England completed a perfect World Cup qualification campaign with a 2-0 win away in Albania on Sunday evening
A second-half Harry Kane brace delivered the goods for the Three Lions, who have become the first European team to navigate a World Cup qualifying campaign with a 100% record and zero goals conceded.
Thomas Tuchel opted to heavily rotate his team from that which beat Serbia at Wembley during the week, giving some fringe players a chance to show what they can do in a hostile environment.
England will only play a handful of games between now and the World Cup next summer, so this was an important night for many of the players given an opportunity.
We’ve taken a look at the performances of the seven players who came into the starting line-up to see whether they passed their audition or failed.
Dean Henderson
All being well, Jordan Pickford will be the No.1 in North America next summer. However, the likes of Dean Henderson, Nick Pope and James Trafford will want to show what they can do in case the Everton man picks up an injury or a drastic dip in form.
Henderson is seen as the No.2 and was given the nod in Tirana. Just as he has done for Crystal Palace in recent times, he acquitted himself superbly.
The 28-year-old spent long stretches out of the game but was alert when required, in the end making three excellent saves worth 1.02 goals prevented.
Henderson took good command of his box and pulled off an excellent slide tackle well outside of it when Albania looked to be breaking behind the England defence midway through the second half.
Verdict: Pass
Dan Burn
Clean with the ball but guilty of going sideways too often when a forward pass was on. Caused a bit of havoc from set-pieces and created one big chance, but like Quansah, Burn was caught out in the space behind a little too often, lacking recovery speed.
Burn might just make the World Cup squad on versatility, but it’s hard to see him starting in any position.
Verdict: Fail
Jarell Quansah
Made a few positive surges forward and was neat and tidy with the ball, though a little too safe at times. His crossing left quite a bit to be desired, which isn’t ideal given he was fielded as a right-back.
Solid enough defensively, but caught out of a position a few times as Albania looked to break quickly.
Not a horrible England debut overall, but unlikely to persuade Thomas Tuchel that he can mix it with the likes of Reece James, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Djed Spence for a right-back spot.
Verdict: Fail
Jude Bellingham
Does Jude Bellingham need an audition? Well, given how good Morgan Rogers has looked as a No.10 for England, yes. Yes, he does.
This was a mixed bag, with Bellingham looking sensational in some moments and like a lost soul in others.
He certainly improved in the second half, and eventually finished the match with two chances created, two shots, two of three dribbles completed and a match-high seven duels won.
Bellingham needs to do more going forward if he’s to help England win a World Cup, but he proved at Euro 2024 how he can come up with ridiculous moments just when he’s needed most.
Verdict: Pass
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Adam Wharton
There were a couple of occasions where Adam Wharton played a naive pass forward in an attempt to get England on the attack quickly, when a bit of poise and composure would have been advisable. However, that’s to be expected of such a young, inexperienced player.
On the whole, though, Wharton looked every part an England international on Sunday, creating a match-high three chances, while completing 42 of his 46 passes (91%), seven of which went into the final third.
Wharton was dispossessed just once, while he made one tackle, three interceptions and five possession recoveries.
Hard to see him getting into the starting XI ahead of Declan Rice or Elliot Anderson, but unlike Euro 2024, Wharton should see minutes next summer.
Verdict: Pass
Jarrod Bowen
Jarrod Bowen missed an excellent chance in the 36th minute, though credit must be given to Thomas Strakosha for how quickly he got down to make the save.
That was the highlight of a pretty anonymous performance from Bowen, who failed to create any chances and had just two touches in the opposition box, while failing to find his mark with any of his six crosses.
Eberechi Eze was lively, Bukayo Saka came on and got an assist — and is surely a nailed-on starter anyway — Marcus Rashford also assisted from the bench, and Anthony Gordon will come back from injury.
Bowen’s place as a regular feature for England could be under threat.
Verdict: Fail
Eberechi Eze
As mentioned, Eberechi Eze was lively on Sunday, but this wasn’t a vintage performance.
The Arsenal man should have scored from his one shot of the match just before the hour, but was denied by another good Strakosha save. Eze also failed to complete a take-on, but did play four passes into the final third and won two fouls.
As a starting player, this audition was a fail, but he is still the next in line behind Gordon and Saka, especially given his goal from the bench against Serbia.
Verdict: Fail