ENGLAND 2, NIGERIA 1
WINNING breeds confidence and England’s penultimate game before the finals of the World Cup produced an important Wembley victory against Nigeria.
First-half goals from Gary Cahill and Harry Kane lifted spirits for Gareth Southgate’s side as final preparations are made for their trip to Russia.
It was a game of contrasting halves as England were vibrant, scoring twice and creating many more clear-cut chances.
Indeed the only failing was in front of goal, notably from Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling.
Nigeria made four changes after a lack-lustre opening-half display and were a completely different side.
Arsenal’s Alex Iwobi pulled a goal back soon after the restart as they became more of a threat as England’s play became scrappy and disjointed.
Before kick off, England remembered two of its finest following the recent deaths of 1966 World Cup winner Ray Wilson and midfield maestro Ray Wilkins with one minute’s applause while the players and Southgate worse black armbands.
England’s next-to-last game before the World Cup provided an inkling as to Southgate’s line-up for Russia and the opening group game against Tunisia.
It was a 3-4-2-1 with Manchester City providing three starters and United two.
Jordan Pickford in goal, a back three of Cahill, John Stones and Kyle Walker, central midfield pair of Eri Dier and Dele Alli with Kieran Trippier and Ashley Young as wing backs while Jesse Lingard and Sterling supported captain Kane.
There were some familiar faces in the Nigeria team, the likes of John Obi Mikel and Victor Moses with Chelsea connections, Arsenal’s Iwobi while on the bench were Leicester City’s Ahmed Musa and Kelechi Iheanacho.
This was only the third-ever meeting of the two countries. England won 1-0 in 1994 and there was a goalless draw in the 2002 finals of the World Cup.
England got off to a perfect start taking a seventh-minute lead through Cahill’s excellent header from Trippier’s corner as the Chelsea defender got inbetween two defenders to head high into the roof of the net, his fifth international goal in his 59th cap.
The corner was won when Trippier’s free kick was well saved by keeper Francis Uzoho.
England continued to impress and ought to have built on their lead as Sterling had two great chance, one deflected for a corner, the other dragged wide.
Stones also had a header beaten out by Uzoho as England carved out five decent chances in the opening quarter of an hour.
England remained in command as Trippier, whose delivery of crosses was excellent, set up Lingard whose near-post effort was deflected into the side netting before Sterling squandered a third chance, firing narrowly over.
Sterling had clearly left his shooting boots back at Manchester City for whom he scored an impressive 23 goals in 2017/18 season.
Kane showed Sterling the route to goal as he doubled England’s lead in the 39th minute, starting and finishing an impressive build up.
Sterling provided the assist and Kane fired home a low shot under the keeper, his 13th goal for England in 24 appearances, an impressive return.
Nigeria, desperately poor in the opening half, made four changes at the break. And little over two minutes after the restart, they halved the deficit.
A shot from Odion Ighalo struck the upright and bounced out to Iwobi who fired home with a loow shot from 18 yards.
Sterling was booked for a blatant dive in a bid to win a penalty as Italian referee Marco Guida brandished a yellow card.
England’s first two changes midway through the second half saw Young and Lingard make way for Danny Rose and Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
Not long after Marcus Rashford and Danny Welbeck replaced Kane and Sterling while soon after Fabian Delph replace Alli as the game petered out following its early promise.
Rashford gave a lively cameo as he shot narrowly wide and saw a header loop on to the roof of the net as the United striker looked to impress Southgate.