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White jeered on England return as Uruguay snatch friendly draw / Photo: © AFP
White jeered on England return as Uruguay snatch friendly draw
England defender Ben White was booed after scoring on his return from a self-imposed international exile and conceded the late penalty that allowed Uruguay to snatch a 1-1 draw in Friday's friendly at Wembley.
White endured the hostile reception from England fans in his first Three Lions appearance since the 2022 World Cup.
The Arsenal right-back was jeered when he came off the bench in the second-half and scoring his first senior England goal did nothing to quell the abuse.
After White tapped in England's late goal, the announcement of his name over the tannoy triggered a barrage of boos.
White's difficult evening finished in miserable fashion when he conceded a stoppage-time penalty converted by Federico Valverde.
The 28-year-old left the World Cup in Qatar four years during the knockout phase due to what the Football Association called "personal reasons".
Reports later emerged of an alleged bust-up with England assistant Steve Holland, something repeatedly denied by then manager Gareth Southgate, who revealed in 2024 that White had made himself unavailable for England.
England's current boss Thomas Tuchel had been keen to bring White back into the fold since replacing Southgate in January 2025.
The German had said White deserved a "second chance" but had to "clear the air" with his England team-mates.
White found England's supporters weren't so forgiving in a surprising show of dissent that will spark questions about the defender's hopes of going to the World Cup.
The taunts from the stands were a fitting coda to a disjointed performance from England's understudies.
Tuchel named an experimental line-up, using his extended 35-man squad to take a closer look at the fringe players pushing their cases to be included in the 26-player World Cup group.
After Tuchel said it was "last opportunity" to book a ticket on the flight to the World Cup, England's reserves played as if they would rather be on the beach this summer.
- Lethargic England -
Harry Kane, Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and the rest of England's established stars won't have worried about losing their places as they watched from a suite in the stands after being given the night off.
Harry Maguire was solid in central defence in his first England appearance for 18 months, but debutants James Garner, in midfield, and James Trafford, in goal, had few moments to remember.
Phil Foden started as England's number 10 but did little to stake his claim, while Dominic Solanke was anonymous up front.
One dazzling burst down the left flank from Marcus Rashford took him past three Uruguayans, offering a reminder of his enduring quality, but he flattered to deceive for long periods.
Arsenal winger Noni Madueke's chance to make an impression came to a premature end due to a first-half injury.
Brentford's veteran midfielder Jordan Henderson is effectively Tuchel's voice on the pitch, but whether that is enough to justify a World Cup berth is another matter.
England welcome Japan to Wembley on Tuesday in their last home game before departing for the World Cup in June.
Foden was fortunate to avoid a serious injury after a crunching challenge from Ronald Araujo that left the Manchester City playmaker writhing in pain as Tuchel fumed on the touchline.
A soporific match suddenly burst into life when White came on.
His 81st minute tap-in from Jarrod Bowen's corner survived a VAR review but White wasn't so fortunate in stoppage-time.
Lunging to stop Federico Vinas inside the area, White's tackle was ruled a penalty by VAR and Valverde stepped up to smash the spot-kick past James Trafford.
It was the first goal England had conceded since a friendly against Senegal in June last year.
E.Cruz--SFF
