In a hard-fought Euro 2024 qualifier against North Macedonia, England's stars faced unexpected challenges beyond the game itself.
The Todor Proeski Stadium's newly laid pitch, described as "awful" by players, proved to be a hazard as they battled to a 1-1 draw.
Enis Bardhi scored the opener for the hosts, countered by Jani Atanasov's own goal. Despite the Three Lions having already secured their spot in the upcoming Euro 2024 in Germany, the match left scars – quite literally.
The rock-hard surface, laden with sand and stones, caused cuts and grazes on the players. Concerns about the pitch had arisen before the game, prompting Gareth Southgate's team to skip warm-ups in certain areas to preserve the grass.
While players feared potential injuries, there was relief that no serious harm occurred. The problematic pitch has been previously reported to UEFA, emphasizing the need for attention to playing conditions in the future.
Jack Grealish expressed the team's unease, highlighting the pressing issue of player safety on such challenging surfaces.
"I have got cuts all over. The pitch was awful.
"It baffles me how pitches like that are acceptable, to be honest. There were like little stones everywhere. Phil has cut his hand because of the stones on the pitch but yes, it is part of what you are going to get to some places."
Meanwhile, Harry Maguire added:
"Where do I start? I’ve not played on a pitch as bad as that for a while. It was basically sand, my foot kept getting stuck, you saw in the first half, I made a challenge in the first half after my foot got stuck in the ground.
"My knees are all grazed from the sand, every time we went on the floor, it was sand, it was like falling on a beach, it was that bad out there."
source - Mirror / Join us on Telegram!/ Follow us on Twitter!