Slovakia 0 England 1: Sam Allardyce thanked his lucky penny after England’s 95th-minute victory in Slovakia gave him first win as Three Lions boss
SAM ALLARDYCE thanked his lucky penny after England’s 95th-minute victory in Slovakia.
Adam Lallana’s last-gasp goal in this World Cup Group F qualifier meant Big Sam’s reign as Three Lions boss started with a win.
Allardyce revealed: “A father of a son in a wheelchair came to the hotel in the morning and asked if it was OK to have a picture with his son. When we finished he said ‘Let me give you a lucky coin’.
“Here it is — a lucky penny. I’m not normally superstitious. I had it with me in my pocket, we won, so it will stay with me.
“I wonder how far it will take us?”
Slovakia almost held on despite playing the last 30 minutes with ten men after former Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel was sent off for two yellow cards.
But Lallana’s first England goal, in his 27th international, made it a winning start on the road to Russia 2018.
Allardyce Watch
Attire - SAM ALLARDYCE certainly looked the part as the new man in charge of England. He opted for the official, smart Three Lions suit over a tracksuit.
Anthem - HE admitted he was nervous before the match and arrived slightly late for the anthems. He hardly belted out God Save the Queen before he took his seat while clapping.
Presence - UNLIKE Roy Hodgson who remained in the dugout, Big Sam was up and down in the technical area, sending on messages. He was also in the ear of the fourth official.
Emotion - THE former Sunderland, West Ham, Newcastle and Bolton chief showed pure passion and pride as he punched the air after Adam Lallana’s late winner.
Verdict - ALLARDYCE will have enjoyed his first win as England boss. He will know there is room for improvement but his tenure is off and running in the right direction on the road to Russia.
Allardyce added: “I had a whole lot of messages. It was im- possible to try to reply to all the goodwill messages from across the country.
“It was a huge relief for me, I’ll tell you that now. You’ve got to beat ten men.
“In the end, everyone back home is happy.
“We dominated the game and finally got what we deserved.”
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Lallana also hit a post, while sub Theo Walcott was raging after having a late goal ruled out for offside.
Allardyce added: “Slovakia just parked the bus, in fact they parked a double decker.
“Those players have got to be a little more clinical in front of goal and it will make life easier for us.
“We hit the post, several shots on target, some saves, then Adam scores his first goal for England in the dying seconds.
“It can never come better than that. It puts us on the journey.”