Daniel Sturridge sparks England victory over Peru in Wembley send-off With the game almost done, one of the paper aeroplanes that had formed an unorthodox part of the occasion started to make its slow descent. England’s supporters had made hundreds of them from the pre-match mosaic and this one glided slowly towards the pitch before that moment when the crowd suddenly realised it might actually hit one of the players. It caught Hansell Riojas, one of the Peru substitutes, on the back of his head and Wembley cackled with malicious joy. It was that kind of night. The first Mexican wave started just before the hour and, truthfully, that is never a good sign about the quality of the contest. England, to their credit, quickly set about giving the crowd something authentic to cheer and two goals followed to add to Daniel Sturridge’s from the first half. Gary Cahill headed in England’s second and then it was the other centre-half, Phil Jagielka, after another of Leighton Baines’s corners. Their opponents were limited and it is never wise to read too much into these games but, as send-offs go, England’s final appearance at Wembley before the World Cup should at least encourage the belief that Roy Hodgson’s team are in reasonable shape. A better team than Peru would have punished them for a couple of defensive lapses but that, by the end, seemed like nitpicking. England were being watched by a delegation from the Italian football federation and those smartly dressed chaps, identifiable by the crest on their blazers, might have left with the clear sense that Hodgson’s side should be in a better condition in Manaus on 14 June than they were in Kiev, at the quarter-finals of the last European Championship, two years ago. It is certainly safe to assume Sturridge’s name will be underlined in all those Italian scribblings. His goal was a peach and when he can strike the ball this sweetly it does not seem to matter so much that his partnership with Wayne Rooney is still a work in progress. There was also further evidence that Joe Hart, with two fine saves in the opening 45 minutes, is back to being the goalkeeper of old. Baines’s accuracy from dead-ball positions was a prominent feature and, more importantly, than anything for Hodgson, there were no injuries to spoil the occasion. At one stage in the first half Cahill tried to shield the ball back to Hart and Luis Ramírez shoved him into the goalkeeper. Dries Mertens did that for Belgium here two years ago and it ended with Cahill fracturing his cheekbone and missing Euro 2012. This time England’s luck was not so cruel. Baines was taken off before the end but only as a precaution after a calf twinge. Steven Gerrard was not badly hurt by Rinaldo Cruzado’s scything challenge and, when the captain was substituted in the second half, these were conceivably his last moments at Wembley in an England shirt. Cahill’s goal arrived two minutes later to ensure it was a happy occasion. That is not to say, however, that England were flawless. If Hart impressed in the first half, it was mostly because this Peru side, ranked 42nd in Fifa’s world rankings, and playing far from their full-strength team, were able to find gaps in defence. Wayne Rooney worked hard, turning up in the right-back spot at one point to win a tackle, but offered only flashes of attacking danger before his substitution and Daniel Welbeck might think it was a missed opportunity, on a night when most of the crowd might have preferred to see Raheem Sterling in the starting XI. Overall, though, it was a relatively assured display and Sturridge’s goal in particular should be a reminder that England may not be as reliant on Rooney as many people seem to believe. Earlier in the match the Liverpool striker had flashed England’s first good chance wide from a position he would normally be expected to score from. Gerrard then tried to play him in but the ball clipped the back of Sturridge’s heels and another opportunity was lost. Yet Sturridge has that wonderful knack of not being dispirited when he misses chances. Glen Johnson had taken a quick throw-in on the right and, from that position, there seemed no danger to the Peru goal. Sturridge turned inside, away from the first challenge, and started heading across a line just outside the penalty area. He went past the nearest defender, Alexander Callens, and it was a curling left-foot shot, struck with power and precision, that found the far top corner. After that, there were only fleeting moments when England’s lead was threatened. Jordan Henderson was tidy enough. Adam Lallana tried to inject some excitement, albeit lacking the killer pass, and Johnson’s willingness to join him on the right wing was another feature. Baines did not always play with the same adventure, which is a shame as it is his attacking play that has helped him see off Ashley Cole, but he made up for that with his delivery for the last two goals. His substitution also meant John Stones, from the standby list of players, came on for his England debut. Cahill’s goal was direct from Baines’s corner and, when another of those left-footed deliveries came in from the opposite side, the goalkeeper, Raúl Fernández, dropped it at Jagielka’s feet. It was a gift and these were the moments when it became clear why Peru had finished seventh out of nine teams in their World Cup qualifying group – and, indeed, why they had been selected for England’s farewell match.
Posted on: Sat, 31 May 2014 09:00:00 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015