Harry Kane Creates England History With Record 126th Cap As Italy Defeat France 3-1 In Nations League Thriller

Harry Kane Makes England History As Italy Stun France In Nations League Action

England captain Harry Kane marked a historic milestone with a decisive goal as the Three Lions secured a 2-1 victory over Croatia in the UEFA Nations League on Thursday. Kane became England’s most-capped men’s international, surpassing Peter Shilton, and celebrated his 126th appearance by scoring his 92nd international goal to help his team book a place in the quarter-finals.

Italy delivered one of the standout performances of the evening, overcoming France 3-1 at the San Siro. Pio Esposito scored twice to inspire the hosts to their first home victory against France since 1962. The result left both teams level on 10 points at the top of Group A1, with Italy holding the head-to-head advantage.

Spain maintained their impressive form with a comfortable 2-0 win over the Czech Republic. Goals from Alex Baena and Marc Pubill extended Spain’s unbeaten run to 43 matches and kept their perfect Nations League campaign intact.

Belgium also strengthened their chances of progressing after coming from behind to beat Türkiye 2-1. With the group stage approaching its conclusion, several teams remain involved in the race for qualification and final standings.

Kane’s Record-Breaking Night At Wembley

Harry Kane made history by earning his 126th cap for England, moving ahead of former goalkeeper Peter Shilton to become the country’s most-capped men’s international.

The England skipper capped the occasion with a second-half penalty that secured a 2-1 win against Croatia. Morgan Rogers had given England the lead in the 24th minute following a move involving Jude Bellingham.

Croatia fought back after Petar Sucic scored in the 59th minute. However, England regained control five minutes later when Jarell Quansah was brought down inside the penalty area. Kane converted the resulting spot-kick, taking his international goal tally to 92.

Speaking to ITV Sport, Kane said the upcoming match against Spain offered England an opportunity to demonstrate their progress.

England will need a victory by at least two goals in Madrid on Sunday to finish at the top of Group A3, following their 3-2 defeat in the reverse fixture in September.

Italy Overcome France In Memorable San Siro Victory

Italy produced an impressive comeback against France after falling behind early in the contest.

Michael Olise opened the scoring after capitalising on an error by Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. The hosts responded in the 26th minute when Pio Esposito converted Nicol Cambiaghi’s delivery to bring the scores level.

France came close to restoring their advantage on two occasions but were denied by the woodwork. Italy subsequently had an opportunity to move ahead through a penalty, although Sebastiano Esposito failed to convert.

Davide Frattesi, introduced as a substitute, then put Italy in front. The hosts earned another penalty after Antonio Vergara was fouled by Dayot Upamecano, and Pio Esposito stepped up to score his second goal of the night.

The 3-1 triumph gave Italy a significant advantage over France in the Group A1 standings, with both sides sitting on 10 points.

Spain Extend Unbeaten Run With Czech Republic Win

Spain continued their strong Nations League campaign by defeating the Czech Republic 2-0 away from home.

Alex Baena opened the scoring from the penalty spot towards the end of the first half. The Czech Republic’s task became more difficult when captain Ladislav Krejci received a red card in the 72nd minute.

Marc Pubill added Spain’s second goal in the sixth minute of stoppage time to complete the victory.

The result extended Spain’s unbeaten streak to 43 matches. Their final group-stage encounter against England will determine the winner of Group A3.

• Belgium Stage Comeback Against Türkiye
• Belgium kept their qualification hopes alive with a 2-1 victory over Türkiye.

Arda Guler put Türkiye ahead with a free-kick in the 20th minute, but Belgium responded through Kevin De Bruyne, who restored parity. Charles De Ketelaere subsequently scored the winning goal to complete the comeback.

Belgium now face a crucial final group match against Italy, with qualification still at stake.

Other Nations League Results

Elsewhere, Albania defeated Finland 2-0, while Belarus registered a 2-0 victory over San Marino in Group C1.

Montenegro secured promotion from Group C2 after beating Latvia 2-1. Armenia and Cyprus, meanwhile, shared the points following a 1-1 draw.

Thursday’s results have intensified the competition ahead of the final round of group matches, with several qualification and promotion battles still to be decided.