England beat Poland 2-1 in World Cup qualifier

Harry Maguire continued England’s winning start to World Cup qualification as Poland were beaten 2-1 in the final match before Gareth Southgate selects his Euros squad.

Having coasted to a 5-0 victory against San Marino and won 2-0 in Albania, the Three Lions rounded off this month’s triple-header by edging past their biggest Group I rivals, Poland.

England had looked on course for a comfortable win when skipper Harry Kane fired home from the spot during a commanding first-half display, only for dawdling Stones to be caught in possession shortly after half-time.

Brighton’s Jakub Moder robbed the defender and lashed Poland level, only for Maguire to secure a hard-fought victory when superbly firing home from a Stones header five minutes from time.

It was a let-off for the recently recalled Manchester City defender and Southgate, whose side will next line-up at Wembley in their European Championship group opener with Croatia on June 13.

This was the final chance for the Three Lions boss to fine-tune his selection before naming his squad in late May, so the decision to make just one change from the win in Albania was noteworthy.

England’s lack of cutting edge saw Poland grow in confidence after the break, with Pope fouled as Krzysztof Piatek pressured before Maguire breathed a sigh of relief after inadvertently handling in the area.

Paulo Sousa’s side would soon become the first team to score against England this year after a sloppy Stones moment was punished in the 58th minute.

England’s lack of changes was unusual but Southgate’s side found a way. With 85 minutes on the clock, Stones headed back for Maguire to smash past Szczesny.

The relief on the Three Lions bench was palpable but there were still some nervy moments, with Rafal Augustyniak lifting over in stoppage time.

Additional reporting by PA.