Reece James has spared England’s first-half blushes by netting an incredible free-kick to give the Three Lions the lead against Latvia.
Thomas Tuchel’s side were struggling to break down their World Cup qualifying opponents, who set up in a low block with 11 men behind the ball.
The visitors almost took the lead and stunned Wembley Stadium through Vladislavs Gutkovskis, who latched on to a ball after a mix-up between Marc Guehi and Jordan Pickford but missed the target and an empty net.
England were claiming a penalty at the other end a few minutes later, with Marcus Rashford – who was a bright spark for the Three Lions – going down in the box.
But after a VAR review confirmed there was no foul, it would be up to Chelsea defender James to break the deadlock.
He stepped up to take the set piece in a great position, curling his effort into the top corner.
James barely celebrated after the strike but had the gratitude of his team-mates as England headed in for half-time a goal to the good.
It's simply MAGNIFICENT! 💥
A freekick of pure quality from Reece James ✨#ITVFootball | #ThreeLions | #CFC pic.twitter.com/xgz9xca16u
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) March 24, 2025
