Valverde Last Minute Penalty Give Uruguay Draw With England For Wembley Friendly

England and Uruguay don finish their international friendly match for Wembley Stadium with 1-1 draw as Federico Valverde score last minute penalty to cancel Ben White early goal. The match wey happen on Friday na part of preparation for both teams ahead of 2026 FIFA World Cup.

For the first half, both teams no fit score any goal as England dey control possession but Uruguay defense dey strong. The game come change when England coach Thomas Tuchel bring Ben White enter the match as substitute for second half. White wey no play for England since 2022 World Cup after im withdraw from squad get mixed reaction from England fans when im enter field.

For 81st minute, White score England first goal after im tap in corner kick from Cole Palmer. The goal make England fans celebrate but some still dey boo the Arsenal defender. England think say dem don win the match until last minute drama happen.

For stoppage time, referee check VAR after White challenge on Federico Viñas inside penalty area. After checking, referee give Uruguay penalty. Federico Valverde wey dey play for Real Madrid step up and score powerful penalty past England goalkeeper James Trafford for 94th minute to make the score 1-1.

After the match, England coach Thomas Tuchel talk say im no agree with the penalty decision. Tuchel tell ITV Sport say “It was not a penalty” and im describe England performance as “absolutely OK”. The German coach also talk say im dey disappointed with how some fans treat Ben White with boos.

England defender Harry Maguire defend White after the match. Maguire talk say “I thought he was brilliant when he came on” and describe the penalty as “real soft penalty”. Maguire add say White bring good energy to England camp for the week.

For Uruguay side, coach Marcelo Bielsa bring im strong team for the friendly as preparation for World Cup. The draw show say Uruguay team fit compete with top European teams as dem dey prepare for 2026 tournament.

The match statistics show England get more possession with 58% but Uruguay get 5 shots on target compare to England 3 shots on target. Both teams get yellow cards during physical match.

This draw mean England no lose under Tuchel but dem fail to win for only second time since German coach take over. England still dey undefeated for 11 matches under Tuchel with 9 wins and 2 draws.

For individual performances, England midfielder Adam Wharton get good game as im start for first time. Cole Palmer wey assist the goal show good creativity from set pieces. For Uruguay, Valverde performance as captain show leadership as im rescue point for im team.

The friendly match give both coaches chance to test different players and tactics before World Cup. England still dey miss Jude Bellingham wey no dey for squad because of injury while Uruguay use most of im key players.

England next match na against another South American team as dem continue preparation while Uruguay go face European opposition for next international window. Both teams dey work to finalize im squad and strategy for 2026 World Cup wey go hold for USA, Canada and Mexico.