As England stepped out on the Volgograd Arena pitch on Monday evening, they had more than Tunisia's starting team to contend with.
Jesse Lingard, Raheem Sterling and Danny Welbeck were among a host of stars who were left frantically swatting away midges who plagued the humid air.
They clearly irritated the players as Sterling was furiously rubbing his face at one point.
![Harry Maguire sprays himself with insect repellant. Photo / Getty Images](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/U56M7FPFYZMR4RQXGA2J44O7FM.jpg?auth=d8fecf2c4b56af106257704a8d827936b715215a3607a0526a593aeddf602611&width=16&height=11&quality=70&smart=true)
Ashley Young even resorted to wearing tracksuit bottoms instead of shorts during the warm-up - despite the sweltering heat - in a bid to combat the midges.