John Stones understands the frustration of England supporters, but firmly believes the Three Lions are on the right track.
England drew 0-0 with Slovenia in Cologne on Tuesday, though with Denmark drawing against Serbia by the same scoreline, Gareth Southgate's team still topped Group C.
That means they avoid a last-16 tie with hosts Germany and find themselves in what appears to be the kinder side of the draw, also evading Portugal, France and Spain.
England had 74% possession and recorded 12 shots, though their expected goals (xG) value of 0.87 shows clear chances were once again at a premium.
Their possession figure is the highest the Three Lions have had in a single match at a major tournament without scoring (since Opta have tracked such data, from 1966 onwards for the World Cup, and 1980 for the Euros).
That being said, England's combined 1.13 xG against through their three matches is the lowest of any team in the tournament, as they continue to impress defensively.
And Stones feels there were clear improvements from the opening two fixtures.
Speaking to ITV Sport, Stones said: "Well, we wanted to win, but the objective was to top the group and we've done that, so I'm extremely pleased.
"It's not always going to be easy, especially not when everyone's got a target on our back to beat us.
"Two clean sheets out of three, a great positive for us to take into the next stage, and there was a lot of improvement from the other two games. We were free-flowing, we found the pockets [of space], created more chances, and I believe it's another step in the right direction.
"I can understand some of the fans' frustration with us not scoring, or not taking chances, that's football."
Stones, who is the only outfield player to have started all 22 matches for England at major tournaments under Southgate, added that the squad will be critical of their own displays, however.
"[We're] very close [to clicking]," he continued.
"We've got to focus on us and what we can control, and be harsh on ourselves about the game, what we could have done better. I do feel we took a step in the right direction. Not the result we wanted but I'm so pleased we top the group.
"We've got to beat whoever is put in front of us. No matter who we play, we've got to believe and step up when it counts."
Captain Harry Kane echoed his team-mate's sentiment.
Kane said: "That was the aim before the start of the tournament. Come top of the group and control our destiny. I thought we played a lot better than the other games. We couldn't just find that finish but we look forward to the next one.
"We created some half chances and there were some that we could maybe have done better.
"These games are tough. We have been here before and stepped it up in the past when we have got to the knockouts. All games in this tournament are tough. It is going to be a difficult challenge ahead and we have enough ability to keep pushing."
England will face either the Netherlands or any of the four teams from Group E in the next round.
Slovenia, meanwhile, will go through as one of the best third-placed sides, with Croatia from Group B officially eliminated as a result of Tuesday's matches.
Manning, daCosta Cup matches for Saturday postponed as referees withdraw services
All 30 games scheduled across the ISSA Manning and daCosta Cup competitions scheduled for Saturday have been called off due to referees refusing to work.
ISSA Competitions Officer Euan Scott confirmed the postponement of games scheduled for today.
Referees have opted to take strike action in relation to a pair of incidents that occurred in the daCosta Cup over the last few weeks.
One incident occurred during a game between Dinthill Technical and McGrath High last Saturday when a referee was involved in a confrontation with Dinthill players Maalick Whyte, Shamair Hutchinson and Tyrese Gowe after the game.
The referee was then allegedly physically assaulted by one of the players.
In a release on Thursday, after a meeting of its disciplinary committee, ISSA revealed that Whyte and Hutchinson have been banned from participating in any ISSA-run competitions for one year, effective September 26, 2024 while Gowe was hit with the three-match suspension.
The Linstead-based school was also placed on a three-year probation and faces the possibility of suspension should its players breach the disciplinary code of conduct within the period of probation.
The other incident occurred on September 14 when assistant referee Richard Ball allegedly was struck in the chest by a missile thrown from a group of spectators during a Zone A daCosta Cup game between Maldon High and Cornwall College.
Attempts by Sportsmax.tv to contact ISSA President Keith Wellington proved futile.
Everton 2-1 Crystal Palace: McNeil's brace secures first win of the season
Dwight McNeil’s brace secured Everton’s first three points of the Premier League season, as Sean Dyche's team completed a comeback of their own in a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace.
Amid news of a new takeover attempt at Everton during the week, the hosts also provided renewed hope on the pitch, as they continued their fine form against Palace at Goodison Park.
Marc Guehi gave the visitors an early lead, poking home at the near post, seeming to signal the continuation of Everton’s woes.
But Dyche’s side rallied after the break, with McNeil hitting the back of the net with a delightful long-range strike in the 47th minute before adding a second at the far post just seven minutes later.
Abdoulaye Doucoure had the opportunity to put the game to bed 10 minutes from the end as Dominic Calvert-Lewin set him through on goal, but a last-ditch challenge from Lacroix spared Palace’s blushes.
The win lifts Everton out of the relegation zone and into 16th, leapfrogging their opponents, who drop to 17th.
Data Debrief: Dyche's men comeback against the odds
Having dropped points from a winning position in their last three matches, Everton's win was the first time they had picked up three points after trailing at half-time in the Premier League since 19th May 2022 against the same opponents.
Meanwhile, it is the first time Crystal Palace have lost an away game after leading at half-time in the Premier League since August 2022 against Manchester City.
It leaves the visitors without a win in their last six games in the Premier League. Their last longer winless streak was from 11 November 2023 to 27 December 2023, a run of eight games.
Wolves 1-2 Liverpool: Salah spot-kick sends Reds top of Premier League
Liverpool moved to the top of the Premier League table as Mohamed Salah's penalty handed them a 2-1 victory over Wolves at Molineux.
Manchester City's 1-1 draw at Newcastle United earlier on Saturday handed Arne Slot's Reds a chance to go top, and Salah hit the winner from the spot after Nelson Semedo fouled former Wolves man Diogo Jota.
Ibrahima Konate had nodded Liverpool into the lead before his mistake at the other end allowed Rayan Ait-Nouri to briefly draw Wolves level early in the second half.
Wolves never looked likely to equalise for a second time as their wait for a first win of the season continued, with Liverpool going close to a third goal on a couple of occasions late on.
Wolves kept Liverpool quiet throughout the first half only to see their resolve broken in stoppage time, Sam Johnstone failing to keep out Konate's header after Jota crossed from the left.
Konate went from Liverpool hero to villain as Wolves levelled soon after the restart, though. A mix-up between him and Alisson allowed Jorgen Strand Larsen to steal possession, with his cutback eventually turned home by Ait-Nouri.
But within three minutes of the equaliser, Semedo pulled Jota back to concede a penalty, which Salah confidently dispatched for the winner, with Wolves wilting from then on.
While the result took Liverpool one point clear of City and Arsenal at the summit, Wolves remain rooted to the bottom with just one point from six matches.
Data Debrief: Salah punishes sloppy Wolves
Salah was kept quiet for the most part at Molineux, but there was never any doubt about the outcome when he stepped up for Liverpool's 61st-minute spot-kick.
Salah now has eight goal involvements in six Premier League games this term (four goals, four assists), a tally only bettered by Erling Haaland and Cole Palmer, who have 10 apiece after the latter scored four first-half goals for Chelsea on Saturday.
The Egyptian has also scored in three successive away games in the competition for the first time since October 2021, when he enjoyed a run of five straight road matches with a goal.
It was Semedo's error that gave Salah the chance to snatch the points from the spot, and since his Premier League debut in September 2020, only Matty Cash (six) has conceded more penalties in the competition than his five.
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