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England coach Southgate praises Lewis after drab North Macedonia draw

England coach Gareth Southgate says they'll learn from their 1-1 draw in North Macedonia on Tuesday.

The result ended England's successful Euro qualifying campaign on a flat note.

For the hosts opener, England debutant Rico Lewis fouled striker Bojan Miovski with his hand as he jumped up for a header.

North Macedonia captain Enis Bardhi put his side ahead from the rebound after his penalty was initially saved by Jordan Pickford.

England equalised via an own goal in the 59th minute when Phil Foden's corner was bundled in by North Macedonia's Jani Atanasov.

"I think in both matches we've been able to look at different players as well as trying to win," Southgate later said.

"Normally you're waiting until March to do that. We've learned quite a bit from those two games which is an advantage for us.

"Of course we would have liked to have racked the goals up, but North Macedonia have been pretty good here. They drew with Italy, they make life tough."

On Manchester City's Lewis, he added: "I thought he was excellent.

"His ability to receive in tight areas was a standout. His bravery with the ball, but also the resilience to come back from a bit of a setback that was no fault of his own.

"He's a unique player because working out the specifics of the role and where that all fits is really interesting. His ability to keep possession and do that well under pressure is a fabulous asset to have."

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Ansser Sadiq

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