The initiative was sponsored by the International Alzheimer’s Association, and is the fourth in the English Football Association’s partnership with the association, to highlight the suffering of people with dementia.

Far from the usual rituals, the match witnessed 22 dementia-stricken fans coming out of the tunnel with the players, instead of the usual children, in a poignant symbolic gesture.

During the second half, the players of both teams wore shirts devoid of names, with numbers only, in reference to memory loss, one of the most prominent symptoms of the disease, and as a reminder that people with dementia may even forget the names of their favorite stars.

The English team defeated its Welsh guest with a score of (3-0), bringing England’s number of consecutive victories over the small neighbor to 8, and the match justified the decision of the German Three Lions coach, Thomas Tuchel, to exclude some prominent stars from his squad in order to preserve them before the next match in the World Cup qualifiers.

The goals of the match were scored by Aston Villa duo Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins and Arsenal player Bukayo Saka in just 20 minutes.

England will face its Latvian counterpart outside its home country next Tuesday, where it can secure the top spot in its group and qualify directly for next year’s finals in North America, while Wales will face its Belgium counterpart next Monday in Cardiff.

Source: “Media”