KANE & STABLE

England are in fine shape as they take on the world

THE halcyon days of building up an England team as potential world champions on the basis of a decent half in a friendly have long since died a slow death, killed off by the discomforting encroaching reality of their true standing in the global game.

So no one was ready to pronounce that this was England restored after as good a first-half display as they have shown under Gareth Southgate.

Which was sagacious given that, as if to dampen any burgeoning expectation, this team then amply demonstrated their vulnerabilities after the break. Still, to overplay that would be to carp.

To win your penultimate game before the real business begins, to do so in decent fashion, with promising performances from key performers and a goal from your captain is almost as good as it gets prior to the World Cup.

No one down south should be booking an open-top bus at present for mid-July.

Yet England demonstrated enough to suggest that, when they fully engage their attacking instincts, they can be a threat to many teams in Russia.

Of course, they looked less assured when Nigeria recovered their nerve and took the game to them in the second half.

But Southgate’s team retain their fluidity and ambition, even when stretched. They are attractive to watch. And they attack with intent. At present, that is as much as can be hoped.

And the final quarter of any friendly match is hard to gauge, when substitutions disrupt the flow of the game.

England finished the game with Danny Welbeck and Marcus Rashford up front and Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Fabian Delph in midfield, which looked very much the B-team.

Still, the A-team did enough to foster hope.

Raheem Sterling, after a week of media focus, tattoos and tardiness claims, did not flinch from the limelight. He buzzed with creative fervour, could not quite find a finish and was booked for diving.

In short, he remains the centre of attention but, broadly speaking, this was a good day.

The game could scarcely have started better for England. Kieran Trippier, selected at right-back, stepped up to take the opening free-kick on six minutes.

A decent job he made of it too, forcing keeper Francis Uzoho to tip wide for a corner.

Trippier stepped up for the corner and his delivery found Gary Cahill rising above his markers to head home.

A few weeks ago, Cahill was out of the Chelsea side and all but certain to miss the cut for Russia. Since then, he has lifted the FA Cup as Chelsea captain and now looks a starter for England.

Yet this was more than a mere decent moment for the hosts. For 45 minutes they looked energetic and slick as their attacking line-up moved the ball swiftly around a strong Nigerian side.

Sterling, in particular, after his week in the headlines, was at the heart of it all and he was fully involved as England made it 2-0.

Leon Balogun hesitated on the ball in his half and Eric Dier pounced, finding Kane.

He then fed Sterling, who controlled and returned the ball to his captain.

With minimal back-lift but maximum power, Kane got his shot away from the edge of the box and surprised keeper Uzoho with its ferocity.

A half-time reorganisation by coach Gernot Rohr meant Nigeria were much better in the second half.

Within two minutes of the restart, Alex Iwobi had seized the ball in midfield and fed Odion Ighalo.

He muscled his way past Kyle Walker to get a shot away, the weakness of England’s back three exposed.

With Jordan Pickford beaten, they were saved by the post — but no one had tracked Iwobi, who connected with the rebound to reduce the deficit.

Nigeria were briefly in the ascendancy but England did not wholly surrender the initiative. Sterling got forward on 52 minutes and fell sprawling at the feet of the onrushing Uzoho.

An undignified week was capped for the winger when he received a yellow card — correctly awarded — for diving.

Afterwards, Southgate defended his decision to play Sterling, saying: ‘I thought he did well. The front four with some of their movement and combinations... we created a threat.’

Talisman Kane, meanwhile, admitted he felt back to his best after scoring the second goal.

‘It was a good win against a tough side,’ said the striker. ‘The first half we were excellent.

‘We had trouble in the second half. They changed their formation, but we got used to it and saw the game out well.

‘I feel at my best, really good. It’s always great to score. I’m now looking forward to the game on Thursday against Costa Rica.’