Southgate praises 'outstanding' Grealish after England's Nations League exit

15-Nov-2020 23:22:29 | The Guardian

Aston Villa playmaker shines in 2-0 defeat in Belgium
‘A performance like that wins more games than you lose’

Gareth Southgate insisted England could draw encouragement from their display against Belgium and the performance of Jack Grealish, despite their interest in this season’s Nations League ending with a 2-0 defeat in Leuven.

The Aston Villa playmaker shone against the number one ranked team in the world and England controlled much of the contest, albeit while lacking a cutting edge throughout. First half goals from Youri Tielemans and Dries Mertens, the first with a deflected shot and the second from a dubiously awarded free-kick, condemned England to a defeat that ensured they cannot qualify from their group for the Nations League finals.