September 13th 2023.
Harry Maguire may have scored an own goal in England's win over Scotland on Tuesday, but it was a bittersweet moment for the Manchester United defender. England were very impressive in their 3-1 victory over Steve Clarke's side at Hampden, with Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane scoring the goals for the Three Lions.
Maguire came on at half-time, replacing Marc Guehi, and while he played perfectly well for the majority of the time he was on the field, his performance will be remembered for the own goal. Scotland captain Andy Robertson popped up on the right wing and slid in a low cross which Maguire poked past Aaron Ramsdale in the England goal on 67 minutes.
It was unfortunate that it gave the Scots hope as it halved England's lead, but Gareth Southgate's side reasserted their dominance and Kane wrapped up the scoring late on. After the match, Maguire seemed to take it all in his stride, posting on Instagram with a nod to the song from England fans to their rivals north of the border: "Scotland get battered everywhere they go."
The post may have been a reaction to the ironic cheers Maguire got from the Scotland fans when coming on for England and most times he touched the ball from there on in. Southgate hit out at the treatment the centre-back has been getting, not from the Scots, but from England fans and the press who have criticised the 30-year-old.
Maguire started England's 1-1 draw with Ukraine in Wroclaw. Southgate believes the backlash Maguire has faced is ridiculous and has praised the England fans at Hampden for standing up for their player. He said, "We should be doing that. We're creating a problem for our own player. Some of the articles that were written, some of the comments that were made, were an absolute joke."
The former Leicester man has made just one substitute appearance for Manchester United so far this season but started against Ukraine at the weekend and appeared against Scotland, which has created a lot of discussion. Southgate further went on to say, "He's been a tower of strength for us through one of the most successful periods of English football and the response tonight – I understand Scottish fans, they're having some fun – but it's created by our own side, it's ridiculous."
Harry Maguire may have scored an own goal against Scotland, but he certainly didn't take it lying down. He posted on social media after the match and Gareth Southgate was quick to defend him from the backlash. Maguire has been a key figure in England's success in recent years and it's clear that Southgate will always have his back.
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