H. Kane has scored a goal for England! Assist by M. Rashford.
The Malta players aren't too happy with Rashford, as he blasted the ball into the box whilst a man was down injured on the other side of the pitch. Nonetheless, the goal stands and piles even more misery on the home side.
GOAL! England aren't done yet! Another lofted pass into the penalty area causes all sorts of problems for the Malta defence, and this time it's Kane who smashes a fierce strike past Hogg and into the back of the net. Can they score another?
90' +1
D. Welbeck has scored a goal for England! Assist by H. Kane.
GOAL! Welbeck makes it 3-0! Kane sends a wonderful chipped pass over the top of the Malta defence and into the heart of the penalty area. Hogg rushes out and tries to deal with it, but he loses out to Welbeck and is beaten by a deft dink into the back of the net.
That was a great ball into the box from Kane, and Vardy did well to put it on a plate for him after dispossessing a Malta player. The duo have worked well together since the Leicester City striker came onto the pitch.
89'
More good play by Rashford out wide sets up Walker to shoot from just inside the hosts' penalty area, but he catches the ball poorly and sends a wayward effort comfortably wide of the Malta goal.
87'
Rashford embarks down the right flank on a wonderful run as he easily skips past two Malta players. He then fizzes a dangerous, bouncing pass across the face of goal, but, unfortunately for the youngster, there's nobody there to meet it.
86'
M. Mifsud enters the game and replaces A. Schembri.
Michael Mifsud receives a rousing round of applause from the Malta fans as he replaces Schembri for the final few minutes of the game.
85'
R. Bertrand has scored a goal for England! Assist by J. Henderson.
GOAL! Bertrand makes it 2-0 to England! The full-back is left in plenty of space after drifting into the middle of the pitch, and he quickly unleashes a rocket of a low shot that bounces past the outstretched limbs of Hogg and into the bottom right-hand corner of the net.
It was Henderson who set up Bertrand to shoot, but the defender should have been closed down quicker by the Malta defenders, who failed to put adequate pressure on the Southampton man.
84'
It's all England at the moment as they continue to patiently hold onto possession inside the Malta half of the pitch. The home side have plenty of players back as they try to stop the visitors from finding the back of the net once again.
83'
P. Fenech enters the game and replaces R. Fenech.
Ryan Fenech has been replaced by Paul Fenech in a late change for the home side.
82'
Understandably, the pace of the game has slowed down somewhat, with England not looking in too much of a hurry to push bodies forward. They've been disappointing this evening, but nonetheless deserve to leave with all three points.
80'
Almost a chance for Kane! Another dangerous cross into the Malta box finds Vardy, who this time nods the ball across the face of goal. It almost manages to find Kane but bounces just a yard or so past the outstretched foot of the Tottenham striker.
Minute
Description
78'
Henderson quickly curls a well-placed cross into the Malta penalty area and towards Vardy, who manages to get a head on the ball ahead of Muscat but can't direct his effort towards goal.
77'
Danny Welbeck has come on to take the place of Oxlade-Chamberlain in what will be England's third and final substitution.
76'
D. Welbeck enters the game and replaces A. Oxlade-Chamberlain.
And now Rashford is able to test Hogg with a swerving, dangerous strike from a similar position to Oxlade-Chamberlain, but it's sent straight at the Malta goalkeeper and is pushed away by the Hibernians shot-stopper.
75'
R. Camilleri enters the game and replaces J. Zerafa.
Zerafa seems to have picked up a slight injury, and he's forced off to be replaced by Ryan Camilleri.
74'
Oxlade-Chamberlain manages to get a shot away from just outside of the Malta penalty area after getting the better of his marker, but it's poorly hit by the Liverpool man and bounces comfortably wide of the far post.
72'
There's a brief break in play due to a spectator running onto the pitch, but he's quickly dealt with and the referee gets the game underway once again. Vardy is quickly involved in the thick of the action, but he can't make decent enough contact at the near post after latching onto a great pass from Rashford and pokes a half-hearted effort wide of the goal.
70'
J. Vardy enters the game and replaces D. Alli.
England have made their second change of the night, with Alli making way for Jamie Vardy.
69'
Despite managing to find the back of the net, it's continuing to be a pretty flat performance from England. Malta's defence are clearly starting to tire, resulting in pockets of space becoming available, but the visitors aren't doing enough to take advantage of them, despite the fact that they're easily bossing possession.
67'
Zerafa curls a looping cross into the England penalty area and towards the head of Farrugia. The forward rises high and almost manages to latch onto the ball, but he's closed down and beaten by Jones at the vital moment.
65'
Another attempted England attack fails to result in a chance on goal, and Malta once again quickly counter. Schembri charges through the middle of the pitch and takes on Livermore, who out-muscles the striker and denies him a way through on goal.
63'
Vital interception by Cahill! Space opens up for Stephen Pisani, who sprints into the right-hand side of the England box and towards the byline. He then tries to pick out Farrugia with a clever cut-back, but Cahill is there to cut out the danger at the vital moment.
61'
Alli makes a determined run into the Malta penalty area as he tries to latch onto a lofted pass forward, but he's out-muscled by Agius before Magri darts over to fully deal with the danger.
59'
Kane cuts inside from the left flank and does well to carve out a pocket of space for himself 25 yards away from goal. He then unleashes a rocket of a shot, but it's well parried away by Hogg in the middle of the goal.
57'
Thumping strike by Magri! The Ebbsfleet United man charges down the left wing on a great run as he easily skips past Henderson. He then manages to get a shot away from 25 yards out, and it's one that gives Hart a slight scare as it bounces just wide of the far post.
55'
England quickly win the ball back from the restart and push forward on a determined attacking move. It's eventually brought to an end by Zerafa, who immediately breaks forward on a counter-attack, but the defender is barged off the ball on the halfway line and wins a free-kick for the home side.
53'
H. Kane has scored a goal for England! Assist by D. Alli.
That was good play by Alli, who struggled to get into the game before the break. However, Malta will be frustrated with their defending, as two players didn't step up quickly enough, allowing Kane to carve out a pocket of space for himself.
GOAL! England have finally taken the lead! Alli does really well to bring the ball down in the heart of the Malta penalty area before shrugging off two defenders. He then pokes a clever pass over to Kane, who takes a quick touch before slotting a low shot past Hogg and into the back of the net. Gareth Southgate looks incredibly relieved!
52'
Rashford showcases his excellent pace as he sprints down the left flank and towards the edge of the Malta box, but he can't quite get the better of Borg and accidentally knocks the ball behind for a goal-kick.
50'
Schembri goes close! Malta are presented with a rare opportunity to string together a decent series of passes after England drop off ever so slightly. Schembri is set up on the edge of the penalty area and spins quickly before shooting, and his thumping effort ends up bouncing agonisingly wide of the near post.
48'
England continue to dominate possession as they desperately try to find a way in front, but they're unable to penetrate the penalty area and lose out to a group of red shirts. Malta then try to embark on a counter-attack, but Schembri is barged into by Livermore and instead picks up a free-kick.
46'
M. Rashford enters the game and replaces R. Sterling.
England have decided to make one substitution during the break, with Marcus Rashford coming on to replace Sterling.
We're underway once again!
45' +2
Oxlade-Chamberlain is presented with half a chance to open the scoring after bringing down a Kane cross really well, but, after managing to get the better of his marker, he can't find the back of the net and instead sees his low shot comfortably saved by Hogg.
45' +1
Kane darts into the right-hand side of the Malta penalty area after managing to reach a poked pass forward from Henderson, but his run towards goal is a poorly timed one and results in the linesman's flag being immediately raised.
45'
The fourth official has indicated that there will be two minutes of added time.
44'
Alli picks up the ball with his back to goal and quickly spins before chipping a pass into the path of Oxlade-Chamberlain. The newly signed Liverpool midfielder tries to latch onto it, but it's overhit by the Tottenham man and can only find the hands of Hogg.
42'
Malta push forward on another rare foray into the England half of the pitch as they patiently work their way down the right flank and into a good position. They're able to win themselves a throw-in, but it's easily dealt with by the visitors and knocked behind for a goal-kick.
40'
Bjorn Kristensen and Schembri link up well over on the right flank, setting up the latter to thump a lofted pass up towards Farrugia. The striker tries his best to latch onto the ball, but he's beaten to it by Walker and can't carve out a rare chance on goal for Malta.
38'
It's proving to be a frustrating evening for England, who just can't seem to find a way through Malta's stubborn back line. Kane and Alli have looked particularly off the pace, with the home side doing well to close them down quickly every time they get anywhere near the ball.
36'
Bertrand is left in acres of space out wide, allowing him to cut into the penalty area and chip a deft cross towards a group of blue shirts. It looks set to find Oxlade-Chamberlain, who rises high but can't get the better of Joseph Zerafa.
34'
Walker is wrestled to the ground deep down the right flank, resulting in a free-kick for England in a promising position. It's whipped in by Henderson and deflects over to the far post, where Borg is easily able to get a head on the ball under very little pressure.
33'
A somewhat wayward attempted clearance from Agius spins up in the air and behind for a corner. Once again, it's well defended by Malta, who hold firm and are eventually able to blast the ball out for a throw-in over on the left wing.
31'
Walker makes a good run into the right-hand side of the Malta box as he tries to latch onto a chipped pass forward from Henderson, but Zach Muscat does well to out-muscle the full-back and shepherd the ball out for a goal-kick.
29'
A second lofted pass in quick succession is fired up the pitch and in search of a red shirt just outside of the England penalty area, but this time it can only find the head of Henderson, who calmly nods the ball into the hands of Hart.
27'
Another England corner fails to result in an opportunity on goal for the visitors, allowing Malta to push forward on a rare counter-attack. A quick ball is fired up the middle of the pitch and towards Jean-Paul Farrugia, who makes a darting run forward but is flagged offside.
25'
Andre Schembri catches Henderson with a late challenge and gifts England an opportunity to whip the ball into the box. Henderson's cros is well hit and flies into a dangerous area, but Magri is there to nod the ball behind for a corner that's well defended by the home side.
23'
A chipped pass from Jake Livermore looks set to find the head of Alli in a promising position in front of goal, but, despite his best efforts, the Tottenham man isn't quite able to rise high enough and loses out on the penalty spot.
21'
Phil Jones scores, but it's quickly ruled out! A low Kane cross is deflected over the top of the crossbar and behind for yet another England corner. It's whipped in by Henderson and finds Jones, who forces the ball over the line but is penalised for barging into the goalkeeper alongside Gary Cahill.
19'
Bertrand is caught late by a late sliding challenge from Steve Borg, resulting in a free-kick for England just inside the Malta half of the pitch. It's sent short and eventually worked back to Bertrand, who tries to get the better of Sam Magri but can't find a way past the Ebbsfleet United defender.
17'
Oxlade-Chamberlain uses his pace to burst down the right flank and into a promising position. He then tries to set up Kane with a fizzed pass across the face of goal, but Andrei Agius is there to poke the ball behind for another England corner.
15'
Walker fires a low cross into the path of Alli, who quickly flicks the ball round his marker. He then tries to beat Hogg to it at the near post, but the goalkeeper quickly rushes out to deal with the threat.
13'
As expected, it's all England at the moment as they comfortably hold onto possession inside the Malta half of the pitch. They're struggling to do much with it though, as the home side look well-organised and rigid at the back, where they're frustrating the Three Lions.
11'
A series of short, crisp passes from England sets up Jordan Henderson to tee up Dele Alli. He manages to pick out the Tottenham Hotspur attacking midfielder in a pocket of space in front of goal, but the number 10's quickly taken short fails to hit the target and sails several yards over the top of the crossbar.
9'
England patiently move the ball around deep inside the Malta half of the pitch before Ryan Bertrand wins a corner for the visitors over on the left wing. It fails to result in a chance on goal though, as the home side have plenty of bodies back to deal with the danger.
7'
A lovely pass down the right flank picks out Kyle Walker in a promising position. The full-back meets the ball well and quickly tees up Kane with a bouncing cross, but the striker's first touch is poor and denies him the opportunity to get a shot away.
6'
Kane charges through the middle of the pitch on another determined run as he tries to carve out a chance on goal for the visitors, but he runs into traffic on the edge of the penalty area and can't pentrate the box.
4'
Great save by Hogg! Now it's Kane who's presented with an excellent opportunity to fire England into the lead, but his close-range effort fails to beat Hogg and is pushed away by the goalkeeper.
3'
Ryan Fenech goes close! Malta win themselves a throw-in deep down the right flank after Joe Hart is forced into poking the ball out of play. It's taken quickly and worked over to Fenech, who unleashes a thumping shot from 25 yards out that sails just a yard or two over the top of the crossbar.
2'
Early chance for Raheem Sterling! Harry Kane picks up a loose ball in the middle of the pitch and quickly knocks a clever pass towards Sterling. The Manchester City man meets it well and immediately takes on Andrew Hogg, who darts out and just about manages to deal with the danger with a slightly robust sliding challenge.
1'
We're off! England get us underway, attacking from right to left.
Good evening and welcome to our live text commentary of today’s World Cup 2018 qualifier between Malta and England at the Ta’Qali National Stadium.
With just two points separating Group F leaders England and nearest challengers Slovakia, nothing less than a victory tonight will do for Gareth Southgate’s men. Slovakia are next up for the Three Lions in three days’ time, so today's visitors will be looking to comfortably see off the already eliminated minnows here tonight before putting themselves in a commanding position with another win at Wembley.
England are yet to lose a World Cup qualifying game this time round (keeping them on an impressive unbeaten run that stretches all the way back to October 2009) but were made to work extremely hard in their last outing. Scotland looked set to leave with three vital points thanks to two late Leigh Griffiths goals, but Harry Kane popped up to save the Three Lions and salvage them a much-needed point.
The Tottenham Hotspur striker is set to start again this evening, and the line-up picked by Southgate is a strong and largely expected one. Heading into the game, plenty of people had been discussing which of the three available England goalkeepers might be picked, but Southgate has stuck with Joe Hart, despite the on-loan West Ham United shot-stopper not enjoying the best of starts to the new season.
Malta’s dreams of qualifying for their first ever World Cup have already been crushed, and they currently sit bottom of the group without a single point. The closest they went to picking up a draw came in a 1-0 defeat at home to Slovenia last November, and they’ll be aiming to put in another determined display here tonight as they try to pull off an historic result against their high-flying opponents.
These two sides have met each other on four previous occasions, with England coming away as winners each time. The Three Lions comfortably won 2-0 at Wembley last October, although they were memorably given a scare by the Reds on their last visit to the Ta’Qali National Stadium back in 2000, when a Richard Wright own-goal was narrowly cancelled out by strikes from Martin Keown and Emile Heskey.
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…
England XI (4-2-3-1): Hart; Walker, Cahill, Jones, Bertrand; Henderson, Livermore; Oxlade-Chamberlain, Alli, Sterling; Kane.
Malta substitutes: Alex Muskat, Failla, Paul Fenech, Mifsud, Gambin, Bonello, Clyde Borg, Camilleri, Johnson.
Malta XI (5-2-1-2): Hogg; Magri, Steve Borg, Agius, Zach Muscat, Zerafa; Ryan Fenech, Kristensen; Pisani; Schembri, Farrugia.
Meanwhile, England boss Gareth Southgate has made four alterations to the team that featured in their last competitive outing, with Chris Smalling, Eric Der, Adam Lallana and Marcus Rashford making way for Phil Jones, Jordan Henderson, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Raheem Sterling.
The two sides are making their way out onto the pitch, with just a few minutes to go until kick-off.
Pietro Ghedin has decided to make three changes to the Malta side that started June’s 2-0 defeat away to Slovenia, with Samuel Magri, Joseph Zerafa and Jean-Paul Farrugia coming into the starting line-up to replace Alex Muscat, Clayton Failla and Alfred Effiong, respectively.
HALF-TIME: MALTA 0-0 ENGLAND
So far, so good for Malta, who have defended diligently to severely restrict England's chances on goal. The visitors have looked off the pace and bereft of ideas inside the final third of the pitch, where they've really struggled to find pockets of space in and around the penalty area. They'll certainly have to increase the tempo of their attacking moves if they're to have any joy after the break.
The two teams are making their way back out on to the pitch ahead of the start of the second half.
FULL-TIME: MALTA 0-4 ENGLAND
The victory wasn't quite as comfortable as the scoreline indicates, but England nonetheless did well to eventually break down a stubborn Malta side. The hosts had set themselves up nicely and caused plenty of frustration for their opponents before the break, but they began to tire after that and always looked like they were going to fall behind at some point.
A win tonight for Slovakia, England's nearest challengers, means that it was imperative for the Three Lions to come away with a victory of their own. This evening's success keeps them two points in front of the second-place side, who they must now face at Wembley on Monday.
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