England defeated Croatia 2-1 at Wembley on Thursday, November 12, night to secure a place in the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals, with Harry Kane marking his record-breaking 126th appearance by scoring the decisive penalty.
The England captain converted from the spot in the 64th minute after Croatia had fought back to level, completing a landmark night in which he surpassed Peter Shilton as the most-capped men's player in the national team's history. Kane also took his international goal tally to 92.
Morgan Rogers had put England ahead in the 24th minute after a move started by Kane. The striker dropped deep and delivered a diagonal pass towards Jude Bellingham, who sent the ball across the face of goal for Rogers to bundle home from close range.
England had taken time to settle against a Croatia side seeking a response to their 7-0 defeat in the reverse fixture in October. The hosts gradually improved after a slow opening, with Elliot Anderson firing over from the edge of the area before Rogers broke the deadlock.
Thomas Tuchel's side carried that advantage into half-time but were unable to extend it despite creating further opportunities after the restart.
Anthony Gordon curled an effort wide, while Kane was denied by a block from his Bayern Munich teammate Josip Stanisic after Declan Rice had cut the ball back into the area. Bellingham also tested Croatia's defence as England looked for a second goal.
Croatia punished the missed chances in the 59th minute when Petar Sucic capitalised on a defensive error. Jarell Quansah attempted to head the ball back towards goalkeeper Jordan Pickford after a corner, but his under-hit effort fell to Sucic, who reacted quickest to poke the ball into the net.
England restored their lead five minutes later after a VAR review resulted in a penalty. Ivan Smolcic pulled Quansah down inside the area while the sides contested an England corner and referee Morten Krogh pointed to the spot. Kane stepped up and sent his effort straight down the middle to put the hosts back in front.
The closing stages remained tense as Croatia pushed for another equaliser. Nikola Vlasic fired narrowly wide, while substitute Ante Budimir headed over in stoppage time. James Garner also thought he had added a third for England, but his effort was ruled out for offside.
After the match, Tuchel praised his players for responding to Croatia's equaliser and said England had deserved the result. “We wanted this win desperately and I think we deserved it,” the head coach said, adding that his side had “got the job done” on a special night for Kane.
Kane said the reception before kick-off had been an “incredible gesture” but stressed that the priority once the match began was securing the points.
He acknowledged that England had given the ball away too easily in their own half and said they had enough chances to score two or three goals. He added that the team would need to improve ahead of Sunday's meeting with Spain.
Rogers, who opened the scoring, described sharing the pitch with Kane on his record appearance as a “special honour”, praising the captain's work ethic and focus. He also said England had expected a tougher contest than the 7-0 victory in Croatia and had needed to find another way to win.
The result guarantees England a place in the quarter-finals, which will be played in March. Tuchel's side will travel to Madrid on Sunday, November 15, for their final Group A3 match against Spain, with victory securing top spot in the group.
