England held in scrappy friendly at Wembley
England 1 - 1 Uruguay
Ben White endured a turbulent return to international duty as England were held by Uruguay in a scrappy friendly
Author | George B
Stadium | Wembley
The Arsenal defender was met with audible jeers when introduced in the 69th minute, his first appearance since stepping away from the squad after leaving the 2022 FIFA World Cup early. Yet he shifted the mood nine minutes from time, converting from almost on the goalline after a corner from Cole Palmer.
There was to be some late drama
White's goal appeared to have sealed victory, only for his evening to take another turn deep into stoppage time when he brought down Federico Vinas inside the area. Following a VAR review, Federico Valverde drove the penalty beyond James Trafford.
The match rarely settled into any rhythm. Thomas Tuchel handed full debuts to Trafford and James Garner, but neither side found much fluency in a contest punctuated by fouls and interruptions.
Uruguay were forced into an early change when Joaquin Piquerez went off after a collision with Noni Madueke, who himself departed before the interval following a heavy challenge, with Jarrod Bowen introduced.
Phil Foden struggled to impose himself and was later withdrawn after a robust tackle from Ronald Araujo that might have drawn harsher punishment. His replacement Palmer soon made an impact, delivering the set piece from which Dominic Calvert-Lewin somehow headed wide with the goal at his mercy.
There was an uneasy moment when White entered the field, but he briefly appeared to have the final word, breaking Uruguay’s resistance before his intervention at the other end allowed Valverde to level in the fourth minute of added time.
It brought an end to a run of six consecutive clean sheets, with the late penalty the first goal conceded since the defeat by Senegal in June 2025.
