Harry Kane enjoyed a “pretty much perfect” night as England’s captain marked his 100th cap by scoring a brilliant brace in the Nations League victory against Finland.
The nation’s all-time top scorer became just the 10th Englishman, and first since Wayne Rooney a decade ago, to reach a century of senior international caps on Tuesday evening.
Kane was presented with a golden cap before kick-off and donned golden boots on a special night he marked with a fantastic second-half double in a 2-0 win.
The 31-year-old rifled his first off the underside of the bar and then scored a fine first-time effort, but there was to be no hat-trick as interim manager Lee Carsley withdrew the striker.
“It was almost a perfect night,” Kane said after extending his England record to 68 goals.
“As a striker of course on my 100th cap I wanted to score a goal and make the night as memorable as possible and to win the game as well.
“So, to score a couple of good goals, a couple of nice finishes and help the team win 2-0 was pretty much perfect.
“A proud night for me and the family and now we can enjoy it.”
Asked if he wanted the hat-trick, Kane – who had a first-half header disallowed for offside – said after a short pause: “I mean, I had enough shots to get the hat-trick, but Lee spoke about managing some minutes with a lot of games coming up.”
An incredible journey to become the latest #ThreeLions centurion. 🦁
🤍 @HKane pic.twitter.com/m5nM94Ai87
— England (@England) September 10, 2024
Kane returns to Bayern Munich buoyed by Tuesday’s memorable milestone and driven to reach even greater heights for club and country, with Peter Shilton’s 125-cap England record edging closer.
“I mentioned yesterday about from an early age can you keep focused and motivated,” the long-serving England skipper said.
“I think nowadays as footballer you’re going to get criticism, you’re going to have people talk about you as a player.
“I’ve always spoken about when things are not going your way, trying to use that to motivate you, bring an energy, a motivation and a hunger inside of you to perform.
“And not just to prove other people wrong but to prove to yourself that you can keep maintaining this level and keep pushing. That’s what I talk about.
“There will be a time – I’m not sure when – that the level will drop and you won’t quite feel the same but while I feel like I do, I want to keep pushing the boundaries.
“I think I showed that out there tonight and come October I’ll be ready to go again.”
It was a special night for England skipper Kane, who interim boss Carsley has been full of praise for during his first camp in charge of the senior team.
“It’s brilliant that he’s got 100 caps tonight and then to score the two goals, and the way that he took the goals, was outstanding,” he said.
“Not surprising. To see him in the short space of time that we’ve worked with, the standards that he’s got, the level is that he produces every single day, on and off the pitch.
“Hopefully he’ll get all the plaudits tonight. We’re very lucky to have him.”
Carsley’s side have, as expected, won both of their Group B2 matches, following up their 2-0 triumph away to the Republic of Ireland with a win by the same scoreline against Finland.
Tuesday’s opponents sit bottom of the pool after losing both of their Nations League opener, but head coach Markku Kanerva was proud of his side’s efforts at Wembley.
“Disappointed after losing 2-0,” he said. “But we knew it was going to be a tough task playing against a world-class team like England.
“I’m proud of how my players fought today. Second half, England forced us to defend pretty well.
“Of course, disappointed with how they scored goals but England was much better than us, which was expected in a way. But I think we did everything we could.”
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. PORTUGAL WIN THE UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE ON PENALTIES Nuno Mendes 😎 Anti Right Winger Morata : Me again? Congratulations Portugal & Ronaldo Kepa in Arsenal be like I am sorry. Please stay tuned on Daily Laugh. There will be more fun tomorrow!(Credit: BleacherReportFootball, Justtoonit, originaltrollfootball)...
PSG get talks underway with Bournemouth for ZabarnyiFabrizio Romano reports that PSG are determined to sign Ilya Zabarnyi this summer. While talks are underway with Bournemouth, the two clubs have not yet reached an agreement. The player remains keen to join Les Parisiens.Everton join Newcastle in race to sign GrealishEverton are interesting in acquiring the services of Manchester City outcast Jac...
WHAT HAPPENED?Napoli striker Osimhen has reportedly made up his mind on his future, and it seems like it won't include a sensational move to the Middle East. This comes from a scoop from journalist Buchi Laba, who reports that Osimhen has rejected a fifth offer from Saudi side Al-Hilal and would rather continue his career in Europe.THE BIGGER PICTURELaba claims that Osimhen is not interested in a ...
France captain Kylian Mbappe says he is satisfied with his side bouncing back from their Nations League loss to Spain in the third-placed play-off.Les Bleus finished the campaign with a win over Germany, thanks to goals from the Real Madrid star and Michael Olise.And while there was a lot to like about the French performance in Stuttgart, Mbappe took a balanced approach to things in his post-match...
WHAT HAPPENED?The German club have asked to be kept up to date on Sancho's situation, with the Man Utd outcast being touted as a possible replacement for Chelsea target Jamie Gittens, as per Sky Sports. Sancho has already re-joined the club from Manchester United once - a six-month loan spell at the end of last season - and could yet return for a third spell with the German giants. Chelsea paid a ...
Jobe Bellingham of Sunderland celebrates getting promoted back to the Premier LeagueEngland U21 midfielder Jobe Bellingham has agreed terms to leave Sunderland for Borussia Dortmund in a deal reported at around 331 million including add-ons.The Bedlington-born starlet joins the German club on a five-year contract following Sunderland's promotion to the Premier League.Dortmund has reportedly agreed...
Brian Priske has chosen to return to Sparta PragueBrian Priske has returned to Sparta Prague to take up the position as head coach, say the Czech club on their website."We are pleased to announce the appointment of our new head coach. We welcome Brian, who knows the environment in the club. We strongly believe that he will build on the successful work he has delivered in the past and help Sparta w...
Borussia Dortmund keen on signing Jadon SanchoBorussia Dortmund are weighing up a fresh move for Jadon Sancho amid uncertainty over his future at Manchester United.The Bundesliga side have requested to be kept informed about the Englishman’s status at Old Trafford, with the out-of-favour winger seen as a potential replacement for Chelsea-linked Jamie Gittens, according to Sky Sports.Sancho i...
Gravenberch names his 2025 Ballon d'Or favouriteRyan Gravenberch shared his 2025 Ballon d'Or choice, backing his Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah to win the prestigious award.The Egypt international was the frontrunner for the 2025 Ballon d'Or during the first half of the season, topping both the goals and assists charts in the Premier League.0"That's a tough one, but I'll go for my teammate: Moha...
Uriah RennieUriah Rennie, the first black man to referee in the Premier League, has died at the age of 65.WHAT HAPPENED?In August 1997, Rennie was named as the referee for a Premier League game between Derby County and AFC Wimbledon and made history as the division's first ever black referee. He went on to officiate over 300 top-flight games across 11 years, as well as refereeing domestic cup fina...
- 1 England player ratings vs Andorra: Cole Palmer disappoints as Kane bails out Tuchel
- 2 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 3 Marcus Rashford 'grows close' to stunning semi-pro padel player
- 4 Why Premier League transfer may be off the cards for Victor Osimhen as Man Utd make 'timid' attempts to convince striker
- 5 Chukwueze reveals cause of AC Milan’s ‘disastrous’ season
- 6 FIFA confirms 34 team base camp training sites in the United States for 2025 Club World Cup, including nine in Florida and five in Calitornia
- 7 Man Utd continue to be linked with Emi Martinez
- 8 Daily Laugh - Morata : Me again?
- 9 Daily Laugh - Mbeumo and his amazing talent
- 10 Transfer news: Jadon Sancho announces move as Liverpool confirm deal