Sunderland striker Jermaine Defoe was the cream of the crop as England raced to a 2-0 victory against Lithuania to maintain their perfect record in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Defoe scored the first of the Three Lions’ goals, while the Jamie Vardy doubled their lead in the 66th minute.
While it was an above average performance from the entire team, Defoe particularly stood out. The 34-year-old returned to the international stage after a three-year hiatus, and was handed a start by manager Gareth Southgate. Defoe duly repaid Southgate’s faith with a goal early on in the first half.
Throughout the game, he kept pushing for another goal, and was one of the standout performers on the night. Southgate, in his post-match press conference, was all praise for the Sunderland striker and stated that he could possibly play for England in the World Cup.
The veteran had Raheem Sterling to thank for his goal, as the Manchester City winger played a phenomenal pass into the stride of Defoe. Take a look:
Nobody deserves it more than this man ⚽️⚽️⚽️ Defoe has opened the scoring against #Lithuania at Wembley #ENGvLIT pic.twitter.com/SKp9wGq4YS
— CheekySport (@CheekySport) March 26, 2017