Chelsea’s defender Gary Cahill celebrated his return to England’s squad and stepped up his claims for a starting place against Tunisia in Volgograd on June 18 by opening scoring in yesterday’s friendly against Nigeria, with a powerful header after only seven minutes.
England’s total first-half domination was emphasised when captain Harry Kane scored his eighth goal in his last seven appearances six minutes before the interval when Super Eagles’ goalkeeper, Francis Uzoho allowed his 18-yard shot to slip in.
Arsenal’s Alex Iwobi gave thousands of Nigerian fans inside Wembley hope two minutes after the break with a crisp finish, but England, who had Raheem Sterling booked for diving, closed out the victory in relatively untroubled fashion.
Sterling went close to scoring in the first half but was later booked for diving. He dominated headlines and the build-up to the friendly after he was pictured sporting a tattoo of a gun on his leg and revelations about his late arrival for England’s pre-World Cup training camp when they assembled earlier this month.
The Manchester City forward, whose name was warmly greeted by England’s fans when it was announced, formed a lively partnership with Kane, but it was also a day of frustration for him.
