November 16, (THEWILL) – England thrashed San Marino 10-0 to clinch top spot in World Cup qualification Group I, with Harry Kane scoring four.
Three Lions manager Gareth Southgate made several changes from the England team that beat Albania on Friday night, but he kept a relatively solid spine in place, which included Tottenham Hotspur forward Kane.
The England captain made the most of the occasion, netting four goals in the first half to tie Gary Lineker for the most England goals with 48, trailing only Bobby Charlton (49) and Wayne Rooney (53).
Before Kane scored, England had taken a 2-0 lead, with Harry Maguire heading in the opener on six minutes and Filippo Fabbri turning the ball into his own net.
Kane then scored with a penalty following a VAR call, found the bottom corner from a cross for his second, and scored a well-taken penalty for his third, and a sumptuous individual finish for his fourth.
Kane’s four goals tie David Platt’s and Ian Wright’s four goals against the same opponents in February and November of 1993, respectively.
The game slowed down in the second half, with a red card for San Marino complicating matters for the battered hosts.
However, England had reasons to celebrate as they cruised to victory, with Emile Smith Rowe and Tyrone Mings netting their first England goals as the goals continued to pour in with Smith Rowe’s teammate Bukayo Saka firing in the 10th a minute after Tammy Abraham made it 9-0.
In the end, England won Group I by six points as Hungary defeated Poland 2-1 in the other group tie. If Poland is to qualify for Qatar, they must now do so via the playoffs.
England has sailed through what should have been a difficult group with ease. In Qatar in 2022, they will fancy their chances against the best and seek to improve on their Euro 2020 final loss at home to Italy.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
