Harry Kane celebrated his 100th cap with two goals as England beat Finland 2-0 in the Nations League, on a night Wembley also paid tribute to Sven-Goran Eriksson.
The England captain and record goalscorer roared in celebration as his thunderbolt of an opener flew in off the underside of the bar just before the hour mark and he swept in a classy second for his 68th strike for his country with around 15 minutes left to play.
It was a fitting way for Kane to mark the occasion and underline the importance he has had for England and the impact he can continue to have, despite criticisms of the 31-year-old’s performances at Euro 2024. “It was the perfect night,” Kane said afterwards.
Up until the breakthrough, Finland goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky had frustrated Kane with a string of fine stops. But England’s main man – who also had a header ruled out for a narrow offside in the first half – wasn’t to be denied on a night which saw him presented with a special golden cap to mark his landmark appearance. He is just the 10th player to hit that total for England’s men’s team.
They were big goals for Lee Carsley, too, whose interim spell in charge has now delivered two wins from two, with England second in Nations League Group B2 behind Greece on goal difference. This was another positive performance, with Angel Gomes tidy on his first senior start, although Finland – resolute in defence and a threat on the break in the first half – made England work.
The last time these sides met, Eriksson, who passed away last month, was in charge. England edged that World Cup qualifier in 2001 with the help of another fierce strike from a Three Lions captain, David Beckham.
Wembley pays tribute to the late Sven-Goran Eriksson
This contest wasn’t expected to be so close as that 2-1 victory but the Finns – beaten 3-0 in their Group B2 opener by Greece – frustrated Carsley’s side, with centre-back Arttu Hoskonen twice sliding in during the first half to deny Kane tap-ins after his ruled out header, while Hradecky recovered to keep out Bukayo Saka’s deflected shot and Trent Alexander-Arnold fizzed two efforts wide just before the interval.
At times England were worryingly open. Aberdeen’s Topi Keskinen was rapid on the counter but wasteful in the final third, shooting off target from two swift charges up the pitch which saw England’s defence exposed by an absent midfield. And that was all after Rico Lewis had to block former Norwich City ace Teemu Pukki’s shot from inside the box after a sharp throw-in routine from the visitors.
But England were more secure in the second half and, after Hradecky kept out a Kane free-kick and overhead, the opener eased any concerns of an upset. Substitute Noni Madueke came up with the assist for the skipper’s second, Eberechi Eze was lively and Rico Lewis looked comfortable throughout, with Alexander-Arnold again impressing at right-back.
But Kane’s double and the ovation for Eriksson will be the lasting memories of another successful outing as interim boss for Carsley, whose audition for the permanent post has gone well so far.
Kane: It was the perfect night
Kane is presented with a special England cap to mark his 100th appearance for his country
England captain Harry Kane:
“It was the perfect night. On my 100th cap, I wanted to make the night as memorable as possible. To score the two goals and help the team win was almost perfect. The first goal tonight is right up there [among my best for England]. It was nice to see it come off the underside of the bar. On the night of my 100th cap, both goals will go down as among my favourites for sure.
On if he wanted to stay on to try to score a hat-trick: “I had enough shots to get the hat-trick! Lee spoke about a lot of games coming up so there were no hard feelings.”
On defying his critics and using them as motivation: “From a young age, I was doubted to go on and achieve what I’ve done and that has helped me keep focus. You’re always going to get criticism as a player and when things aren’t going your way, there’s a hunger inside to perform and maintain this level and keep pushing. I want to keep pushing the boundaries and I showed that tonight. Come October, I will be ready to go again.”
Analysis: A night to remember for Kane
Sky Sports News’ senior reporter Rob Dorsett:
“We can dissect the performance by Lee Carsley later (the pretty passing, tasty technical show, fluid formation, but sometimes over-elaborate final ball). Tonight was about one man, England’s captain and all-time leading goalscorer – who is now that little bit further ahead of the rest.
“In truth, Kane might have had four or five goals, but for his nemesis Hradecky in the Finland goal. And for his party-pooping manager, who took him off with 10 minutes to go.
“Sixty-eight goals in 100 games is extraordinary. And the man for the big occasion delivered again, big time.
“When he said on Monday he wants to score 100 goals in an England shirt, it sounded optimistic. Does it now? Captain, centurion Kane, take a bow. This is your night.”
Carsley: We’re moving in the right direction
England interim head coach Lee Carsley:
“It was important we got the results but more importantly we got the performances. You want to enjoy watching the team play on the side of the pitch and be exciting. To score four goals in two games is good and I think we could have scored more but I feel we’re moving in the right direction.”
Will the feeling of being uncomfortable go away? “I still get that with the U21s to be honest! I just want the players to do well and I feel that pressure to create those opportunities for them in effective areas. Hopefully we have done that over the last two games.
“You always need competition. We need that all over the pitch and I’m thinking about the game tonight but it wasn’t long afterwards I was thinking about the next squad, how that might look and which players might be coming into form. Competition in this squad is very high and so I think we will see some movement. We have two camps before the World Cup qualifiers start so it’s important we’re in a strong position.”
What’s next?
England’s Nations League campaign continues next month when they host Greece on October 10 before going to Finland three days later.