Harry Kane breaks England record as Italy stun France in Nations League thriller

Harry Kane celebrated a landmark night for England with another winning performance as the Three Lions beat Croatia 2-1 in the UEFA Nations League on Thursday. The England captain became his country’s most capped international before scoring his 92nd goal to secure a place in the quarter-finals.

Italy produced one of the biggest results of the night, recovering from an early setback to beat France 3-1 at the San Siro. Pio Esposito scored twice as Italy recorded their first home win over France since 1962, leaving both sides level on points at the top of Group A1.

World champions Spain continued their impressive run with a 2-0 win over the Czech Republic, maintaining their perfect record in the competition. Alex Baena and Marc Pubill were on target as Spain extended their unbeaten run to 43 matches.

Belgium also kept their qualification hopes alive with a 2-1 comeback win against Turkey, while Thursday’s results set up an interesting final round of group matches. England and Spain have already secured their place in the quarter-finals, but their meeting in Madrid on Sunday will decide who will finish top of Group A3.

KANE MAKES HISTORY VS CROATIA

Kane’s 126th appearance surpassed Peter Shilton’s to become England’s all-time record holder for men’s international caps. On that occasion, he extended his national scoring record when he converted a second-half penalty to seal a 2–1 win at Wembley.

Morgan Rogers opened the scoring in the 24th minute after Jude Bellingham helped create the opportunity. Croatia responded through Petar Sucic in the 59th minute, but England regained the lead five minutes later after Jarell Quansah was brought down in the box.

Kane stepped on and converted from the spot to take his international tally to 92 goals.

“It’s a great opportunity on Sunday to try and prove ourselves,” Kane told ITV Sport ahead of the meeting with Spain.

England need to beat Spain by at least two goals to top the group after losing 3-2 in the reverse fixture in September.

HISTORIC COMEBACK ITALY VS. FRANCE

Italy had to recover from an early setback after Michael Olise capitalized on Gianluigi Donnarumma’s mistake to put France ahead. Pio Esposito restored parity in the 26th minute when he finished off Nicol Cambiaghi’s pass to bring the home side back into the match.

France hit the woodwork twice before Italy had the chance to take the lead from the penalty spot. Sebastiano Esposito, Pio’s older brother, missed his attempt, but Davide Frattesi made amends by coming off the bench to give the Italians the lead.

Italy earned another penalty when Antonio Vergara was fouled by Dayot Upamecano. This time Pio Esposito took charge and converted to complete his brace and seal a memorable win.

The result moved Italy level with France on 10 points in Group A1, with the Azzurri holding the lead in their head-to-head record.

SPAIN KEEP PERFECT NATIONS LEAGUE RECORD

Spain continued their dominant run with a 2-0 win away to the Czech Republic. Alex Baena converted a penalty at the end of the first half and the visitors suffered another loss when captain Ladislav Krejčí was sent off in the 72nd minute.

Marc Pubill sealed the victory with a goal in the sixth minute of regulation time. Spain remain unbeaten in 43 consecutive matches, while their final group game against England will decide the top spot in Group A3.

BELGIUM KEEP HOPE, DIFFERENT RESULTS

Belgium recovered from Arda Guler’s 20th-minute free kick to beat Turkey 2-1. Kevin De Bruyne equalized before Charles De Ketelaere completed the turnaround to set up a crucial final group game against Italy.

Albania beat Finland 2-0 and Belarus beat San Marino 2-0 in Group C1. Montenegro secured their place in Group C2 with a 2-1 win over Latvia, while Armenia and Cyprus played out a 1-1 draw.

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