- England beat Scotland 3-1 in a friendly on Tuesday.
- Harry Maguire scored an own goal in the 67th minute.
- Southgate defended Mahuire after the stunt.
After Scotland supporters taunted the defense sarcastically after the defender scored an own goal in a friendly on Tuesday that England won 3-1 at Hampden Park, England manager Gareth Southgate rallied behind Harry Maguire.
Due to Marc Guehi’s injury, Maguire—who had been sitting on the England bench—was substituted in at halftime. He was met with mocking applause from the Scottish crowd whenever he touched the ball.
In the 67th minute, the Manchester United defender scored an own goal to put Scotland back in the contest.
“There has been ridiculous treatment of him for a long period of time, frankly,” Southgate said after the match.
“It’s a joke. I’ve never known a player treated the way he is not by the Scottish fans, but by our own commentators, pundits, whatever, they’ve created something beyond anything I’ve ever seen.”
The 30-year-old has had difficulty earning playing time at Old Trafford since Manchester United relieved him of the captaincy in July.
Southgate emphasized the center-back’s significance for England despite the fact that he had played in each of their Euro 2024 qualifying games.
“He’s been an absolute stalwart for us in the second most successful England team for decades. He’s been an absolute key part of that,” Southgate said.
Jude Bellingham, who scored a goal and gave captain Harry Kane an assist, deserves special mention for his performance for England against Scotland.
“I wasn’t happy with how I played against Ukraine, it wasn’t anywhere near my best and the motivation is always to get back to your best. I got somewhere close tonight,” Bellingham said while pointing out the lacklustre 1-1 draw against Ukraine on September 9.
“It’s just a freedom role really. I get given the freedom by the amazing team mates and manager (Carlo Ancelotti) that I have (at Real Madrid).
“I know it depends on the system we (England) play, and we’ve got so many amazing players to accommodate, and so the team comes first always. I really enjoyed playing in that position today.”
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