England 7-0 North Macedonia: Saka scores a stunning hat-trick for the Three Lions

Perhaps football in warm weather is the way forward for England after all. Maybe they don’t like being overshadowed by the cricket team.

Whatever the truth, this is an England side that continues to grow and develop and entertain under Gareth Southgate. That’s 11 goals in two European Championship qualifiers in the last four days and, while the opposition in Malta and North Macedonia has been weak, England’s chances in Germany this summer are starting to look very real.

England have yet to learn how to beat big nations in tournaments, but they can’t try that again until they get there. Meanwhile, this team continues to evolve and learn. Here in Manchester, they humiliated North Macedonia with a ruthless kind of football that had broken their opponents psychologically by the time we reached the hour.

The stars of the night were many. Captain Harry Kane scored twice. Marcus Rashford was excellent, as were Jordan Henderson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, who again played in midfield. Jack Grealish, meanwhile, emerged as a substitute for a welcome befitting the country’s new favorite footballer. Of course at Old Trafford.

But it was Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka who gave us the ‘wow’ moments. It was Saka who scored a hat-trick and he took this game from the routine to the level of something much more memorable with three very nice goals.

Kane scored England’s first in the 29th minute before Saka fired his first of three from an angle high into the net. Just before half-time Rashford made a simple finish for Stretford End. With 45 minutes remaining, the game was over and England’s position as group leader with maximum points from four games was secured.

However, Saka resurrected this old spot early in the second half. His second goal almost broke the net, while his third went past the goalkeeper with a much softer touch. With that, the boy with the biggest smile in football had his first hat-trick for England and his career. Kalvin Phillips, coming on as a substitute, got a tap-in in the 64th minute and then Kane drove in a penalty. At that stage, with 18 minutes remaining, England had scored seven goals in just over 40 minutes.

Strange as it may sound, this was quite soporific for a while. On a warm night with the sun streaming over the top of Stretford End it felt a bit like a post season warm up and that was the last thing Southgate would have wanted.

This has been a challenging period for the England manager, with some of his players undercooked and others playing their part in Manchester City’s Treble. But here, when it was necessary, the English players rose up and knocked out their opponents with ease.

Southgate hadn’t made many changes from the game in Malta, only three in fact. Two City players – Kyle Walker and John Stones – came in, as did one from United, Marcus Rashford who started on his home ground.

England dominated possession for half an hour, but the ball might not have come around fast enough. North Macedonia was happy to sit in front of them and present two big red benches.

However, in the 29th minute, Rashford was instrumental in a key opening goal. Finding room to wait in possession for fellow club-mate Luke Shaw to overlap, he played in from left-back and Kane was able to bring the ball in sideways as he arrived perfectly 10 yards out. For Shaw, who this week said he wanted to bring the likes of Kane and Declan Rice to Old Trafford for next season, it must have been a goal born out of his favorite fantasy.

Shortly after, Rashford nearly set up a second goal – this time for Henderson – before Saka secured the climax of the half by scoring his first goal of three. Exchanging passes with Alexander-Arnold, Saka was then able to control a low Walker cross that may not have been intended for him before balancing himself and beating Dimitrievski high overhead at the near post with a rasping shot. It was a super goal, but coincidentally not even his best of the evening.

Saka’s second would come in the second minute of the second half and it was a beauty. A hat-trick followed soon after.

Before that, the opening period ended with a goal for Rashford, Kane seized a short pass from Macedonia captain Stefan Ristovski and passed the ball to Henderson, who pulled it back for the 25-year-old to score.

The opposition from the visitors was now a memory and two Saka goals in the opening six minutes of the second period made five in 21 minutes for England.

The first of those goals was a surprise effort. Alexander-Arnold’s ball from deep was ambitious and well executed, but the way Saka controlled it with the half-volley, pushed it forward and then shot over and past the goalkeeper from 22 yards was very special. This stadium has seen many great goals over the years and this one deserves to be among them.

And then came the hat trick. This time it was Kane who fell deep into the quarterback role to drill a through ball that Saka took on the outside of his left foot and then rolled past the goalie like he had all the time in the world – which, in reality, he had.

Saka looked like he had more goals in him. He certainly had some walking to do. But soon he was substituted and wrapped in a Southgate hug on the touchline.

England’s replacements quickly made an impression. Grealish crossed in the 64th minute and when the ball broke off a Macedonian defender, Phillips thankfully scored from five yards out. And then came a Kane penalty. There always seems to be a Kane penalty. Awarded after a foul on Stones on a corner kick in the 72nd minute, Kane hit the ball solidly to the left and England’s job was done.