England get a 2-1 Nations League victory over Croatia at Wembley on Thursday.
The Bayern Munich striker won his 126th cap and marked the occasion with a second-half penalty to keep England on course to finish top of UEFA Nations League Group A3. Thomas Tuchel’s side will now face Spain in a winner-takes-all showdown on Sunday, with victory required to secure first place.
England were slow to find their rhythm and struggled to create clear chances during the opening stages. Elliot Anderson fired over after 15 minutes, but the hosts eventually took the lead through Morgan Rogers in a fortunate manner.
Kane started the move with an excellent pass to Jude Bellingham, whose low delivery across the six-yard box caused confusion in the Croatian defence. The ball fell to Rogers, whose scuffed effort just managed to cross the line.
Despite taking the lead, England failed to build on their advantage and offered little attacking threat before half-time. Their only shot on target in the opening period was Rogers’ goal, leaving Tuchel with plenty to address during the interval.
England started the second half with greater purpose and Kane almost marked his record-breaking appearance with a goal when Declan Rice pulled the ball back into his path. However, Josip Stanisic produced an important block to deny the striker from close range.
Croatia made England pay for that missed opportunity when Luka Sucic equalised. The hosts failed to clear a corner, and after Jarell Quansah’s attempted header back towards Jordan Pickford fell short, Sucic took advantage to score.
Quansah was given an opportunity to make amends moments later when he was brought down by Ivan Smolcic inside the penalty area. Kane stepped forward and calmly converted from the spot, sending his penalty down the middle to restore England’s lead and give himself a memorable goal on his landmark night.
England were far from convincing after going back in front, with Croatia continuing to threaten. Nikola Vlasic came close to equalising when he created space on the edge of the penalty area, but his left-footed effort drifted narrowly wide.
James Garner thought he had secured the victory when he swept home late in the game, but the goal was ruled out after Bellingham was caught offside in the build-up. England were forced to withstand further pressure before eventually seeing out an important victory.
Tuchel admitted his team had made life difficult for themselves but was satisfied with the result. “It was a good win. We wanted the win desperately and deserved it,” the England manager told ITV. He also acknowledged that his players had become “a little sloppy” after taking the lead and should have scored a second goal before Croatia equalised.
The England boss nevertheless described the occasion as a perfect evening for Kane and backed his team to deliver against Spain. “Everything will be different on Sunday, the scenario and the set-up. But I’m very positive that we will get what we want,” Tuchel said.
