Jamie Vardy spared Harry Kane’s blushes with a late victor as England edged Turkey 2-1 in their first Euro 2016 warm-up match at Manchester’s Etihad Stadium on Sunday (May 22).
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Hodgson introduced Danny Drinkwater and Jordan Henderson in the second period, but it was Vardy who grabbed England’s victor.
The Australia clash is England’s penultimate warm-up game before their Euro 2016 opener against Russian Federation on June 11, but Hodgson said giving Vardy time off will not affect his squad’s preparation.
Kane opened the scoring in the third minute, but then clipped the post with a 72nd-minute penalty, won by Vardy, after Hakan Calhanoglu had equalised to score Turkey s first goal against England in the teams 11th meeting.
Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy were both on target but it was only when they were unleashed as a double act that England really showed their full potential.
Absent players from Manchester United and Liverpool will join up with England on Monday, with teenager Marcus Rashford getting his first taste with the senior England team just three months after making his senior club debut.
Hodgson fielded Harry Kane and Vardy in the starting lineup together for the first time and was rewarded with an impressive showing by the attacking duo.
Hodgson added: “Certainly I don’t think we should get ourselves hamstrung in saying that if Jamie Vardy is going to play we can only play with one system”.
It would not prove to be a costly miss, though, as a mix-up from Babacan and Ismail Koybasi saw Gary Cahill’s header spill loose inside the area, and Vardy was first on the scene to convert the rebound from close range.
There was certainly more good than bad for Hodgson to ponder after Joe Hart’s brilliant stoppage-time save from the substitute Olcay Sahan meant a winning start to England’s warm-up programme and made amends for the goalkeeping mistake that led to Turkey’s equaliser.
Oguzhan Ozyakup s pass down the inside-right channel set Volkan Sen scampering in behind left-back Danny Rose.
Kane tapped the ball in despite the assistant referee failing to call what appeared to be a clear offside.
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“I worked very hard with the physios and fitness staff at Liverpool and got back quite quickly, but I need to make sure I’m still managing it and hopefully in a few weeks I’ll be in a good place”.
