Harry Kane cemented his place in English football history on Thursday, earning his 126th international cap to surpass the long-standing record held by goalkeeper Peter Shilton. The 33-year-old captain celebrated the milestone at Wembley Stadium by scoring a penalty in a 2-1 victory over Croatia, a result that officially propelled England into the Nations League quarterfinals scheduled for March. Taking him clear of his tie with former goalkeeper Peter Shilton, ballon d’Or winner Kane won his 126th cap when the game kicked off.
The commemorative atmosphere began before kickoff, with Prince William joining Shilton for a presentation to honor the forward. Fans displayed a massive banner featuring Kane under the banner “England’s Finest.” On the pitch, Slaven Bilic’s Croatian side aimed to move past their previous 7-0 defeat in Rijeka last month, delivering a significantly more disciplined defensive performance. Slaven Bilic’s team were determined to avoid another embarrassment after their 7-0 mauling by England in Rijeka last month and looked much more solid from the kickoff at Wembley. Along with Football Association patron Prince William, shilton was part of a pre-match presentation to honour the Three Lions skipper.
England struggled for rhythm early on, with efforts from Elliot Anderson and Croatia’s Josip Misic failing to find the target. The deadlock broke in the 24th minute when Jude Bellingham cushioned a cross into the path of Morgan Rogers. Following a defensive mix-up by Josko Gvardiol, the Chelsea forward tapped the ball past Dominik Livakovic to give the hosts the lead.
Although England pushed for a second, the visitors leveled the score just before the hour mark. England started to find some rhythm as they went in search of a second goal but failed to add to their tally before half-time.
A wayward header from Jarell Quansah inside the box fell to Petar Sucic, who converted from close range.
Quansah was soon involved at the other end, earning a penalty after his shirt was pulled during a challenge. Referee Morten Krogh overturned his initial decision following a VAR review, and Kane clinically converted the spot-kick to secure his 92nd goal for his country. With Bayer Leverkusen defender Quansah again at the heart of the action after his shirt was tugged in the penalty area, minutes later England were back in front.
Croatia threatened again through Nikola Vlasic, whose strike narrowly missed the target. England nearly added a third when James Garner netted from a Bellingham cut-back, though the effort was disallowed as the Real Madrid midfielder was ruled offside. Firing just wide of Jordan Pickford’s goal as Croatia showed they were still alive, nikola Vlasic gave England a scare.
Following the match, Kane expressed his desire for continued momentum, noting to ITV that the squad had previously reflected on their opening loss to Spain. He stated, “We knew we could’ve done a bit better. We said to ourselves, ‘Let’s win every game until the next one and see what happens’. It’s the perfect opportunity now on Sunday to try and prove ourselves.”
England remains second in Group A3 behind Spain, who confirmed their own progression with a 2-0 victory against Czechia in Prague. Thomas Tuchel’s squad will head to Madrid on Sunday, looking to avenge their 3-2 defeat against the world champions in the opening match of the competition.
