England 2 Croatia 1: Kane’s 92nd International Goal Gives Tuchel’s Side Victory, now Can They Beat Spain?

Harry Kane celebrates his 92nd goal for England Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

England can still top Group Three of the Nations League after a narrow 2-1 win against Croatia at Wembley on Thursday night. Fittingly, it was Harry Kane — on his record-breaking 126th appearance for his country — who scored the winner.

Thomas Tuchel’s side took a first-half lead when a deliciously clipped Kane pass picked out Jude Bellingham on the right, who squared it for Morgan Rogers, who bounced a finish past goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic.

But anyone expecting another 7-0 romp was to be disappointed. Croatia were level on 59 minutes after a Jarell Quansah error let in Petar Sucic, but Ivan Smolcic gave away a penalty five minutes later for pulling Quansah’s shirt. Kane — who else — stepped up to score his 92nd England goal and restore the lead.

Croatia had several chances to level again in the closing stages, with Dan Burn in particular making some crucial interventions as the visitors threatened.

Now all eyes turn to Madrid on Sunday night to see how this heavyweight group will finish.

Jack Pitt-Brooke and Liam Tharme break down the key talking points from the game.

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A result that sets up the ‘final’ Tuchel was hoping for

Thomas Tuchel has been building up Sunday’s trip to Spain to play in Madrid as the ‘final’ of this Nations League group phase, and that is how it will feel. England go to the world and European champions knowing that a win should see them finish top of Group A3, and therefore be seeded for the quarter-finals at the end of March.

The idea of such an important game just four months after the World Cup is hugely motivating for Tuchel and this group of players. One of their goals right now is to close the gap between England and the best teams in the world. And Sunday night at the home of Atletico Madrid is the perfect chance to prove that they can do that.

Tuchel has the denouement he was hoping forHenry Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images

When the two teams met here in September, England played some excellent football but were undone at key moments and lost.

England were not brilliant this evening against Croatia, but they have done the most important thing: set up the blockbuster ‘final’ against Spain.

Jack Pitt-Brooke

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Assessing England’s makeshift back four

A host of injuries to Djed Spence, Ezri Konsa and Marc Guehi meant something of a makeshift defence for Tuchel. He’d given multiple starts to Lewis Hall (left-back) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (right-back) in the last break and opted for that pairing, meaning England had attacking options on both sides that could push forward. Hall was excellent defensively, particularly dealing with long balls, while Trent worked some neat triangles with Morgan Rogers and Jude Bellingham without producing one of his trademark pinpoint crosses.

It was a mixed night for Jarell Quansah and Dan Burn, a stand-in centre-back duo — Burn was added into the squad to replace Guehi. They handled Croatia’s target man striker Igor Matanovic, though Quansah was at fault for the equaliser with an underhit header back to Pickford at a defensive corner, allowing Petar Sucic to pounce.

Quansah watches as his error allows Croatia to equaliseShaun Botterill/Getty Images

He made up for the mistake within five minutes, winning a foul at an attacking corner to give Kane a penalty to restore England’s lead. With four minutes remaining, he made a crucial sliding block to prevent substitute Ante Budimir from scoring on the angle.

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Tuchel will be frustrated by the lack of a clean sheet, but pleased to see his backup defenders functioning when needed, particularly given Croatia’s attacking directness and transition threat.

Liam Tharme

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Ben White booed by (some) England fans

Ben White spoke openly this week about his experience of being booed when he returned to England action in March. He explained that he had no complaints about that treatment, but said that if fans knew the full story of his departure from the England squad during the 2022 World Cup, they might not act that way. Thomas Tuchel has been emphatic in his support, saying last week that White “deserves to open a new chapter” and that he “deserves positive feedback from the crowd”.

But when White was introduced with 14 minutes left here for Alexander-Arnold, he was booed by a section of England fans. It was only a minority, but an audible one. It felt less widespread than when White was booed against Uruguay here in March.

White received a smattering of boos when he came on for Alexander-ArnoldMike Hewitt/Getty Images

White clearly has Tuchel’s trust, and it feels very plausible that he could start in Madrid on Sunday against Spain, in the game that will be the climax to this Nations League campaign. It could be an important opportunity for White to create some positive memories for England and make the case for himself as the right-back going into 2027.

Jack Pitt-Brooke

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A pre-match ceremony fit for a Ballon d’Or winner

The pre-match celebrations for Harry Kane were so special and so heartfelt it almost felt as if they took some of the energy away from the football. This was a unique occasion, Kane breaking the all-time England cap record while also playing his first international since he won the Ballon d’Or last month.

So just before the players came out, a huge tifo was unveiled saying ‘KANE 126’, marking his historic achievement. Kane collected the Ballon d’Or from a plinth and waved it proudly to the fans. Then he was presented with a special cap by Peter Shilton, whose long-standing record of 125 caps he has broken. Then Croatia legend Luka Modric gave him a glass-cased football, a replica of the first-ever football brought to Croatia by the English in 1880. Then, finally, Prince William brought out a framed shirt saying ‘KANE 126’ and handed it to the England captain.

A giant Kane tifo marking his 126th cap was displayed before Thursday’s gameJustin Setterfield/Getty Images

There has never been anything quite like this pageantry and ceremony for an England player, but then there has never been an England player quite like Kane.

Jack Pitt-Brooke

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What did Thomas Tuchel say?

Speaking to ITV after the game, Tuchel said: “We wanted this win desperately and I think we deserved it. Got a little bit sloppy at the very end of the first half.

“We got the job done and it was important because it was a special occasion for Harry [Kane] and he scored the winner, so perfect evening.”

Discussing the makeshift defence, he said: “Good. It was demanding for Dan Burn and also for Jarell [Quansah] because they [Croatia] play with a back five and have two number 10s in between the lines. It was a lot of work to do, a lot of communication but they did very well.”

Harry Kane, in the post-match press conference, spoke about wanting to win Euro 2028. “It inspires me, no doubt. I think to be able to share the Ballon d’Or with our fans is important because we haven’t won it for a long, long time. It’s an important occasion to mark and just seeing the fans and the reception that I’ve got was incredible. And I know if we win a major tournament, which is my ultimate goal and my biggest dream with England, then the celebration not just in the stadium but around the whole country will be special. I don’t think I need any more motivation to make that happen, but yeah, it’ll be incredible if we can.”

Source: www.nytimes.com