A closer look at how England’s captain made a milestone night even more special

Sep 10, 2024 3 min read
Harry Kane won his 100th England cap against Finland (Mike Egerton/PA)
Harry Kane won his 100th England cap against Finland (Mike Egerton/PA)

Harry Kane celebrated his 100th cap for England with two goals on a night where Lee Carsley’s men rallied to a 2-0 victory in their Nations League Group F clash against Finland .

The England captain, who donned gold boots on his Wembley return, made it 68 goals for the Three Lions with two clinical finishes in the second half.

Here, the PA news agency breaks down a successful evening for the Bayern Munich and former Tottenham striker, who joins a list of nine other players to have made a ton of appearances for England.

Crowd response

England v Finland – UEFA Nations League – Group B2 – Wembley Stadium
Kane was met with applause from the Wembley crowd (Mike Egerton/PA)

Kane led his team-mates out to mark triple digit appearances for England, and the 31-year-old was met with applause when he was awarded a golden cap by fellow centurion Frank Lampard before kick-off.

The two-goal man was serenaded in the 80th minute by the England faithful when he made way for substitute Jarrod Bowen.

Goal threat

England v Finland – UEFA Nations League – Group B2 – Wembley Stadium
Kane celebrated his second of the match (Mike Egerton/PA)

The prolific forward thought he had broken the deadlock after 23 minutes but referee Morten Krogh ruled his header from Bukayo Saka’s cross to be  offside.

Kane however showed his pedigree in the second half with a thumping 57th minute finish before he powered Noni Madueke’s pass into the bottom left-hand corner to double his tally.

Leadership

England v Finland – UEFA Nations League – Group B2 – Wembley Stadium
Kane was awarded man of the match after his performance (Mike Egerton/PA)

Kane was the oldest player on the pitch for England and he spearheaded the attack with clever runs behind the centre-backs in a bid to open the scoring.

England needed a goal after a frustrating half and Kane took it upon himself to find an opener. The striker’s smashed finish into the roof of the net was met with celebrations from all of his team-mates, who rushed to congratulate him on his landmark appearance.

Work rate

England v Finland – UEFA Nations League – Group B2 – Wembley Stadium
Kane ,centre, fighting two Finland player for possession (Mike Egerton/PA)

Kane often dropped deep to receive the ball. He enjoyed combinations with the likes of Jack Grealish to create chances against Finland’s low block and he backed this up when he surged with the ball before applying a deadly finish for the goal which broke the deadlock.

His potent instincts in and around the area were demonstrated for Kane’s second, as he burst into the area once Madueke skipped past his marker and showed quicker thinking than Finland’s players as he calmly completed his brace.

Overall assessment

England v Finland – UEFA Nations League – Group B2 – Wembley Stadium
Kane was substituted after a spectacular Wembley double (Nick Potts/PA)

Kane showed glimpses of the form which saw him net 36 Bundesliga goals for Bayern last season. His ability to link with his team-mates, offer a threat aerially and in behind, outlined why he is the country’s all-time top scorer.

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