly put under pressure by Gomes and is unable to send a cross into the box before being dispossessed by the winger.

58' A Mexican wave is making its way around the stadium, which is never a good sign and shows just how much England are struggling against the 10 men of Portugal. Whenever they're not on the ball, the visitors are sitting deep and doing well to keep the hosts at bay, which has resulted in the Three Lions finding it incredibly difficult to carve out any chances on goal.

56' England move the ball around patiently on the halfway line, with Smalling and Dier playing passes between themselves before the latter eventually lifts a brilliant lofted pass over the top of the Portugal defence and into the path of Walker. The full-back takes Eliseu by surprise and charges into the right-hand side of the Portugal penalty area, but he's just about unable to latch on to the end of the pass.

54' Vardy and Danilo clash in the middle of the pitch, resulting in a free-kick for Portugal that is quickly flung towards Nani but ends up resulting in a throw-in deep inside the England half. Vieirinha links up well with Adrien Silva before battling with Smalling, and the centre-back is just about able to shepherd the midfielder towards the byline before poking the ball out for a corner. The set-piece is whipped in by Moutinho and almost finds Fonte in a good position in front of goal, but Smalling is there to deal with the danger once again.

52' After spending the opening moments of the half on the back foot, England are finally able to break away on an attacking move of their own. Rose breaks down the left wing before cutting a low pass back to Alli, who then quickly pokes it on to Milner, but the midfielder's first-time strike is closed down by Danilo and ends up deflecting away from goal and out to the right flank.

50' It's been a good start to the second half by Portugal, who are doing well to hold on to the ball and deal with the pressure being put on them by the hosts. However, once again a poor final ball brings a promising attacking move to an end, as Moutinho fires a lofted pass down the left flank that fails to find the winger and bounces out for a goal-kick.

48' Portugal quickly win the ball off England before embarking on a patient build-up down the left wing. They initially find it difficult to find a way through the sea of white shirts camped in front of them before Moutinho is eventually able to fling a deep cross into the heart of the penalty area, but Nani is unable to reach the ball with his head and the attempted pass flies straight into the hands of Hart.

André Gomes

João Mário

46' Portugal have made one substitution during the half-time break, with Gomes coming on to replace Mario.

46' And we're underway once again!

1' Lovely feet by Gomes! The substitute embarks on a weaving run into the England penalty area before trying to make his way through a cluster of white shirts. He successfuly beats two before trying to skip past Cahill, who is the last defender in front of Hart, but the centre-back sticks out a foot and dispossesses the Valencia man with a wonderfully-timed sliding tackle.

The two teams are making their way back out onto the pitch ahead of the start of the second half.

It's been a positive first-half performance from England, despite them not looking quite as sharp in front of goal as they would have liked. At the back, they have been presented with very few problems, and that is sent to continue thanks to Alves' crazy high challenge on Kane, which left the referee with no choice but to show the centre-back a straight red card. Since then, the hosts have bossed possession and spent the vast majority of their time camped inside their opponents' half of the pitch, but it doesn't quite seem to be working for them in the final third, where final passes have been letting them down and failing to result in chances on goal.

HALF-TIME: ENGLAND 0-0 PORTUGAL

45' + 1' England come back one more time as Rooney charges down the right channel before launching a curling cross into the heart of the Portugal box. It's well hit and looks set to find the head of Kane, but Carvalho, who has been an absolute rock so far, is there once again to cut out the danger before the referee brings the first half to an end.

45' The fourth official has indicated that there will be just one minute of added time.

44' It's all England at the moment as they continue to push forward and put Portugal under pressure. They seem to be missing spark needed in the final third of the pitch, however, and this time it's Rooney who sends a wayward pass over the head of Walker and out for a goal-kick after the right-back had made a positive run down the flank.

G. Cahill

Yellow Card

43' A low cross from Milner is underhit and easily cut out by Carvalho, who then kick-starts a quick Portugal counter-attack. They move the ball around swiftly before Nani tries to skip past Cahill, but the centre-back sticks out a leg to send the winger crashing to the ground and, as a result, is shown a yellow card for his challenge.

41' An awkward high ball forward towards Nani, who is playing as Portugal's sole striker, initially causes problems for Smalling on the edge of the England penalty area, but after doing well to out-muscle the Fenerbahce forward he rises high to head the ball back into the safe hands of Hart.

39' A half-hearted Portugal attack breaks down deep inside the hosts' half of the pitch, allowing England to break away on a quick counter-attack down the left wing. Vardy charges forward before spinning and finding Rooney, who then sprays a lovely pass out to Kane on the right, but the striker's low shot from the edge of the penalty area isn't powerful enough to beat Patricio in the middle of the goal.

José Fonte

Rafa Silva

38' It's Rafa Silva who will make way for Fonte, who comes on to partner Carvalho in the middle of the Portugal back line.

37' It looks as if Danilo has temporarily dropped back into the Portugal defence whilst Santos decides what changes, if any, to make before the half-time break. England continue to push forward in an attempt to quickly take advantage of their one-man advantage, but they're unable to do so before the visitors blast the ball out for a throw-in.

Bruno Alves

Red Card

35' RED CARD! Kane darts down the right flank in an attempt to latch on to a bouncing ball forward before being clattered into by Alves, who flies into the England striker and catches him in the side of the head with a horrendously high boot. The challenge is a horrible one and leaves the referee with no choice but to give the defender his marching orders, despite the protestations of his teammates.

34' After a few nervy moments, Portugal are able to string together a good series of passes before setting up Eliseu, who has arguably been the visitors' best player thus far. He jogs into the acres of space down the left wing before swinging a lovely cross into the heart of the penalty area, but Adrien Silva is unable to direct his header on goal and it ends up flying a few yards wide of the near post.

32' Great strike by Walker! England come back once again as they pile plenty of bodies into the Portugal half of the pitch. Rooney muscles his way along the edge of the visitors' penalty area before poking a pass over to the right-back, who immediately unleashes a thumping half-volley from 30 yards out. It looks as if it's going to cause Patricio problems, but the shot ends up flying narrowly wide of the near post and out for a goal-kick.

30' Milner breaks down the right wing before swinging a looping cross into the middle of the Portugal box, where it's just about dealt with by Alves. The defender's clearance ends up bouncing out to Rose, however, and he immediately unleashes a thumping low strike that flies through the visitors' back line before finding the feet of Kane. The flight of the shot takes the striker by surprise, and he's unable to spin and shoot before the ball bounces away from him.

28' Carvalho goes close! Moutinho steps up and whips a dangerous cross into the heart of the England penalty area, where it finds the Portugal centre-back, but his bullet header ends up flying just a yard or two over the top of the crossbar.

27' Portugal carefully keep hold of possession just inside their own half of the pitch as they attempt to find a way through the sea of white shirts camped in front of them. Danilo is eventually able to charge forward before sending a lofted pass out to the right wing, where it finds Vieirinha, who is immediately clattered into by Vardy and wins his side a free-kick in a dangerous position.

25' Sloppy play by Adrien Silva gifts possession to England, who quickly break forward on a swift counter-attack. Walker breaks down the right wing before earning his side a corner, which Kane tries to play back to Alli on the edge of the penalty area, but the striker's attempted pass is poorly hit and is easily cut out by Mario. The hosts win back the ball once again before Alli tries to link up with Kane, this time over on the right, but the midfielder's chipped pass is slightly overhit and results in a goal-kick.

23' Great chance for Rooney! Walker picks up the ball in acres of space over on the right, and he's able to calmly jog down the right flank due to lax defending from Portugal. He heads towards the edge of the penalty area before swinging a curling cross over to the far post, where it finds the England captain, but his looping header ends up flying straight into the hands of Patricio in the middle of the goal.

22' Dier and Walker link up well down the right wing before the latter tries to pick out Rooney, but, not for the first time this evening, Danilo is there to pick the pocket of the captain before trying to clear the danger. He's unable to do so, however, as good pressing by Alli allows the youngster to win back possession, but once again England are unable to carve out a chance on goal due to good defending by Danilo.

20' Rose and Danilo tangle in the middle of the pitch, resulting in a free-kick for Portugal just inside the England half. It's sent short before Vieirinha patiently tries to make his way down the right wing, but he's forced into turning and playing the ball back to Alves. The centre-back then sends a pass over to Eliseu, who breaks down the left flank before swinging a curling cross into the path of Mario, but Rose is there to cut out the danger with a great sliding interception.

18' Milner poorly gives away possession midway inside the England half of the pitch with a pass that rolls straight into the feet of Nani. The former Manchester United winger is in acres of space in the centre of the park and turns quickly before sprinting towards the edge of the hosts' box, but his wild, 30-yard strike ends up clearing the top of Hart's crossbar by quite some distance.

16' England patiently pass the ball around near to the halfway line before Rose launches a lofted ball down the left flank and into the path of Alli. The youngster makes a good run down the wing before looking to a win a corner off Carvalho, but the centre-back shows his experience by knocking the ball off the midfielder at the last moment to earn his side a goal-kick.

14' It's been a tough start to the game for Portugal, who are struggling to spend much time on the ball due to the pressure being exerted on them by England. Rose and Walker are doing particularly well to close down their opponents, which has resulted in Mario and Rafa Silva barely seeing any of the ball thus far.

12' First chance for England! A poor clearance from Patricio is cut out brilliantly by Walker, allowing Kane to charge forward towards the Portugal penalty area. The striker holds up the ball well before curling a lovely low cross straight into the feet of Rooney, but the captain's first-time half-volley is denied by a strong save from Patricio before the linesman's flag is raised for offside.

10' Alli battles his way down the left wing as he weaves past two Portugal players before earning his side a throw-in. Rose takes it quickly and sends it back to Dier, who then pokes a pass down the flank and into the path of Vardy, but the striker ends up fouling Vieirinha before he's able to make contact with the ball.

8' Portugal try to break out from their own half of the pitch but are unable to do so due to good pressurising by England. Milner quickly closes down Adrien Silva and steals the ball off the midfielder before quickly poking a pass into the path of Vardy, but the striker is a yard or so offside and the linesman's flag is quickly raised as a result.

7' Poor play by the Portugal defence gifts a throw-in to England, who take it quickly before playing out from the back. Vardy, who has started far out on the left wing, swiftly puts Carvalho under pressure in an attempt to latch on to a throw-in from Rose, which results in another for the hosts. The second finds its way to Alli, who then tries to chip a pass over the visitors' back line and into the path of Milner, but Carvalho is there to cut out the danger with a strong headed clearance.

5' Rose gives away a free-kick in the middle of the pitch, and it's one that Portugal take short before working their way back to Alves. The defender takes a quick touch before sending an excellent cross-field pass over to Vieirinha, who had made a good run down the right wing, but the full-back's attempt to control the ball is poor and results in the ball bouncing out of play for a throw-in deep inside the England half of the pitch.

4' Play resumes once again and England quickly go on the front foot. They swiftly put Portugal, who have started with a high defensive line, under pressure as Dier bursts forward and tries to pick out Vardy down the left flank, but he's unable to poke a pass through the legs with Vieirinha and the visitors do well to win back possession before the hosts can carve out a chance on goal.

2' Portugal immediately try to push forward from the kick-off as they work the ball around well deep inside the England half of the pitch. Rafa Silva eventually picks up possession just outside of the penalty area before being caught by a flying boot from Cahill, and it sends him tumbling to the ground. The visitors initially play on before the refere blows his whistle and allows the midfielder a moment or two to recover from the knock.

1' And we're off! Portugal get us underway, attacking from right to left.

The two sides are making their way out onto the pitch, with just a few minutes to go until kick-off.

Meanwhile, Portugal boss Fernando Santos has made seven alterations to the side that featured in their last outing against Norway, with Rui Patricio, Vieirinha, Bruno Alves, Eliseu, Danilo Pereira, Nani and Rafa Silva coming into the squad to replace Anthony Lopes, Cedric Soares, Jose Fonte, Raphael Guerreiro, William Carvahlo, Ricardo Quaresma and Eder.

Roy Hodgson has decided to make 10 changes to the England side that started the victory against Australia on Friday evening, with only Chris Smalling retaining his place in a heavily altered team. It looks as if this could be the side that starts against Russia in the opening Euro 2016 group stage game, with James Milner, who could end up being replaced by Jordan Henderson, being the only standout doubt.

Portugual substitutes: Eduardo, Lopes, Soares, Guerreiro, Fonte, Gomes, William Carvalho, Sanches, Quaresma, Eder.

Portugal XI (4-3-3): Patricio; Vieirinha, Alves, Ricardo Carvalho, Eliseu; Danilo, Adrien Silva, Moutinho; Mario, Nani, Rafa Silva.

England substitutes: Forster, Heaton, Clyne, Stones, Henderson, Wilshere, Barkley, Lallana, Sterling, Sturridge, Rashford.

England XI (4-1-2-1-2): Hart; Walker, Cahill, Smalling, Rose; Dier; Milner, Alli; Rooney; Kane, Vardy.

There’s just over 15 minutes left to go until kick-off, so let’s have a look at how the two teams will be lining up this evening…

The Seleccao will be without talisman Cristiano Ronaldo, however, as he has been given extra time off due to his involvement in the Champions League final, and his absence could prove to be costly for his side. Portugal’s form has been mixed since qualifying for Euro 2016, with Russia and Bulgaria both getting the better of them in friendly games, although they did go on to beat Belgium thanks to an impressive display at the end of March.

The qualification process for Euro 2016 proved to be a relatively easy campaign for Portugal, who lost only one of their eight games and comfortably finished top of their group, seven points clear of nearest challengers Albania. They showed signs of that good form on Sunday with a 3-0 win against Norway in Porto, and they will be aiming for the same this evening in their penultimate warm-up game. Tonight’s clash is arguably their last real test before the tournament starts, as next Wednesday sees them take on minnows Estonia in Lisbon, and presents boss Fernando Santos with an opportunity to try out what could end up being close to his starting line-up for their opening group stage clash against Iceland on June 14th.

Friday’s friendly against Australia was the second time in two games that the Three Lions won 2-1, with last week’s clash against Turkey also ending in a victory, and it was their fourth win in five games, with only the Netherlands managing to beat them since last November’s defeat away to Spain. England have impressed at home in recent years and have only lost one of their last 13 games, whilst at Wembley they have been defeated just three times in 21 previous games under the watchful eye of Hodgson. As a result, he will be looking for another strong performance from a side that many have high hopes for heading into this summer’s big tournament.

Today’s clash is Roy Hodgson’s last chance to look at his England squad before the start of Euro 2016, with their campaign beginning with a game against Russia in nine days’ time. Danny Drinkwater, Andros Townsend and Fabian Delph were the unlucky trio to miss out on making it into Hodgson’s 23-man squad, and the rest will now be hoping to feature one last time for their boss before they jet off to France. Marcus Rashford, now the youngest player to ever score on their England debut, could feature this evening after impressing against Australia, where he opened the scoring with little under three minutes on the clock, but it's Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy, arguably Hodgson's two best strikers, who will be leading the line tonight.

Good evening and welcome to our live text commentary of today’s international friendly game between England and Portugal at Wembley.

England v Portugal Live Commentary, 02/06/2016

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