On a November night at Wembley, England's captain Harry Kane stepped into a place in the record books that once belonged to Peter Shilton, and he did it with the kind of decisive moment that football remembers. England beat Croatia 2-1 in a Nations League match, with Morgan Rogers opening the scoring and Luka Sucic levelling before Kane's penalty settled the outcome. It is a small chapter in a long national story, but it marks a captain carrying the weight of his country's history and finding, once again, the nerve to answer it.
Harry Kane Breaks Shilton's Record and Scores Winner as England Beat Croatia 2-1 at Wembley
The night belonged to England's captain, with the record and the winner.
Mark
Kane got the record and the winner on the same night. How much did the occasion shape the match?
Mimi
Everything around it was built for him: the shirt with 126 from Prince William, the tifo banner, the presentation. And he delivered, a calm penalty down the middle for his 92nd goal.
Mark
Yet the match itself was fairly untidy.
Mimi
Yes. Rogers scored a scruffy opener, then Quansah's sloppy header handed Croatia the equaliser from a corner. The same player then won the penalty.
Luke
Worth saying that the ratings are one columnist's view. John Cross gave Kane and Rogers 8s, but that is opinion, not measurement.
Mark
What is the most interesting selection question?
Mimi
Goalkeeper. Tuchel suggested he would rotate, so Pickford is described as battling to stay number one, with Trafford mentioned for Spain.
Luke
But nothing confirms Trafford starts. The source only raises the question; it does not say Tuchel has decided.
Mark
And Burn?
Mimi
He looked solid against Croatia, but Cross wonders about his mobility against someone like Lamine Yamal.
Luke
That is a hypothetical about a future opponent. We don't know yet how Tuchel sees it.
Mark
So what do we actually know?
Mimi
England won 2-1, Kane passed Shilton, and one group match remains.
El Pulso
- Kane passed Peter Shilton as England's most-capped player, and the occasion arrived with a commemorative shirt and a packed stadium.
- Morgan Rogers gave England the lead, only for a sloppy Jarell Quansah header to hand Croatia an equaliser from a corner.
- A penalty won after a foul on Quansah gave Kane the chance to restore the lead, and he buried it down the middle for his 92nd England goal.
- Three points secured in the Nations League, with one group match left, and Tuchel hinting at goalkeeper rotation that could reshape the next lineup.
On a November night at Wembley, England's captain Harry Kane stepped into a place in the record books that once belonged to Peter Shilton, and he did it with the kind of decisive moment that football remembers. England beat Croatia 2-1 in a Nations League match, with Morgan Rogers opening the scoring and Luka Sucic levelling before Kane's penalty settled the outcome. It is a small chapter in a long national story, but it marks a captain carrying the weight of his country's history and finding, once again, the nerve to answer it.
Before kickoff at Wembley, Prince William presented Harry Kane with a commemorative shirt marking his passage past Peter Shilton as England's most-capped player. The night was already his, but the football would add to it.
England went ahead through Morgan Rogers, who scrambled a finish from a Jude Bellingham cross. The lead was short-lived. A careless header from Jarell Quansah let Luka Sucic equalise for Croatia from a corner, and the stadium's mood turned uncertain.
Quansah then gave something back. A tug on a Croatian shirt conceded a penalty, and Kane, the captain, stepped up and placed it calmly down the middle. The goal was his 92nd for England and secured three points in the group, with one match still to play.
The Mirror's critics were generous to the captain and to Rogers, who was praised for his work on the right wing. Others earned solid marks, with questions left hanging over the goalkeeping picture and the defensive options ahead of the final group game.
Before kickoff at Wembley, Prince William handed Harry Kane a commemorative shirt with 126 on the back. The number marked the night Kane passed Peter Shilton to become England's most-capped player, and by full time he had added to the occasion by scoring the goal that beat Croatia 2-1.
England took the lead through Morgan Rogers, who finished scruffily from a cross by Jude Bellingham. The advantage did not last. Jarell Quansah made an error, a sloppy header, and Luka Sucic equalised for Croatia from a corner.
Quansah then made partial amends. A pull on his shirt gave England a penalty, and Kane, the captain, put it down the middle of the goal. It was his 92nd goal for England and it secured three points in the Nations League group stage, in what was England's penultimate group match.
The Mirror's John Cross rated the starting XI. Kane and Rogers each got an 8. Cross wrote that the night belonged to England's captain, with a tifo banner, a big presentation, another record and the winner. Rogers was praised for doing well on the right wing, which Cross suggested is sometimes his weakest position, and for scoring the opener.
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Lewis Hall, Declan Rice and Bellingham each got a 7. Alexander-Arnold was credited with a wonderful pirouette turn, some great passes and tenacious chasing back, which Cross called a good audition. Hall was described as neat and tidy, and as making the left back slot look his own. Rice was solid rather than spectacular but still produced a few trademark lung-busting runs. Bellingham provided the assist but looked to be playing in first gear, took heavy treatment, and is walking a disciplinary tightrope after a yellow card.
Jordan Pickford, Quansah, Dan Burn, Elliot Anderson and Anthony Gordon each received a 6. Pickford's rating came with a question: after Thomas Tuchel suggested he would rotate his goalkeepers, might James Trafford start in Spain? Cross described Pickford as battling to stay as number one. Quansah's mistake was called dreadful, offset by winning the penalty. Burn looked solid against Croatia, but Cross asked whether the Newcastle defender has the mobility to deal with Lamine Yamal and company. Anderson covered a lot of ground without having a standout night, and Gordon had a couple of efforts that did not come off and grew a little frustrated.
England have one group match left, and the goalkeeper question, along with the left-sided and central defensive options, is the thing to watch in Tuchel's selection.
Citas Notables
Cross wrote that the night belonged to England's captain, with a big presentation, another record and the winner.— John Cross, The Mirror
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