Kane scores on record 126th cap as England beat Croatia 2-1 to reach Nations League quarter-finals
England beat Croatia 2-1 at Wembley to reach the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals. Captain Harry Kane scored the winning goal from a penalty on his record 126th appearance for England.
The match began before 80,400 spectators with celebrations centred on Kane. The record for most England appearances had belonged to goalkeeper Peter Shilton since 1989. Shilton himself presented Kane with a memento.
Before the match Kane showed the crowd the Ballon d'Or trophy he won last month. The Prince of Wales gave him a jersey bearing the number 126. Croatia captain Luka Modric, Kane's Tottenham teammate from 2009 to 2012, gave him a replica of the first football brought to Croatia by English industrialists in 1880.
In a match that began in that festive mood, Morgan Rogers put England ahead in the 24th minute. Petar Sucic equalised for Croatia in the 59th minute.
The hosts were awarded a penalty in the 64th minute. Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic dived to his left, but Kane's shot went down the middle. It was Kane's 92nd goal for England, and it proved to be the winner.
The 33-year-old Kane has long led England's scoring list. He is 39 goals ahead of second-placed Wayne Rooney.
Kane marked his debut in 2015 against Lithuania by scoring just 79 seconds after coming on as a substitute. He has since played under five coaches, starting with Roy Hodgson. Current coach Thomas Tuchel has called him the 'perfect captain'.
Kane's next target is 100 goals for England. Earlier this week he said, 'It's another incredible milestone. I want to get there as quickly as possible.' Only three players have scored 100 international goals so far — Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Iran's Ali Daei.
In the Nations League, England are second in Group 3 of League A with 12 points from four wins in five matches. Spain top the group with 15 points after winning all five of their matches.
