10 stars for The Three Lions as they pull a convincing World Cup qualifying run
In San Marino, England scored ten goals for the first time since 1964, securing qualification for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar with embarrassing ease. Harry Kane equaled Gary Lineker's record of 48 England goals by scoring four in the first half, as well as setting a new high of 13 for his country in a calendar year, when he followed up his hat-trick in the 5-0 triumph over Albania.
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Only Sir Bobby Charlton and Wayne Rooney have scored more goals for England than Kane. He is now only five behind Rooney, who holds the record with 53. After Vivian Woodward, Dixie Dean, and Tommy Taylor, Kane became the fourth player to score a hat-trick in consecutive England games, and the first to score four since Ian Wright, who also scored four against San Marino in 1993.
England got off to a good start thanks to Harry Maguire's early header, and Bukayo Saka's attempt was deflected in by Filippo Fabri before Kane took over with two penalties and a pair of signature finishes in the area. Emile Smith Rowe and Tyrone Mings scored their first international goals with a precise finish and an angled header, respectively, as England continued to pummel San Marino after the half.
England scored ten goals for the first time since beating the United States 10-0 in New York City in May 1964, and for the first time ever in a competitive match, with goals from replacement Tammy Abraham and Saka. San Marino is rated 210th in the Fifa rankings, and the only advantage their players may have is that they can say they played on the same pitch as Kane, since otherwise, this was a humiliating exercise for a country that has only won one match out of 186. Kane had a terrific night, scoring two penalties for handball against Dante Rossi, who was later sent off after receiving two yellow cards, and Alessandro D'Addario. Although he was helped by weak San Marino defending, he scuffed one finish but displayed slick technique for another.
Smith Rowe made a terrific impression in his first England start and deserved his goal, while Conor Gallagher, who has been so impressive on loan at Crystal Palace from Chelsea, also made his first appearance for England.
This was an example of a job well done for England. Southgate can now begin serious preparations for next year's World Cup, as he seeks to improve on his 2018 semi-final performance in Russia. "We gave a performance that was pleasant for the supporters who travelled, was clinical in the way we went about it, and then showcased some intriguing young players coming through," England manager Gareth Southgate said. Of course, we'll face much greater challenges, but I've been on evenings like this with England that were dreadful, where the crowd was on our backs and the atmosphere was completely different.
