KANE CLOSING IN ON ENGLAND RECORD
ENGLAND strolled to 2022 World Cup qualification as they thrashed lowly San Marino 10-0, with Harry Kane’s quest to become the nation’s alltime leading goalscorer taking shape as he hit four in the Group I finale.
Gareth Southgate said he would treat San Marino - the team ranked bottom of the FIFA rankings - with the same respect as any other opposition and he was true to his word as the visitors ran roughshod over a stunned home side.
Harry Maguire, an own goal from Filippo Fabbri, Emile Smith Rowe on his full debut, a first goal for Tyrone Mings, one off the bench for Tammy Abraham and a Bukayo Saka header would wrap up the win for the beaten Euro 2020 finalists.
Not since beating the USA in 1964 had England reached double figures as they kept their foot on the accelerator until the end of this most one-sided of encounters.
Kane would hit all four of his goals in the first half, drawing him level with Gary Lineker’s 48 England goals and moving on to 16 for the calendar year - a record in itself
- as the Three Lions cruised to Qatar. He is now just five shy of Wayne Rooney’s all-time record, having started for the first time against either San Marino or Andorra in this successful qualifying campaign.
It was his namesake, Maguire, who opened the scoring with a fifth-minute header as he too broke a record, becoming England’s highest-scoring centre-back of all time with his seventh international goal.
The second was a fortunate own goal as Saka’s shot took two deflections, eventually flashing past the wrong-footed Elia Benedettini off defender Fabbri. A Kane penalty saw him grab his first of four goals in a 15-minute spell, converting after a lengthy VAR check for handball against Dante Rossi.
His 14th of the year came shortly after, scuffing an Smith Rowe cross past Benedettini. A second successive first-half hat-trick was completed from the penalty spot after Kane’s own header struck the arm of Alessandro D’Addario and he made no mistake from 12 yards.
His fourth was the pick of the bunch, the Tottenham striker beating two men inside the box and finishing into the corner.