England moved to within one point of qualification for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar by dismantling Albania 5-0 at Wembley on Friday night.
Within 10 minutes of kick-off, Gareth Southgate’s side had broken the deadlock as Harry Maguire headed home a Reece James free-kick with ease – his celebration drawing the ire of Roy Keane in the ITV studio. Just shy of 10 minutes later, Harry Kane doubled the Three Lions’ lead by netting his own header, courtesy of a chipped assist from Jordan Henderson, who soon made it 3-0 with a tidy close-range finish. Kane would round out a perfect hat-trick before the half-time whistle sounded, first blasting a powerful strike across goal from a tight angle, then scoring a deflected bicycle kick from a corner on the cusp of the break.
England could not find the net again once the action resumed at Wembley, but Southgate took the opportunity to get Jack Grealish, Tammy Abraham, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jude Bellingham on the pitch from the bench, as well as debuting Arsenal youngster Emile Smith Rowe. The win kept Southgate’s team atop Group I of the European qualifying pools, their 23 points one fewer than what is required to ensure England a place at next winter’s world championship in Qatar.
Follow all the fallout and analysis from Wembley:
