Harry Kane continued his scoring streak as England captain but Gareth
Southgate’s side made heavy work of beating Nigeria in their final Wembley
outing before the World Cup.

England took the lead inside seven minutes courtesy of Gary Cahill’s headed
effort and Kane doubled the advantage before the break, when modest goalkeeping allowed him to hit the net for the sixth time in five appearances with the armband.

But what might have turned into a walk in the park against a side ranked 47th
in the world became a tense 2-1 victory as Arsenal’s Alex Iwobi struck less than two minutes into the second half, robbing the hosts of their composure.

Tweet of the match

Star man: Harry Kane

England v Nigeria – International Friendly – Wembley�Stadium
Harry Kane doubled England’s lead in the friendly against Nigeria at Wembley

Kane scored England’s second goal with a fine finish and linked play with confidence in the final third. Such belief from the captain ought to inspire Southgate’s side in Russia.

Data point

England v Nigeria – International Friendly – Wembley�Stadium
Kane’s goal was his eighth in his past seven international appearances

Kane has scored eight goals in his past seven appearances for England

Moan of the match

Arsenal v Burnley – Premier League – Emirates Stadium
Arsenal’s talented Jack Wilshere missed out on selection for Russia 2018 (Nick Potts/PA)

If England lacked one thing, it was a composed and cultured central midfielder capable of dictating their tempo at the times they needed to adapt. Jack Wilshere’s absence from Southgate’s squad means they lack an individual with that skill set.

Player ratings


England: Jordan Pickford: 6 (out of 10); Kieran Trippier: 7; Kyle Walker: 7; John Stones: 6; Gary Cahill: 8; Ashley Young: 6; Eric Dier: 6; Dele Alli: 6; Raheem Sterling: 7; Jesse Lingard: 7; Harry Kane: 8.

Substitutes: Ruben Loftus-Cheek (for Lingard, 67mins): 5; Danny Rose (for Young, 68mins): 6; Danny Welbeck (for Kane, 73mins): 6; Marcus Rashford (for Sterling, 73mins): 5; Fabian Delph (for Alli, 82mins): 5.

Nigeria: Francis Uzoho: 7; Bryan Idowu: 6; William Troost-Ekong: 6; Leon Balogun: 6; Odion Ighalo: 5; John Obi Mikel: 6; Victor Moses: 7; Shehu Abdullahi: 6; Joel Obi: 6; Ogenyi Onazi: 6; Alex Iwobi: 7.

Substitutes: Tyronne Ebuehi (for Shehu, 45mins): 6; Kenneth Omeruo (for Balogun, 45mins): 6; Oghenekaro Etebo (for Onazi, 45mins): 5; John Ogu (for Obi, 45mins): 6; Ahmed Musa (for Moses, 63mins): 6; Kelechi Iheanacho (for Ighalo, 77mins): 5.

Who’s up next?

Nigeria v Czech Republic, June 6

England v Costa Rica, June 7