Harry Kane celebrated becoming England’s most-capped men’s player by scoring the winning goal as Thomas Tuchel’s side beat Croatia 2-1 at Wembley on Thursday night to book a place in the Nations League quarter-finals.
The captain won his 126th cap, moving clear of former goalkeeper Peter Shilton, and marked the occasion in the way he knows best. His 64th-minute penalty, his 92nd goal for his country, settled a match England had dominated for long spells without ever fully controlling.
It was a night of ceremony as much as football. A giant banner bearing Kane’s image and the words “England’s Finest” was raised before kick-off, and Shilton was part of a pre-match presentation honouring the 33-year-old, alongside Football Association patron Prince William and Croatia captain Luka Modric. Kane had also presented his Ballon d’Or trophy to the Wembley crowd before the game.
Morgan Rogers had given England the lead in the 24th minute, finishing from close range after a move started by Kane, who floated a pass to Jude Bellingham on the right of the penalty area. Bellingham cushioned the ball across goal, Josko Gvardiol tangled his attempted clearance, and the Chelsea midfielder poked home.
England went in ahead at half-time but were punished just before the hour. A Croatia corner caused chaos in the home box, and defender Jarell Quansah misdirected a header back towards his own goalkeeper, Jordan Pickford. Petar Sucic reacted quickest and stabbed the loose ball home to level the scores.
The response was swift, and Quansah was at the heart of it again. Minutes later his shirt was tugged inside the penalty area at a corner, and after a VAR review referee Morten Krogh pointed to the spot. Kane, who had missed his previous penalty for Bayern Munich, drilled the ball straight down the middle as goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic dived to his left.
Croatia still threatened late on. Nikola Vlasic fired just wide of Pickford’s goal, and James Garner thought he had added a third for England, only for Bellingham to be ruled offside in the build-up.
The result guarantees England a place in the Nations League last eight in March. They remain second in Group A3, behind Spain, who beat the Czech Republic 2-0 on Thursday, and travel to Madrid on Sunday with the chance to take top spot and a seeding for the quarter-final draw.
For Croatia, the defeat ends their hopes of reaching the quarter-finals. For Kane, a night that began with tributes and a record ended, fittingly, with a goal.
Sources: AFP via SuperSport (https://www.supersport.com/football/uefa-nations-league/news/406ca442-06fd-49f0-b3ec-1447c74f54dc/record-breaking-kane-fires-england-into-nations-league-knockouts); Sky Sports (https://www.skysports.com/football/news/13611731/harry-kane-england-captain-reflects-on-overwhelming-wembley-reception-after-ballon-dor-win-and-record-breaking-appearance-against-croatia)
Note: The featured image is a file photo of Harry Kane from October 2023, not from the Croatia match.
