Leeds United man disagreement as Whites star stands out on hard night of international duty
A Leeds United player stood out on a difficult night of international duty - but not without disagreement.
Leeds United star Joe Rodon stood out on a difficult night of international duty for Wales but not without disagreement on his display.
Whites trio Rodon, Ethan Ampadu and Karl Darlow all started Thursday evening’s friendly against England at a sold out Wembley where Thomas Tuchel’s side raced to an easy 3-0 success.
England went 1-0 up with just three minutes oh the clock as Morgan Rogers netted from a corner that had been played back into the box by Marc Guehi at the byline.
Another close-range finish, this time from Ollie Watkins, soon had the Three Lions 2-0 up just eight minutes later before a stunning strike from Bukayo Saka made it 3-0 with just 20 minutes played.
Rodon, though, despite the Wales defence generally being all at sea, made several important blocks and headed clearances amid continued England pressure, especially in the first half.
The Whites centre-back was one of just four outfield Dragons players to play the duration of the match in which Ampadu was taken off in the 64th minute.
Playing in front of the back four, the Leeds captain was unable to gain any control in midfield on a hard night for himself and his side generally.
Solid after early goals rush
Darlow also played the full duration of the game and none of England’s goals could be attributed to goalkeeping errors.
Indeed, the Whites stopper had made a good save with the score goalless and stayed solid behind the sticks after the early goals rush.
Rodon, though, undoubtedly stood out although there was still disagreement about his display on the player ratings front.
Wales Online gave the Leeds defender a 7/10, hailing Rodon as star man and pointing out that his defending prevented a bigger loss.
BBC Sport Wales also gave Rodon a 6/10 but the Guardian slammed his “staggeringly bad” marking and claimed Rodon provided no leadership as part of a 3/10 score.