Harry Kane nears England’s all-time top scorer record as Three Lions thrash Albania
England enjoyed one of their best performances in recent months when they faced Albania on Friday evening at Wembley Stadium.
A first-half masterclass saw Gareth Southgate’s side completely blow away their opponents. The football on display was simply breathtaking, just as the goals were well-worked.
Harry Maguire set the ball rolling with a thumping header in the ninth minute. Nine minutes later, Harry Kane made it 2-0 before Jordan Henderson scored a third on the half-hour mark.
Kane added two more goals in the final 15 minutes of the first half to complete his hat-trick and extend England’s lead to 5-0. The Three Lions couldn’t grab any more goals in the second half but their first-half performance was enough to secure an emphatic win.
The #ThreeLions' all-time top goalscorer in competitive matches: @HKane! 🦁 https://t.co/gtwytPc8v0
Kane nears England’s all-time top scorer record
Kane was the star of the show against Albania. The Tottenham talisman's ruthlessness in front of goal would have delighted Southgate following the striker’s struggles. Kane's hat-trick is most welcome after his struggles at Tottenham this season in the aftermath of his failed move to Manchester City.
The 28-year-old has always delivered for his country and his latest goals have taken him closer to becoming England’s all-time top scorer.
Since making his international debut in 2015, Kane has scored 44 goals for the Three Lions, which puts him fifth in the country’s all-time top scorers list.
However, he is now just nine goals away from Wayne Rooney, who currently holds the record with 53 goals. With Kane’s impressive goal per game ratio, it’s fair to say the record will be broken sooner rather than later.
Perfect night! One step closer… 🎩⚽️⚽️⚽️ https://t.co/7FuCa1rYS1
England all but secure World Cup qualification after Albania rout
Southgate was buoyant after watching his side cut through Albania with cheeky ease. England now hold a three-point lead over Poland in Group I of the European World Cup qualifiers.
The Three Lions also have a superior goal difference over the Poles, which makes their qualification to Qatar all but secure.
After the game, Gareth Southgate told Sky Sports:
"I thought it was a really strong team performance, particularly that first half.”
“We had an edge about us tonight and we're at our best when we have an edge. We needed a collective response from our last game," he added.
We're clear on why we felt we didn't get that performance [against Hungary] and we addressed that in the first half,” concluded the England boss.
England will face San Marino in their final qualification game and all they need is a draw to top their group. That is definitely doable for a team with the quality and squad depth of the Three Lions.