England secured a 2-1 victory over Croatia at Wembley Stadium to book their place in the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals.
The Three Lions had to work hard for the three points after Croatia recovered from going behind to make it 1-1 in the second half.
However, captain Harry Kane stepped up to score the winning goal from the penalty spot and give Thomas Tuchel’s side an important victory.
The match was also a special occasion for Kane, who made his record-breaking 126th appearance, moving ahead of former goalkeeper Peter Shilton as the country’s most-capped men’s international player.
The Three Lions went into the game knowing that a draw would be enough to secure qualification, but they finished the night with all three points after an entertaining contest at Wembley.
Croatia started the match with confidence and looked dangerous during the opening stages. England struggled to find their rhythm early on, while Jordan Pickford had to remain alert as the visitors looked for an opening.
However, the host gradually took control of the game and began creating better attacking opportunities. Elliot Anderson came close to opening the scoring in the 15th minute when his effort from around 20 yards went narrowly wide of the target.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 24th minute through Chelsea’s Morgan Rogers. Harry Kane started the move with a well-timed pass towards Jude Bellingham on the right side of the penalty area.
Jude Bellingham then sent the ball across goal, and after Josko Gvardiol failed to clear it properly, Rogers reacted quickly to put the ball beyond goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic.
The goal gave the host a 1-0 advantage and lifted the atmosphere inside Wembley. They continued to push forward after taking the lead with hopes of getting another.
Morgan Rogers later helped create an opportunity for Jude Bellingham, but the Real Madrid midfielder’s effort was blocked by the Croatian defence.
Croatia also threatened, with Manchester City’s Mateo Kovacic testing Pickford from distance, but the England national team goalkeeper dealt with the effort.
The host returned for the second half without making any substitutions and looked to extend their advantage.
Declan Rice came close to creating a clear scoring opportunity in the 51st minute after collecting a pass from Rogers and pulling the ball back towards Kane.
However, Josip Stanišić got across to block the danger. Anthony Gordon also went close in the 55th minute when his curling effort narrowly missed the target.
Elliot Anderson tried something special a minute later after spotting Livaković away from his goal, but his long-range attempt went wide.
The visitors punished the host for failing to take their chances in the 59th minute. The visitors won a corner, and Jarell Quansah’s attempted headed clearance fell into the path of Petar Sučić.
The away side midfielder reacted quickly, turned and fired into the top corner to make it 1-1. The host responded immediately and were rewarded with a penalty in the 63rd minute.
During a corner, Quansah was held by Josip Šmolčić inside the penalty area. The referee initially allowed play to continue, but VAR recommended a review which was carried out immediately.
After checking the incident on the pitchside monitor, the referee awarded England a penalty. Smolčić also received a yellow card for the foul.
Harry Kane stepped forward and calmly converted the spot kick in the 64th minute, sending Livaković the wrong way to restore England’s advantage.
The goal was Kane’s 92nd for England and gave the Three Lions a 2-1 lead. Croatia tried to find another equaliser, but Pickford remained alert.
Sučić tested the goalkeeper again in the 69th minute, but his low effort was comfortably saved. Both coaches made changes as the game entered its closing stages.
The away side introduced Luka Modrić and Mario Pašalić in the 76th minute, while the host responded with a triple substitution two minutes later, bringing on Ngumoha, Garner and White for Alexander-Arnold, Gordon and Rice.
The final minutes produced plenty of drama, with both teams having opportunities to change the scoreline.
James Garner thought he had scored the third goal in the 86th minute after receiving a pass from Jude Bellingham, but the effort was ruled out for offside.
The visitors nearly punished the host immediately afterwards. Ante Budimir’s effort was deflected wide by Quansah before another dangerous moment developed from the resulting corner.
Dan Burn also missed a good opportunity to extend the three Lions lead when his close-range header went over the crossbar in the 89th minute.
The away side biggest opportunity came in the 92nd minute when Budimir found himself unmarked just four yards from goal. However, the striker sent his header over the bar when he should have scored.
England survived the late pressure and secured a valuable 2-1 victory at Wembley against Croatia which sealed their place in the next phase of the UEFA Nations League.
The victory confirms the three Lions place in the quarter-finals. Kane’s record-breaking appearance and winning penalty made it an even more memorable evening for the captain.
Morgan Rogers also continued his impressive form by scoring the opening goal, while Bellingham played an important role in creating the breakthrough.
England will turn their attention to their next Nations League fixture against Spain, with an opportunity to challenge for top spot in Group A3 which is very important.
