Harrivederci — Kane sets scoring record
Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Kane set records as qualifying for next year’s European Championships got under way yesterday.
Already the leading scorer in men’s international football, 38-yearold Ronaldo now has more international appearances than any other male player after after earning his
197th cap in Portugal’s 4-0 win against Liechtenstein.
The former Real Madrid and Manchester United striker marked the occasion by converting a penalty and adding another second-half goal — a powerful free kick from the edge of the area — to move on to 120 in international matches.
Kane became England’s outright leading scorer by netting a first-half penalty in a 2-1 win in Italy. It lifted Kane to 54 goals for his country, one more than Wayne Rooney.
Qualifying for Euro 2024 in Germany has started three months after the World Cup finished.
Belated revenge
Call it belated revenge for England. The meeting with Italy in Naples was a repeat of the Euro 2020 final won by the Azzurri at Wembley Stadium in London. The teams have met since then — twice, in fact, with Italy gaining a win and a draw in Nations League qualifying last year.
This time, England held on after first-half goals by Declan Rice and Kane, who tucked away a spot kick awarded following a VAR review after it was determined Italy defender Giovanni Di Lorenzo touched the ball with his hand while attempting to prevent Kane from reaching a corner.
Kane missed his last penalty attempt for his country, late in the 2-1 loss to France in the World Cup quarter-finals last year in Qatar.
“It had to be a penalty, of course,” a smiling Kane said of his record goal.
Argentina-born forward Mateo Retegui, who has Italian citizenship through his maternal grandmother, pulled a goal back on his debut and England played with 10 men from the
80th minute after left back Luke Shaw collected two yellow cards in the space of 54 seconds.
Italy lost to England in a competitive match for the first time since a World Cup qualifier at Wembley in
1977.
It was a disappointing way for the Azzurri to start their latest qualifying campaign for a major tournament, having failed to reach the last two World Cups.
“We might be starting with an uphill struggle this time,” Italy manager Roberto Mancini said, “but let’s hope we end it better.”
North Macedonia beat Malta 2-1 in the other match in Group C, which also contains Ukraine.
Easy for Portugal
Roberto Martinez enjoyed a comfortable start to his tenure as Portugal manager after starting Ronaldo against Liechtenstein.
The attacker was left out of Portugal’s knockout-stage matches at the World Cup but was selected up front alongside Joao Felix — and repaid the faith shown in him by Martinez, who left his role as Belgium manager after the tournament in Qatar. Joao Cancelo and Bernardo Silva scored before Ronaldo’s double in Lisbon.
“It’s a new cycle,” Martinez said. “It is very important that a player shows commitment and that he can use his experience. Cristiano has that; a lot of experience and a lot of commitment to the national team.”
Also in Group J, BosniaHerzegovina beat Iceland 3-0, while Slovakia and Luxembourg drew 0-0.
Poignant at Parken
There was a sense of poignancy when Denmark and Finland met for their opening Group H qualifier at Parken Stadium in Copenhagen.
The last time the teams met was at Euro 2020 and it was the game — and same venue — when Denmark playmaker Christian Eriksen collapsed with cardiac arrest.
Nearly two years later, Denmark won 3-1 thanks to a hat-trick from striker Rasmus Hojlund on debut.
Slovenia beat Kazakhstan 2-1 and Northern Ireland defeated San Marino 2-0.
Russia friendly
For the first time since the country’s invasion of Ukraine, Russia played a football match against a nation from outside the borders of the old Soviet Union.
A 1-1 draw with Iran in Tehran was played in front of 78,000 spectators and comes after months of Russia seeking closer ties with the Asian Football Confederation. Russia is banned by Uefa from competing in qualifying for Euro 2024.
Russia has previously played Kyrgyzstan, winning 2-1, along with 0-0 draws against Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.