Ox in the Box
Julian Finney/Getty Images
England’s campaign has been full of surprises—making it to the quarterfinals in itself exceeded expectations, let alone as winners of Group D.
The performances of relative international novices Danny Welbeck and Andy Carroll have also been better than many could have hoped, while Theo Walcott also delivered in an England shirt for the first time since his hat-trick against Croatia four years ago.
But perhaps the biggest surprise of all was before their first match against France, when news began to filter through that manager Roy Hodgson, not known as a man for taking risks, was giving 18-year-old winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain his first competitive start.
"The Ox" may not have exactly set the world on fire, but he played his part in England fighting their way to a creditable 1-1 draw that ultimately helped them top the group.
continued....