Key events
David Hytner was at Wembley tonight. Here’s his verdict. Thanks for reading this MBM.
Morgan Rogers has a few lovely words for his captain (via ITV). “[Harry Kane] scores a goal as he always does … not much is new! … a lovely night for him … a lovely moment for him and his family … for us to be on the pitch with him is a special honour … he’s relentless … keeps his work ethic … keeps his focus … that’s why he’s the Ballon d’Or winner … he doesn’t get there by accident.”
Thomas Tuchel speaks to ITV. “A good win … we wanted this win desperately … we deserved it … it was hard work … a good opponent … it took us a while to grow into the game but after 15 minutes we did OK … got the goal … got better … more confident … good actions, good chances, good half-chances … we forgot to score the third one … we created enough … the end can always then become difficult … but we got the job done … it was important because it was a special occasion for Harry and he scored the winner so a perfect evening … everything will be different [against Spain on Sunday] … a completely different scenario and set-up … but I am very positive that we get what we want.”
Post-match postbag. “From seven-nil to this?! Has Thomas Tuchel taken England as far as he can?!” – Peter Oh
“Richard Hirst (68min) believes Johnny Haynes was that good? Haynes had an uncommon ability to play the wrong pass, or the right pass a second too late with unerring accuracy. The sort of player who made himself look good by making his teammates look bad. Little wonder Alf Ramsey never bothered with him” – Geoff Wignall
“My cousin who is at the stadium sent this picture. What an amazing experience it must have been” – krishnamoorthy v
The Kane tifo at Wembley.Share
Updated at 17.02 EST
Harry Kane speaks to ITV. “Obviously an incredible gesture and reception at the start of the game … once the game starts it’s just about getting the win and three points … we played against a tough team who wanted to prove something tonight … a really good win … it sets up a great game on Sunday … I missed my last [penalty] for Bayern so it’s always important to bounce back with the next one … try not to miss two in a row … practice … execute … we gave away too many easy balls … we can’t expect everything to be perfect … after the first game [against Spain] we knew we left a little bit out there … it’s the perfect opportunity on Sunday to try and prove ourselves.”
England beat Croatia for the third time this calendar year, and rubber-stamp their place in the quarter-finals of the Nations League. It was almost certainly the least authoritative display of the triptych, but they got the job done. And Harry Kane got to celebrate his record-breaking 126th cap with his 92nd international goal. Now they’ll travel to Spain – who won 2-0 in the Czech Republic tonight, Marc Pubill scoring deep into injury time to add to Álex Baena’s first-half penalty – for a Sunday showdown to decide Group A3. Spain will only need a draw, but if England win they’ll go level on points with the world and European champions, and level the head to head. Which would mean England would top the group on goal difference. In other words: it’s on!
1. Spain P5 GD+9 Pts 15
2. England P5 GD+12 Pts 12
3. Croatia P5 GD-11 Pts 3
4. Czechia P5 GD-10 Pts 0
ShareFULL TIME: England 2-1 Croatia
Another cap, another goal, another winner for Harry Kane.
England captain Harry Kane applauds the fan after the final whistle. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The GuardianShare
Updated at 17.05 EST
90 min +4: Garner rolls in from the left for Rogers, who takes a touch to make space and tee himself up on the edge of the Croatia D … only to lean back and convert, rugby style. Miles over.
90 min +2: Modrić dinks a ball down the right for Baturina to win a corner off Burn. At the set piece, the ball drops to Budimir, four yards out at the far post. He has to score, surely, but sends his header over the bar. A huge chance for Croatia.
90 min: Another sub for Croatia as Majer comes on for Kovačić. Majer will get four additional minutes’ worth of action.
89 min: Burn up the other end now, wresting at a corner with Pašalić, firstly to win a second corner, then rising above everyone to skim a header over the bar from close range! Not sure how the scoreline has remained 2-1 after the last few minutes of bedlam.
87 min: So nearly 3-1 … and then so nearly 2-2! Budimir, bursting into the England box down the right, has his shot deflected wide by Quansah’s fine lunge. From the corner, there’s some pinball, the ball spinning up off Burn but not quite falling for Gvardiol, six yards out. Then the whistle goes for some shoving. England breathe again, seconds after Croatia breathed again!
86 min: Gvardiol and Vlašić faff around down the England right. Rogers sticks out a leg to release Bellingham, who cuts back for Garner to slam home with authority. But the flag goes up correctly for offside.
84 min: Croatia are beginning to string a few things together, and England are struggling to get out of their final third. Modrić involved in such a lot of it, to nobody’s surprise.
82 min: Modric finds Vlašić by the right-hand side of the England D. Burn tugs away at Vlašić, operating on the very edge of legality. One more tug, and the referee would surely take action, but play continues and Vlašić, knocked off his equilibrium, eventually pulls a shot wide right.
81 min: The usual post-tranche-of-changes slump.
79 min: In the middle of that slew of substitutions, Croatia worked a half chance from a free kick for Budimir, who flapped at a header from six yards. Straight at Pickford in the soft style.
78 min: England respond with a triple change, removing Alexander-Arnold, Gordon and Rice and sending on Ngumoha, Garner and – still copping for a few boos – White. Bit early for pantomime season? It would seem not.
Time for a slew of subs. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The GuardianShare
Updated at 16.33 EST
76 min: Croatia remove Smolčić and Mišić, sending on Modrić and Pašalić. Modrić wins his 207th cap, and receives a very warm welcome from both sets of fans as he comes on. Wembley doffing its collective cap to a great master.
74 min: … so having said that, Baturina makes good down the right and looks for Budimir with a diagonal. Budimir should burst through a gap down the inside-left, but the ball clunks off his shin and out for a goal kick.
73 min: England play keepball, and the clock ticks on. They’re looking comfortable.
71 min: Croatia make the first changes, replacing Sučić and Matanović with Budimir and Pašalić. When the game restarts, Gordon crosses from the left for Kane, who is penalised for getting too aggressive with his climb over Gvardiol.
69 min: England don’t deal with a ball bouncing into their box from the left. The ball makes it all the way through to Sučić, in space to the right. Sučić shoots low and hard, towards the bottom right, but Pickford handles well.
68 min: Of course, the closeness of this match means Thomas Tuchel can’t get fancy with his substitutions. He wants to see out the win. All of which may disappoint Richard Hirst: “Can’t wait to see Josh King make his England debut, either tonight or very soon. He’s going to develop into the best England 10 (role, not shirt number, to preempt any pedantry) since Johnny Haynes. What a coincidence that they both come from the same club.”
66 min: By the way, Smolčić was booked for his role in giving away that needless penalty. Slaven Bilic will be fuming.
65 min: Well, that was a quickfire exchange of gifts. Can’t everyone wait for Christmas?
ShareGOAL! England 2-1 Croatia (Kane 64 pen)
Kane performs a little shuffle before waiting for the keeper to move and lashing the ball down the middle. That’s his 92nd goal for the Three Lions. Ninety-two goals! Wayne Rooney, in second spot, chalked up 52.
England captain Harry Kane scores from the penalty spot. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The GuardianThen wheels away in celebration. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The GuardianBefore celebration with his teammates. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The GuardianShare
Updated at 16.23 EST
Penalty for England!
63 min: VAR asks the on-field whistler to come over to the screen. Smolčić had a good old grab at Quansah’s arm, and only let go of the shirt when the England man was about to fall over. It’s got to be given. And it is.
61 min: England respond through Alexander-Arnold, who loops into the Croatia box, forcing Stanišić into deflecting the ball over the bar. From the resulting corner, Quansah, desperate to atone, competes with Smolčić, who has a hold of his shirt. Quansah goes over. He wants a penalty. The on-field referee says no, but VAR will take a look.
ShareGOAL! England 1-1 Croatia (Sučić 59)
Croatia win a corner down the right. The ball’s sent into a crowded mixer. It drops to Quansah, who tries to head back to his keeper. Bad idea. The ball drops to Sučić, four yards out. Sučić swivels and hooks into the top left. Pickford had no chance, the nearby Kane stands and fumes. What on earth was Quansah doing?
Petar Sucic stretches out a leg and hooks the ball goalwards … Photograph: Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty ImagesAnd past England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford for Croatia’s equaliser. Photograph: John Walton/PAEngland captain Harry Kane (second right), Declan Rice (right) and teammates look dejected after Croatia scored their equaliser. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The GuardianShare
Updated at 16.41 EST
58 min: Elliot Anderson played for Scotland at U16, U17, U18 and U21 levels. Chalk up another resounding success for the SFA!
56 min: Anderson, surrounded by blue shirts on the right, wriggles free with some outrageous ball-glued-to-toe skill. He spots the keeper miles off his line, so has a go from halfway … only to shank a dreadful effort miles wide and short. Fair play for giving it a go, because had that gone in, the lead-up would have ensured all-timer status.
55 min: Better from Gordon as he sashays in from the left and whip-curls a shot inches wide of the bottom right. A decent effort.
54 min: Rogers crosses low from the right. Gordon nips in to take control, and feels Mišić leaning on his back. He goes over, but doesn’t get the penalty he wants. The loose ball rebounds to Bellingham, who scuffs a low drive straight at Livaković. Easy for the keeper.
52 min: … nothing happens. Should Rice have taken the shot himself? He’d have been within his rights. But what do you do when Harry Kane is in your periphery? Defer, is what.
51 min: Rice might not be the most elegant dribbler, but he knows how to time a run into the box. He chases Rogers’ ball down the inside-right channel and pulls it back for Kane … who wouldn’t have missed from six yards, but Stanišić deflects out for a corner, from which …
49 min: Gordon cuts in from the left and aims a curler towards the top right. Nowhere near.
47 min: Rice has the opportunity to break into acres of space down the right. He races gamely, if ungainly, clanking the ball a couple of times down the wing before an even heavier touch allows Stanišić to come across and take it away. If Rice’s run had been set to music, it would have been set to the opening few bars of this …
England get the second half started. No changes, so here’s Justin Kavanagh: “Say what you want about Emlyn Hughes, he must have brought a lot to traveling England squads in terms of the bus quizzes.”
Half-time entertainment. Today’s mid-match distraction runs only on the Commodore 64.
ShareHALF TIME: England 1-0 Croatia
There’s not been much to write home about. Like England will care. They’re leading, and now just 45 minutes away from officially booking their place in the Nations League quarter-finals.
45 min: There will be the sum total of zero additional first-half minutes.
44 min: Kovačić wins a corner off Rice down the left. A lot of blue shirts trot into the box. Kovačić takes it himself, and the ball bounces a couple of times in a crowded box before Hall belts it clear. England a wee bit fortunate that somehow evaded all of those aforementioned blue shirts, because that was a bit random.
42 min: Baturina finds a little time on the left for a shot. More easy work for Pickford. Meanwhile in the other Group A3 match, world and European champions Spain have taken the lead in Czechia. Alex Baena with a 39th-minute penalty.
40 min: Some bagatelle on the edge of the Croatia box. The ball breaks back to Alexander-Arnold, who fizzes a rising shot over the bar. Not too far away. That would have been one for the showreel had it hit the net.
39 min: More patient nonsense. “If Emlyn Hughes played in ‘all’ those years, that surely means from 1960 to 1989, he said, pedantically,” says Richard Hirst, pedantically. “That’s a longer international career than even Modric.” Pedants read the Guardian? Some breaking news, right there.
37 min: England play some patient stuff in the middle of the park. Thomas Tuchel will be happier to watch this state of affairs than the controller of ITV1.
35 min: A Croatia free kick out on the left. It’s floated towards Baturina, but Anderson is there to clear. Pickford hasn’t had a serious save to make yet. England counter, Rogers finding Bellingham in the box with a sliderule down the right. Bellingham spins and shoots first time, but there’s no power in this shot either, and Croatia clear their lines.
33 min: Kovačić looks for the top right from 25 yards. No real power, not enough curl. Easy for Pickford. Meanwhile here’s some much-needed good news for those interested in preserving the legacy of poor old Crazy Horse: “On the plus side,” begins Philip Cornwall, “Emlyn Hughes was the only man to play football for England in all of the 60s, 70s and 80s.”
31 min: Some Newcastle-flavoured fun as Hall’s long-distance drive is deflected out for a corner, from which Burn batters a headers goalwards. It’s blocked, and perhaps had the ball gone in, Burn would have been penalised for climbing fairly obviously on the back of Mišić. But play goes on, so we’ll never know for sure.