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Watkins tapped the kickoff toward Maddison.

Maddison rolled it back into Demien’s path.

Baccus left Australia’s midfield line before the pass even arrived, sprinting straight at Demien’s first touch.

Demien checked over his right shoulder and clocked Irvine sitting behind Baccus rather than joining the press, which told him everything — beating the first man wouldn’t open the center by itself.

He let the ball run across his body and played it first time toward Henderson before Baccus could get a foot to him.

Baccus kept going toward Henderson anyway.

Demien spun around him and took Henderson’s return facing Australia’s half.

「TRAIT ACTIVATED」 「Press Resistant」 「STATS ACTIVE」 「Ball Control: 99 | Reactions: 99 | Short Passing: 99」

He lifted his head toward Watkins, who was already breaking between Souttar and Burgess, but Irvine had already dropped into the passing lane while Australia’s wingbacks tucked in beside the three center-backs.

Demien sent it out to Bowen instead of forcing anything through the middle.

Strain dropped in on the right.

Goodwin recovered on the left.

Souttar directed Burgess and Rowles.

Baccus recovered toward Demien.

Irvine sat in front of the back five.

"Earlier — before he can drop into the lane," Demien called to Watkins, pointing at the channel he wanted.

Watkins answered with a short jab of his hand toward the space he’d just attacked, acknowledging it without breaking stride.

"England’s changed side has had only a few days together," the commentator said, "while Australia are already organized in a back five with a genuinely aggressive press."

England’s opening possession continued through Bowen, who received near the touchline with Goodwin closing and Rowles ready to step out behind him.

Trent advanced outside him.

Demien moved into the right half-space and pulled Baccus inward, opening the lane toward the overlapping fullback, and Bowen found him there.

Demien released Trent before Goodwin could turn and chase.

Trent carried a few yards, but Australia’s back five dropped fast enough to protect the box, so he played it back to Henderson rather than crossing into three centre-backs from a bad angle.

Demien clapped once in approval — no point throwing hopeful balls at Souttar, Burgess, and Rowles this early.

Australia produced their first warning in the fourth minute.

Maddison tried to receive between Baccus and Irvine, but his first touch ran away from his body, and Irvine stepped in and knocked it straight to Boyle.

Boyle attacked the space behind Colwill immediately rather than wait for support.

Demien turned and tracked Irvine’s run through the center while Boyle carried wide and slid a low pass toward Duke.

Tomori got there first and cleared it out before Duke could turn.

"If you drop into the buildup line, you have to protect the ball," Demien told Maddison after the clearance. "Jordan and I can’t both be ahead of the turnover at once."

"Fair," Maddison said, no argument in it.

England’s first real attack arrived in the seventh minute, Henderson finding Demien with Baccus closing from behind.

Demien released it first time toward Trent and moved beyond Baccus, took the return, and found Irvine stepping toward him — which opened the outside lane for Bowen behind Goodwin.

「MATCH MISSION PROGRESS」 「Line-Breaking Actions: 1/6」

Bowen drove into the box and slipped Demien into the channel outside Burgess, and Demien kept running and reached the ball near the right side of the area.

He glanced toward Watkins before taking another touch.

Watkins attacked the near-post gap.

Henderson arrived late near the penalty spot.

Demien drove it hard across the six-yard box.

Watkins stretched and missed it by inches.

Henderson slid in behind him and missed it too.

The ball ran through both of them before Strain finally cleared at the far post.

Wembley rose while it traveled across goal, then groaned as one when nobody connected.

"There, near post," Demien said, pointing.

"It ran too close to the keeper," Watkins said.

"Ryan never touched it," Demien answered.

"Get back into shape, both of you," Henderson said, cutting it off before it went any further.

Australia began building their set-piece and second-ball threat in the tenth minute, Goodwin receiving off Strain’s switch of play, forcing Bowen to follow him to the touchline, and getting enough room to send an early cross toward Duke.

Dunk won the first header and knocked it outside the box rather than out for a throw.

Baccus was already waiting behind the main group.

Demien saw him move toward the clearance and left Irvine to close him down, but Baccus struck before the block was fully set, the shot clipping off Tomori and changing direction entirely.

Johnstone dove across his own goal and got both hands to the deflected effort, staying down long enough to secure it rather than spill it into traffic.

"Higher — get up before he releases it," Demien shouted, pushing both hands forward at the front line.

Maddison came over. "I followed the cross too deep. Left you alone against both of them."

"One of us has to stay outside for the second ball," Demien told him.

Johnstone threw to Trent, and Australia recovered their shape before England could counter.

Australia tested England again in the thirteenth minute, Boyle receiving against Colwill and cutting inside, Irvine breaking beyond Demien while Duke slotted between Tomori and Dunk.

Demien tracked Irvine rather than abandon the central runner, and Boyle, seeing Colwill still protecting the inside lane, switched it to Goodwin instead.

Goodwin crossed first time.

Dunk rose above Duke and cleared, but Australia won the second ball through Baccus and recycled it back to Strain, whose next cross Grealish blocked out for a throw.

"Recover sooner!" Southgate shouted from the technical area, waving England’s wide players back. "They shouldn’t be reaching crossing positions this easily."

Between the fifteenth and twentieth minutes, Demien started taking real control of the midfield.

Dunk found him with Baccus approaching from the front, and he played it first time to Henderson and kept moving beyond the press, took the return before Irvine could close, and switched it to Grealish before Australia’s block could shift across.

Grealish attacked Strain, but the wingback stood up and forced him backward, so Demien recycled through Colwill instead of forcing anything.

On the next possession, Irvine pressed into his back.

Demien planted his right foot, protected the ball with his shoulder, and rolled away from the contact, carrying through the first line to find Maddison between Baccus and Australia’s defense.

「TRAIT ACTIVATED」 「Press Resistant」

Maddison turned and tried to release Watkins, but Souttar read it early and stepped forward to intercept before the ball ever reached him.

Demien noticed it immediately — Souttar was willing to leave his line the moment the pass into Watkins became obvious.

"Move away from him first, then cut back behind," he told Watkins, and Watkins nodded without needing it explained twice.

Demien created his first clear chance in the eighteenth minute, Henderson receiving from Tomori while Demien dropped slightly right and drew Baccus forward.

Henderson found him, and Demien returned it first time before accelerating beyond Baccus.

Maddison stayed high this time, occupying Irvine instead of dropping toward the ball, and Henderson’s next pass found Demien’s stride clean.

Watkins began beside Souttar, moved toward the ball, and pulled the center-back forward with him.

Demien waited for Souttar to commit, then slipped the pass into the exact space Watkins had just created.

Watkins turned and entered the box before Burgess could cover, shooting low toward Ryan’s near side.

Ryan got down fast and blocked it with his leg.

Rowles beat Bowen to the rebound and cleared.

「MATCH MISSION PROGRESS」 「Line-Breaking Actions: 2/6」 「Clear Chances Created: 1/3」

Demien pointed at Watkins in approval, because the double movement had pulled Souttar clean out of the line.

Watkins slapped both hands together in frustration — that chance should have gone in.

"Demien’s escaping Baccus’s first press now," the commentator said, "but Australia’s defenders keep covering each other whenever England reach the area."

Australia produced Duke’s volley chance in the twenty-second minute.

England attacked through Grealish, but Strain blocked his cross, and the clearance reached Baccus, who released Boyle quickly before England’s midfield could reset.

Boyle controlled it near the right touchline and lifted his head.

Irvine broke centrally.

Demien tracked him, keeping him from receiving outside the box, while Duke drifted across Tomori toward the near side of the area.

Boyle clipped it over Colwill straight into Duke’s run.

Duke got there before Tomori could plant his feet and volleyed across goal, the shot passing narrowly outside Johnstone’s far post.

Johnstone stood frozen for a beat, knowing he’d never have reached it if it had been on target.

"I followed Irvine and left Colwill on his own against Boyle," Demien told Henderson.

"Pass Irvine onto James earlier if Boyle’s already isolated on the fullback," Henderson said.

Demien glanced toward Maddison and nodded, filing it away.

England responded through the right in the twenty-fifth minute, Trent advancing beyond Bowen while Demien covered behind him and Henderson found Maddison.

Maddison found Bowen outside Goodwin.

Bowen cut inside and shot from twenty-two yards, but Burgess blocked it with his body, the rebound running to Demien.

Demien took one touch and tried to switch it quickly toward Grealish, but Irvine read the pass and got enough contact to slow it, letting Strain recover and clear into touch before Grealish could reach it.

Demien slapped his hands together — the switch needed more pace behind it — then glanced down at the turf where his standing foot had slipped on the contact.

Australia caused real chaos from a corner in the twenty-eighth minute.

Goodwin’s run down the left forced Trent to block his cross behind, and Boyle swung the corner in from the left, Souttar starting near the penalty spot with Dunk marking him, Burgess close to Johnstone, Rowles waiting outside the group.

Boyle curled the first delivery into the six-yard box.

Dunk won it and headed it out to the edge of the box rather than clear it fully, and England’s line began pushing out too early.

Boyle beat Bowen to the loose ball and sent a second delivery straight back in.

Rowles had stayed inside while everyone else stepped up, and the ball dropped to him at close range — but he swung over the bar.

Southgate spun toward the pitch, pointing hard at Rowles’s abandoned position. "Why is our line moving out with a defender still in the box?"

Demien had followed Baccus toward the edge of the area when the first ball was cleared. "I didn’t check behind me before I stepped up," he admitted, pointing at where Rowles had been standing.

"Nobody leaves until the second ball’s crossed halfway or gone out," Dunk told the midfield, loud enough for everyone to hear.