Racist chants mar England rout in Bulgaria

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Highlights of the European Qualifying Group A match between Bulgaria and England.

Highlights of the European Qualifying Group A match between Bulgaria and England.

England moved a step closer Euro 2020 qualification but their 6-0 victory in Bulgaria was marred by the torrent of racist abuse directed at their players in Sofia.

The European Qualifier was on the brink of abandonment in the Bulgarian capital following two first-half stoppages during which England boss Gareth Southgate consulted match officials about walking off.

The dreadful scenes marred a stunning attacking performance from Southgate’s side as Ross Barkley and Raheem Sterling scored braces in addition to strikes from Marcus Rashford and Harry Kane.

The emphatic victory moves the Three Lions three points clear at the top of Group A and means they will qualify for next summer’s tournament with a point in either of their final two matches against either Montenegro or Kosovo next month – though that pales into insignificance on a depressing night for football.

How racism ruined England’s victory

England made a dream start as they set about atoning for Friday’s abject defeat in the Czech Republic, with Rashford rifling an emphatic opener from a tight angle through goalkeeper Plamen Iliev with six minutes on the clock.

Barkley tapped a wayward Sterling shot in to put England two up on 20 minutes, but things soon turned sour as the Croatian referee Ivan Bebek halted play on 27 minutes to allow the first step of UEFA’s racism protocol – a message for abuse to cease on the public address system – to take place.

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Sky’s Kaveh Solhekol and Rob Dorsett explain exactly what is happening and could happen if Bulgaria’s fans continue to racially abuse England players during their Euro Qualifier in Sofia.

Sky’s Kaveh Solhekol and Rob Dorsett explain exactly what is happening and could happen if Bulgaria’s fans continue to racially abuse England players during their Euro Qualifier in Sofia.

Play resumed and within five minutes England were three goals to the good, Barkley doubling his tally with a close-range finish from Harry Kane’s sumptuous cross, but the game was halted for a second time in the face of persistent racist chants.

A second stoppage looked to have left the game one stage away from UEFA’s third and final course of action in their racism protocol – abandonment – but with the match officials apparently claiming not to have heard the chants, play continued, and England persevered until the break, with Sterling adding a fourth with a simple finish from Kane’s selfless square pass.

A group of supporters, dressed in black and making Nazi salutes, were seen leaving the ground en masse during the interval, but audible racist chants could still be heard throughout the second period, despite Bulgaria captain Ivelin Popov pleading with supporters.

England played on though, dominating in all areas against the below-par Bulgarians, who fell asleep on 69 minutes as Sterling latched onto Kane’s through pass and doubled his tally with a clinical finish.

The England players celebrated one of their six goals against Bulgaria

Kane struck the post on 82 minutes but finally got in on the act after laying on three goals for his team-mates, the Three Lions captain nutmegging a defender before rattling a shot home at the near post to seal an emphatic victory that will be remembered for the wrong reasons.

Southgate: We made a statement

Gareth Southgate speaks to the referee after racist chants were heard during Bulgaria vs England

England manager Gareth Southgate told ITV: “The officials were onto everything very quickly. We reported things immediately when we heard it and were in constant communication with the fourth official and the referee. I was in contact with the players, particularly in the first half and at half time. We know it’s unacceptable situation.

“We’ve made two statements by winning the game and also raising the awareness of the situation. The game was stopped and I know for some people that won’t be enough but we were as a group on board with that process.”

Bent questions UEFA racism protocol

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Former England striker Darren Bent admits it’s positive that their game was temporarily stopped against Bulgaria but thinks UEFA must do more to stop racism.

Former England striker Darren Bent admits it’s positive that their game was temporarily stopped against Bulgaria but thinks UEFA must do more to stop racism.

Former England international Darren Bent questions UEFA racism procedure while watching the game for Sky Sports News.

Stats: England hit Bulgaria for six

• England have faced Bulgaria without losing more times than they have any other opponent in their history (P12 W8 D4 L0).
• Only Belgium (30) and Russia (27) have scored more goals than England in EURO 2020 qualifying (26).
• Bulgaria suffered their heaviest ever home defeat in European Championships/World Cup qualifier.
• England have scored 5+ goals in four different matches in 2019, their joint-most in a single calendar year (also in 1937 and 1908). Indeed, they’d only scored 5+ goals in four matches across the last six calendar years combined (2013-2018).
• All six of Ross Barkley’s goals for England have been away from home – only Freddie Steele (8) and James Windridge (7) scored more for the Three Lions without netting at home.
• England’s Raheem Sterling has been directly involved in 13 goals in EURO 2020 qualifying (8 goals, 5 assists). Only Russia’s Artem Dzyuba has been involved in more (14).

What’s next?

England host Montenegro at Wembley on November 14 before concluding their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign with a trip to Kosovo on November 17. A draw in either game will be sufficient for England to qualify for next summer’s tournament.

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