Incredibly, it was Harry Kane’s first England goal for 497 days.
And how Gareth Southgate has missed Kane’s goals because he is England’s talisman and best hope for the Euros.
Kane broke the deadlock in Tirana when England were labouring, provided the assist for Mason Mount to get a second and is firmly established as one of the best centre forwards in the world.
Tottenham striker Kane is sixth in England’s all time list of scorers, has got 33 goals in 52 caps and, at 27-years-old, has got time on his side to catch Wayne Rooney who tops the lot with 53 goals.
His barren run for England dates back to November 2019 against Kosovo and is partly down to England’s fixture list being decimated by the pandemic but also six appearances without a goal is pretty unprecedented.
But this should serve as a reminder of Kane’s importance to England and anyone who doubts his quality or what he brings to the party is just getting wrapped up in petty club rivalries.
It was Kane who came up with the game’s decisive moment, delivered to him on a plate by a wonderful cross by Luke Shaw to head home the opening goal.
But Kane gets ahead of defenders while others do not see the opportunity and Kane is such a cool finisher. Kane was the Golden Boot winner at the last World Cup and his goals will make or break England’s summer in the Euros.
Kane has also grown as a complete, all round striker who does not just selfishly take chances himself but also create them for others.
Kane’s pass to Mount for the second goal was inch perfect, perfectly weighted and England are now in pole position in Group I and are unbeaten in 23 World Cup qualifiers.
The bigger test will come against Poland on Wednesday night when Robert Lewandowski and Co come to Wembley and England will have a better sense of where they stand.
England thrashed San Marino, overcame Albania - the team ranked 66th in the world - and Poland are 19th in what will also be Lewandowski v Kane in what is such a tantalising showdown.
But Gareth Southgate now has so many good options at his disposal. Mount’s influence at England level is growing, Raheem Sterling worked hard and Shaw has re-emerged. Declan Rice impressed in midfield again and England look a strong unit.
The biggest obstacle for England in Tirana was the slow pitch, the new stadium has had all sorts of problems with the grass, and also Albania’s stubborn defensive back line as it was very much a back five staying back.
Albania’s one big chance came after 13 minutes when Mount lost possession in midfield, the home side broke forward and Myrto Uzuni went clear only to blast his shot over the bar.
But from then on, it was just a matter of whether England could break them down. The big moment came after 38 minutes. Sterling and Mount combined, Shaw angled over a wonderful cross and there was Kane darting in to glance home a beautiful header into the corner.
Kane should have got a second after 42 minutes when the England captain smashed a shot against the crossbar from close range while Phil Foden saw a shot pushed onto the post by Albania keeper Etrit Berisha.
But England wrapped it up after 63 minutes. Sterling intercepted the ball, Kane’s lovely pass played in Mount and the Chelsea midfielder lifted the ball over the keeper for a perfect finish.
Kane’s only bad moment came late on when he was booked harshly for sliding in on two defenders, going for a ball which he was perfectly entitled to. After all, you will never stop Kane going for goals.
