Kane fires double vs Finland to mark 100th England cap

Harry Kane celebrated his 100th England cap in memorable style as the striker’s superb double sealed a 2-0 win against Finland in the Nations League on Tuesday.

England captain Kane struck with a pair of eye-catching finishes in the second half at Wembley to mark the latest landmark in his remarkable career.

The 31-year-old is the 10th man to reach a century of England appearances, joining the likes of David Beckham and Bobby Moore in the exclusive club.

Goalkeeper Peter Shilton holds England’s caps record with 125 appearances, while Wayne Rooney is the country’s most capped outfield player on 120, and it would be little surprise if Kane passed both of them.

He is only the third England player to score on their 100th appearance after Rooney against Slovenia in 2014 and Bobby Charlton against Northern Ireland in 1970.

Kane became England’s record scorer in March 2023 and the Bayern Munich striker now has 68 goals for his country.

It was a perfect night for the former Tottenham star, who led England onto the pitch alongside his two of children before kick-off and was presented with a commemorative gold cap by fellow Three Lions centurions Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole.

“His finishing is very good, even in training. It’s not a surprise when he scores goals as his habits are so good,” England interim boss Lee Carsley said.

“The way he trains and conducts himself, he is a great example for the rest of the players.”

While Kane took the spotlight, it was also another encouraging game for Carsley, who oversaw a 2-0 victory against Ireland in his first game in charge on Saturday.

Carsley is the first England manager to win his first two competitive games since Fabio Capello in 2008.

Showing faith in the players he worked with as England Under-21 coach, Carsley gave a first Three Lions start to Lille midfielder Angel Gomes, who gave a made solid impact, while Chelsea winger Noni Madueke set up Kane’s second goal after coming off the bench for his debut.

After being denied by a tight offside call in the first half and several fine saves from Finland keeper Lukas Hradecky, Kane got the goal he craved in the 58th minute.

Taking Trent Alexander-Arnold’s pass 20 yards from goal, Kane deftly shifted the ball into space before unleashing a blistering strike that cannoned into the net off the underside of the crossbar.

Kane’s 26th goal in 35 Wembley appearances for England was swiftly followed by his 27th in the 76th minute.

Running to Alexander-Arnold’s pin-point pass, Madueke teed up Kane with a low cross that the striker slotted home in typically predatory fashion from 12 yards.

Capping a night to remember, Kane exited to a standing ovation when he was substituted moments later.

Germany secure draw: Germany conceded their earliest goal in 50 years but fought back to lead at half-time before drawing 2-2 away at the Netherlands.

Germany were stung early, Tijjani Reijnders giving the hosts the lead after 99 seconds.

The shellshocked visitors gave up several chances in the opening half an hour but eventually fought back to lead, thanks to two goals in seven minutes from Deniz Undav and new captain Joshua Kimmich before the break.

Denzel Dumfries, who missed a golden chance early, levelled things up just after half-time and despite both sides spurning chances -- including a poor Kai Havertz miss from close range -- the score remained level at full-time.

Both sides came into the match with big wins over their Nations League group rivals, Germany thrashing Hungary 5-0 and the Netherlands beating Bosnia and Herzegovina 5-2.

Czechs pip Ukraine: Two first-half Pavel Sulc goals guided the Czech Republic to a 3-2 win over Ukraine, with a late penalty ensuring the win for the hosts in a match in which both sides created a number of chances.

The Czechs, with a revamped lineup following a 4-1 thrashing by Georgia, struck first when Sulc re-directed a Vaclav Cerny shot past Ukraine goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin.

Agencies