RAHEEM STERLING stood with his chest puffed out in defiance and cupped his ears at them.
He had tucked home England’s fifth goal, having assisted two others, but this was no longer about the football.
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Raheem Sterling earned plaudits for standing up to vile racistsCredit: PA:Press Association
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Montenegro supporters lit flares outside the stadium before the clash against EnglandCredit: Reuters
As Sterling later put it on social media, this was the best way to silence the haters — the racists.
Danny Rose, who had been racially abused in neighbouring Serbia as an Under-21 player, bore the brunt of the vile monkey chanting here in Podgorica.
But others, including Callum Hudson-Odoi, 18, on his full international debut, were targeted with abuse too.
Sterling has spoken out stridently about racism of late, both the very obvious filth heard here last night as well as the more subtle and sometimes unconscious kind.
The Manchester City wideman, who had been brilliant in the second half especially, simply refuses to be cowed as a footballer or a man.
His manager, Gareth Southgate, was at his thoughtful and sensible best afterwards, despite his apparent pain at what his players had been subjected to.
Southgate condemned the racism, mentioned his ‘disgust’ at it but added sanctions against Montenegro’s FA would be worthless without education.
He admitted that, as a ‘middle-aged white guy’, he finds it difficult to discuss racism and that he is not an authority on the subject.
He sounded injured when it was mentioned that perhaps England’s players could have left the field in protest.
Raheem Sterling celebrates england goal after alleged racist abuse in match against Montenegro
He spoke of his sorrow that the biggest night of Hudson-Odoi’s young life had been marred by having to field questions about the abuse he had received because of the colour of his skin.
These problems have flared up across Europe but seem particularly prevalent in the former Yugoslav nations.
When racist chanting was first mentioned to Montenegro coach Ljubisa Tumbakovic at his post-match press conference, the home FA’s media representative was in denial and tried to shut the questioning down.
A Montenegrin journalist later turned his ire on the English media for highlighting the problem.
It will not feel like it right now but this whole evening will have served as a coming-of-age experience for many of England’s players.
In purely footballing terms, they had to dig deep to overturn a shock early opener from Montenegro.
Declan Rice and Hudson-Odoi on their first England starts, were excellent. Michael Keane and Ross Barkley re-emerged to kick-start their careers at this level.
Nine of Southgate’s starting XI were no older than 25 and, in a team which seems to get younger and younger by the match, only Kyle Walker and Danny Rose had even reached their late 20s.
They faced a decent home side, stoked up by patriotic fervour inside a tight ground — and a bloke with a voice like Johnny Cash howling ‘F*** you England, F*** you!’ through a loud hailer as the local Ultras scented blood.
Bravery in modern football has little to do with kicking people. It is about having the courage of your ball-playing convictions and England had no shortage of that sort of mettle.
SunSport’s Dave Kidd
Far more seriously than that, there were reports of monkey chants being aimed at Rose, both early in the match and when he was booked late on.
Southgate, and many others at pitch level, insisted they heard the abuse clearly. England came here twice before and never won — visits which included missiles, pyrotechnics, provocation, a Wayne Rooney red card and a couple of fraught draws.
But Southgate’s virgin soldiers succeeded where more experienced England sides had failed.
Not until they had been rattled, though, not until they had fallen behind and forced to show some testicular fortitude.
Bravery in modern football has little to do with kicking people. It is about having the courage of your ball-playing convictions and England were not short of that sort of mettle.
Keane and Hudson-Odoi were at fault for Montenegro’s early opener, yet both made up for their errors rapidly, with a goal and an assist respectively.
Barkley set up the first, nicked the second and thumped home the killer third.
Gareth Southgate confirms racist abuse of England player Danny Rose during Euro qualifier with Montenegro
Football was largely irrelevant
Then Sterling took over, with two assists and a goal before he showed his displeasure at the mouthy home fans with the gesture that provoked missile throwing — with a lighter hurled on to the pitch.
England now have ten goals from two of the supposedly tougher fixtures in this group.
They are cruising in to the Euro 2020 finals and are growing in confidence all the time.
For an hour, though, this result was in doubt. England had to dig deeper than they might have imagined. Then, later on, it became obvious that earlier suspicions of racist chanting had been horribly accurate as Rose was abused by monkey chanting from several home supporters.
Southgate was keen to point out that English football and English society still suffers from a racist minority as well.
But after two such excellent performances, on the back of a brilliant Nations League campaign, on the back of a breakthrough World Cup, there was only pain and sadness in the voice of England’s manager.
It was that sort of night. The football was largely irrelevant.
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Raheem Sterling reacts to the home fans after netting England’s fifth goal of the nightCredit: Reuters
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The travelling England supporters were full of support during the Euro 2020 qualifierCredit: Reuters
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England will complain to Uefa after players allegedly suffered racist abuseCredit: ReutersTV cameras ignore former Ireland star Declan Rice during England national anthem against Montenegro
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: newstars.edu.vn