Newcastle United hero Dan Burn played the entirety of the game as England beat Albania 2-0 in their final 2026 World Cup qualifier.
England wrapped up qualification for next summer’s tournament a while ago, so Thomas Tuchel rang the changes for Sunday’s clash in Tirana.
Newcastle star Burn was among them and, in truth, it was a fairly flat display in the Albanian capital.
While Tuchel’s side were in little danger of losing, they laboured for much of the game and it took two late goals from Harry Kane to seal the victory.
Three Lions boss Tuchel is a big fan of Burn and he looks set to head to the World Cup next summer to continue his remarkable time of things of late.
Here’s how the national media responded to Burn’s performance.
National media suggest Dan Burn isn’t good enough on the ball to start for England
When it came to the player ratings, many leading publications said Burn was a 5/10. While his defending wasn’t alarming, they all seemed to suggest his ability on the ball was a slight issue.
Standard Sport handed Burn a 5/10 and wrote: “Slightly difficult night for the Newcastle man, whose first touch was not always as good as it needed to be. Good in the air, though.”
The Daily Express also rated Burn a 5/10, writing: “Had plenty of work to do at the back as he won his fifth cap, with Albania causing the Three Lions plenty of problems. But almost cost his side a goal after giving the ball away with a sloppy pass just after half-time.”
Goal agreed with the 5/10 rating: “Struggled at times, particularly when Albania made a good start to the second half. A display which underlined why he is a squad player more than a starter.”
The Daily Telegraph were another outlet who gave Burn a 5/10 and said: “Gave ball away for Hoxha chance in the second half after previously looking OK on the ball. His defending is fine but passing could lead to trouble.”
The Daily Mirror gave Burn a 6/10 but wrote: “Not good enough on the ball. His height makes him a threat but passing was poor.”
Dan Burn actually completed the most passes for England against Albania
As mentioned above, it wasn’t really a vintage performance from England.
Not many covered themselves in glory and it’s hard to take any definitive conclusions from the game.
Interestingly, as per FotMob data, Burn completed the most passes for England on Sunday evening (98).
That perhaps tells its own story, with England often uninspiring in possession.
As good a player as Burn is, cutting stubborn teams apart with line-breaking passes is not what he’s known for.
| Albania vs England statistics | Dan Burn |
| Minutes played | 90 |
| Touches | 114 |
| Chances created | 1 |
| Accurate passes | 98/102 (96%) |
| Passes into final third | 5 |
| Tackles | 2 |
| Clearances | 4 |
| Interceptions | 2 |
Still, it was a relatively professional performance aside from one misplaced pass that forced Dean Henderson into a save.
Burn also almost got an assist by heading a free-kick back from the far post into Jude Bellingham’s path, though he volleyed over.
It’s good to see the 33-year-old back in central defence.
Burn has struggled while playing as a left-back for Newcastle recently, so hopefully returning to his natural position restores some confidence.
Sadly for Newcastle, Burn is suspended for Saturday’s game against Manchester City after he was sent off against Brentford.
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