England turns tables on Croatia
LONDON— Harry Kane’s goalless streak was only five minutes from extending to eight games when the captain finally found the net again for England.
As Ben Chilwell floated a free kick into the penalty area, Kane slid in, stretched out his right foot and nudged the ball into the Croatia net.
It came four months too late to secure a place for England in the World Cup final. But the World Cup Golden Boot winner ensured England went some way to avenging the Moscow semifinal loss to Croatia by turning the tables with a 2-1 victory at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.
While England advanced to the final four of the inaugural UEFA Nations League, Croatia was relegated to the second tier.
Any doubts about what soccer’s newest international competition means to England were dispelled in the relief and glee on Kane’s face as he darted toward the crowd in celebration before being leapt on by Jesse Lingard (who scored the first goal) as the Wembley crowd roared.
Rarely in the 11 years since English soccer’s national stadium was rebuilt has there been such tension for an international game. Not, perhaps, since the opening months when England was beaten by Croatia and denied a place at the 2008 Euro- pean Championship.
“I’ve never seen (Wembley) like this in an England shirt,” the 25-year-old Kane said. “We are going to enjoy it, so I hope the fans do too.”
For a competition that only debuted in September — to replace some largely meaningless friendlies — it has been quickly embraced in soccer’s often- cynical heartland. The comeback from such a young side demonstrated a fortitude so often missing from a country that hasn’t won a major title since the 1966 World Cup. Now England has seven months to contemplate just how meaningful winning the Nations League would be in June. Portugal secured the hosting by winning its group on Saturday. Switzerland sealed the third spot on Sunday night with a 5-2 win over Belgium. France and the Netherlands play to complete the lineup on Monday.
“It’s another semifinal, two wins away from winning a trophy,” Kane said. “We showed that we can beat the big teams. Croatia and Spain are two of the very best in the world. So this is kind of our next step after the summer.”
Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic congratulated England.
“It’s coming home,” Dalic said in his only post-match comments in English, “very soon,” referring to England’s shot at a title.