Harry Kane scored a penalty to celebrate his record-breaking 126th England cap as the team beat Croatia 2-1 at Wembley on Thursday. The win secured England’s place in the Nations League quarterfinals.
Goals from Morgan Rogers and Kane kept England second in Group A3, behind Spain. The quarterfinals are scheduled for March. Slaven Bilic’s Croatia side were determined to avoid a repeat of their 7-0 defeat by England in Rijeka last month.
Rogers puts England ahead at Wembley
Both teams struggled to find their rhythm early on. Elliot Anderson fired over in the 16th minute, and Croatia’s Josip Misic sent a shot wide before the half-hour mark.
Rogers broke the deadlock in the 24th minute, in a slightly fortunate way. Kane floated a ball to Jude Bellingham, who cushioned it across the box to Rogers. Manchester City defender Josko Gvardiol got tangled while trying to clear, and Rogers poked the ball past goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic.
England searched for a second goal before half-time but could not add to their lead. They were again the more dangerous side after the break.
Croatia level before VAR awards England penalty
Croatia equalised just before the hour mark. England defender Jarell Quansah misdirected a close-range header towards his own goalkeeper, Jordan Pickford, after a corner. Petar Sucic was first to the loose ball and stabbed it home.
England restored their lead minutes later. Quansah was again involved when his shirt was tugged inside the penalty area. Referee Morten Krogh initially waved away appeals, but he was sent to the monitor by the VAR and pointed to the spot.
Kane made no mistake from the spot, giving him a record-extending 92nd England goal. Croatia still threatened to hit back, with Nikola Vlasic firing narrowly wide of Pickford’s goal. England also thought they had a third goal when James Garner scored from a Bellingham cut-back, but Bellingham had been in an offside position when he received the ball.
Kane honoured before record 126th cap
Kane won his 126th cap at kickoff, moving clear of former goalkeeper Peter Shilton, who had shared the record with him. A giant banner bearing a picture of the 33-year-old and the words “England’s Finest” was raised before the match.
Shilton took part in a pre-match presentation honouring the captain, alongside Football Association patron Prince William. Kane said after the game that England had known they could have performed better against Spain in their opening Nations League match. “We said to ourselves, ‘Let’s win every game until the next one and see what happens’,” he said.
England now travel to Madrid on Sunday to face Spain, the team that beat them 3-2 in their Nations League opener. Spain beat Czechia 2-0 in Prague on Thursday. Kane said the match offered England a chance to prove themselves.
