England completed their flawless World Cup qualifying campaign with a hard-earned 2-0 victory against Albania. Harry Kane netted two goals in the second half as the Three Lions secured their eighth win out of eight matches.
Manager Thomas Tuchel made several changes in Tirana, with qualification to next year’s tournament already secured. Notably, Jude Bellingham started in place of Morgan Rogers among seven alterations from the previous win over Serbia.
Albania, still in contention for the play-offs, posed a tough challenge early on, forcing England to wait over 30 minutes for their first significant opportunity, which came from Jarrod Bowen’s shot deflected for a corner.
Despite not conceding in their previous seven matches, England faced threats from Albania, with goalkeeper Dean Henderson making two crucial saves.
With less than 20 minutes remaining, Harry Kane capitalized on a Bukayo Saka corner to break the deadlock, before sealing the win with his 78th international goal via a header.
England heads to the World Cup following a perfect qualifying campaign, boasting not only eight wins but also eight clean sheets.
Mirror Sport’s Chief Football Writer John Cross, present in Albania, evaluated the England players following another triumph.
– Dean Henderson: 7 – Impressive saves and a crucial tackle, solidifying his position as the next in line after Pickford.
– Jarell Quansah: 5 – Made his England debut but appeared uncomfortable playing out of position at right back.
– John Stones: 7 – Stood out as England’s top defender and one of the standout performers, showcasing versatility by covering in midfield.
– Dan Burn: 6 – Lacked creativity on the ball, despite posing a threat with his height, struggled with passing accuracy.
– Nico O’Reilly: 7 – Demonstrated defensive capabilities with effective tracking back and determined defending.
– Adam Wharton: 6 – Received a booking, showed glimpses of quality in his first start but performed decently.
– Jude Bellingham: 8 – Outstanding effort, displaying quality and proving his worth as a key player for England.
– Declan Rice: 7 – Covered vast areas of the pitch, exerting himself to exhaustion, although his impact waned in the second half.
– Jarrod Bowen: 7 – Consistent work rate and impressive performance whenever given an opportunity, came close to scoring.
– Eberechi Eze: 6 – Missed a scoring chance due to a fine save, struggled to make an impact playing out wide on the left.
– Harry Kane: 8 – England’s standout performer, the reliable goal scorer, securing another victory for his team.
Substitutions:
– Foden, for Rice, 63 mins: 7
– Saka, for Eze, 63 mins: 7
– Anderson, for Wharton, 75 mins
– Rashford, for Bowen, 75 mins
– Rogers, for Bellingham, 84 mins
Substitutes:
Pickford, Trafford, James, Chalobah, Saka, J Henderson, Rashford, Spence, Rogers, Foden, Anderson, Scott.
Man of the match: Harry Kane – Setting records, scoring goals, and delivering a flawless performance.
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