Nigerians mocked over ‘beautiful jersey’ following 2-1 loss to England

Wing backs Kieran Trippier and Ashley Young added to England’s attacking power.

Sterling was headline news for the wrong reasons as England’s preparations for the World Cup were dealt a double blow.

England lacked the zip from the early stages in the second half as regular substitutions broke up the rhythm of the game, with Danny Rose, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Marcus Rashford, Fabian Delph and Danny Welbeck all appearing from the bench.

In the end, neither side could carve out another clear-cut opening as the clash ended 2-1 in favour of England. If not, this looked the sort of set-up that could flourish.

And speaking after the clash, Southgate admitted he was pleased with his side’s improvement from recent outings.

Since, Alli has made 24 appearances for England and is expected to be a big part of their squad for the upcoming World Cup. This performance, in this system, provided a timely reminder.

Manager Gareth Southgate opted to take a youthful squad out to Russian Federation and with an average age of just over 26, it is the third youngest the Three Lions have selected for a World Cup.

Raheem Sterling starts despite last week’s controversy about his timekeeping and tattoos, with Harry Kane leading the line as a lone centre-forward.

Sterling has made huge strides in Pep Guardiola’s record-breaking title winners at Manchester City, scoring 18 league goals and fulfilling his rich potential in the most prolific season of his career.

However, Sterling was named in Southgate’s first XI at Wembley on Saturday and produced a lively display, although it was somewhat tainted by a yellow card for diving.

Meanwhile, former England defender Rio Ferdinand has insisted the criticism flowing in Sterling’s direction should not be linked to the colour of his skin, as he insists the national team often has a scapegoat that attracts criticism.

“In the first half I thought we were excellent”, Kane said in his post-match reaction.

“We also won the ball back quickly, and played from back with good composure”.

The signs are promising.

1 – Nigeria: Uzoho; Idowu, Troost-Ekong, Balogun (Omeruo, m.46), Shehu (Ebuehi, m.46); Mikel, Onazi (Etebo, m.46), Obi (Ogu, m.46); Moses (Musa, m.62), Iwobi, Ighalo (Iheanacho, m.76).